Owens Wins Clash at the Mag on Saturday Night

COLUMBUS, MS (June 20, 2020) – Earning $15,000 with his win at Magnolia Motor Speedway, current Point Leader Jimmy Owens won Saturday Night’s General Tire Clash at the Mag – presented by Big River Steel. Owens’ 67th career series victory also marks his first career win in the annual event that has been held since 2009. This event was co-sanctioned with the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series Presented by Lucas Oil.

The 100-lap main event saw three different leaders, with Owens regaining the top spot from Shane Clanton on lap 23. After several breakaway runs, Owens held off Clanton at the finish for his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the year. Clanton finished just ahead of Josh Richards who came home in third. Bobby Pierce and Tyler Erb rounded out the top five drivers. 

As the initial green flag dropped, Owens took the lead and Erb ran second for the first 13 circuits of the race. Clanton started fifth and made an early race challenge by climbing to the second spot around Erb on the 14th lap. Erb would pass both Clanton and the race leader, Owens on lap 16 to gain the top spot.  Clanton then became the third new leader of the race as he went to the point on lap 18, but 4 laps later Owens powered around the leader, regaining the lead after a lap 22 restart. 

Clanton and Erb chased down Owens as the leader was battling traffic. With the top three nose to tail and Clanton threatening to retake the lead, a caution came with 18 laps remaining. Clanton’s hopes for the win faded in the final laps as Owens went on to take the victory over Clanton by .570 seconds at the finish. “This car was really just flawless this weekend,” said Owens in Lucas Oil Victory Lane. “We were so close to making it a sweep for the weekend. Thanks to all the fans who came out. When the track is slick like this, I think it makes for some better racing. We have a hard-working crew and it paid off in the end. Consistency is the key to our program this year. We’ve ended the last couple of seasons running great and we are really excited for the whole season. It is a whole lot better when you are running good.  Maybe 2020 will be the year for car number 20.”   

Clanton led five laps early in the race and again got close to Owens with 18 laps to go when a caution flag came out. He finished in the runner-up spot for the second time this season. “We had a good weekend. We have worked awful hard the last two weeks on the car and it shows. We’re getting better.  To come here and run good feels good. Every time you run good like this, it helps the morale of the team.  We are not giving up. If it weren’t for Greg and Tyler Bruening, I probably couldn’t be here.” 

Richards came home in third in the 100-lap finale. “We did not touch the car tonight. I couldn’t steer it like I wanted too. I couldn’t turn in at all. Once we had some fuel burn-off then I could steer it a little bit better. I would have liked to have won for Big River Steel, but Jimmy’s been really tough. I feel if we could have had the car a little better we might have had something for him.” 

The winner’s Ramirez Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Tommy Pope Construction, Boomtest Well Service, General Tire, Red Line Oil, Ohlins, and Champion Spark Plugs. Completing the top ten were Kyle Bronson, Devin Moran, Jesse Stovall, Tanner English, and Tim McCreadie.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 
Race Summary 
General Tire Clash at the Mag – presented by Big River Steel
Saturday, June 20th, 2020
Magnolia Motor Speedway – Columbus, MS

Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer):  1. 4M-Michael Arnold[2]; 2. 11J-Drew Armstrong[1]; 3. 16-Tyler Bruening[5]; 4. 14M-Morgan Bagley[6]; 5. 00-Jesse Stovall[16]; 6. 36-Logan Martin[11]; 7. 92M-Chad Mallett[15]; 8. 6R-Robbie Stuart[12]; 9. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[9]; 10. 81E-Tanner English[8]; 11. 33-Scott Dedwylder[4]; 12. 21B-Chris Brown[3]; 13. G4-Shelby Sheedy[13]; 14. (DNS) 54-David Breazeale; 15. (DNS) Z6-Zach Combs; 16. (DNS) 1G-Devin Gilpin; 17. (DNS) R5-Hunter Rasdon; 18. (DNS) 111-Steven Roberts; 19. (DNS) 34-Doug Sanchagrin

FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 50-Shanon Buckingham[1]; 2. 1ST-Johnny Scott[6]; 3. 86B-Brian Rickman[2]; 4. 86R-Rick Rickman[4]; 5. 86-Kyle Beard[5]; 6. 1C-Chad Thrash[15]; 7. 2S-Stormy Scott[8]; 8. 84-Austin Smith[7]; 9. 31-Nick Thrash[12]; 10. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[3]; 11. 14G-Joe Godsey[11]; 12. 25M-Justin Mcree[17]; 13. 7D-David Payne[13]; 14. (DNS) 33C-Eric Cooley; 15. (DNS) 3-Luke Bennett; 16. (DNS) 48-Jamie Elam; 17. (DNS) 212-Josh Putnam; 18. (DNS) 1BJ-BJ Robinson

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (100 Laps):

Race Statistics
Entrants: 55
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Owens (Laps 1 – 15); Tyler Erb (Laps 16 – 17); Shane Clanton  (Laps 18 – 22); Jimmy Owens (Laps 23 – 100)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Jimmy Owens
Margin of Victory: 0.570 seconds
Cautions: Billy Moyer Jr. (Lap 21); Spencer Hughes (Lap 46); Timothy Culp (Lap 63); Tyler Bruening (Lap 66); Earl Pearson Jr. (Lap 82)
Series Provisionals: Billy Moyer Jr., Tanner English
COMP Cams Super Dirt Series Provisionals: Jesse Stovall, Logan Martin
Fast Time Provisional: n/a
Series Emergency Provisionals: Earl Pearson Jr., Tyler Bruening, Stormy Scott
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Jimmy Owens, Shane Clanton, Josh Richards
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Jesse Stovall (Advanced 17 Positions) 
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Jimmy Owens
Allstar Performance Most Laps Led: Jimmy Owens (93 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy Owens
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Tanner English
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jeff Strope (Jimmy Owens)
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Lap #2 – 15.2303 seconds)
STEEL-IT Tough Break of the Race: Jonathan Davenport
PFC Brakes Pole Award: Jimmy Owens
Time of Race: 47 minutes 02 seconds

Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings: