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HAYS, Kan. (March 24-25) – The guy who ran out of gas on the way to the track for practice was the same IMCA Modified driver who ran away from everybody both nights of RPM Speedway’s Sunflower Classic.
Steven Bowers Jr. topped $1,000 to win features Friday and Saturday at Hays and afterwards could laugh about the needle hitting empty on Thursday, half a mile from the gas station in Junction City.
“I thought that night might have thrown a curve ball into the weekend. It was not a good way to start,” said Bowers, who made it to the pumps after friend who’d been waiting at the station delivered a can of gas. “But it turned out awesome. It was one of those deals where we would have been happy with a top five but came out with back-to-back wins.”
The defending Kansas state champion and already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, Bowers started sixth, passed Cody Gearhart for the lead on the second circuit and led to the finish of Friday’s caution-free 25-lapper.
The two pill was the last one left for Bowers after his heat on Saturday. He led the last 21 times around the track to complete the weekend sweep in his homebuilt SB ride.
“I knew this car was fast. We won a couple races late last year and found some speed there,” said Bowers, already planning his vacation at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “We’re a lower budget team and we knew what we needed to do to get ready for this year. We did some tinkering during the off-season and focused on our shock package.”
His tinkering from Friday to Saturday was minimal. The only change Bowers made during his $2,000 weekend was a new right rear tire for night two.
Gearhart ended as Friday’s runner-up and Clay Money was third. John Hansen and Tyler Frye rounded out the Saturday top three.
Mike Nichols and Casey Woken were IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winners.
Nichols’ career seventh Sunflower Classic victory came on Friday ahead of Jason Rogers and Angel Munoz. Woken topped the Saturday show with Nichols of Justin Bussell behind.
Joining Bowers with wins on both nights of the Sunflower Classic were Dustin Daniels in the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, Brady Bencken in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Dillon Richards in the Mach-1 Sport Compacts.
Also a double winner at last year’s event, Daniels led Dakota Sproul and Robbie Conway across the stripe on opening night. Blaine Walt was second and Rodger Peck third on Saturday.
Zach Olmstead was the runner-up to Bencken both nights. Brendon Stigge was third on Friday while Colton Pfeifer rounded out the top three the next night.
Richards outran Zach Bohlmeyer and David Norquest on Friday. Bohlmeyer was second again on Saturday while Richard Crow ended in third.
March 24 Feature Results
Modifieds – 1. Steven Bowers Jr.; 2. Cody Gearhart; 3. Clay Money; 4. Dylan Sherfick; 5. Tyler Frye; 6. Eddie Belec; 7. Anthony Roth; 8. John Hansen; 9. Marlyn Seidler; 10. Corey Burch; 11. Spencer Wilson; 12. Jeremy Frenier; 13. Daniel Gottschalk; 14. Jimmy Reeves; 15. Josh Blumer; 16. Greg Gustus; 17. John Burrow; 18. Nick Link; 19. Tanner Black; 20. Kyle Rohleder; 21. Marty Clark; 22. Tim Watts; 23. Jordy Nelson; 24. David Murray Jr.
Stock Cars – 1. Mike Nichols; 2. Jason Rogers; 3. Angel Munoz; 4. Nick Tubbs; 5. Chad Sterling; 6. Justin Bussell; 7. Jason Davis; 8. Jim Powell Jr.; 9. Chris Heim; 10. Dan Nelson; 11. Kyle Clough; 12. Casey Woken; 13. Kyle Pfeifer; 14. Tyler Tipton; 15. Shaylon Holloway; 16. Tanner Portenier; 17. Alvie Christofferson; 18. Colin Heim; 19. Kevin Wagoner; 20. Josh Schweitzer; 21. Don Schweitzer; 22. B.J. Wagoner; 23. Perry Misner; 24. Cody Zimmerman.
Northern SportMods – 1. Dustin Daniels; 2. Dakota Sproul; 3. Robbie Conway; 4. Trenton Kleweno; 5. Kelsy Hayes; 6. Dillon Schultz; 7. Rodger Peck; 8. Ryan Moser; 9. Brian Cross; 10. Adam Weber; 11. Tony Dugan; 12. Tony Schultz; 13. Pat Bedore; 14. Steven Lewis; 15. Tracy Holloway; 16. Mike LeMay; 17. Dan Lauer; 18. Jeremy Couse; 19. Mitch Boesel; 20. Zach Schultz; 21. Ricky Saunders; 22. Blaine Walt; 23. Tanner Portenier; 24. Kolton Vogel.
Hobby Stocks – 1. Brady Bencken; 2. Zach Olmstead; 3. Brendon Stigge; 4. Kurt Hansen; 5. Shay Simoneau; 6. Colton Pfeifer; 7. Reagan Sellard; 8. Cody Williams; 9. Jamie Songer; 10. Wade Wagenblast; 11. Steve Shepard; 12. Eric Cross; 13. Josh Barnhart; 14. Nick Ronnebaum; 15. Spencer Hilbrink; 16. Shawn Weigel; 17. Brian Stich; 18. Shad Cooper; 19. Tanner Jones; 20. Kirk Karst; 21. Lyle Russell; 22. Joel Dix; 23. Robert Leonard; 24. Kirk Pfannenstiel; 25. Calvin Davis; 26. Michael Smith
Sport Compacts – 1. Dillon Richards; 2. Zach Bohlmeyer; 3. David Norquest; 4. Richard Crow; 5. Billy Turner; 6. Brooke Russell; 7. Art Herzog; 8. Kiowa Higdon; 9. Shalanda Smith; 10. Tom Bouchey; 11. Jakob Schwien; 12. Brandon Wise; 13. Andrew Soderland; 14. Bailey Trostle; 15. Monte Honas; 16. Andrew Burg; 17. Kyle Benoit; 18. Brandon Merriman.
March 25 Feature Results
Modifieds – 1. Bowers; 2. Hansen; 3. Frye; 4. Money; 5. Belec; 6. Frenier; 7. Sherfick; 8. Rohleder; 9. Roth; 10. Corey Lagroon; 11. Gearhart; 12. Corey Cox; 13. Wilson; 14. Bill Brack; 15. Mike Petersilie; 16. Seidler; 17. Murray; 18. Watts; 19. Gustus; 20. Clay Sellard; 21. Tyler Sutton; 22. Link; 23. Blumer; 24. Jeremy Zorn.
Stock Cars – 1. Woken; 2. Nichols; 3. Bussell; 4. Munoz; 5. Tipton; 6. Sterling; 7. Pfeifer; 8. Tubbs; 9. Rogers; 10. B.J. Wagoner; 11. Nelson; 12. Nolan Remus; 13. Heim; 14. Clough; 15. Jason Schoenberger; 16. Holloway; 17. Mark Zorn; 18. Powell; 19. Misner; 20. Davis; 21. Christofferson; 22. Heim; 23. Josh Schweitzer; 24. Michael Pepper.
Northern SportMods – 1. Daniels; 2. Walt; 3. Peck; 4. Hayes; 5. Holloway; 6. Jacob Olmstead; 7. Conway; 8. Portenier; 9. Jacob Fehler; 10. Tyler Watts; 11. C.J. Pfannenstiel; 12. Boesel; 13. Kleweno; 14. Tony Schultz; 15. Dugan; 16. Dillon Schultz; 17. Cody Pancake; 18. Vogel; 19. Lewis; 20. Bedore; 21. Lauer; 22. Brett Berry; 23. Sproul; 24. Weber.
Hobby Stocks – 1. Bencken; 2. Olmstead; 3. Pfeifer; 4. Songer; 5. Leonard; 6. Duane Wahrman; 7. Stigge; 8. Simoneau; 9. Ronnebaum; 10. Cross; 11. Hansen; 12. Eric Stanton; 13. Wagenblast; 14. Stich; 15. Jones; 16. Roger Garrison; 17. Shepard; 18. Barnhart; 19. Russell; 20. Karst; 21. Dix; 22. Williams; 23. Shawn Slezak; 24. Sellard.
Sport Compacts – 1. Richards; 2. Bohlmeyer; 3. Crow; 4. John Martinez; 5. Wise; 6. Honas; 7. Schwien; 8. Turner; 9. Shawn Heir; 10. Smith; 11. Bouchey; 12. Herzog; 13. Higdon; 14. Russell; 15. Trostle; 16. Jeffrey Scott; 17. Tyler Thompson; 18. Norquest; 19. Tyler Plumisto; 20. Benoit; 21. Merriman; 22. Soderland; 23. Joshua Young; 24. Jason Troyer.