Arkansas Derby - Little Rock, AR
Heat Three
Sam Harbin, Ricky Grimes, Lynne Higgins, Jamie Eilers, Tommy Miller, Darryl Lozier, Bob Alexander, John Ruiz, Dick Garrett, Timmy Barnes, Don Davis, Ed Smith
A dramatic start to the third and final heat saw championship leader Darryl Lozier take a hit from Lynne Higgins that propelled him start into the path of Tommy Miller. The heat was stopped so medics could check on Lozier (1st Tampa Open, 1st Jersey Derby, 1st Big Apple Smash Up) but he was able to walk off under his own steam and misses his fifth final all year, and the second failed qualification in four.
Straight after that incident Bob Alexander (6th Arizona Derby, 3rd Lobster Nationals, 9th Texas Nationals) rocketed up and over the barriers when Ed Smith slammed full speed in to him, but things calmed down and there would not another elimination for over five minutes when there would be four in arow.
Timmy Barnes (12th Spring Fling Derby, 4th Big Apple Smash Up) was all about chasing down Don Davis, hitting him three times, but seven hits against him, including a double-tap at the very start from Dick Garrett and then later a triple attack from Harbin, Eilers and Miller, with Ed Smith bringing it for the final shot.
Seconds later and both Sam Harbin and Tommy Miller narrowly missed out on the consolation heat. Harbin (2nd Arizona, 6th Spring Fling, 6th SidelineStrategy.com Derby) has just one final in nine weeks now, elimination coming as another victim of Smith's rampage, and Miller stalled out.
John Ruiz, taking his eight hits in groups of two or three at a time, lives to fight another day, as does Ed Smith who had eliminated three opponents before Don Davis hit him four times in quick succession. The final consolation heat entrants are Ricky Grimes, coming off worse when he struck Davis for his seventh hit on as many different cars, and Dick Garrett who started on Barnes before he also spread himself around throughout the pack; his end coming thanks to two quick hits from Higgins.
Jamie Eilers makes it to his first final in three rounds, fourth in seven, as he failed to re-fire the stall he suffered when Garrett blindsided him, and Don Davis is in his fourth final of the season as an alternate driver. His first final in six weeks comes after four hits on Smith and three on Higgins who responded in kind after striking Ruiz and Garrett multiple times to reach her sixth final, but just the second in twelve rounds.
Race Result
1. Lynne Higgins
2. Don Davis
3. Jamie Eilers
4. Dick Garrett
5. Ricky Grimes
6. Ed Smith
7. John Ruiz
8. Tommy Miller
9. Sam Harbin
10. Timmy Barnes
11. Bob Alexander
12. Darryl Lozier
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