5/6/2024
Lucas Oil MLRA
Tyler Erb Scores MLRA Win in "Cinco de Mayo 40" at Adams County Speedway (IL)
Wheatland, MO (May 5, 2024) – The Lucas Oil MLRA’s return to the Adams County Speedway in Quincy, IL on Sunday night proved to be worth the wait, as Tyler Erb raced to a thrilling first career win under the Lucas Oil MLRA banner in the "Cinco de Mayo 40".
A total of 30 drivers signed in for the third MLRA event of 2023 with Erb starting his night off in style by grabbing the My Race Pass “Overall Fast Time” Award with a lap of 12.647 seconds. Erb would go on to capture the first heat race of the night putting him on the pole for the 40 lapper. Other head race wins were claimed by Chad Simpson, Earl Pearson Jr., and Derrick Stewart.
Erb jumped to the early race lead, which proved to be short lived as the nights first of four cautions waved on lap three for two time series champion Tony Jackson Jr. as he slowed on the speedway with a flat tire. Jackson would return and rally for a 13th place finish.
After another quick spin caution for Sunoco Rookie of the year driver Aaron Marrant, the field would go green for another six laps with Erb at the point over Pearson and a high side hustling Derrick Stewart. Justin Duty slipped off the track in turn three and four while running inside the top ten on lap nine bringing out the third caution of the night.
With Erb in control, Stewart would take the second spot away from Pearson momentarily, but the Ainsworth, IA driver could never mount a serious charge for the top spot and settled for an MLRA career best 6th place finish at the end.
With the nights longest green flag stretch taking the field the final 29 laps, lapped traffic made its way into play over the course of the final 15 laps of the main event. Erb had used the low line the majority of the night on both ends of the speedway, and with side by side lapped traffic in his cross hairs the New Waverly, TX driver was forced to move around in the closing laps to overcome the side by side lapped traffic.
Lapped traffic allowed Pearson to edge ahead a couple of times exiting turn four, but in the end it was Erb collecting the MD3 Most Laps Led while being credited with leading all 40 laps to earn the $5,000 MLRA payday. Pearson scored his best MLRA finish of the year with a second place run, with Gordy Gundaker grabbing the third spot on the podium. Garrett Alberson charged from 16th on the grid to another strong 4th place finish while current Midwest Sheet Metal Point Leader Chad Simpson rounded out the top five.
“I didn’t think one and two was going to be there, it was super sketchy,” commented Erb of the top line of the “Broadway Bullring” from Lucas Oil Victory Lane. "In three and four under caution I was kind of seeing how big it was built up and I didn't think I needed to enter all the way up against it just because I thought I might drive out of here. If I hit that end just right, I could carry enough speed down the front straightaway and get back down in one and two.”
"I really like coming here,” continued Erb. “Especially when it starts out wet like it was, hot laps it was sloppy and normally that tends to make a good race. Any kind of win is something to be proud of and I feel like we’re headed in the right direction and just looking forward to racing next week.
For the veteran Pearson, second was a great momentum builder for his Jason Rauen race team. “When he started moving around down here in three and four, I knew that was my opportunity. We got into lapped traffic there and everybody was lined up on the bottom and I didn’t really want to move around too much. I could have down here maybe (one and two) but in three and four I couldn’t. I knew this 11 car was down on the bottom (Gordy Gundaker) and I didn’t want to give that up, so we rode around behind him. We got up alongside of him (Erb) and maybe led one lap, I don’t know, but anyway it was a heck of a race in lap traffic. All-in-all it was a good weekend for us.”
“I felt like we were pretty good, just the lap traffic was pretty wild there,” commented third place finishing Gundaker. "I was kind of making hay in three and four on the top where those guys weren't but everybody was kind of swinging out. All-in-all just what a great night, and what a great race track for all of the rain and everything they had it was awesome.”
The Lucas Oil MLRA will return to action on May 17th & 18th for a two night stand in Eastern Missouri. On Friday, May 17th the MLRA will make their way to the Benton Speedway in Benton, IL for the first time in series history. The weekend will conclude on Saturday night with another first time venue in the Farmington Empire Speedway with a $7,000 to win weekend finale.
Adams County Speedway (IL) Contingencies 5/5/24
Lap Leaders – Tyler Erb (1 - 40)
Cautions – 4
MyRacePass “Overall Fast Time Award" – Tyler Erb (12.647 sec.)
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race – Cody Karl
MD3 "Most Laps Led" – Tyler Erb (1 - 40)
Swift Springs “Move of the Race” – Gordy Gundaker
Sunoco Race Fuel “Rookie of the Race” – Aaron Marrant
PEM Racing "4th Place Finisher" – Garrett Alberson
Fluidyne: "5th Place Finisher: – Chad Simpson
Sunoco "Engine Builders Challenge" – Clements
Midwest Sheet Metal "Points Leader Spoiler Challenge" – Chad Simpson
MSD Performance Holley: “1st B-Main NON-Qualifier” – Luke Pestka
MD3 Final Finisher: – Rickey Frankel
Cinco De Mayo A Main 40 Laps | 00:34:53.292
- 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 3. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[6]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[16]; 5. 25-Chad Simpson[3]; 6. 43-Derrick Stewart[4]; 7. 99F-Frank Heckenast Jr[8]; 8. 32-Chris Simpson[19]; 9. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[14]; 10. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[17]; 11. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[10]; 12. 15S-Clayton Stuckey[12]; 13. 25J-Tony Jackson Jr[7]; 14. 52B-Matt Bailey[11]; 15. 8-Dillon McCowan[13]; 16. 11-Jeff Herzog[15]; 17. 15D-Justin Duty[9]; 18. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[22]; 19. 3W-Brennon Willard[21]; 20. 96-Dalton Imhoff[24]; 21. 78S-Steve Stultz[23]; 22. 1ST-Justin Reed[18]; 23. 33F-Rickey Frankel[20]; 24. (DNS) 31K-Kye Blight
B1- FAST Shafts 10 Laps | 00:07:51.949
- 11T-Trevor Gundaker[1]; 2. 1ST-Justin Reed[3]; 3. 32-Chris Simpson[4]; 4. 33F-Rickey Frankel[5]; 5. 3W-Brennon Willard[10]; 6. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[8]; 7. 99-Luke Pestka[6]; 8. 78S-Steve Stultz[7]; 9. 96-Dalton Imhoff[9]; 10. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[11]; 11. (DNF) 17A-Austin Howes[2]
H1-Flo Sports 8 Laps | 00:04:06.000
- 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 31K-Kye Blight[2]; 3. 15D-Justin Duty[3]; 4. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 5. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[5]; 6. 33F-Rickey Frankel[6]; 7. 96-Dalton Imhoff[8]; 8. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[7]
H2-Simpson Race Products 8 Laps | 00:04:22.000
- 25-Chad Simpson[4]; 2. 25J-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 3. 52B-Matt Bailey[1]; 4. 11-Jeff Herzog[3]; 5. 1ST-Justin Reed[5]; 6. 78S-Steve Stultz[7]; 7. (DNF) 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]
H3-Earnhardt Technologies 8 Laps | 00:06:17.000
- 46-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 2. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[2]; 3. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[5]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 5. 17A-Austin Howes[7]; 6. 99-Luke Pestka[8]; 7. (DNF) 19R-Ryan Gustin[6]; 8. (DNF) 22H-Dustin Hodges[4]
H4- Lucas Oil 8 Laps | 00:02:53.000
- 43-Derrick Stewart[1]; 2. 99F-Frank Heckenast Jr[4]; 3. 15S-Clayton Stuckey[2]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 5. 32-Chris Simpson[3]; 6. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[5]; 7. 3W-Brennon Willard[7]
Article Credit: Billy Rock
Submitted By: Billy Rock
