After placing second last weekend, Evan Ellis was eager for a victory at Magnolia Motor Speedway.
He sure raced like it, too, as he ran away with the Trak-Star Race Cars CRUSA Dirt Late Models feature in the back half of the race on Saturday at the Mag.
“The car was really, really good,” Ellis said. “We came this weekend to try a couple different things for Lucas Oil coming up in a couple weeks. I learned a couple things about the car, found some stuff, and we’re really looking forward to the Lucas Oil race.”
The Plantersville naitive nearly missed a victory on Memorial Day Weekend, so he brought a little extra juice on Saturday with a come-from-behind victory over the five-car field. Jason Taylor had the lead for much of the race before Ellis nabbed it in lap 12.
“Just keep hitting my marks, just bring consistency,” Ellis said of his mindset on the back half of the race.
With his plan unfolding perfectly, Ellis was able to take the lead and take off from the competition. He took a strong lead from the 16th lap on.
“The track had gotten kind of one laned, and I had caught the other cars, so I decided to pace myself and not try to lap them and take a chance on tearing something up on the car,” Ellis said.
While he didn’t lap anyone, he could have practically coasted to a victory, and Ellis set himself up well for his next race.
Josh Parkerson, Phil Dean, Taylor and Joey Mullinex rounded out the top five.
Late Model Sportsman
Cody Chism of Amory won the Glenn’s BBQ and Fish CRUSA Late Model Sportsman feature. Brett White was second, Dillon Flurry was third, Tony Shelton of Steens took fourth place, and Brodi Owens of Columbus rounded out the top five.
Allen Simmons of West Point finished 10th, while Steens’ Mike Pickard placed 12th but did not finish. Tony Silvestri of Columbus also did not finish.
Factory Stocks
Aiden Fletcher of Columbus won the William Wells Three Star Tire and Auto Factory Stocks feature. Shawn Hill, CJ Hodges, Kevin Crenshaw, and Blake Cormer rounded out the top five.
Columbus racer Craig Barham finished just outside the top five, placing sixth, and TK King of Columbus did not finish. West Point racers Jody Guest and Thomas Gable finished eighth and 14th, respectively. Steens’ Matt Joseph finished 17th. Myron Green also represented Steens and did not finish.
Modified Sportsman
Shay Knight of Columbus won the Eaton Clinic CRUSA Modified Sportsman. Columbus’ Jimmy Anderson finished second, Steens’ Jeremy Robertson finished third, and Chris Murray rounded out the race.
Street Stocks
Lee Ray of Columbus won the Murphy Towing CRUSA Street Stocks feature. Brandon Hill, Columbus’ Shay Knight, Sam Hughes and Columbus’ Eddie Rickman rounded out the top five.
Dusty Dupler finished 11th overall.
Hot Shots
Robert Eaton of Northport, Alabama, won the Murphy Towing Hot Shots race. Columbus’ Taylor Murphy finished second, while Sherry Eaton, Hailey Wade, and Jeff Tabors rounded out the top five.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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