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ARENA RACING USA - Firefighter Appreciation Night Race Report

ARENA RACING USA at Richmond (Va.) Coliseum
Firefighter Appreciation Night presented by Hot 100.9
Race Report

RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 11) -- Cody Carlton moved out front on lap 6 and held on at the finish to post the win in the 50-lap Machinery Movers and Erectors Top Dog race, the featured event of Saturday evening's Greater Richmond Chamber 200 for Arena Racing USA's Pro Series at the Richmond Coliseum.
The victory was Carlton's third of the season in Top Dog competition, his fifth overall and his second of the night as he completed the Top Dog/A Main sweep.
Jason Styron started from the pole. Due to start on the outside of Row 1, Josh Thomas opted to drop to the rear of the 14-car field. Austin Jefferson, fourth on the original grid, also retreated to the back, allowing Carlton to move up to the front row.
As the race got under way, Styron and Carlton dueled door-to-door until they reached Turn 4. Heading back to the flagstand to complete lap 1, Styron surged ahead. Carlton settled into second, followed by Robbie Davis, Jordan Wood and Tyler Hughes.
Carlton rode in Styron's tire tracks until lap 6 when he drove underneath the leader in Turn 2. He drew even along the backstretch and took over the top spot as they exited Turn 4.
The first caution flag flew on lap 11 when Davis spun in Turn 2. The second yellow flag appeared on the ensuing restart when Styron spun off Turn 4, collecting points leader Travis Wall and Mike Weddell.
Lining up for the next double-file restart, Carlton was flanked by Wood, the defending series champ. Hughes and Scott Prillaman made up Row 2.
Back under green, Carlton quickly dispensed with Wood, bringing Hughes along with him, to second. Wood and Prillaman continued to work the top side until lap 14 when Prillaman changed lanes and slipped underneath Wood, picking up the third spot.
The last of the race's three caution flags appeared on lap 18 when Thomas scrubbed the outside wall off Turn 4 and ground to a halt near the start/finish line.
On what would turn out to be the final double-file restart, Carlton and Prillaman bolted ahead of Hughes, who quickly found Jefferson to his inside. Hughes came out on top of that brief scuffle, gaining command of the third position. Wood came along with him, moving into fourth.
On lap 36, Carlton and Prillaman headed into heavy traffic for the first time. They broke into the clear on lap 39 with Carlton ahead by a single car-length. Lap 43 brought another foray into traffic for the two leaders, who smartly navigated their way through.
Over the closing circuits, Carlton managed to keep Prillaman at arm's length and won by a car-length. Prillaman was second, followed by Hughes, Wall and Wood.
Weddell headed up the second five, in sixth. Jefferson, wheeling the Bethel High School-fielded entry, was seventh, the last driver on the lead lap. Matt Midgett was eighth, while Davis and Jason Manes completed the top 10. Lin O'Neill, Joe McGrath, Thomas and Styron were 11th through 14th, respectively.

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Cody Carlton assumed the lead on the 34th circuit and rolled to his fourth victory of the season in the 50-lap Insurance Doctor A Main. It was his second straight A Main win.
Jordan Wood drew the pole for the start of the event and led the first 33 laps. By the time the crossed flags were displayed, he had extended his advantage to half a straightaway over Scott Prillaman, who had just swiped second from Mike Weddell.
Little by little, Prillaman closed in on Wood. As they began lap 34, the two were nose-to-tail. The complexion of the event was about to take a drastic turn, though.
As the leaders navigated Turns 1 and 2, Megan Creech spun just ahead of them. Wood, Prillaman and Weddell, along with fifth-place Travis Wall, all stumbled into Creech's mishap, bringing out the yellow flag. Carlton, in fourth, managed to sneak through the accident scene unscathed and picked up the lead.
Back under green, Carlton bolted from the pack. Behind him, Wood, Prillaman and Weddell quickly headed to the outside groove and began to make their way back toward the front.
At the finish, Carlton was the runaway winner, crossing the stripe a full straightaway ahead of Prillaman, who grabbed second from Jason Styron on lap 46. Styron was third, followed by Wood and Wall.
Weddell was sixth, while Robbie Davis and Austin Jefferson came home in seventh and eighth, in that order, snagging the final Top Dog transfer spots. Cole Amsden, Creech and Tommy Jackson Jr. failed to gain Top Dog positions.

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Tyler Hughes, an INEX Legends standout at Old Dominion Speedway, picked up his first Arena Racing USA win in the Pete Rose Landscape Products B Main, a caution-filled 50-lapper.
Scott Allen was the pole-sitter and led laps 1-20. Meanwhile, Hughes started sixth on the 10-car grid and steadily worked his way forward. He moved into second on lap 10, slipping past Matt Midgett and Lin O'Neill when Midgett nearly overturned in Turn 4. Within five laps, Hughes had parked himself right on Allen's rear bumper.
After the second caution flag, at lap 18, Allen pulled ahead of Hughes, who chose to restart to his outside. Hughes fought off O'Neill for second, then turned his attention back to Allen.
On lap 21, Hughes ducked underneath the leader in Turns 1 and 2. They raced door-to-door down the backstretch and Hughes gained the clear-cut edge off Turn 4.
The race was interrupted by three more yellow flags, at laps 24, 31 and 41. The last caution flag waved when Daniel Thomas and Allen locked horns off Turn 4, while contesting the runner-up spot.
As the field gathered for the ensuing restart, Hughes held the lead, followed by Midgett, O'Neill, Joe McGrath and Jason Manes.
Back under green, with three laps remaining, Hughes blazed away, leaving Midgett and O'Neill to tussle for second.
At the checkers, Hughes was the winner by a straightaway over Midgett. O'Neill was third, followed by McGrath and Manes. The top five, along with sixth-place Josh Thomas, advanced to the evening's Top Dog finale. Missing out on Top Dog starting spots were Cayton Hornberger, Allen, Daniel Thomas and Nathan Thomas.

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Shut out of Victory Lane since Dec. 30, Macy Causey broke her five-race winless streak in the 30-lap Youth Series feature, leading all the way for her fourth victory of the season.
Gummy Cook and Causey shared the front row for the start. Two attempts to get the race under way went awry, however, as the front-row occupants tangled coming to the green flag. For the third try, Cook retreated to the back of the pack, ceding the pole to Jordan Valdes.
As the event finally got going, Valdes and Causey headed into Turns 1 and 2. Valdes came off the pace, however, and Causey shot into the lead. Tripp Thurston emerged in second, followed by Savannah Cook and Devon Courtney.
By lap 7, Causey's lead had already grown to half a straightaway. In her wake, Thurston and Savannah Cook dueled nose-to-tail for the runner-up spot.
On lap 12, Savannah Cook grabbed second, muscling past Thurston through Turns 1 and 2. Their brief scuffle allowed Causey to extend her advantage to a full straightaway.
By the finish, Causey had widened her winning margin to better than a full straightaway over Savannah Cook. Thurston was third, followed by Valdes, Courtney and Gummy Cook.

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QUALIFYING RESULTS:
Scott Prillaman led the charge in late afternoon Pro Series qualifying, bagging his sixth pole award of the season with a lap in 7.783 seconds. Travis Wall was second-fastest, 52-thousandths of a second off Prillaman's pace. Cody Carlton, Tommy Jackson Jr. and Jordan Wood completed the top five. Austin Jefferson and Robbie Davis were sixth- and seventh-quickest, respectively. Like the top five, they also dipped beneath the eight-second barrier.

Macy Causey extended her perfect record in Youth Series time trials, circling the tenth-mile oval in 8.209 seconds for her 10th pole award in 10 tries. Savannah Cook was second, 0.118-second behind, followed by Tripp Thurston, Jordan Valdes, Gummy Cook and Devon Courtney.