Hernandez takes Turkey Gobbler 100 at Desoto Speedway

11/20/2016

Freedom Factory

Hernandez takes Turkey Gobbler 100 at Desoto Speedway

Hernandez takes Turkey Gobbler 100 at Desoto Speedway
By SCOTT LOCKWOOD

Desoto Speedway

As the 2016 season hit the home stretch, Nick Hernandez often found himself at the front of the field in Pro Truck races at Desoto Speedway.

Fresh off a win at New Smyrna Speedway, Hernandez saved his best run for his final start of the season with a dominant performance in Saturday’s Turkey Gobbler 100, which served as the season finale for both the Desoto Pro Trucks and DART Truck Series.

Polesitter Scott Hogan grabbed the lead at the outset of the event and was joined at the front of the field by Cody McDuffie and Hernandez. Hogan suddenly slows on lap 15, allowing Hernandez and Michael Goddard to get by for second and third.

As McDuffie knifed through the back of the field, lapped traffic became an issue for the rest of the leaders. Cody Martell, Becca Monopoli and several others were fighting for the fourth spot when they encountered a lap truck heading into turn three on lap 30. Martell and Monopoli got together, sending Martell into a spin and both trucks to the rear of the field for being involved in the caution.

Goddard used the high line to take the lead from McDuffie on the restart. Right after Goddard cleared McDuffie for the top spot Monopoli, who entered the event as the DART series points leader, saw her championship hopes take a potential hit as she pulled into the pits with flat tire on lap 38. She was able to rejoin the field in time for the restart.

Hernandez jumped up to second on the restart and spent the next several laps directly on Goddard’s tail. Goddard slipped high in turn four at the end of lap 55, allowing Hernandez to dive underneath and take the lead. Hernandez was setting sail from the rest of the field when Dean Butrum spun directly in front of the leaders in turn two on lap 63.

Goddard and McDuffie couldn’t get by Hernandez on the restart, and the Palmetto driver appeared to be on his way to the victory when Butrum and Derek Pugh were involved in a heavy crash in turn one just 17 laps from the finish. Pugh, who slammed the wall on the driver’s side of his truck, was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

After a delay of nearly 45 minutes, Hernandez held off a charging McDuffie over the final 15 laps for the victory.

“I knew it was going to be a tough race,” Hernandez said in victory lane. “We didn’t get the qualifying run we wanted, but figured if we bided our time we’d be able to get up to the front. Cody and Michael fought hard. It was a great race.”

Goddard held off Joe Winchell for third. Cameron Cruse rounded out the top five. Sixth place finisher Corey Bigley earned the 2016 Desoto Pro Truck track championship. The DART Series championship was not officially set as of press time.

In the 25-lap Take Aim Gun Range Street Stock feature, Garrett Thompson held the early lead over Donnie Powers, Danny Caylor and Kenny Gibson. Caylor got by Powers for the second spot after a handful of laps and was making a move on Thompson for the top spot when the caution flew for Bobby Huffstutler’s spin on lap 7.

Caylor took the lead from Thompson on the restart. Less than a lap later James Nanney and Dan Scott got together on the front stretch and brought out another caution.

Gibson moved into second on the restart and was directly in Caylor’s tire tracks when a debris cation flew on lap 11. He lined up outside of Caylor on two more restarts, but couldn’t mount a challenge for the victory as Caylor pulled away in the closing laps. Huffstutler, Powers and Nanney rounded out the top five.

In other action Saturday night, Darrin Ellis took the lead early on and went on to the victory in the 25-lap LKQ Pick-Your-Part Pure Stock feature; Carl Thompson won the 25-lap Bomber feature; Mike Endee won the Outlaw Modified feature;

Desoto Speedway returns to action on December 3 with Sportsman, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, Bombers and Bombers for the final night of racing for the 2016 season.

11-19-2016
DESOTO SPEEDWAY RACE RESULTS

Street Stock