RACE REPORTS
December 10th (SAT) - ARC3 Gases Holiday 200
ARENA RACING USA at Richmond (Va.) Coliseum
ARC3 Gases 200
Race Report
Saturday, December 10, 2016
RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 10) -- Defending Pro Series champion Camden Testerman of Sandston, Va., grabbed the lead on lap 7 and showed the way to the checkered flag to win the Top Dog feature, the headlining event of Saturday afternoon's ARC3 Gases 200 for Arena Racing USA at the Richmond Coliseum. Thanks to a flurry of late caution flags, the event ran three laps past the scheduled 50-lap distance.
Todd Meredith drew the pole for the afternoon's finale and nosed ahead to lead the opening lap. On lap 2, though, he two-wheeled his way into Turn 4 and handed the top spot to outside pole starter Savannah Nickens.
The first yellow flag flew on lap 3 for a multi-car tangle in Turn 2. Lining up for a double-file restart, Nickens shared the front row with Chase Butler.
Back under green, Nickens pulled ahead of Butler off Turn 2 and Testerman tagged along, taking over second. Testerman tailed Nickens until lap 6 when he ducked low in Turn 4 and snagged the lead as they headed back toward the first corner. By lap 15, Testerman had pulled away by nearly a straightaway over Nickens, while another straightaway separated Nickens and a third-place tussle between Butler and Scott Prillaman.
The second caution flag appeared on lap 19 for a three-car incident in Turn 2. On the ensuing restart, Testerman quickly cleared Nickens and left the inside lane open for Prillaman, who took over the second spot.
Cautions #3, #4 and #5 were unfurled on laps 20, 22 and 30 as Testerman and Prillaman continued to run 1-2.
As the race resumed, to begin lap 30, Testerman and Prillaman renewed their battle for the lead. Testerman finally gained the clear-cut advantage in Turn 1 on lap 32. He couldn't shake Prillaman, though, as the event entered the closing stages.
With the white flag in the air, Prillaman forced a fender underneath Testerman at the end of the backstretch. Meanwhile, ahead of the leaders, trouble was starting to unfold off Turn 4.
Heading into what should have been the final corner, Testerman stumbled into the developing melee and Prillaman shot past him. Instead of a checkered flag, though, he was greeted by the sixth caution flag. Scoring reverted to the previous lap and Testerman was returned to the lead for a "green-white-checkered" finish.
On the next restart, Prillaman got the better of Testerman. Officials were unhappy with Prillaman's launch, however, and the yellow flag made its seventh appearance. Under the zero-tolerance policy regarding restart infractions, Prillaman was ordered to the back of the pack. After some protest, Prillaman dropped to the rear as Jim Grady moved into the runner-up slot.
Returning to green, Prillaman tried to mount a banzai charge from the seventh spot. Reaching Turns 3 and 4, however, he tangled with Butler's #11 machine, sending Butler onto his roof, bringing out the eighth (and final) yellow flag and ending the afternoon for both Prillaman and Butler.
On the final restart, Grady put up a fight as he and Testerman motored into Turn 1. Exiting the second corner, though, Testerman pulled ahead. As Testerman moved into the clear, Branden Sanders moved up to challenge Grady for second.
At the finish, Testerman was the winner. His winning margin was just a single car-length over Sanders, who not only picked off Grady for the runner-up position, but nearly tracked down the leader. Grady was third to the line, followed by Tyler Warriner and Meredith. Only five of the 13 starters were around for the checkers.
Prillaman headed the second five, in sixth, while Butler, Nate Thomas, Chase Burrow and Savannah Nickens completed the top 10. Mark Clements, John Nickens and Blaine Schumann rounded out the rundown.
Following Saturday's meet, Arena Racing USA goes on a holiday hiatus, returning to action with a weekend twinbill at the Richmond Coliseum on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 6 and 7.
***
Camden Testerman moved out front on lap 13 and rolled to his first victory of the season in the 50-lap A Main, the first event on the afternoon's program.
Scott Prillaman started on the pole and took the lead as the field headed into turn one for the first time. Testerman, the outside pole-sitter, settled into second and began to shadow the leader.
On lap 13, the frontrunners waded into slower traffic and Prillaman immediately encountered problems, tangling with Mark Clements on the frontstretch. As they plowed into the inside barricade, Testerman flashed past and took over the top spot. A few laps later, Prillaman pulled to the infield with brake trouble.
Testerman was up by nearly half a lap when the first caution flag appeared on lap 32 for debris -- the drive chain from Jim Grady's #74 machine. Lining up for a restart, Testerman showed the way, followed by Savannah Nickens and Chase Butler.
Back under green, Testerman eked out a two-length edge. The advantage quickly grew to half a straightaway as Butler hounded Nickens for the runner-up position.
On lap 38, Nickens bobbled in Turn 4, but managed to fend off Butler. Four laps later, she slapped the wall off Turn 4 and Butler closed in. Finally, on lap 46, Nickens' car snapped around in Turn 2, bringing out the last of the race's two yellow flags and relegating her to the back of the pack.
On the final restart, Testerman bolted from the pack and won by a straightaway over Butler. Nate Thomas was third, while Nickens and Branden Sanders completed the top five. Clements, Grady and Prillaman were sixth, seventh and eighth, in that order, and all advanced to the afternoon's Top Dog finale.
***
Chase Burrow of King William, Va., took the lead on lap 2 and scored a dominating win in the 50-lap B Main. It was his second straight B Main victory.
John Nickens was the pole-sitter for the event, but gave way to his front-row colleague, Shane Zupo, as the initial green flag dropped. Zupo's stay atop the leaderboard was short-lived, however, as he overturned off Turn 4 on lap 2, prompting the first caution flag and bringing a premature end to Zupo's afternoon. Johnny Shonk also headed to the sidelines as the field gathered for a restart.
Back under green, Burrow was the new leader and he wasted no time in distancing himself from the rest of the pack. In only two laps, he had pulled away by a full straightaway.
The only other yellow flag appeared on lap 8 when Allen Booth III overturned in Turn 4 while racing with Nickens.
As the race resumed, Burrow blasted away from the field. By the halfway mark, his lead had swelled to half a lap. Continuing to pad his advantage, Burrow threatened to put a lap on the field. At lap 35, he was just half a straightaway behind second-place Nickens.
After a brief bout with slower traffic, Burrow backed off his pace some and eased on to the checkers, winning by nearly half a lap over Nickens. Newcomer Blaine Schumann was third, followed by Tyler Warriner and Todd Meredith. Booth was sixth and nabbed the final Top Dog transfer spot. Zupo and Shonk were seventh and eighth, respectively.
***
Layton Harrison of Dinwiddie, Va., started on the pole and sailed to his second win in a row in a 30-lapper for the Rising Stars Series.
As the race got under way, Harrison fashioned a three-length advantage over second-place Jay Seward. Quickly, though, slower traffic became a factor, allowing Seward to close in.
As more laps clicked past, the three novices in the field became more comfortable in dealing with the lead duo, clearing the way for Harrison and Seward.
With fewer obstacles directly in his path, Harrison pulled away and won by half a straightaway over Seward. Fred Daniels was third, followed by Rachel Ingram and Connor Garlitz.
***
Camden Testerman notched his first pole of the young season in Pro Series qualifying, a composite of three practice rounds. Testerman circled the tenth-mile oval in 7.814 seconds to nip Scott Prillaman by 86-thousandths of a second. Savannah Nickens, Chase Burrow and Jim Grady were third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the results listing. Sixteen drivers posted timed laps with 0.668-second separating the fastest and slowest.
In Future Stars Series time trials, Layton Harrison snagged his second pole in as many tries. Harrison turned in an 8.256-second effort, 0.217-second quicker than Jay Seward. Fred Daniels, Connor Garlitz and Rachel Ingram completed the rundown.
DECEMBER 10 RACE RESULTS from Richmond Coliseum:
PRO SERIES TOP DOG (53 laps): 1. Camden Testerman; 2. Branden Sanders; 3. Jim Grady; 4. Tyler Warriner; 5. Todd Meredith; 6. Scott Prillaman; 7. Chase Butler; 8. Nate Thomas; 9. Chase Burrow; 10. Savannah Nickens; 11. Mark Clements; 12. John Nickens; 13. Blaine Schumann. Pole: Meredith.
PRO SERIES A MAIN (50 laps): 1. Camden Testerman; 2. Chase Butler; 3. Nate Thomas; 4. Savannah Nickens; 5. Branden Sanders; 6. Mark Clements; 7. Jim Grady; 8. Scott Prillaman. Pole: Prillaman.
PRO SERIES B MAIN (50 laps): 1. Chase Burrow; 2. John Nickens; 3. Blaine Schumann; 4. Tyler Warriner; 5. Todd Meredith; 6. Allen Booth III; 7. Shane Zupo; 8. Johnny Shonk. Pole: Nickens.
FUTURE STARS SERIES (30 laps): 1. Layton Harrison; 2. Jay Seward; 3. Fred Daniels; 4. Connor Garlitz; 5. Rachel Ingram. Pole: Harrison.
NEXT EVENT: Doubleheader Weekend at the Richmond Coliseum. Friday, Jan. 6, and Saturday, Jan. 7. On both nights, doors open at 6 PM and racing starts at 7 PM.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ricky Dennis
Phone: (804) 835-5211
E-mail: ContactUs@ArenaRacingUSA.com