Considered his home track, winning the Fred Brownfield Classic at Grays Harbor Raceway has been a lone-time goal for J.J. Hickle. On Sunday night, that goal was finally realized as the Quilcene, Wash. native shot to the lead on Lap 6 and never looked back.
“This is our big one. I have so much respect for Fred and everything he did. I’ve wanted to win this race forever, and we finally got it done,” stated Hickle, who rebounded from a destroyed racecar the night before.
Hickle’s third win of the season with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, three tries at the start, finally saw Hickle in pursuit of Oregon’s Tyler Thompson the first five laps.
Moving around the three-eighths-mile oval, Hickle was glued to the No. 22x for several laps before finally making the pass. Green all the way to Lap 25, Hickle had amassed a nearly five-second lead before Colby Thornhill lost power in the third and fourth turns to bring out the caution.
Running away on the restart, Hickle left the race for second between Thompson and Trey Starks. Quick to the bottom of the first and second turns, the No. 55 took over the position. Able to make up some ground in the final laps, it wasn’t enough to deny the Hickle who hit the line with 1.491-seconds to spare. The race’s biggest mover from 15th, Starks runner-up finish is his fifth career podium finish. Third for Thompson marks his best career finish with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
Jason Solwold was fourth, with Matt Covington completing the top five, to take over second in tour standings.
Greg Hamilton crossed sixth with Blake Hahn seventh. Colton Heath made up five positions to eighth, with Ryan Bickett also advancing 13 spots to finish ninth. Brock Lemley completed the top ten.
A total of 39 drivers took part in the 2021 Fred Brownfield Classic, with 36 on hand Sunday night. SCE Gaskets Heat Race wins went to J.J. Hickle, Matt Covington, Tyler Thompson, and Jason Solwold. BMRS B-Feature wins went to Chase Goetz and Logan Forler. Two provisionals were used by Travis Reber and Alex Hill.
The next event for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network is the 49th running the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup presented by the Skagit Casino Resort on June 24, 25, and 26. Each night gets underway at 7:00 P.M. (PDT). Tickets are on sale at http://www.skagitspeedway.
Skagit Speedway will be shown live on Racinboys.tv and MAVTV Plus. The Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup is part of the Racinboys.com monthly subscription ($29.99 a month). The MAVTV Plus broadcast is included in their yearly subscription plans ($99.99 per year).
The 2021 season is the 30th year of competition for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2021, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com
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