A Start Unlike Any Other
John Lund Photo
When you start something from scratch, there are a lot of unknowns that come to light. If you bake a cake three times in a row it may be perfect on the first attempt, burn on the second, and then collapse on the third. You bake the cake the same way each time, but each attempt brings a new ending. That's how the start of the 500 Sprint Car Tour Presented by Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Parts Stores has been. Four different races, four different race tracks, four different outcomes, and a Championship twist to tie it all together.
When the inception of the 500 Sprint Car Tour came about, it was like baking a cake for the first time. There were no predictions, no expectations, and no track record to fall back on. As drivers began to commit to the new series, a group of favorites started to emerge from the field. A big three, if you will, stood alone as the formidable favorites. Tyler Roahrig, Kody Swanson, and Bobby Santos III seemed poised to take control of the series from the first green flag. Swanson did take control after winning the first race of the season at Plymouth Motor Speedway and Roahrig followed suit, winning at Berlin Raceway in the series' second contest. The storyline quickly changed on Thursday, June 30 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park when Swanson’s brother, Tanner, took first place in what would be a one off event for the California native. The 500 Sprint Car tour now had three different winners in three different races and a championship battle that was tightly contested.
The landscape of the 500 Sprint Car tour changed once again on Saturday, July 9 when a local driver from Camby, Indiana defied all odds. Kyle O’Gara had a night to remember as he not only went to victory lane once, but twice. O’Gara was first to see the checkered flag in both the pavement midget feature and the 500 Sprint Car Tour feature. O’Gara’s victory not only saw a fourth different winner in as many races, but it also saw a drastic shift in the championship standings.
Going into the 22nd running of the Glen Niebel Classic Presented by CB Fabricating and US Air Force, only current race winners sat atop the championship. Racing is and has always been about who is the fastest, but it is also about who can be the most consistent over the course of a championship season. Consistency is the key to any driver, in any series, becoming a champion. As the 500 Sprint Car Tour heads into its summer break, the concept of consistency has proven, once again, to be of more importance than raw speed. For the first time since the green flag dropped on the new series, the championship leader does not have a race win under their belt.
With the top five drivers in championship contention being separated by only 57 points, the 500 Sprint Car Tour presented by Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Part Stores has seen unlikely names rise to the top. The top two drivers currently have zero race wins between them so far this season. Billy Wease, currently in second place, and Championship Leader Dakoda Armstrong have a tight margin of only 14 points separating the two drivers. Armstrong has finished in the top five in each of the four races that have been run thus far, including two top three’s and a runner up finish in the 74th Annual Lucas Oil Little 500 Presented by UAW. Although the Little 500 is a special event, meaning it does not award championship points, it is important to note how consistent Armstrong has been from day one. Regardless of the magnitude of an event, or which track an event is held, Armstrong puts his team in contention for the win.
As the 500 Sprint Car Tour takes their Summer Break and prepares for the second half of the season, the storylines will continue to take shape. Can Dakoda Armstrong continue to chase the championship without visiting victory lane? Will Kody Swanson or Tyler Roahrig discover their early success to put their names back on top? With only five races left on the inaugural schedule, and only 57 points separating the top five, the championship is only getting started. Considering Armstrong and Billy Wease are leading the championship with no victories, it is not out of the question that the series could see six different winners, if not more, as the season comes to a close in late October.
The 500 Sprint Car Tour Presented by Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Part Stores returns to action on July 30th when they head back to Anderson Speedway for the Inaugural Gene Nolen Classic presented by The Tin Plate Fine Food and Spirits and CB Fabricating. The event will also be the second Perfect Stop Brake Pad Bonus Event where the total purse will be raised by $5000. The 500 Sprint Car Tour will be joined by the Kenyon Midgets, Baby Grands, and Radical Ford Focus Midgets. Tickets for the event will be $15 for adults, $5 kids 6-12, and kids 5 and under are free. Fans who are unable to attend can watch all the action LIVE by tuning in to MAVTV on FloRacing.