Alamo Derby - San Antonio, TX
Final
Charlie Clayton, Bob Alexander, Darrell Andresen, Randy Tondreau, Randy Corson, Danny Krol, Will Murphy, Jess Yates, Darryl Lozier, Tom Gariepy, Reggie Banks, Chris Henton
Bob Alexander's (6th Arizona Derby, 3rd Lobster Nationals, 9th Texas Nationals) sixth final ends as his fifth did: pointless. Clayton, Andresen, and Murphy all struck him off the start for a quick exit before Reggie Banks (1st Firecracker Open) was also eliminated by three hits. Andresen again part of the reson, this time along with Yates and Gariepy.
After his third heat victory of the season, Danny Krol (8th Ides of March, 4th Jersey Derby, 3rd Summer Sizzler) finishes tenth for the second time in seven rounds, a revenge hit on his blindside by Murphy going a long way to knocking him out, and Charlie Clayton (7th Frostbite, 5th Texas, 8th Louisiana Invitational) stops dead after striking both Amdresen and Lozier.
After qualifying for six of seventeen finals, Darrell Andresen (4th Indy Nationals, 5th Firecracker, 5th Arkansas Derby) ends his fifth in a row with a fourth points haul in as many weeks. Stalling after delivering a blindside hit to Corson, his demise came courtesy of Chris Henton while he was prone.
It's five top ten finishes in six finals for Randy Tondreau (6th Tampa Open, 3rd Firecracker), Henton's early barrage a strong reason he was out after dishing out five hits on as many opponents, and Randy Corson's (5th Frostbite, 5th Tampa, 8th Spring Fling Derby) second final in fourteen weeks sees him just finish outside of the top five again. A revenge hit by Andresen caught Corson by surprise, throwing him off his target and careening him into the wall where Will Murphy came and crushed him.
Will Murphy's (2nd Tampa, 3rd Spring Fling, 3rd Idaho Invitational, 3rd Big Apple Smash Up) impressive record of finishing no lower than sixth continues into his tenth final appearance with an eighth top five place, and it was all the more impressive after taking fifteen hits through the second heat and consolation heats combined. Six hits struck him throughout his seven minutes of action in the final, Gariepy with two and Henton the finisher, as he delivered five shots of his own to a different opponent each time.
Back-to-back fourth place finishes, and a three week points streak that started with a runner-up position in the Arkansas Derby, keepss Spring Fling Derby winner Chris Henton's confidence up. With Darryl Lozier hitting him thrice there was no rest as Jess Yates followed up with three shots of his own, but it was Tom Gariepy who, after blindsiding him earlier, brought the finishing blow.
Jess Yates (8th Arizona, 7th Jersey, 4th Summer Sizzler) may have only appeared in four finals, but he has improved his final position each time as he reaches the podium for the first time this season. Taking only hits throughout the final, Yates forced his way through the pack indiscriminately hitting four different drivers before settling on Henton for the hat-trick, but ending his own chances of a better finish on the last shot as he continued to slow down afterwards until coming to a complete stop.
A second runner-up place of the year, and the fifth driver this year to break the one-hundred points barrier, Tom Gariepy (1st Wisconsin Invitational, 1st Arkansas Derby) started his second final in three rounds in the worst possible way by missing his intended target and plowing into the wall. He recovered well, hitting Murphy either side of his initial surprise hit on Henton, before going at Darryl Lozier who had taken it upon himself to rough-house his opponent.
That assault of three hits, with his three shots on Henton beforehand, earns Darryl Lozier his fourth title of the season, and his first in eleven events, to take a twenty-eight point lead over Will Thompson who was absent from his second final in three weeks after being eliminated early in the consolation heat. Lozier, who controversially avoided disqualification in heat two, looked well prepared for his seventeenth final, and was on form as he avoided a lot of traffic only taking five hits compared to the seven he delivered. A rare miss almost totaled his car and if he was unable to continue from that point would have finished dead last.
Race Result
1. Darryl Lozier
2. Tom Gariepy
3. Jess Yates
4. Chris Henton
5. Will Murphy
6. Randy Corson
7. Randy Tondreau
8. Darrell Andresen
9. Charlie Clayton
10. Danny Krol
11. Reggie Banks
12. Bob Alexander
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