After a sloppy opening produced several early cautions, Michigan International Speedway went green the rest of the way — and Ethan Thompson left little doubt who had the car to beat.
| Pos | Driver | Car | # | Started | Laps | Interval | Inc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethan A Thompson | 98 | 1 | -00.000 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Dustin Coggin | 46 | 11 | -09.414 | 4 | ||
| 3 | Chris Cornett | 83 | 5 | -13.332 | 0 | ||
| 4 | Adam Ramsey | 97 | 12 | -16.439 | 6 | ||
| 5 | Brandon Hunsinger | 18 | 10 | -19.263 | 2 | ||
| 6 | Jacob Durbin | 20 | 3 | -19.269 | 0 | ||
| 7 | James Beard | 25 | 2 | -23.668 | 2 | ||
| 8 | Michael Patrick9 | 81 | 7 | -25.841 | 4 | ||
| 9 | Jordan Zamagni-Mander | 32 | 26 | -30.847 | 8 | ||
| 10 | Jared C Smith | 15 | 13 | -33.796 | 6 | ||
| 11 | Richard Wilson Jr | 28 | 15 | -1 L | 4 | ||
| 12 | Bryson Rupe | 2 | 4 | -1 L | 6 | ||
| 13 | Zack Domer | 014 | 9 | -1 L | 0 | ||
| 14 | Paul Scruggs | 11 | 18 | -1 L | 0 | ||
| 15 | Sean Kiser | 52 | 6 | -1 L | 2 | ||
| 16 | Blake Hauschild | 54 | 8 | -1 L | 8 | ||
| 17 | Corey Powell4 | 13 | 23 | -2 L | 8 | ||
| 18 | Chris Etchepare | 99 | 24 | -2 L | 10 | ||
| 19 | Dakoda Cydrus | 64 | 25 | -3 L | 18 | ||
| 20 | Alex Wilkie | 19 | 16 | -3 L | 6 | ||
| 21 | Mike Eldridge3 | 90 | 19 | -4 L | 8 | ||
| 22 | Robert T Burke | 22 | 14 | -7 L | 2 | ||
| 23 | Justin M Bell | 8 | 17 | -88 L | 10 | ||
| 24 | Russell Marciniak | 12 | 22 | -88 L | 9 | ||
| 25 | Steven Shannon | 6 | 20 | -95 L | 6 | ||
| 26 | Gary May | 9 | 21 | -104 L | 4 |
“Once Michigan stayed green, Ethan Thompson left little doubt who had the car to beat.”
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Sometimes a race doesn't need a dramatic finish to produce a convincing story.
Thursday night's MLSR B-Open Series presented by Ideal Family, LLC event at Michigan International Speedway started with several early cautions and little opportunity for the field to establish a rhythm.
Then the yellow flags stopped.
And Ethan Thompson took over.
Starting from the pole, Thompson controlled 68 of the race's 110 laps and turned the uninterrupted green-flag portion of the event into a demonstration of long-run speed. Once the field was finally allowed to stretch out, nobody had an answer for the No. 98.
From Early Cautions to a Long Green Run
The opening portion of the race suggested Michigan might become a night of constant resets.
Several early cautions repeatedly compressed the field, preventing anyone from building a lasting advantage. But once the race settled down, the complexion of the event changed completely.
The remainder went green.
That put the emphasis squarely on long-run pace and execution, and Thompson steadily separated himself from the competition.
There was no late caution to erase his advantage. No overtime restart to give the field another opportunity. No last-minute strategy call that changed the running order.
Thompson simply had to execute.
And he did.
By the checkered flag, Thompson had built a commanding 9.414-second margin of victory, completing a pole-to-Victory Lane performance in which he led more laps than anyone else in the field.
The Battle Behind Thompson
While Thompson controlled the race out front, several strong performances developed behind him.
Dustin Coggin climbed from 11th on the starting grid to finish second, leading eight laps along the way. Chris Cornett finished third after starting fifth, while Adam Ramsey advanced from 12th to fourth.
Brandon Hunsinger rounded out the top five after leading 12 laps.
Further back, Jordan Zamagni-Mander produced the largest charge through the field, climbing from 26th to ninth.
Zack Domer also showed significant speed. Domer led 15 laps — second-most behind Thompson — and recorded the fastest lap of the race, but his 13th-place finish didn't reflect the pace he showed throughout the evening.
Michigan ultimately provided a very different race from the opening three events of the inaugural B-Open season.
Daytona was decided by superspeedway organization. Indianapolis became a strategy battle. Iowa turned when a caution erased a commanding lead.
At Michigan, once the early chaos ended, the field was given a long green-flag run to settle the outcome on pace.
Ethan Thompson was simply better.
Driver of the race: Ethan Thompson, Thompson started from the pole, led 68 of 110 laps and won by 9.414 seconds. Once Michigan settled into its extended green-flag run, nobody consistently matched his pace.
Fastest lap: Zack Domer, Domer recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 39.415-second circuit and led 15 laps during a night in which his speed was considerably stronger than the final result suggests.
Best drive: Jordan Zamagni-Mander, started at the rear of the 26-car field and drove into the top 10, gaining 17 positions before the checkered flag.
Hard luck: Zack Domer, Domer showed strong pace throughout the evening, recording the fastest lap and leading 15 laps. Despite that speed, he finished one lap down in 13th.