GREENWOOD, Louisiana (May 5, 2023) — Touring Modified master Chris Henigan, regional open-wheel sensation Connor Mewborn and short track ace Chase Hatton all won features in their respective divisions, as the American Racer Modified Series headlined a full card on Friday at Boothill Speedway.
Henigan powered to victory in the 30-lap A Main for ARMS teams; Mewborn prevailed in a caution-plagued affair for Limited Modifieds; while Hatton led all 20 laps of a caution-free Factory Stock tilt.
David Winslett (Late Models); Greyson Wooten (Tuners) and Chris Weatherford (Sportsters) were also feature winners on a beautiful night for racing in northwestern Louisiana.
Henigan, of Marshall, Texas, started seventh on the 24-car grid, drove underneath Chris Dawson coming off Turn 4 to take command at lap 10, survived three restarts and hung on for a $2,000 payday. Dawson settled for a distant second, while Tyler Townsend filled out the podium.
Sean Gaddis (Diana, TX) crossed the stripe in fourth, while James McCreery (Midlothian) drove up from 19th at the start to finish fifth. Finishing sixth through 10th in the ARMS Modified A Main were Kenny Gaddis, Dennie Gieber, Chase Wascom, Tanner Barnhart and Jimmie Williams.
Four cautions slowed the pace (laps 6, 13, 13, 18), all for minor incidents. Henigan's margin of victory was a whopping 6.748 seconds, enough time for a refreshing sip of sweet tea in Victory Lane. Wascom, Henigan and Dawson won their respective qualifying Heats, while Xavier Ortega won the B Main.
Mewborn, of Texarkana, TX, powered around the outside of Aaron Roy to take command with just three laps remaining and hung on for top honors in his feature. Roy finished in the runner-up position, while Dustin Henigan finished right where he started in third.
Derick Grigsby (Marshall, TX) and J.D. Ammons (Longwood) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the USRA Limited Modified feature were Coty Tupper, R.C. Hagan, Ethan Bailes, Jack Dupont and Charlie Jones. A yawn-inducing eight cautions slowed the pace (laps 1, 5, 7, 7, 8, 9, 12, 16), most for minor spins and a majority located over in a rather troubled Turn 2.
Mewborn's margin of victory was a scant .898 of a second, since Roy had his foot firmly planted to the floorboard as the checkered flag waved.
Hatton, of De Berry, Texas, started on the pole of a 20-car Factory Stock affair and led all 20 laps in convincing fashion. Josh Worn kept up the pressure throughout yet settled for second, while Cody Myers drove up from sixth at the start to claim third.
Ross Cook and regional driving/car building icon Justin Whitehead completed the top five. Finishing sixth through 10th were Scotty Case, Dalton Dubois, David Vosbury, Joshua Martin and Dalton Deville. With no cautions to slow him down, Hatton's margin of victory was a healthy 1.142 seconds.
Worn, Cook, Case and Whitehead won their Heats, while Dakota Wyatt and Mickey Steele won the B Mains. This week's moved-from-Sabine event at Boothill (it's Sabine that usually runs on Friday night, yet Bubba Jones and Ralo Pilkington own both tracks now and have that option) drew 130 entries.
Officials knocked out 15 Heats and three B Mains in short order, then cranked out their six features in rapid-fire succession. Fans were treated to non-stop action from the moment the first green flag waved.
Teams in the USRA American Racer Modified Series are in a three-night swing through Bayou land, with stops tonight in Chatham at Super Bee Speedway (Live here at RaceOnTexas) and in Vivian at Ark-La-Tex Speedway on Sunday evening (also Live here). It's Modified Mania week in Louisiana.
You can replay all of the action from Friday night's American Racer Modified Series (ARMS) event at Boothill 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 finest short track content available online.
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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