ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – Garen Linder had planned to race at least most of the ASCS Frontier Region sprint car schedule this season, but work had gotten in the way. It wasn’t until Saturday night that he finally got to race with the series, and he wasted no time finding victory lane as he won the main event at Sweetwater Speedway.
Linder led all 25 laps after drawing the pole position, though he to deal with heavy traffic while also fending off a determined ASCS Frontier Region points leader Logan Forler. Linder at one point even made contact with a slower car, but managed to keep his car under control and keep Forler behind him. One of the issues facing the leaders was the lapped traffic also using the preferred bottom line around the large 3/8-mile dirt oval.
In the final lap Linder again found himself held up by slower cars as he rounded Turns 3 and 4, but Forler was unable to make a move and Linder won aboard his No. 22 Ryder-powered KPC.
It was Linder’s third career win in ASCS Frontier competition. His last win with the series came in August 2020, also at Sweetwater Speedway, but Linder has been competitive and victorious in 360 sprint car action across all the west coast states. With Linder’s powder coating business keeping him too busy to travel to race with the Frontier Region he has raced closer to home, having won races in both his home state of Oregon and Washington this season. He also won the $10,000-to-win Summer Nationals at Skagit Speedway in late July.
Forler finished second aboard his family’s No. 2L Fischer-powered Maxim, that being his fifth consecutive podium finish for the Boise, Idaho driver. Forler finished second in both races at Sweetwater Speedway three weeks ago and won at Gallatin Speedway and Big Sky Speedway in Montana last week. Tyler Driever of Meridian, Idaho made a late race pass around Kory Wermling to finish third in his family’s No. 33t Shark-powered Maxim after starting eighth. Forler entered the night one point ahead of Driever for the series points lead. With Saturday’s result, Forler bumped his lead over Driever up to 8 tallies with four races remaining.
Wermling finished fourth and maintained his third place position in the points standings and C.J. Thorne made a late run to finish fifth. Colorado visitor Austyn Gossel, racing at Sweetwater Speedway for the first time, earned hard charger honors as he came from the 14th starting position to finish sixth after a late run of his own. Ned Powers, Shad Petersen, Randy Whitman and Channing Filler rounded out the Top 10.
Heat races earlier in the evening were won by Thorne, Forler and Driever. Garen Linder earned high points in heat race action when came from sixth to finish second behind Driever in the final heat race.
Saturday’s event came after Friday’s show at Sweetwater Speedway was cancelled after a severe hail storm made the track, infield and pit area a muddy mess. Track officials and volunteers worked throughout the morning and early afternoon to get the grounds ready for Saturday’s show. The series continues its scheduled four race Labor Day weekend on Sunday and Monday with its inaugural events in the state of Utah as Desert Thunder Raceway in Price, Utah hosts the series for two nights of competition. The ASCS Frontier Region the concludes its season with events Friday at Gallatin Speedway and Saturday at Big Sky Speedway.
More information on the Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series, as well as the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour and other ASCS regional tours, can be found online at www.ascsracing.com. Stagg Motor Sports, the promoting company of the ASCS Frontier Region, can be found at www.staggmotorsports.com.
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American Sprint Car Series – Frontier Region
Sweetwater Speedway
Rock Springs, WY
September 4, 2021
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
19 cars
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 14X-Cj Thorne Thorne[3]; 2. 0-Ned Powers[2]; 3. 9K-Kory Wermling[6]; 4. 34-Randy Whitman[1]; 5. 16G-Austyn Gossel[5]; 6. 64Z-Preslie Thorne[4]; 7. 24-Ian Myers[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 2L-Logan Forler[1]; 2. 81-Darren Smith[2]; 3. 2-Shad Petersen[5]; 4. 74U-Channing Filler[4]; 5. 38-Caleb Crowther[6]; 6. (DNF) 11-Heath Denney[3]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 33T-Tyler Driever[1]; 2. 22-Garen Linder[6]; 3. 37-Trever Kirkland[2]; 4. 00B-Michael Bingham[5]; 5. 2X-Mike Manwill[4]; 6. 14-Madison Crowther[3]
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 22-Garen Linder[1]; 2. 2L-Logan Forler[2]; 3. 33T-Tyler Driever[8]; 4. 9K-Kory Wermling[3]; 5. 14X-C.J. Thorne[4]; 6. 16G-Austyn Gossel[14]; 7. 0-Ned Powers[6]; 8. 2-Shad Petersen[5]; 9. 34-Randy Whitman[13]; 10. 74U-Channing Filler[11]; 11. 2X-Mike Manwill[15]; 12. 11-Heath Denney[17]; 13. 64Z-Preslie Thorne[16]; 14. 24-Ian Myers[19]; 15. 14-Madison Crowther[18]; 16. (DNF) 00B-Michael Bingham[10]; 17. (DNF) 38-Caleb Crowther[12]; 18. (DNF) 81-Darren Smith[7]; 19. (DNF) 37-Trever Kirkland[9]
