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Lucas Schott may not be old enough to gamble, but he won big in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The 19-year-old from Chatfield, Minn., survived an eventful Duel in the Desert to earn a Vegas-style check for $7,777.77 at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The first time was a charm for Schott in the 18th annual staging of the 40-lap IMCA Modified event.
"This is awesome," said Schott, who began racing modifieds when he was 13. "I knew we were capable of making the show, and I've got to give credit to Kody Scholpp and his dad for everything they do and for giving me good cars to drive. I was able to pull it off."
Schott started from the pole and led early before giving up the race lead to Jordan Grabouski of Beatrice, Neb., on lap 14. Grabouski pulled away from Schott before suffering right-front suspension damage, allowing Schott to regain the lead with 11 laps remaining.
Grabouski eventually ended up in the garage and finished 19th after Hunter Marriott collected him in a fender-bender between turns one and two on the next lap. Defending and three-time Duel champion Terry Phillips had a good run going early, but was taken out in a turn-three crash with Jesse Sobbing on the 12th lap.
Schott knew Lady Luck played a part in his victory.
"I was just hoping (Grabouski) would mess up, and it looked like he had something wrong with his front suspension. I got the lucky bounce there. It all worked out for us."
Feature Finish: 1. Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.; 2. Scott Drake, Joplin, Mo.; 3. R.C. Whitwell, Bakersfield, Calif.; 4. Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa; 5. Dylan Smith, Osceola, Neb.; 6. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C.; 7. John Hansen, Brush, Colo.; 8. Jeff Taylor, Cave City, Ark.; 9. Ken Schrader, Concord, N.C.; 10. Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif.; 11. Jeremy Payne, Nixa, Mo.; 12. Jason Wolla, Ray, N.D.; 13. Travis Hagen, Williston, N.D.; 14. Chad Anderson, Fort Calhoun, Neb.; 15. Joey Galloway, Manor, Saskatchewan, Canada; 16. Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.; 17. Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas; 18. Benji LaCrosse, Green Bay, Wis.; 19. Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb.; 20. Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.; 21. Johnny Saathoff, Beatrice, Neb.; 22. Rob VanMil, Barnesville, Minn.; 23. Kody Scholpp, Esevan, Saskatchewan, Canada; 24. Cody Lane, Torrance, Calif.; 25. Zane DeVilbiss, Farmington, N.M.; 26. Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.; 27. Bobby Hogge IV, Salinas, Calif.; 28. Jesse Sobbing, Malvern, Iowa.
