Firecracker Open - Daytona, FL
Consolation Heat
Charlie Clayton, Tommy Miller, Billy Edgington, Bill Malbrough, Ed Smith, Jamie Eilers, Darryl Lozier, Lynne Higgins, Reggie Banks, Sam Harbin, Ricky Grimes, Timmy Barnes (DNS)
With Timmy Barnes unable to compete with a minor injury picked up in heat three the eleven entrant consolation heat was a seven minute dash for survival, and after qualifying for three finals in a row, where he picked up a season high fifth place at the Texas Nationals, Charlie Clayton misses out in back-to-back events after he stalled at the start.
Bill Malbrough gains no sympathy for failing to reach a final this season and was a popular target here taking four hits, two coming from fellow Canadian Darryl Lozier, and Ed Smith (11th Texas Nationals) finished in ninth place just ahead of Jamie Eilers who, after winning back-to-back events in the Summer Sizzler and Summer National Derby, has one final appearance (4th Louisana Invitational) in the next four rounds; both men stalling out.
Sam Harbin (2nd Arizona Derby, 6th Spring Fling Derby, 6th SidelineStrategy.com Derby) was shunted into the barriers by Reggie Banks and was unable to free himself, while Tommy Miller took a pair of early hits from Billy Edgington and Malbrough and that led to his vehicle slowing down until it stopped in sixth place.
Four-time fifth place finisher Lynne Higgins now has just one final in the last eleven weeks, a Reggie Banks hit on her blindside finishing the job he started, and the Louisiana Invitational winner Ricky Grimes (3rd Jersey Derby, 3rd Texas Nationals) struck five different cars before catching Banks admiring his hit on Higgins and then was guilty of doing the same as Lozier steamed in to decide the qualifiers.
After that lengthy injury to start the season thus competing for a limited time, Billy Edgington breaks his final duck by avoiding a lot of trouble - just three hits on him - and he ended up focused on one man much to the joy of those watching who had already qualified for the final, but those hoping championship leader Darryl Lozier would not make it to his fifteenth final were to be disappointed as he carved up Bill Malbrough and Ricky Grimes with two hits each, surviving a triple-shot from Edgington to boot.
Reggie Banks rounds out the final twelve and there are just three drivers remaining who have yet to qualify for a final but it was a heat full of stalls and stuck situations before he was caught out by Grimes and just survived thanks to Lozier's final act of the contest.
Race Result
Q. Billy Edgington
Q. Darryl Lozier
Q. Reggie Banks
4. Ricky Grimes
5. Lynne Higins
6. Tommy Miller
7. Sam Harbin
8. Jamie Eilers
9. Ed Smith
10. Bill Malbrough
11. Charlie Clayton
12. Timmy Banres (DNS)
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