Schott finishes third at Mississippi Thunder Speedway

When race fans want an on-track battle to talk about, they'll need look no further than Friday night's Rivercity Manufacturing USRA Modified feature. After winning the evening's first heat race, Mantorville, MN's Joel Alberts looked poised to collect a 'Clean Sweep' in the ultra-fast division as he jumped from the pole position starting spot at the beginning of the evening's 25-lap main event.

 

Alberts, along with the other top-four starters battled each other hard and often through the entire feature. Previous week's winner Bob Timm, along with second heat race winner Lucas Schott and Mick Glenn roared around the "hammer-down" raceway swapping positions lap after lap. Glenn, especially, enjoying a night near the front, until he jumped the cushion in turn two and pancaked the right side of his #18 on the outside retaining wall and headed for hauler.

 

After that it was Brad Waits throwing his name into the battle along with Alberts, Timm & Schott. Yes, Waits, who'd lined his flat-black #24 up on the inside of the SEVENTH row at the start of the feature!

 

What followed was a little racing magic, as Waits, Timm and Schott battled their way past Alberts and began a three-way battle royale for the win. All four drivers at the front of the field spent time rim-riding the extreme high line, riding the cushion and producing fast laps circuit after circuit. Waits was the first to see the top side begin going away and the first to drop to the bottom to make his move. "Yeah, I could see that the top was starting to go away and maybe roughen up a little", said Waits after the battle was over. Waits used the opposite extreme, running all the down at the very bottom of the banking, and worked his way past his competitors.

 

But neither Schott or Timm were giving up. Timm and Schott spent a few laps hunting a bit lower on the banking, and Timm and Waits swapped the top spot several times through the closing laps on the way to what all thought would be an amazing finish. Unfortunately a caution on the final lap produced a bit of a let down as the race wrapped up with a Yellow-Checkered finish. Waits, Timm and Schott finishing first, second and third.