JACK JOHNSON WINS USNA KEYSTONE 200 AT SUSQUEHANNA SPEEDWAY
-Becomes First Repeat Winner of USNA Season-
SYRACUSE, NY& ..Jack Johnson took the lead just before the halfway point of the United Speedways of North America (USNA) Keystone 200 at Susquehanna Speedway on Saturday night and held off a challenge from Jimmy Horton in the second half of the 200-lap contest to take his second win of the USNA season and a $10,000 pyaday.
Johnson started 10th in the field as M2 Race Systems Pole Award winner Kenny Brightbill and USNA Garden State 200 winner Brett Hearn brought the 30 car field down to the green flag. After a quick yellow on the opening lap, Hearn pulled away from Brightbill at the front of the field and put some distance between himself and Johnson, who quickly came up to second by the lap 15 mark. Craig Von Dohren and Dave Camara battled for the third and fourth positions furiously in the opening laps while Jeff Hoffman showed early strength as he held down a top five position.
Camara s night would get much tougher after a tangle sent him spinning on lap 30 in the first turn. Camara got moving without losing a lap and began a charge from the rear of the field while Billy Decker moved in and challenged Von Dohren for third. Decker made the pass, but pulled high in turn three on lap 40, bringing out a yellow flag. Decker s night was over, as his car was towed to the pits.
Hearn continued to hold the lead, stretching out to a 3 second gap between himself and Johnson. Meanwhile, Jimmy Horton was moving up from his 14th starting spot through the top ten. Von Dohren continued to run strongly behind Hearn and Johnson. Camara, meanwhile, charged through the field, looking to get back to the lead pack.
As the race neared the halfway point, Hearn began to slow slightly, and that, combined with heavy lapped traffic, allowed Johnson to close in on lap 85. A furious battle in traffic ensued, with Hearn losing the lead to Johnson, only to get it back in the next corner. Johnson was finally able to grab the lead on lap 89 and Horton slipped past Hearn five laps later. The first segment of the race ended with a caution flag for the Bill Tanner car.
After the 20 minute halfway break, the race resumed with Johnson pulling out a strong lead over Hearn. After a quick yellow on lap 110, the race went green until lap 141. Camara, who had made it back to 6th at the halfway break, battled with Von Dohren while Jeff Hoffman sat in front of them in the fourth spot. The top three spots remained unchanged until lap 154, when Frank Cozze and Bud Christmann tangled and hit the outside guardrail in turn two. Under the yellow, Hearn sprinted for the pits for a tire change, barely beating the pace truck to stay on the lead lap.
The yellow flew again on lap 169 as Mitch Gibbs had a top ten finish spoiled by front suspension problems. Hearn ducked back to the pits as Steve Bottcher continued a charge he began in the second half of the event. Bottcher had cracked the top five, and soon got past Hoffman to move into third. Hoffman lost his chance at a top five finish on lap 179 when he tangled with Jamie Mills and spun in turn three. Mills held on to maintain the fourth spot, but Hoffman lost a lap trying to refire his car.
The race ran through to the checker at that point, with Jack Johnson again opening up an advantage over Horton. Bottcher tried many times to pass Horton for the runnerup spot, but Horton was able to hold him off. Mills came home fourth, followed by Camara. Von Dohren, Roger Laureno, Hearn, Jered Shultz, and Brian Weaver rounded out the top ten.
Kenny Brightbill earned the $750 M2 Race Systems Pole Award with a 20.004 time trial lap. Heat races were won by Hearn, Von Dohren, Camara, and Hoffman, with Jim Weller taking the consolation race.
The next USNA event is the Summer Heat 100 on Sunday, July 23 at the Bridgeport Speedway in Bridgeport, NJ.
RACE SUMMARY-USNA KEYSTONE 200
SUSQUEHANNA SPEEDWAY, NEWBERRYTOWN, PA
HEAT RACE WINNERS-Brett Hearn, Craig Von Dohren, Dave Camara, Jeff Hoffman.
CONSOLATION RACE-Jim Weller
FEATURE-JACK JOHNSON, Jimmy Horton, Steve Bottcher, Jamie Mills, Dave Camara, Craig Von Dohren, Roger Laureno, Brett Hearn, Jered Schultz, Brian Weaver, Jim Weller, Jeff Hoffman, Jeff Heotzler, Rich Eurich, Jack Cottrell, JR Crouse, Bill Tanner, Bucky Kell, Brian Swartzlander, Mitch Gibbs, Eddie Marshall, Frank Cozze, Bud Christmann, Jeff Trombley, Rick Laubach, Kenny Brightbill, Duane Howard, Todd Ryan, Billy Decker, Richie Smith