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ARENA RACING USA at Richmond (Va.) Coliseum
Race Report

RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 2) -- Troy Doggett of Ruther Glen, Va., started on the pole and led all 50 laps to claim his first victory of the season in the 50-lap Top Dog feature for Arena Racing USA's Pro Series, the headlining event of Saturday evening's program at the Richmond Coliseum. Doggett and Francis Jarrelle III occupied the front row for the start, while Tyler Hughes and Scott Prillaman launched from Row 2 and Tommy Jackson Jr. and Dylan Loving made up Row 3. On the first try at a start, Doggett rocketed ahead of Jarrelle. Officials weren't satisfied with the takeoff, though, and the first caution flag flew as the field slowed for a complete restart. On the second attempt, Doggett and Jarrelle stayed door-to-door until they reached Turn 2. Heading onto the backstretch, Doggett surged ahead and brought Hughes and Jackson along with him. Prillaman slipped into the fourth spot in line as Jarrelle tumbled down the running order. At lap 5, Doggett and Hughes were nose-to-tail for the lead, separated from Jackson and Prillaman by three car-lengths. Loving was up to fifth, but a straightaway down to the top four. The second caution flag appeared on lap 8 when Tripp Thurston and Dystany Spurlock spun in Turns 3 and 4. On the double-file restart, Doggett got the better of Hughes off Turn 2 and left the door open for Jackson. Before that battle could take shape, however, the third yellow flag waved as Thurston plowed into the inside barricade near Turn 1. Back under green, Doggett shot ahead of Hughes as the field rolled into Turn 1. Again, Jackson motored to the inside of Hughes. The two went door-to-door for nearly two laps with Hughes retaining the runner-up spot off Turn 4 on lap 10. The tussle allowed Doggett to extend his advantage to four lengths. On lap 19, Prillaman swiped the third spot from Jackson. He was able to make the move when Jackson got trapped behind a slower car on the top side of the track, leaving the inside lane wide open. The last of the race's four yellow flags was displayed on lap 21 when Robbie Davis spun in Turn 4. After studying the replay, officials determined that Jackson was involved in the incident and he joined Davis at the back of the pack. The green flag reappeared at the start of lap 30. As the race resumed, Doggett zoomed ahead of Hughes, who quickly had his hands full with Prillaman. Prillaman edged into the second spot on lap 32, but Hughes battled back on lap 34, regaining the spot for good. While Hughes and Prillaman tussled, Doggett dashed away to a half-straightaway lead. Once Hughes and Prillaman calmed down and got into single-file formation, though, they began to close in on the leader. Working around a slower machine, Doggett nearly the race slip through his fingers on lap 45 when he got crossed up off Turn 4. Hughes and Prillaman pounced on Doggett's miscue, narrowing the gap to just two car-lengths with a handful of circuits to go. Doggett quickly regained his composure, though, and was in firm command over the closing laps to nail down the win. At the finish, he was 0.498-second ahead of runner-up Hughes. Prillaman was third, followed by Jackson and Davis. Spurlock was sixth to the line, while Pete Hunt, Jason Manes, John Alford and Loving rounded out the top 10. Cayton Hornberger, Jarrelle, Jason Styron and Thurston completed the rundown. In the Pro Series standings, teammates Prillaman and Davis have separated themselves from the pack a bit. Prillaman ranks first with 158 points, while Davis is second, four points behind. Styron is third with 141 points, followed by Jackson with 138. Manes and Hunt are deadlocked for fifth with 134 points apiece.

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Scott Prillaman assumed the lead on lap 44 and sailed to the victory in the 50-lap Insurance Doctor A Main. The win was his fifth overall and fourth straight in A Main competition. Robbie Davis drew the pole for the start of the event and paced the first 43 circuits with Prillaman and Tyler Hughes in tow. On lap 44, though, Tyler Daniels and Dylan Loving tangled in Turn 4, just ahead of the leaders. As the race's fourth caution flag waved, Davis and Prillaman came to a halt to avoid contact. Reviewing the incident, officials determined that Davis didn't stop quite quickly enough to stay out of the melee and he was directed to the rear of the field, handing the top spot to Prillaman. Hughes lined up in second place, followed by Cody Carlton and Pete Hunt. For the ensuing restart, Carlton opted to launch from the outside lane, alongside Prillaman. Back under green, Prillaman made short work of Carlton and left the inside lane open for Hughes. Exiting Turn 2, Hughes pinched Carlton into the outside wall, causing extensive suspension damage on Carlton's #94 machine. Carlton slowed to a crawl in Turns 3 and 4, prompting the last of the race's five yellow flags. Carlton was eliminated from the contest, while Hughes was relegated to the back of the pack. On the final restart, Prillaman easily outdistanced Jason Styron and won by 1.108 seconds -- better than half a straightaway. Styron was second to the line, followed by Davis, who rebounded from his earlier misfortune to take third. Pete Hunt and Troy Doggett rounded out the top five. Hughes, Loving and Cayton Hornberger were sixth, seventh and eighth, in that order, and joined the top five in advancing to the Top Dog finale. Daniels, Carlton and Lin O'Neill finished outside the front eight and missed Top Dog starting spots.

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Tommy Jackson Jr. took the lead on lap 35 and roared to his fourth straight win in the 50-lap Pete Rose Landscape Products B Main. John Seward started the event from the pole, but gave way to his front-row colleague, John Alford, on the opening lap. Scott Allen tagged along with Alford, then went after the lead on lap 2. Alford and Allen tangled off Turn 4 and Allen careened into the inside barrier and brought out the first of five caution flags. Tripp Thurston moved into the top spot as the field bunched for the ensuing restart. Back under green, Seward made a hard charge to the inside of Thurston into Turn 1. In the middle of Turns 1 and 2, Seward's machine went up on two wheels and he overturned on top of Thurston, prompting the second yellow flag. Thurston was allowed to retain the lead for the restart. As the race resumed, Thurston pulled ahead of Nathan Thomas, who was deployed to his outside. Meanwhile, Jackson began to rumble toward the front. Picking off cars in wholesale fashion, he moved into the runner-up spot on lap 13 and set his sights on Thurston. The brewing battle between Thurston and Jackson was interrupted by caution flags on laps 18 and 34. Gathering for the ensuing restart, Jackson broke out of line and pulled to the outside of the leader. Back under green, Thurston managed to hold Jackson at bay for one lap, but gave way on lap 35. No sooner had Jackson taken the lead than the fifth yellow flag flew. On the final restart, Jackson eased ahead of Jason Manes along the backstretch and began to pull away. By the finish, his winning margin had swelled to 2.173 seconds -- a full straightaway. Manes was second, followed by Thurston, Dystany Spurlock and Francis Jarrelle III. Alford was sixth and nabbed the final Top Dog transfer position. Michael Hayes, Thomas, Mike Newell, Seward and Allen were left on the sidelines for the Top Dog show.

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Ryleigh Lemonds snagged the lead on lap 4 and rolled on to her first win of the season in a 30-lapper for the Youth Series, snapping Garrett Manes' four-race unbeaten streak. Hunter Taylor drew the pole and led laps 1-3, which were interrupted by a pair of caution flags. Lemonds overtook Taylor for the lead on lap 4, then endured three more caution periods on the way to the winner's circle. Lining up for a "green-white-checkered" dash to the finish, following the final caution flag, Lemonds had Manes parked on her rear bumper. Back under green, Lemonds eked out a slim margin, then stretched the lead as the two front-runners hit the backstretch. By the checkers, her winning margin had grown to 1.162 seconds -- half a straightaway. Manes had to settle for second, followed by Olivia Florian and Timmy Tyrrell. Camden Testerman retired 10 laps short of the finish and was credited with fifth place.

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QUALIFYING RESULTS:
Scott Prillaman notched his fourth Pro Series pole award in late afternoon qualifying. He lapped the tenth-mile oval in 7.865 seconds to trim Troy Doggett by 37-thousandths of a second. Tyler Hughes, Robbie Davis and Pete Hunt rounded out the top five. Twenty-one drivers posted timed laps with 1.665 seconds separating the fastest and slowest.

In Youth Series time trials, Arena Racing newcomers Camden Testerman and Timmy Tyrrell showed the way. Testerman claimed the pole award, stopping the clock in 8.661 seconds. Tyrrell was 76-thousandths of a second off the pole winner's pace. Ryleigh Lemonds, Olivia Florian and Garrett Manes were third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the rundown.