KENNEDALE, Texas (Feb. 25, 2023) — Veteran Modified ace William Gould, regional strongman Cody Smith and stock car pilot Cody Schulz all won features in their respective divisions, as officials hosted Night Two of their Spring Kickoff program on Saturday at Kennedale Speedway Park.
Gould completed a sweep of the week's IMCA Modified action with his second consecutive victory; Smith earned $1,000 when he prevailed in a talent-filled Sport Mod tilt; while Schulz was triumphant in a fast-pace feature for Factory Stock warriors.
Jason Gore (IMCA Stock Cars); Shawn Marquez Jr. (Eco Mods); and Steven Bevills (Sport Compacts) were also feature winners on another chilly yet dry night for racing in North Texas.
Gould, of Calera, Oklahoma, started on the pole of his feature and led all 20 laps. Jake Upchurch drove up from 10th on the 21-car grid to finish second, while Jacob Pirkle wheeled his No. 6 ride up to third after taking the green flag in the eighth position.
Robbie Daniels (Bonham) was on a mission, as well, charging up from 19th at the start to finish fourth, while Michael Ables (Caddo, OK) completed the top five.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the Mike Frieri Photography IMCA Modified A Main were Mark Carrell, Levi Ely, Steve Askew, David Gould and Michael Svehlak. Five cautions slowed the pace (laps 6, 8, 8, 8, 17), the last brought out for a three-car melee in Turn 3 to set up a three-lap sprint to the end.
Gould's margin of victory was just under one second, as Upchurch was beginning to close the gap. Ryan Williams, Askew and Matt Martin won their respective heats earlier in the evening.
Smith, of Kaufman, also started on the pole of his feature and led all 20 laps. Dean Abbey powered his way up from eighth on the 23-car grid to finish second, while Walter Hamilton filled out the podium. Cutter Spalding (Abilene) finished fourth, while Steven Ashcraft drove to fifth from 18th on the grid.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the C&P Pump Sport Mod feature were Klayton Reeves, Wes Cummings, Rawdy Hull, Chad King and Jeff Hauser. Only two cautions slowed the pace (laps 1, 14), one for Junior McCall's spin in Turn 1 and another for Vinny Rabozzi's spin in Turn 2.
Smith's margin of victory was a whopping 3.027 seconds, enough time for a sip of delicious Sweet Tea. Reeves, Spalding and Hamilton won their respective qualifying Heats earlier in the program.
Schulz, of Alvarado, took the lead from Cameron Cook at lap seven and hung on to earn top honors. Ryan Powers powered up from seventh on the grid to finish second after winning Friday's feature, while David Vosbury made the long haul from Louisiana pay off with a solid third-place performance.
Cook, who started on the pole, settled for fourth, while Calvin Williams (Crandall) finished fifth.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the 1st Class Service Group Factory Stock A Main were Zane Lawrence, Nate Dixon, Michael Marusak, Shane Hull and Taylor Rawlinson. Only two cautions slowed the pace (laps 3, 6), both for minor spins by Jackie Dooley and Tristan McCullough, respectively.
Schulz's margin of victory was a comfortable .710 seconds, yet Powers was turning up the heat. Williams, McCullough and Dixon all won qualifying heats earlier in the evening.
Night 2 of the 2023 Spring Kickoff drew 142 entries across six divisions, capping a weekend filled with new cars, fresh wraps and eager drivers. Officials knocked out 18 qualifying Heats, two B Mains and six features in a timely fashion. Promoter James Lopez and his staff pulled off an excellent show.
You can replay all of the action from Night 2 of Kennedale Speedway Park's 2023 Spring Kickoff with a subscription at RaceOnTexas.com. With over 400 events on the Live steaming schedule this year, it's home to some of the best short track content available on the planet.
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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