Defending champ Florian sails to 3rd Top Dog win

HAMPTON, Va. (Feb. 13) -- Defending series champ Adam Florian moved out front on lap 22 and rolled to the win in the 50-lap Top Dog shootout, the featured event of Saturday evening's Structural Mechanical 200 for the Arena Racing Hampton Roads Pro Series at Hampton Coliseum. The victory was Florian's third in Top Dog competition and his sixth overall this season.

C Main winner Chris Crecelius drew the pole for the start of the event, sharing the front row with Charlie Green, last week's Top Dog victor. Craig Carlton and Nelson Moody lined up Row 2, followed by Michael Weddell and Scott Prillaman in Row 3. Florian launched from the eighth slot on the 14-car grid.

As the race got under way, Crecelius nosed ahead of Green to lead lap 1. Green battled back on lap 2. Before that lap was officially in the books, though, the first caution flag appeared for Aaron Leach's spin in Turn 3. Scoring reverted to the previous lap, putting Crecelius back atop the leaderboard.

On the double-file restart, Green got the jump on Crecelius and took over the top spot. Moody moved up to second, while Florian grabbed third.

By lap 10, Green had stretched his lead to four lengths over Moody, who faced a challenge from Florian. Behind them, Derek Miller took fourth from Weddell. He was soon followed by Prillaman and Travis Wall.

The second yellow flag came out on lap 14 for debris on the speedway. During the caution period, Weddell pulled to the infield with a flat right-front tire.

Back under way, Green easily cleared Moody and brought Florian along with him, to second. Prillaman tried to follow Green and Florian's lead, but was rebuffed as Moody clung to third. Prillaman finally took the position on lap 17, opening the door for Miller and Wall and dropping Moody from the top five.

After shadowing Green for several circuits, Florian pushed his machine to the point on lap 22. He ducked under Green off Turn 2 and completed the pass through Turns 3 and 4. At the crossed flags, he was up by a car-length.

By lap 30, Florian's advantage had swelled to three lengths, while Prillaman and Miller had pulled to within a car-length of Green.

The last of the race's three yellow flags flew on lap 36 when Chris Raiford spun in Turn 2. Getting set for the final double-file restart, Florian and Green were on the front row, followed by Prillaman and Miller.

The green flag went back in the air as the field completed lap 41. Florian immediately cleared Green, who suddenly found Prillaman to his inside. Caught to the outside, Green tumbled down the running order, giving way to Prillaman, Wall and Miller.

As second place changed hands behind him, Florian motored to a half-straightaway advantage -- a margin he would maintain to the finish. Prillaman was second to the line, while Wall, Miller and Green completed the top five.

Crecelius headed up the second five, in sixth, followed by Jordan Wood, Leach, Denver Alvis and Moody. The top 10 finishers were all on the lead lap at the end. Raiford, Weddell, Jason Styron and Carlton rounded out the field.

A Main

After seeing his points lead shrink in recent weeks, Scott Prillaman righted the ship in Saturday's 50-lap A Main. Starting third, he moved out front on lap 5, then held off Derek Miller down the stretch to collect his fourth feature win of the season.

Robbie Davis drew the pole for the event and paced the first four circuits. Prillaman moved up to second on the start and ducked under Davis on lap 3. Davis fended off Prillaman's bid until lap 5 when Prillaman eased out front. He cleared Davis on lap 6.

The first caution flag appeared on lap 9 when Travis Wall spun out of the pack in Turn 2.

Back under green, Prillaman quickly gained a two-length advantage over Davis, who had his hands full with Miller. Nelson Moody, Spencer Saunders, Jordan Wood and Adam Florian lined up nose-to-tail on Miller's bumper.

On lap 12, Saunders slipped past Moody to take over fourth place. Five laps later, Davis skittered loose in Turn 4 and surrendered the second spot to Miller. As his pursuers swapped positions, Prillaman widened his lead to nearly a full straightaway.

The second caution flag flew on lap 35 when Davis and Saunders locked horns off Turn 2 and Davis spun on the backstretch. Both drivers were sent to the back of the pack for the ensuing restart.

As the race resumed, Prillaman manufactured a one-length advantage over Miller. Another length separated Miller from Moody, Wood, Florian and Wall.

The third, and final, yellow flag was displayed on lap 40 as Saunders and Davis renewed their tussle on the backstretch.

Under green for the last time, Prillaman eked out a half-length margin over Miller. By the finish, his winning margin had grown to three lengths. Miller was second, followed by Moody, Wood, Florian and Wall. The top six finishers moved on to the Top Dog race.

B Main

Escaping the well-publicized snowfall in Maryland, Michael Weddell marked his return to action with a dominating pole-to-checkers run in the 50-lap B Main. The win was his third of the season.

Weddell grabbed the lead on the first lap, pulling ahead of Chris Raiford, who dropped back into the runner-up spot. Behind them, Travis Miller and Clayton Parrish dueled for third, followed by Charlie Green. Parrish won that battle and left the door open for Green, who bypassed Miller on lap 4 to take fourth. On lap 11, Green snagged third from Parrish.

The first caution flag flew on lap 13 when Josh Ayer and Mike Dayton spun in Turn 4. Brittany Bangas arrived on the scene and overturned while trying to avoid the incident.

Back under green, Weddell gained a one-length advantage over Raiford, who was busy fending off a challenge from Green. By lap 16, Weddell's lead had grown to three lengths as Raiford and Green continued their battle.

On lap 20, Green made a bid for the second spot off the fourth corner. Raiford fought him off, though, and Green tumbled to fifth in the running order, giving way to Parrish and Miller.

The second caution flag waved on lap 24 when Miller and Parrish locked horns in Turn 2. Miller was deployed to the rear of the field, while Parrish was placed back in third. Green took over fourth, the final Top Dog transfer spot.

As the race resumed, Weddell quickly forged a half-length edge over Raiford, who was followed closely by Parrish and Green.

The final yellow flag appeared on lap 30 for a three-car incident in Turn 4.

On the restart, Green slipped around Parrish to nab the third position. Denver Alvis and Ayer also moved past Parrish, dropping him from Top Dog contention.

At the head of the field, Weddell was sailing toward the checkers. Meanwhile, Green had closed in on Raiford's bumper in a bid for second. He grabbed the spot on lap 38. The exchange allowed Weddell to extend his margin to five lengths.

Over the closing circuits, Green nibbled away at Weddell's advantage. He ran out of laps, though, as Weddell won by three lengths. Green was second, followed by Raiford and Alvis. Those four drivers all advanced to the Top Dog race. Ayer was fifth.

C Main

Chris Crecelius started on the pole and led all the way for his first win of the season in the 50-lap C Main.

Crecelius took the lead on the opening circuit, edging ahead of his front-row partner, Jason Styron. Craig Carlton moved up to second, while Aaron Leach slipped by Styron to take over third.

Caution flags interrupted the event on laps 4 and 7.

Back under green, Crecelius and Carlton were joined by Leach, Styron and Landon Florian in a five-car breakaway at the head of the field. Leach overtook Carlton for the runner-up spot on lap 15 and left the lane open for Styron, Florian and Curtis Hughes. The shuffle allowed Crecelius to pad his advantage to a full straightaway.

Just past the halfway mark, Crecelius ran up on Ken Simmons, who was at the wheel of Matt Midgett's #97 machine. As Crecelius struggled to bypass Simmons, Leach closed in, narrowing the deficit to only two lengths.

The third caution flag appeared on lap 39 when Florian and Hughes tangled in Turn 1 and Florian overturned. Both drivers were relegated to the back of the pack, elevating Carlton into the fourth position, the final Top Dog transfer spot.

On the restart, Leach stalked Crecelius, looking for an opening. He found it on lap 40, driving underneath Crecelius in Turn 4. The leader hung tough on the outside, though, holding Leach at bay.

The last of the race's four caution flags waved on lap 49 when Florian spun in Turn 2, while battling Carlton for fourth.

Under green for the final time, Crecelius eked out a slim margin over Leach and drove on to a one-length victory. Styron was third and Carlton grabbed fourth and moved on to the Top Dog feature. Florian was fifth at the checkers.

Youth Series

Connor Hall emerged from a tangle with pole starter Cullen Roberts to notch his fourth straight victory in the Youth Series feature. With Roberts sidelined, the event was trimmed from 30 to 21 laps.

Roberts took the lead in Turn 2 on the opening lap, pulling ahead of Hall. Hall settled in on Roberts' rear bumper and hounded him for the first 16 circuits.

On lap 17, the lead duo locked horns off the second corner and Roberts ended up planted against the backstretch wall. He was unable to continue, leaving only Hall and Patrick Groff on the track. At that point, officials signaled "five to go."

Back under green, Hall cruised on to the win. Groff was second, while Roberts was credited with third place.

Qualifying

Derek Miller was fastest among the 29 Pro Series drivers who took part in afternoon time trials, circling the tenth-mile oval in 8.061 seconds. Travis Wall was second-quickest, just 8-thousandths of a second off Miller's pace. Scott Prillaman, Matt Leach and Spencer Saunders rounded out the top five. The separation from first to 29th was 0.896-second.

Connor Hall led Youth Series qualifying, clocking in at 8.650 seconds to best Cullen Roberts by a little more than a tenth of a second. Patrick Groff was third-fastest.

FEB. 13 RACE RESULTS from Hampton Coliseum:

TOP DOG (50 laps): 1. Adam Florian; 2. Scott Prillaman; 3. Travis Wall; 4. Derek Miller; 5. Charlie Green; 6. Chris Crecelius; 7. Jordan Wood; 8. Aaron Leach; 9. Denver Alvis; 10. Nelson Moody; 11. Chris Raiford; 12. Michael Weddell; 13. Jason Styron; 14. Craig Carlton. Pole: Crecelius.

A MAIN (50 laps): 1. Scott Prillaman; 2. Derek Miller; 3. Nelson Moody; 4. Jordan Wood; 5. Adam Florian; 6. Travis Wall; 7. Robbie Davis; 8. Cody Turbitt; 9. Spencer Saunders; 10. Matt Leach. Pole: Davis.

B MAIN (50 laps): 1. Michael Weddell; 2. Charlie Green; 3. Chris Raiford; 4. Denver Alvis; 5. Josh Ayer; 6. Travis Miller; 7. Clayton Parrish; 8. Mike Dayton; 9. Brittany Bangas; 10. Sparky West. Pole: Weddell.

C MAIN (50 laps): 1. Chris Crecelius; 2. Aaron Leach; 3. Jason Styron; 4. Craig Carlton; 5. Landon Florian; 6. Curtis Hughes; 7. Ken Simmons; 8. Jimmy Greybeck; 9. Mark Brooks; 10. Anthony Perez. Pole: Crecelius.