{"id":15636,"date":"2024-07-10T01:26:16","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T05:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/superdirtcarseries.com\/?p=15636"},"modified":"2024-07-10T01:26:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T05:26:16","slug":"one-for-the-natural-jimmy-phelps-wins-the-natural-77-honoring-dale-planck-at-thunder-mountain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/superdirtcarseries.com\/recap\/one-for-the-natural-jimmy-phelps-wins-the-natural-77-honoring-dale-planck-at-thunder-mountain\/","title":{"rendered":"ONE FOR THE NATURAL: Jimmy Phelps Wins The Natural 77 Honoring Dale Planck at Thunder Mountain"},"content":{"rendered":"
On a night honoring his long-time friend Dale Planck, Jimmy Phelps made his triumphant return to Super DIRTcar Series Victory Lane.<\/p>\n
The \u201cBaldwinsville Bandit\u201d passed Mat Williamson on Lap 23 and led the rest of the way to win the Natural 77 Tuesday at Thunder Mountain Speedway.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is amazing,\u201d Phelps said. \u201cDale and Brandon have done an amazing job with our race team. It was a tough loss. This is definitely dedicated to him, Leslie, Brandon, Steve, and the entire Planck family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud to be up here.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mat Williamson, the SRI Performance and Stock Car Steel Pole Award Winner, led the field to the green flag in the 77-lap Feature with Tim Sears Jr. to his outside.<\/p>\n
The two raced side-by-side for the first two laps before Sears nosed ahead of Williamson to lead Lap 3.<\/p>\n
Sears led the next seven laps until Williamson\u2019s momentum on the inside lane carried him ahead of the no. 83X on Lap 10. \u201cTimmer\u201d tried to stay with Williamson on the top for three more laps, but his momentum started slipping away, allowing Phelps to take over second.<\/p>\n
Williamson, searching for his third straight Super DIRTcar Series win, led the field into lap traffic with Phelps on his back bumper.<\/p>\n
The St. Catharines, ON driver stayed on the bottom for a few laps before trying to pass Byron Worthing, a lap car, on the outside on Lap 23.<\/p>\n
That opened the door for Phelps, who dove under the No. 88 in Turns 1 and 2 to take the lead.<\/p>\n
As Phelps continued battling in lap traffic, Williamson fell to third, losing the runner-up spot to Matt Sheppard, who stayed patient behind Phelps for the next 30 Laps.<\/p>\n
However, on Lap 53, Sheppard saw an opportunity to try and win the race. With two cars in front of Phelps, Sheppard swung to the outside of Turns 1 and 2. But moving off the bottom cost him two positions, as Williamson and Sears passed him on the inside.<\/p>\n
From there, Phelps went unchallenged to win the $7,700 prize\u2014his 22nd Super DIRTcar Series triumph and first since August of 2022.<\/p>\n
Phelps said he knew he had to keep his nose clean in the race’s closing stages.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen [Sears] started rolling the top pretty good, and then when he started backing up, you knew it was either one of two things,\u201d Phelps said. \u201cEither the tires were getting too hot, and he was fading, or the bottom was starting to latch-up. We started using more throttle every lap and knew it was starting to lock down a little bit.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Williamson] got to the outside of the lap car and just kind of got hung up there, and it worked for us. Then it narrowed up even more, and we just had to protect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williamson settled for second, keeping his six-race podium streak alive in the 2024 championship season. He also extended his points lead over Sheppard to 18.<\/p>\n
\u201cHats off to Jimmy and the guys,\u201d Williamson said.\u00a0 \u201cThat was a patient race on his part to follow the lap cars as long as they did. I\u2019m getting older, but not old enough to be smart enough to stay on the bottom.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs dejected as we all are standing here to run second, tonight\u2019s a damn good night. Two years ago, we would\u2019ve been tickled to death to run second. I think just starting on the pole made it a little bit crappier than what it would\u2019ve been if we started seventh or eighth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sears crossed the line third, earning his best Super DIRTcar Series finish of the season. The Hastings, NY driver said he needed to get to the bottom sooner when leading.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I might\u2019ve been clear of [Williamson], but I kept seeing his nose, so I wasn\u2019t sure how much room I had,\u201d Sears said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think the track was going to get that good around the bottom, so I felt like I was going to be good cleaning off the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheppard finished fourth, and Jack Lehner rounded out the top five.<\/p>\n
UP NEXT: <\/strong>The Super DIRTcar Series returns to Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, NY, on Sunday, July 14, for the Hall of Fame 100. It\u2019s also the season’s second Super DIRT Week Qualifier, as one driver will earn a guaranteed spot in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200.<\/p>\n