Skagit Speedway Roundup: Starks, Hillier, Smith grab momentum heading into Jim Raper Memorial

With just five short days remaining before the 52nd annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway, Trey Starks collected another feature win and more momentum heading into the biggest week of the year. Joining Trey in Victory Lane were Levi Hillier and Rick Smith.

The 30-lap 360 Sprint Car Main Event led off with Jason Solwold leading lap number one and Colby Thornhill chasing him. Thornhill snagged the lead from Solwold on lap three and began putting distance between himself and the three car battle for second place between Solwold, Jesse Schlotfeldt and Trey Starks. Those three drivers diced and sliced around until Starks ended up in second place right before a yellow flag fell to gather the field up on lap 24. On the ensuing restart, Thornhill did not get the takeoff he was looking for and Trey took advantage, driving underneath him for the pass out of turn four on lap 25. From there, Trey motored away to score the win and important momentum before Dirt Cup begins on Thursday, Thornhill and Solwold rounded out the podium. Heat wins went Schlotfeldt, Chase Goetz and Thornhill. Starks set quick time.

Levi Hillier, 14, won his first feature at Skagit Speedway on Saturday night. Racing in the Sportsman Sprints, Hillier picked his way forward from a fourth pace starting spot to sneak the lead away from Kai Dixon on lap 18 en route to his first victory at Skagit Speedway. Levi’s win made for the fifth different driver winning in five feature events in the class this year. Dixon would race to second with Jesson Jacobson running third. Dixon was quick time, and won his heat race as did Jacobson.

Rick Smith took home top honors in the Skagit Aggregates IMCA Modifieds. Smith became the fourth different race leader on lap 13 and held off Tyson Blood’s late race surge for the win. Blood ended up second from 11th while Adam Holtrop survived a wild mid pack battle to take third. Blood was also a heat race winner, along with James Bundy and Lawrence O’Connor.

360 Sprint Cars: 18 Entries

A Feature: 30 Laps | 17:53.827

1 3 55 Starks, Trey Puyallup, WA 2 2 1 19 Thornhill, Colby Enumclaw, WA -1 3 2 18 Solwold, Jason Burlington, WA -1 4 5 91 Goetz, Chase Snohomish, WA 1 5 4 21 Schlotfeldt, Jesse Arlington, WA -1 6 8 66 Fisher, Eric Mount Vernon, WA 2 7 9 17 Smith, Cam Mill Creek, WA 2 8 11 77 Klatt, Levi Langley, BC 3 9 13 33 Heath, Colton Marysville, WA 4 10 10 7O Oudman, Axel Sedro-woolley, WA 0 11 15 26 Hillier, Levi Burlington, WA 4 12 7 24 Meese, Jordi Graham, WA -5 13 12 33R Rude, Bill Mount Vernon, WA -1 14 14 06W Wallenfelsz, Shawn Jr Stanwood, WA 0 15 17 0 Anstensen, Ashleigh Sedro Woolley, WA 2 16 6 29K Kuntz, Levi Carnation, WA -10 17 18 95R Reynold, Dan Lewiston, ID 1 18 16 51 Gehring, Dustin Oak Harbor, WA -2

Heat 1: 8 Laps | 01:46.733

1 2 21 Schlotfeldt, Jesse Arlington, WA 1 2 4 55 Starks, Trey Puyallup, WA 2 3 1 29K Kuntz, Levi Carnation, WA -2 4 5 33 Heath, Colton Marysville, WA 1 5 3 7O Oudman, Axel Sedro-woolley, WA -2 6 6 51 Gehring, Dustin Oak Harbor, WA 0

Heat 2: 8 Laps | 01:52.648

1 2 91 Goetz, Chase Snohomish, WA 1 2 4 18 Solwold, Jason Burlington, WA 2 3 3 77 Klatt, Levi Langley, BC 0 4 1 24 Meese, Jordi Graham, WA -3 5 6 0 Anstensen, Ashleigh Sedro Woolley, WA 1 6 5 06W Wallenfelsz, Shawn Jr Stanwood, WA -1

Heat 3: 8 Laps | 04:25.388

1 4 19 Thornhill, Colby Enumclaw, WA 3 2 2 17 Smith, Cam Mill Creek, WA 0 3 1 66 Fisher, Eric Mount Vernon, WA -2 4 5 26 Hillier, Levi Burlington, WA 1 5 3 33R Rude, Bill Mount Vernon, WA -2 6 6 95R Reynold, Dan Lewiston, ID 0

Sportsman Sprint Cars 16 Entries

A Feature: 1 25 Laps | 10:09.856

1 4 00 Hillier, Levi Burlington, WA 3 2 1 20K Dixon, Kai Maple Ridge, BC -1 3 2 22J Jacobson, Jesson Stanwood, WA -1 4 3 23 Parker, Steve Sedro Woolley, WA -1 5 6 88 Whitney, Jayden Stanwood, WA 1 6 8 3B Ferguson, Brody Abbotsford, BC 2 7 7 66 McGhie, Brett Arlington, WA 0 8 10 35 Ostrom, Alden Sedro Woolley, WA 2 9 11 62 Kirkham, Lawrance Stanwood, WA 2 10 9 21Z Zylstra, Keira Monroe, WA -1 11 5 8 Weiss, Tom Seattle, WA -6 12 12 90 Holmkvist, Brian Sedro Woolley, WA 0 13 13 51 Gehring, Dustin Oak Harbor, WA 0 14 14 36 Merritt, Tanner Camano Island, WA 0 15 16 2 Shiflett, Ryder Ephrata, WA 1 16 15 87 Pearson, Jeff Mount Vernon, WA -1

Heat 1: 8 Laps | 01:57.666

1 1 20K Dixon, Kai Maple Ridge, BC 0 2 3 23 Parker, Steve Sedro Woolley, WA 1 3 2 8 Weiss, Tom Seattle, WA -1 4 6 66 McGhie, Brett Arlington, WA 2 5 5 21Z Zylstra, Keira Monroe, WA 0 6 8 62 Kirkham, Lawrance Stanwood, WA 2 7 4 51 Gehring, Dustin Oak Harbor, WA -3 8 7 87 Pearson, Jeff Mount Vernon, WA -1

Heat 2: 8 Laps | 01:47.121

1 1 22J Jacobson, Jesson Stanwood, WA 0 2 2 00 Hillier, Levi Burlington, WA 0 3 4 88 Whitney, Jayden Stanwood, WA 1 4 3 3B Ferguson, Brody Abbotsford, BC -1 5 5 35 Ostrom, Alden Sedro Woolley, WA 0 6 6 90 Holmkvist, Brian Sedro Woolley, WA 0 7 7 36 Merritt, Tanner Camano Island, WA 0 8 8 2 Shiflett, Ryder Ephrata, WA 0

IMCA Modifieds 18 Entries

A Feature: 1 25 Laps | 28:18.520

1 5 6W Smith, Rick Mt. Vernon, WA 4 2 11 97TB Blood, Tyson Tumwater, WA 9 3 7 71 Holtrop, Adam Sedro-woolley, WA 4 4 3 57 Bundy, James Marysville, WA -1 5 10 66 Westergard, Jeff Sedro Woolley, WA 5 6 17 V8 Peters, Steve 11 7 15 51 Nutter, Brandon Sedro Woolley, WA 8 8 14 68D Hibma, Greg Sedro-woolley, WA 6 9 2 75 Grimbly, Alan Sedro Woolley, WA -7 10 8 23 Swift, Lee Camano Island, WA -2 11 13 28 Smith, Austin Mount Vernon, WA 2 12 6 68 Gunderson, Ben Sedro Woolley, WA -6 13 18 67B Coles, Billy Penticton, BC 5 14 12 27EH O’Connor, Lawrence Port Hardy, BC -2 15 16 21 Gordon, Cory Mount Vernon, WA 1 16 4 7K Smith, Kevin Clinton, UT -12 17 9 75C Cook, Graham Parksville, BC -8 18 1 10B Malmstadt, Ben Kent, WA -17

Heat 1: 8 Laps | 02:08.000

1 2 57 Bundy, James Marysville, WA 1 2 4 71 Holtrop, Adam Sedro-woolley, WA 2 3 5 66 Westergard, Jeff Sedro Woolley, WA 2 4 3 7K Smith, Kevin Clinton, UT -1 5 1 28 Smith, Austin Mount Vernon, WA -4 6 6 67B Coles, Billy Penticton, BC 0

Heat 2: 8 Laps | 05:00.000

1 6 97TB Blood, Tyson Tumwater, WA 5 2 5 23 Swift, Lee Camano Island, WA 3 3 4 6W Smith, Rick Mt. Vernon, WA 1 4 1 10B Malmstadt, Ben Kent, WA -3, 5 2 68D Hibma, Greg Sedro-woolley, WA -3 6 3 21 Gordon, Cory Mount Vernon, WA -3

Heat 3 8 Laps | 03:37.000

1 6 27EH O’Connor, Lawrence Port Hardy, BC 5 2 1 75 Grimbly, Alan Sedro Woolley, WA -1 3 4 68 Gunderson, Ben Sedro Woolley, WA 1 4 5 75C Cook, Graham Parksville, BC 1 5 3 51 Nutter, Brandon Sedro Woolley, WA -2 6 2 V8 Peters, Steve -4

Next event

Saturday, June 22: Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup — 410 Sprint Cars; NARC King of the West Sprints; NW Focus Midgets. Gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7.