Controlled Chaos - Lobster Nationals, Heat Three

Lobster Nationals - Bangor, ME
Heat Three
Billy Edgington, Jason Ingle, Bill Malbrough, Rob Remaley, John McCrory, John Ruiz, Randy Tondreau, Joe Ramage, Bob Alexander, Reggie Banks, Chris Henton, Ricky Grimes

As in the first heat this one went deep before the eliminations began with Bill Malbrough, Billy Edgington, John Ruiz and Rob Remaley very popular drivers through the opening six minutes. The third heat also featured a lot of repeat custom starting with Malbrough laying a pair of hits on Remaley before the former took his fifth shot while stalled to become the first out of the contest, and Ricky Grimes (3rd Jersey) was next when he was counted out after becoming embedded onto the scenery.

The flies kept dropping with Billy Edgington trying to get at Jason Ingle before Ingle turned around and paid the Brit back with interest, and Randy Tondreau unable to make it three finals in four events even as he led the charge on Joe Ramage with three hits but was doubled-tapped by Bob Alexander for a ninth place finish.

With back-to-back finals at Tampa (9th) and the Valentine's Day Massacre (11th), John McCrory has gone on to reach just one other final (3rd Seattle) in the next eight rounds upto and including the Lobster Nationals. He suffered a pair of brief stalls but it was his war with John Ruiz that led into an all out assault from five different drivers to end his race in eighth, and Reggie Banks will have another shot at breaking his final duck by finishing in seventh after taking a savage attack from Chris Henton with three hits, two of them blindsiding Banks.

The other consolation heat entrants are six time finalist Rob Remaley who hit McCrory no less than four times before Henton made him his new favourite; Ides of March winner John Ruiz who was eager to get stuck in with ten hits on seven drivers with Tondreau and Ramage his repeat victims; and Spring Fling Derby champion Chris Henton rampaging over Remaley, Banks and Ramage with three hits each before the latter joined forces with Bob Alexander to end the one man carnage.

It's a first final in four events for the Valentine's Day Massacre winner and five time finalist Joe Ramage. He somehow stayed on the move after a series of situations where he stalled, became stuck or missed his target leaving him open to ten hits; six of which came from Henton and Tondreau.

After finishing off Ramage with a pair of shots, Jason Ingle makes his way into a fifth final of the year, but he has only scored points in one when he finished ninth at Spring Fling. Managing to avoid a lot of attention, Ingle ended up losing a head-to-head battle with Bob Alexander who was relentless with thirteen hits on eight cars, Henton and Ingle earning three shots each, to give him a second heat victory of the year and a place in his third final (6th Arizona, 10th VDM)

Race Result
1. Bob Alexander
2. Jason Ingle
3. Joe Ramage
4. Chris Henton
5. John Ruiz
6. Rob Remaley
7. Reggie Banks
8. John McCrory
9. Randy Tondreau
10. Billy Edgington
11. Ricky Grimes
12. Bill Malbrough