Anderson Can’t Be Denied on Night Two at New Smyrna
Cole Anderson would not be denied on Saturday night at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, driving from eighth to first for the Pro Late Model feature win at New Smyrna Speedway (FL).
Anderson set the fastest time in qualifying for the 35-lap Pro Late Model feature on the second night of racing at the Samsula, Florida half-mile. However, an eight-car invert placed him eighth on the starting grid.
The Minnesota driver methodically worked his way through the field, taking the lead from pole-sitter Alex Guenette and cruising to the victory.
“We started eighth there and moved our way up there,” Anderson told Speed51.com. “It was crazy on them restarts. Just trying to keep the nose clean, really, and it paid off in the end.”
“I’m really confident in this Gunslinger team,” Anderson said. “We’ve got great finishes and we’re always fast and up front. There’s no doubt in my mind we can be back here again tomorrow night.”
Guenette inherited the pole on the eight-car invert, but displayed plenty of speed to stay up front throughout the night. Guenette maintained his advantage for the first 14 laps of the event before succumbing to the hard-charging Anderson and settling for second.
The strong run gave Guenette confidence as he has been limited in his racing activity in recent years. This year marks the first time the Canadian driver has participated in the World Series since 2014.
“It was a good run,” Guenette said. “I hadn’t run Late Models in about four years, and I haven’t done much racing in the past four years. We’re still figuring out a bunch of stuff in the car, and we’re getting better every night.”
Rounding out the podium was Mason Keller, bouncing back from an eighth-place finish on the opening night of the World Series.
“From my perspective, it wasn’t that bad,” Keller said. “We started up front, and our game plan was to stay up there. It worked out pretty good for us. I guess behind us, it got a little wild.”
“Overall, it was a good race for us, give or take whatever happened back there on the first night. Had a little bit of a rough start, but we’re picking away at it.”
For the second straight evening, Giovanni Bromante and Jeff Choquette came together on the race track. Last night, Bromante spun while battling for Choquette for the lead in a race Choquette would win. On Saturday night, neither driver would be so fortunate.
Bromante and Choquette started fifth and seventh, respectively. The duo quickly moved up to third and fourth in the opening laps. While Bromante attempted to pass Mason Keller for second on lap four, he lost control and turned towards the outside wall in turn two, collecting Choquette.
“I was going through the corner, and me and the 29 [of Mason Keller] were rubbing a little,” Bromante explained. “I kind of got into him and got loose, and I felt a bump in the rear end. I just corrected it, and overcorrected and headed into the wall.”
“We’ve got a backup car, so we’ll be here tomorrow,” Bromante continued. “I’m just proud of these guys for giving me a great car.”
Jeff Choquette’s description of the incident was more succinct.
“Kid ran out of talent.”
The Pro Late Model teams will enjoy a night off on Sunday before returning to the high banks of New Smyrna Speedway on Monday night. Tomorrow night, the K&N Pro Series East headlines the World Series action. Speed51.com will provide live Trackside Now updates starting at 2:00 P.M.
Click here to see our Trackside Now updates from Saturday and relive the action from the second night of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
-By Zach Evans, Speed51.com Southeast Correspondent – Twitter: @ztevans
-Photo credit: Speed51.com
World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing – Pro Late Model Unofficial Results
New Smyrna Speedway (FL) – February 10, 2018
| Pos. | # | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97 | Cole Anderson |
| 2 | 39 | Alex Guenette |
| 3 | 29 | Mason Keller |
| 4 | 5 | Michael Clancy, Jr. |
| 5 | 78 | Corey Heim |
| 6 | 1X | Todd Stone |
| 7 | 32 | Harold Crooms |
| 8 | 17 | Blaise Hentznecker |
| 9 | 76 | Jerick Johnson |
| 10 | 7 | Jackson Boone |
| 11 | 8 | Nicholas Naugle |
| 12 | 15 | Roy Hayes II |
| 13 | 17F | Kevin Folan |
| 14 | 40 | Jordan Miller |
| 15 | 14 | Tyler Porter |
| 16 | 38 | Ricky Moxley |
| 17 | 5S | Mike Skinner |
| 18 | 11 | David Weaver |
| 19 | 73 | Peter McVey |
| 20 | 81 | Giovanni Bromante |
| 21 | 9C | Jeff Choquette |
| 22 | 9J | Kody Jett |
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