Defending 500 Tour Champion Nets Long-Awaited First Kzoo Sprint Car Win

Defending 500 Tour Champion Nets Long-Awaited First Kzoo Sprint Car Win

A multi-time winner at Kalamazoo Speedway in Outlaw Super Late Model competition, Tyler Roahrig can now claim a Sprint Car win at the 3/8ths mile.

Kalamazoo Race Results - Friday, August 23

 After setting fast time in qualifying earlier in the night, the defending 500 Sprint Car Tour champion started sixth and took the lead from Kody Swanson on lap 15. From there, it was smooth sailing the rest of the caution-free event to open up the Auto Value Michigan Swing with a win.

 “It felt pretty good really, this place is really slippery so you have to be real patient with the gas pedal. That was a lot of fun,” said Roahrig on the DirtVision broadcast. “It was a good, clean race and it was cool to go green to checkered and put on a good Sprint Car race for these fans.”

 While Roahrig has wins in the Kalamazoo Klash, Intimidator 100 and other marquee Outlaw Super Late Model races at Kalamazoo Speedway, a Sprint Car win had eluded him for many years. More recently, he came up short in a photo finish to Aaron Pierce in an Auto Value Non-Wing Sprint race in 2019.

Kody Swanson (2nd), Tyler Roahrig (1st), Jake Trainor (3rd) finish on the podium at Kalamazoo Speedway - Rick Kimball

 Kody Swanson started on the pole after the redraw and led the first 14 laps before handing lead to Roahrig. From there, he held off the likes of Jake Trainor and Bobby Santos III to finish second and make up some key ground in the points chase. Trainor, Santos and Kyle O’Gara rounded out the top-five.

The Auto Value Michigan Swing continues on Saturday night, August 24 at Berlin Raceway.