When Rod Taylor pulled off Columbus Speedway after watering it Friday evening, he had no idea Mother Nature had a watering scheduled at almost the same time.
As a result, a heavy shower nearly ruined fan appreciation night at The Bullring. The track was waterlogged and muddy, and it took nearly two-and-a-half hours of scraping non-stop laps from drivers to pack in the track before the first feature started.
But once action began, the track arguably was as smooth as it has been all year, said Wesley Greene, who won the 602 Sportsman feature, his third win in three appearances at Columbus this year.
“It was kind of like the old hooked up days, like we used to remember it,” Greene said. “Rod, you got to give him credit for getting this race in tonight. It was fan appreciation night … we got a late start, but he just stuck with it. Drivers came out, got the pack track packed.”
Greene said the track, which didn’t get completely packed near the bottom of the back straightaway, was a “big change.” He said Super Late Models, which have the most powerful motors of any classification that races at Columbus, could have maintained traction throughout the corners.
“That’s the kicker to this racing we’ve gotten used to now — all of us get used to coming over here, getting ready for the slick, getting soft on springs,” Greene said. “Then you come over here and get this curveball when it gets hooked up like this. It was a good track tonight.”
Due to the delays, drivers qualified through hot laps and heat races were scrapped.
Greene started on the pole and was never challenged in the 20-lap race.
Zack Shelton, Brooke Carter, Allen Simmons, and Jonathan Pridmore rounded out the top five.
Addison, Alabama, native Jason Baker won the Street Stocks feature, pulling away from Lee Ray after the Lowndes County native challenged him a couple of times in turns one and two. Baker competed at Columbus a few weeks ago and finished sixth after running second, spinning out, and having to climb back from the rear of the field. He likens Columbus to Duck River Raceway in Tennessee.
“I thought if they did ever get it filled in, it’d be a racetrack, and it was,” Baker said. “They did really good tonight. The straightaways weren’t as packed in — I was having to feather it down the straights, but in the corners, it was as good as it would ever be.”
Baker has won each of his last three races.
Ray, Doug Doog, Bryan Fortner, and Jeff Phillips rounded out the top five.
“It was wet and slick,” Ray said, “but we’ve been in the top five each week, so we’re off to a good start this year.”
In other race action, Daniel Gann won the Late Model Stock feature. Scooter Ware, Chance Duckworth, and Jimmy Anderson finished second through fourth. Brandon Whitely won the Factory Stocks feature. Jason Phillips, Jason Byrd, Keith Thompson, and Tyler Castle rounded out the top five. Sam Ramsey won the Mini Stocks feature. Ronnie Guin, Blayne Glenn, Toby Yarbrough, and Nick Deese rounded out the top five.
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