Miller takes Roundup opener, pads ASCS Frontier point lead
Andrew Kunas, Stagg Motor Sports PR
Image credit: Andrew Kunas
GREAT FALLS, Mont. - After recent struggles, Kelly Miller rebounded and scored the ASCS Frontier Region sprint car victory in Friday's Montana Roundup opener at Electric City Speedway and picked up a $3,000 paycheck for his efforts.
It was the Lethbridge, Alberta driver's series leading fifth main event win of the season, but his first since June 17th. The win increased Miller's points lead to 49 tallies unofficially over defending series champion Trever Kirkland with six races remaining.
Miller started the 25-lap feature on the outside of the front row. After the first start was called back due to a false start, fellow Canadian and pole sitter Skylar Gee took the lead and held it for the first several laps until they entered traffic on a long green flag run. While Gee was running the top of the track in the turns, Miller was working the bottom. Around the midway point of the race, Miller found the bottom part of the track becoming faster, squeezed himself in between the inside berm and a lapped car while Gee was sailing around the top and took over the lead.
Gee tried to fight back but could not get by Miller. After 21 laps straight under green, the caution flag came out for two cars tangled together and that cleared the track for Miller, who ran off to the win aboard the KDM Motorsports No. 2jr Custom Automotive-powered Eagle.
It was a big bounce back after a DNF in last Saturday's Harvey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky Speedway. A happy Miller was quickly greeted by family and his crew in victory lane. After winning the first four ASCS Frontier Region main events this season in relatively dominant fashion, Miller cooled off over the next several events and struggled to run in the Top 5 as he also fought mechanical problems at times. Friday's event was a return to form for Miller and crew.
Gee, a former ASCS Frontier Region champion, finished second after leading early aboard the Peterson/Nelson No. 23n Scott Baylor-powered Triple X. Boise, Idaho's Logan Forler, another former series champion, finished third aboard his family's No. 2L Fisher-powered Maxim after running in the Top 5 throughout the race. After fighting mechanical problems all season, Rich Bailey finished a season best fourth place. Harrisburg, Oregon's Tyler Thompson came from 16th to finish fifth.
Washington visitor Brock Lemley came from 19th to finish sixth and earn the hard charger nod. Kirkland, Kory Wermling, Jordan Milne and Harli White rounded out the Top 10.
Heat races earlier in the evening were won by Milne, Cody Masse, Gee and Miller. Instead of the usual redraw for main event starting positions, a dash was instead run for the Top 8 in passing points to determine their main event lineup. Gee won the dash over Miller and Forler.
Wermling won the B-Main, taking Mark Tabor II, Lemley and White with him to the feature. Joe Perry, who missed the transfer by one position, was allowed to tag the back of the main event field as an alternate when James Setters was unable to start.
The Montana Roundup at Electric City Speedway continues on Saturday with another $3,000-to-win program and concludes Sunday with a $10,000-to-win main event. Admission each day is $18 for adults and $12 for those 55 years of age and older.
More information on the Brodix Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series, along with the 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.
ASCS Frontier Region
27th Annual Montana Roundup - Night 1
Electric City Speedway
Great Falls, MT
September 1, 2023
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
27 cars
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 3 Jordan Milne, 2. 0J Jeremy McCune, 3. 6g Bryan Gossel, 4. 38n Mark Tabor II, 5. 24m Ian Myers, 6. 12h Jerry Brey, 7. 28 Joe Perry.
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 35m Cody Masse, 2. 72 Phil Dietz, 3. 49 Mike Monahan, 4. 56 Ross Mathewson, 5. 4p Leroy Brush, 6. 10L Brock Lemley, 7. 12hw Harli White.
Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. 23n Skylar Gee, 2. 01 Rich Bailey, 3. 2 James Setters, 4. 9k Kory Wermling, 5. 35km Tyler Thompson, 6. 16g Austyn Gossel, 7. 5c Channing Filler.
Heat 4 (8 laps): 1. 2jr Kelly Miller, 2. 2L Logan Forler, 3. 37 Trever Kirkland, 4. 2n Shad Petersen, 5. 81 Darren Smith, DNS - 34 T.J. Richman.
Dash (5 laps): 1. 23n Skylar Gee, 2. 2jr Kelly Miller, 3. 2L Logan Forler, 4. 72 Phil Dietz, 5. 01 Rich Bailey, 6. 35m Cody Masse, 7. 2 James Setters, DNS - 3 Jordan Milne.
B-Feature (12 laps): 1. 9k Kory Wermling, 2. 38n Mark Tabor II, 3. 10L Brock Lemley, 4. 12hw Harli White, 5. 28 Joe Perry, 6. 16g Austyn Gossel, 7. 12h Jerry Brey, 8. 5c Channing Filler, 9. 81 Darren Smith, 10. 4p Leroy Brush, DNS - 34 T.J. Richman. First four finishers transfer to A-Feature.
Feature (25 laps): 1. 2jr Kelly Miller, 2. 23n Skylar Gee, 3. 2L Logan Forler, 4. 01 Rich Bailey, 5. 35km Tyler Thompson, 6. 10L Brock Lemley, 7. 37 Trever Kirkland, 8. 9k Kory Wermling, 9. 3 Jordan Milne, 10. 12hw Harli White, 11. 28 Joe Perry, 12. 72 Phil Dietz, 13. 0J Jeremy McCune, 14. 24m Ian Myers, 15. 35m Cody Masse, 16. 56 Ross Mathewson, 17. 2N Shad Petersen, 18. 6g Bryan Gossel, 19. 49 Mike Monahan, 20. 38n Mark Tabor II, DNS - 2 James Setters.
Upcoming ASCS Frontier Region events
September 2 - Electric City Speedway - Great Falls, MT (Montana Roundup - Night 2)
September 3 - Electric City Speedway - Great Falls, MT (Montana Roundup - Night 3)
September 8 - Gallatin Speedway - Belgrade, MT
September 9 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT
2023 ASCS Frontier Region winners
May 19 - Kelly Miller at Big Sky Speedway
May 20 - Kelly Miller at Big Sky Speedway
May 26 - Rained out at Electric City Speedway
May 27 - Rained out at Electric City Speedway
June 9 - Postponed at Gallatin Speedway
June 10 - Postponed at Big Sky Speedway
June 16 - Kelly Miller at Gallatin Speedway
June 17 - Kelly Miller at Big Sky Speedway
July 7 - Logan Forler at Big Sky Speedway
July 8 - Logan Forler at Big Sky Speedway
August 4 - Rained out at Gallatin Speedway
August 25 - Logan Forler at Big Sky Speedway
August 26 - Jake Bubak at Big Sky Speedway
September 1 - Kelly Miller at Electric City Speedway
ASCS Frontier - Stagg Motor Sports
www.staggmotorsports.com
American Sprint Car Series
www.ascsracing.com
- Andrew Kunas on Sep 02, 2023
- Article Date: 9/2/2023 by Andrew Kunas