Zack Domer runs down pole-sitter Walt Clough with 13 laps to go and wins the regular-season finale by 4.231 seconds, with Brandon Hunsinger third from 18th
| Pos | Driver | Car | # | Started | Laps | Interval | Inc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Domer | 014 | 3 | 140 | -00.000 | 1 | |
| 2 | Walt Clough | 00 | 1 | 140 | -04.231 | 2 | |
| 3 | Brandon Hunsinger | 18 | 18 | 140 | -07.625 | 4 | |
| 4 | Jacob Durbin | 20 | 7 | 140 | -09.443 | 3 | |
| 5 | Chris Etchepare | 99 | 4 | 140 | -15.442 | 2 | |
| 6 | Adam Ramsey | 97 | 6 | 140 | -18.691 | 4 | |
| 7 | James Beard | 25 | 8 | 140 | -24.807 | 2 | |
| 8 | Gary May | 9 | 11 | 140 | -28.783 | 0 | |
| 9 | Michael L Patrick | 81 | 19 | 140 | -29.368 | 1 | |
| 10 | Michael Deitch | 1 | 13 | 139 | -1 L | 0 | |
| 11 | Cody Adams6 | 09 | 14 | 139 | -1 L | 5 | |
| 12 | Alex Wilkie | 19 | 12 | 138 | -2 L | 12 | |
| 13 | Richard Wilson Jr | 28 | 5 | 138 | -2 L | 0 | |
| 14 | Blake Hauschild | 54 | 16 | 138 | -2 L | 6 | |
| 15 | Chris Cornett | 83 | 9 | 131 | -9 L | 6 | |
| 16 | Russell Marciniak | 12 | 20 | 99 | -41 L | 4 | |
| 17 | Ronald Breland | 7 | 21 | 81 | -59 L | 2 | |
| 18 | Jamel Love | 3 | 2 | 76 | -64 L | 5 | |
| 19 | Ethan A Thompson | 98 | 15 | 68 | -72 L | 6 | |
| 20 | Paul Scruggs | 11 | 17 | 64 | -76 L | 2 | |
| 21 | Robert T Burke | 22 | 10 | 36 | -104 L | 2 |
I was surprised I got the pole and then I was really surprised when I started pulling away.
Zack Domer had finished second in the MLSR B-Open Series presented by Ideal Family, LLC, three times this season. On Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he finally found a way past the car in front of him.
Domer started third, chased Walt Clough for most of the 140 laps and took the lead for good with 13 laps remaining. He won the regular-season finale by 4.231 seconds over Clough. Brandon Hunsinger came from 18th on the grid to finish third.
It was Domer's first B-Open win of the season. His three runner-up finishes came at Chicagoland Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. He also leads the A-Open Series standings.
Clough sets the pace
Clough was making only his second MLSR start. He put the No. 00 on the pole and drove away at the start. Domer got by Jamel Love for second on the opening lap, and the top two quickly pulled clear of the field.
The race never slowed for a caution. All of the pit stops came under green, and Clough used that to his advantage. He was the first of the leaders to pit in each cycle, and he kept the lead after the first round of stops. When Domer closed up on him, Clough held the bottom line and defended. Domer tried the high side through Turns 3 and 4 and the inside into Turn 1, but neither move stuck.
Clough led 91 laps, the most of anyone. He said he spent the night managing his tires.
"I got a dirt racing background, so you know, the experience of trying to keep the tires cool and then having a little bit when he gets there," Clough said. "I knew he was faster than me on the long runs."
Third time works
Love was the other contender for the win. He started second and led six laps during the second round of stops. Then the No. 3 suddenly cut up the track and into the wall. Love was out after 76 laps and was classified 18th.
That left the race to Clough and Domer. On their third run together, Domer pulled alongside on the high side through the quad oval, ran side by side into Turn 1 and cleared the No. 00 for his first lead on track.
Clough answered with the undercut. He made his final stop first, and by the time Domer stopped a few laps later and returned to the track, the gap was more than six seconds. Jacob Durbin came off pit road right behind Domer and poked his nose underneath him into Turn 1, but Domer held him off on the outside. Moments later Durbin got loose and brushed the outside wall, damaging the front of his car.
Domer went to work on the six seconds and erased them through lapped traffic. Once he reached Clough's bumper, he went to the inside entering Turn 3. Clough lifted, and Domer took the lead with 13 laps to go. He was not challenged again.
Hunsinger's climb
Hunsinger's charge was the drive of the night behind the leaders. He started 18th, hit the wall early and still finished third.
"I made a real mess of the second lap. Ended up hitting the wall," Hunsinger said. "The open space during the green flag cycles definitely helped us out a lot."
He caught Durbin's damaged No. 20 in the closing laps and went around the outside for third. Durbin finished fourth after starting seventh. Chris Etchepare finished fifth for his first B-Open top five of the season. Adam Ramsey, who traded positions with Etchepare all night, finished sixth.
James Beard, Gary May, Michael L Patrick and Michael Deitch completed the top 10. Patrick gained 10 spots from 19th on the grid.
Only nine cars finished on the lead lap. Chris Cornett was classified 15th after disconnecting with 131 laps complete. Ethan A Thompson was 19th, Paul Scruggs 20th and Robert T Burke 21st. Blake Hauschild finished 14th, two laps down.
On to the Chase
The result sets the 10-driver Chase field. Hauschild is first in the standings with 24 points. Beard has 13, Hunsinger and Cornett have 10 each, and Domer has nine. Durbin, Thompson, Etchepare, Ramsey and Dustin Coggin also qualified.
Hunsinger's third place was his eighth top-five finish of the season, the most in the series, though he has yet to win this season. He said his approach will not change.
"Same thing that we've done all year, just run consistent," Hunsinger said. "Just do what we can to be there at the end."
The Chase opens October 15 at Phoenix Raceway.
Driver of the race: Zack Domer. Domer started third and passed Clough on track twice, the second time after making up more than six seconds following the final pit stops. He led 35 laps and won by 4.231 seconds.
Fastest lap: Adam Ramsey. Ramsey turned a 29.979-second lap on Lap 114. No other driver in the race ran a lap under 30 seconds. He finished sixth.
Best drive: Brandon Hunsinger. Hunsinger started 18th, recovered from hitting the wall on the second lap and finished third. His 15-position gain was the biggest in the field.
Hard luck: Jamel Love. Love started second and led six laps. He was running at the front when his car cut up the track into the wall, and he was classified 18th after completing 76 laps.