SMITH SPEEDS TO VICTORY AT U.S. 36!

By: Ray Cunningham

Osborn, Missouri (September 29, 2023)………Wesley Smith of Nixa, Mo. raced to victory during the preliminary round of the Missouri Nationals on Friday night at Osborn, Missouri’s U.S. 36 Raceway featuring the USAC Wholesale Batteries Midwest Wingless Racing Association Sprint Cars.

The Show Me State racer had to get past rivals that included series point leader Wyatt Burks (Topeka, Kan), Chris Parkinson, (Gladstone, Mo.) and three-time 2023 winner Kory Schudy (Battlefield, Mo.) in the early going of the 20-lap preliminary feature, driving a fourth different car with the series this season.

This time, Smith scored his second USAC MWRA feature victory of the year and his 10th all-time in points-paying races with the series.  He was behind the wheel of the family-owned number 33 usually driven by his brother Bryson Smith.

Schudy, driving the Jon Sawyer Racing 28, a winner earlier in the season at U.S. 36, steadily reeled in Smith during this barn burner as they played cat and mouse with lapped traffic until the checkered flag flew with Smith taking the victory by a couple car lengths.

Meanwhile, Josh Most of (Red Oak, Iowa) made the “most” of his first race with the MWRA in 2023 to advance from 10th to 3rd, taking the final spot on the podium in the Germar Racing 93.  Burks, behind the wheel of the WBR No. 11w, put a stranglehold on the championship with a fourth-place finish.  Returning for the first time since a midseason hiatus, Lone Jack, Missouri chauffeur Braydon Cromwell, drove his BCR number four to fifth, showing little rust after his couple month layoff.

An impressive run by Dakota Earls from last to sixth earned him Hard Charger honors in his No. 15E after his car had a fuel issue during his heat, relegating him to a last place finish after leading most of the race.  Parkinson came home seventh, Zach Clark eighth, Luke Howard ninth, Chad Winfrey 10th, Buddy Parker 11th and Justin Johnson 12th.

Earlier in the evening, Cromwell won the first heat and Burks the second after starting fifth to win high point honors.

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USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION RACE RESULTS: September 29, 2023 – U.S. 36 Raceway – Osborn, Missouri

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. 4-Braydon Cromwell (1), 2. 28-Kory Schudy (5), 3. 33-Wesley Smith (8), 4. 65w-Chad Winfrey (3), 5. 2H-Luke Howard (6), 6. 93p-Buddy Parker (2), 7. 11B-Ben Woods (7), 8. 7x-Lance Silvers (4). NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. 11w-Wyatt Burks (5), 2. 65-Chris Parkinson (7), 3. 26-Zach Clark (4), 4. 27J-Justin Johnson (3), 5. 93-Josh Most (6), 6. 88-Chad Tye (8), 7. 1-Chris Desselle (2), 8. 15E-Dakota Earls (1). NT

FEATURE: (20 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Wesley Smith (3), 2. Kory Schudy (4), 3. Josh Most (10), 4. Wyatt Burks (1), 5. Braydon Cromwell (5), 6. Dakota Earls (16), 7. Chris Parkinson (2), 8. Zach Clark (6), 9. Luke Howard (9), 10. Chad Winfrey (7), 11. Buddy Parker (12), 12. Justin Johnson (8), 13. Chad Tye (11), 14. Ben Woods (13), 15. Lance Silvers (15), 16. Chris Desselle (14). NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Wyatt Burks, Laps 7-20 Wesley Smith.

USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION POINTS: 1-Wyatt Burks-2850, 2-Chris Parkinson-2485, 3-Chad Winfrey-2390, 4-Dakota Earls-2110, 5-Brad Wyatt-2065, 6-Justin Johnson-1975, 7-Buddy Parker-1965, 8-Kory Schudy-1945, 9-Zach Clark-1945, 10-Luke Howard-1925.

NEXT USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION RACE: September 30, 2023 – U.S. 36 Raceway – Osborn, Missouri