WINS GO TO DRAKE (2), RANKINE, IRVAN, KUHN & CLOUSE

 


The USAC Eastern, Western and Utah Ford Focus racing series continue this week with races at East Lincoln Speedway in Stanley, N.C. tonight, Concord (NC) Motor Speedway Wednesday night and Rocky Mountain Raceways in Salt Lake City, Utah and Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway Saturday night.


 


Nick Drake of Mooresville, N.C. and Ross Rankine of Willard, Ohio were the winners in last Wednesday’s final USAC Midwest Ford Focus features of the 2011 Elite 8 Series presented by IUPUI at the Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome. Drake passed Toby Alfrey on lap seven of the first feature and led the final 24 laps of the first 30-lapper in his Haas Automation Beast to beat Nick Hamilton, James Robertson, Jarett Andretti and Rankine. In the second 30-lapper Rankine led all the way in his National Pride Beast to beat Andretti, Nick Hamilton, Robertson and Alfrey. Hamilton won the Elite 8 title by a single point over Rankine.


 


Jared Irvan of Midland, N.C. and Drake captured feature wins Sunday afternoon at Concord Motor Speedway. Irvan led all 35 laps to take the Eastern Focus Young Guns feature, while Drake led the final 62 laps to win the 75-lap Eastern Ford Focus race. Cole Custer, Sam McGhee, Cooper Clouse and Michael Fanelli trailed Irvan. Scott Hunter led the first 13 laps of the Ford Focus race and finished second ahead of David Levine, Ross Rankine and Nic Davidson.


 


Stevie Kuhn of Indianapolis, Ind. and Cooper Clouse of Ohio City, Ohio scored 20-lap USAC Focus Young Guns feature victories Wednesday night at the Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome on the final night of the Elite 8 Series presented by IUPUI. Kuhn led all 20 laps of the first feature in his Kuhn Racing Beast to beat Clouse, Sam McGhee, Cole Custer and Cordy Horn. McGhee led the first six laps of the second race but Clouse led the rest of the way in his Peterbilt of Northwest Ohio Hawk to beat Kuhn, Horn, Mikell McGee and McGhee. Sam McGhee ended up as the top Speedrome point earner in the Focus Young Guns.