Solid Weekend Sees Two Top-Five Finishes for Larson Marks Racing
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (MAY 15, 2017) – The Larson Marks Racing team and Shane Stewart wrapped up a three-race weekend in the Midwest last night. The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series competed at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio Friday and Saturday night for the #LetsRaceTwo event and capped off the weekend at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
On Friday night at Eldora Speedway, Stewart qualified ninth and started third in the opening heat race. He got a great start and captured the lead on the first lap en route to victory. After the first heat was complete, Stewart pulled into the pits and the crew immediately went to work on changing the motor in the LMR No. 2. The motor was swapped in time for the dash where the team started in the eighth position. Stewart got another great start and was up four spots by the time the first lap was complete. He held his position in the remaining laps to earn the fourth starting spot for the feature event.
On the start of the 30-lap main event, Stewart quickly advanced two spots to run second and grabbed the lead on lap 7, before slipping back a spot when the red-flag was displayed on Lap 9. He got the lead back on the ensuing restart for two laps before being passed for the lead by the eventual race winner on lap 12. Stewart held onto the second position in the remaining laps to earn the runner-up spot.
The following night at Eldora Speedway, Stewart qualified 13th and finished fourth in his heat race from the fifth position. The pilot of the LMR No. 2 started the 30-lap main event from the 10th position and was up into the top-five on Lap 17. Three laps later, Stewart slapped the wall in Turn 4 and brought out the caution. Unfortunately, that ended the team’s night and resulted in a 20th-place finish.
After wrapping up at Eldora Speedway Saturday night, the LMR team headed back to Indiana to compete at Tri-State Speedway on Sunday. Stewart qualified 12th out of 34 competitors and finished third in his heat race. He started the 40-lap feature event from the 12th position and was up to the top 10 by Lap 11. When the caution flag was displayed on Lap 19, the Bixby, Okla., native was in the eighth spot and seized two more on the following restart. By the halfway point of the race, he had climbed into the top five. With less than 10 laps remaining, Stewart had taken over fourth and maintained the positon in the closing laps to rebound from Saturday night and earned the second top-five finish for the weekend.
“It was a great effort by the whole team this weekend,” said Stewart. “We were so fast at Eldora both nights, I just made a mistake on Saturday that ended our night too early. My guys just keep on fighting, though, and we were able to rebound and pass cars at Haubstadt which is a track that is tough to pass on. It felt great to earn some good finishes and I’m looking forward to the busy next couple of weeks.”
The Larson Marks Racing team will be back in action Wednesday, May 17 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Penn., for the Gettysburg Clash. This kicks off five nights of racing over seven days in three Northeastern states.
