Summer Sizzler - Memphis, TN
Final
Ben Hadsell, Scott Hutchins, Jess Yates, Chris Henton, Don Davis, Matt Welliver, Danny Krol, Jamie Eilers, Steven Redden, Lynne Higgins, Andy Bing, Will Thompson
The fourteenth final of the season began with a disqualification for Matt Welliver who ends his sixth final of the year with a bad hit on Danny Krol, and Andy Bing also leaves without a point to his name for an eleventh place finish, his worst result since he finished twelfth in both the Arizona Derby and Tampa Open at the start of the season.
With the pack starting to thin Chris Henton suddenly became a popular target with Hutchins, Yates and Redden all making their presence felt before Frostbite Winter Nationals victor Ben Hadsell, in his sixth final, fell by the wayside after surviving a tough stall and having Will Thompson clobber him.
This started a sequence of seven quick eliminations and, with championship leader Darryl Lozier not competing, it was a missed opportunity for Seattle Derby winner Scott Hutchins to only come away with three points in his eighth final, all of them coming in the past nine events.
Alternate driver Don Davis (12th Valentine's Day Massacre, 2nd Jersey Derby) ends in seventh place to move up a few places in the standings, taking four late hits from the remaining pack, and Steven Redden takes his third sixth place finish of the year (Frostbite, Wisconsin) after he lost a battle with Lynne Higgins.
Higgins is able to finish in the top five for a fourth time this season, her sixth final of the year almost coming to an end most prematurely with a stall at the very start, but she was able to re-fire and suffer just four hits against as she struck Bing, Redden and Hutchins once each.
Jess Yates, whose previous final results were eighth in Arizona and seventh in Jersey, takes a good fourth place finish and was only stopped by the return of Will Thompson who came back for more after as early hit to leave three competitors, Thompson the only one to have won an event before (Arizona) but Jamie Eilers was the bridesmaid twice before, leaving Danny Krol with his best result of the season after a fourth place at the Big Apple Smash Up.
Krol hit six different opponents while taking four against, the shot on his blindside by Jamie Eilers proving fatal, and that left both Eilers and Thompson in a real fight to the finish. Thompson though would shoot up to tie Scott Hutchins for second in the standings with his second podium of the year. Winner in Arizona Thompson finished in the top five in four of the first five events but would only equal this feat once (5th Big Apple Smash Up) before today.
This means Jamie Eilers takes his debut victory, the eleventh different driver to win out this season, and rocket up into the top ten. His first two qualifications of the season at Frostbite and Ides of March resulted in him finishing second place both times. He then finished seventh at the Idaho Invitational before a ninth place result at the Big Apple Smash Up. His fifth final of the year, almost going pear shaped after his war on Scott Hutchins when he missed his next target, came to a positive end thanks to his three big hits on Will Thompson at the end.
Race Result
1. Jamie Eilers
2. Will Thompson
3. Danny Krol
4. Chris Henton
5. Lynne Higgins
6. Steven Redden
7. Don Davis
8. Scott Hutchins
9. Ben Hadsell
10. Chris Henton
11. Andy Bing
12. Matt Welliver
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