HUMBOLDT — Stormy Scott parlayed a perfect preliminary night on Wednesday into a storybook ending Saturday night.
Scott captured the checkered flag in the King of America II Modified Nationals at the Humboldt Speedway. He took the $15,000 top prize back home to Las Cruces, N.M.
With the best overall points total after three days of qualifying, Scott started the 75-lap main event from the pole position, but it was Friday’s preliminary winner – Terry Phillips – who seized command at the drop of the green flag.
While Phillips set the pace, Scott shadowed him around the 3/8-mile clay oval for the opening circuit. Cautions on laps four and 15 slowed the action and kept the rest of the field within striking distance of the leaders.
However, as drivers were getting ready to take the green flag to restart the race, Phillips headed for the pit area — a victim of a broken brake rotor.
Scott took over the reigns for the restart and quickly distanced himself from his pursuers, but the race’s third caution waved with 23 laps down just as Scott was catching the back of the pack.
Thursday’s winner William Gould, defending USMTS National Champion Ryan Gustin, defending USRA Modified National Champion Johnny Bone Jr., Zack VanderBeek, Jason Hughes, Steven Whiteaker Jr., Ryan Ruter, defending King of America winner Kelly Shryock and Jon Tesch filled out the rest of the top 10 as the race went back to green.
Again Scott shot out to a big lead as a flurry of drivers swapped positions behind him, but none were able to close the gap until VanderBeek secured second from Gustin with 18 laps to go and started chipping away at the leader’s advantage.
With time running out and the margin too large to overcome, VanderBeek got the break he needed. The race’s final caution occurred with four laps remaining when Gould suffered mechanical troubles.
On the restart, VanderBeek hugged the bottom of the track while Scott continued to chew away at the middle. Scott held off VanderBeek at the line to complete lap 72, but as they crossed the line to complete the 73rd lap, VanderBeek edged Scott by a bumper at the flagstand.
But Scott was not rattled and fought back the next time around to nip VanderBeek at the stripe as they streaked beneath the white flag. One lap later, Scott crossed the finish line first with about a car-length to spare to score the biggest win of his career.
VanderBeek settled for the runner-up spot and Tesch clawed his way from 21st to claim the third spot.
Gustin held off MLRA Late Model Series champ John Anderson for the fourth spot and the winner’s twin brother, Johnny Scott, bounced back from a spin on lap 4 to snare the sixth position. Bone, Hughes, Shryock and Whiteaker rounded out the top 10 finishers.
Each of the 30 starters in the Swan Energy “A” Main pocketed a minimum of $1,500.
A total of 90 cars and drivers from 12 different states competed over the four days at Humboldt Speedway.
