BELLS, Texas (April 29, 2023) — North Texas oval master Tim Clonch, open-wheel hotshoe Kyle Wilkins and red-hot racer Tyler Malone all won features in their respective divisions, as officials hosted another full card of racing on Saturday night at Grayson County Speedway.
Clonch was awarded the IMCA Modified win (unofficially) after the race was called off early for concerns over driver safety due to track conditions in Turn 1; Wilkins prevailed in a hotly-contested affair for IMCA Southern SportMods; while Malone powered to victory in the Eco Mod A Main.
Rodney White (Factory Stock); Tim Clonch (IMCA Stock Cars); Dustin Rude (Dwarf Cars); Kason Capps (Jr. Limiteds) and Jarrod Godbey (Eco Stock) were also feature winners on a beautiful night for racing in North Texas.
Clonch, of Quinlan, was setting a torrid pace in the Modified feature when Jamie Dick (Denison) rolled his machine over in Turn 1. The red flag came out as officials reviewed the incident, and a decision was reached moments later to call the race complete. Driver safety should always be first, and it was here.
Clonch and Juan Grijalva had been having a great battle up front, and will no doubt do so again soon.
Wilkins, of Italy, Texas, took the lead for the second and final time from Landon Capps at lap 13 and hung on to earn top honors in his new GRC-built Southern SportMod. Unofficially, Jon White settled for second, while Shawn Marquez Jr. filled out the podium. Matt Rust put in a solid effort to claim fourth.
Four cautions slowed the pace (laps 3, 15, 16, 17), three for minor spins and one for heavy contact between several cars at the exit of Turn 2. A late restart with two laps remaining gave White one last shot at Wilkins, yet he was up to the challenge. With his skills and new car, Wilkins is one to watch.
Malone, of Caddo, started on the pole of a talent-filled 22-car Eco Mod field and led all 20 laps in convincing fashion. Brandon Sexton was the biggest mover, wheeling his way all the way up from 15th at the start to claim second. Rodney White was also on fire, driving up from 14th to fill out the podium.
Jeremy Doyle (Bonham) and Larry Osborne (Bonham) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the Eco Mod A Main were Marilyn Williams, Mark Bullock, Trent Gibby (who came up from 20th at the start), Cody Miller and Matt Hodges. Only two cautions slowed the field (laps 3, 12), both for minor spins. The Eco Mods had the best on-track behavior on the docket.
This week's championship points program at Grayson County drew an impressive 113 entries spread across eight divisions. Led by the Eco Mods with 23 and Eco Stock with 21, fans were in for a treat from the moment that first green flag waved in qualifying. There is no shortage of cars in Bells, Texas.
You can replay all of the action from Saturday night's weekly program (and Dwarf cars) at Grayson County Speedway with a subscription at RaceOnTexas.com. With over 450 events on the Live steaming schedule this year, it's home to some of the best short track content available in the country.
When you sign up today, select one of two options (OnDemand or All Access), choose your favorite or hometown track, and start enjoying great content while supporting your local track even when you can't attend in person.
By Phil Whipple, RaceOnTexas.com Staff Writer
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