Texan Randall wins the greenbacks on Gillin Boys green night, Mills wins second Speedcar feature in three days, Weel scores Wingless Slam and Roycroft invites himself to the Street Stock win at Heytesbury Stockfeeds Simpson Speedway huge two night extravaganza.
January 3rd, Heytesbury Stockfeeds Simpson Speedway.
Despite spending most of last year blazing around the famed Knoxville Half Mile ribbon of light, it seems young Texan Sprintcar racer Chase Randall has more of a penchant for smaller, quirky Aussie Speedways. His only previous Aussie win coming at the unique Nyora Speedway in December 2023.
In his first time running on new DirtXInd Shock absorbers, Randall regained some form to win the $5,000 on offer as part of Green Night – The Gillon Boys Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Awareness night.
First time visitor and Avalon speedweek winner Ryan Jones ruffled a couple of feathers with his aggressive dive bombs into turns 3-4 but quickly acclimatised and ran second with Lachlan McHugh in the Domain Ramsey #2 competing the podium.
Tasmanian tearaway Tate Frost was a big part of the show dicing firstly with pole sitter and early leader Ashley Scott, before using lapped cars to help grab the lead.
Shortly after mid race Randall grabbed the lead, but Frost was relentless in his pursuit of the American. Frost was driving hard into lapped traffic and turn 3 and eventually this would bring him undone. On lap 21 he dived under Grant Stansfield into turn 3 and Stansfield spun.
The worst was yet to come for Frost as he again tried to rest back the lead from the American with only four to go. This time he dived under Andrew Hughes, but contact was made and Hughes hit the wall and rolled. Frost was sent rear of field, and his race was effectively over.
In victory lane Randall was presented with the Green coloured Gillin Boys trophy and quipped, “Green is the colour of American money too!”
Earlier in the night there were some big Sprintcar wrecks with Wild Man Phill Micallef riding out a huge barrel roll down the back straight in his 40th season of racing. Incredibly the team had the car back out for his second heat.
Just prior to Micallef’s wreck Rusty Hickman had ridden Micallef’s right rear as the pack entered turn 1 and slammed the wall.
Next heat and it was Brenten Farrer who went upside down after pushing hard – too hard – and hitting the turn 1 wall. The team also were able to get his car turned around in time for his second heat.
It wasn’t until heat 8 when Dane Court hit the turn 1 wall and rolled after a congested run into turn 1 of lap 1.
The B-main was a disaster for SRA Championship points leader Terry Rankin who went upside down at the flag stand after being accidentally squeezed into the wall by Ross Jarred.
Chris Solomon won that B-Main narrowly from Stansfield, Ethan Wyllie, Cam Waters, Brett MiIburn and Hughes.
The supporting Street Stocks put on some awesome racing with some great battles with David Barrie getting the win in heat two off the last turn by 0.051 seconds from an unlucky Jack Jordan.
In the final Shane Roycroft and Barrie continued their epic battles from earlier heat races with both leading laps as Roycroft chose the bottom while Barrie rode the top.
In the end, Roycroft finally managed to edge away a little to take the win from Barrie and Miller Throckmorton.
The hard-working Heytesbury Stockfeeds Simpson Speedway club can now have a well earned break after two big nights of racing but not for long as attention ow shifts to January 18 when the best of the best will be in town for the $10,000 to win 360/LS Sprint car event, the traditional kick-off to the Classic speedweek. CYA there.
Written for Simpson Speedway
By Brett Swanson
Images Aidan Freeman – Chase Randall
Heather Gilbert -Sunset