Indiana Open - Winslow, IN
Heat Two
Jess Yates, Reggie Banks, Danny Krol, Jason Ingle, Tom Gariepy, Bob Alexander, Norm Gibson, Will Thompson, Scott Hutchins, Bambi Rogers, John Ruiz, Randy Tondreau
Almost six minutes had passed in the second heat in Winslow before Scott Hutchins (1st Seattle Derby, 2nd Big Apple Smash Up, 2nd Lobster Nationals, 1st Bluegrass Derby) blew a huge chance to take over the lead in the championship, missing his first final in six weeks as Banks, Tondreau and Krol all conspired against him, knocking him out after he had struck Ruiz, Yates, Tondreau, and his title rival Will Thompson.
That was the first of a string of eliminations where Jess Yates (4th Summer Sizzler, 3rd Alamo Derby, 3rd Halloween Open) was knocked around by the pack, Bambi Rogers (6th Arknsas Derby, 11th Bryan Family Open, 5th Halloween) tried to hunt down John Ruiz before Thompson charged in with a devastating blindsider, and then Ruiz (1st Ides of March, 8th Seattle Derby, 2nd Fall Nationals) unsurprisingly succumbed to the nine shots he took with Thompson finishing the job on a double-tap, keeping his poor record going with just three finals out of the last twenty.
With Danny Krol (4th Jersey Derby, 3rd Sizzler, 4th Bluegrass, 1st Hickory) taken out by just three hits - his five shots on as many opponents causing as much damage to himself as to anyone else - the consolation heat entrants were Reggie Banks, who carved through seven different competitors, Randy Tondreau, who survived a stall and rampaged over Reggie Banks to take him down, with Tom Gariepy and Bob Alexander both heading out together when the former flew up and over Alexander.
While Gariepy was stalling and requiring the marshall's help in putting out a small fire Bob Alexander was warring with Rogers and then helped to soften up Banks before his nemesis of the day paid heavy attention to him. The second hit laid on by Gariepy saw his car crush the roof of his opponent while he somersaulted onto his own back, eliminating the pair.
When Will Thompson and Norm Gibson came together for the eighth time in the heat that was it for both drivers, forcing them to share runner-up spot. Thompson, who trails championship leader Darryl Lozier by just six points, heads into his twenty-second final after chasing after Ingle and Gibson, but it was a hit to Bambi Rogers that started off his heat. Hutchins then came in with a blindside early in his ill-fated day before passing it on, then he struck his two victims once each, double-tapped Ruiz, then laid five more hits on Ingle (2) and Gibson (3).
That final hit left Gibson stranded along with his attacker, but it's fourteenth final for him; just his second in five weeks. Also suffering an early blindside - from who else but Thompson? - their ten minute war raged on with Alexander earning a couple of shots along the way; Yates and Rogers one each.
Jason Ingle therefore takes his third heat win this year as he moves on into eleventh final of his season, third in twelve. Almost falling at the start when his car stalled for a long time Ingle re-fired and struck both Alexander and Banks, avoiding a hit to his blindside as well, before suffering yet another tough stall. Again he had seconds to spare when he eventually re-fired the engine, but with everyone else preoccupied he suffered only six hits against throughout the heat. Laying a shot each into Gariepy and Alexander before their cataclysmal finale, he then rode the final challenges to take the win,.
Race Result
1. Jason Ingle
2. Norm Gibson
2. Will Thompson
4. Tom Gariepy
4. Bob Alexander
6. Randy Tondreau
7. Reggie Banks
8. Danny Krol
9. John Ruiz
10. Bambi Rogers
11. Jess Yates
12. Scott Hutchins
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