7/8/2015
Cornell Finishes Second in Red, White, and Blue Tour Finale
(Photo by Kyle Smith)
CALIFORNIA, Mo. – After a complete domination of the Red, White, and Blue Tour four-race series in 2014 in which Jonathan Cornell won all three contested events (one was lost to rain), he and his team had high expectations going into the second year of the Independence Day weekend tour of Mid-Missouri. After night one was flooded out at Double-X Speedway, the hopes of a repeat championship were dashed for the Sedalia, Mo. native with an incident cutting his run short in the scheduled night two at Callaway Raceway. Regardless, Cornell still rebounded for two consecutive top-fives to conclude the weekend.
Fulton, Mo. hosted the mini-series on Friday night at the quarter-mile Callaway Raceway, where 26 ASCS Warrior Region entrants arrived to do battle. Three, eight-lap heat races were first on the agenda, but Cornell’s awful pill draw put him starting in the ninth and final position in heat two. But after passing nearly a car per lap, the No. 28 Maxim/Ostrich had moved into second place by the end of the race.
The high point honors belonged to Cornell, and following the top-eight redraw for feature starting position, he would be starting in fifth. A tangle with outside row four starter Ricky Stangl on lap five would wipe away his shot at the victory on that night, and with a DNF, was cut to 19th on the score sheet.
Bad luck seemed to continue onto Saturday night at Randolph County Speedway in Moberly, Mo. 25 sprint cars were present on the night, but in heat three, third-starting Cornell took a rock to the radiator while working his way into second and was forced to return to the pit area. Working through the B-main was quick and painless for the 27-year-old, winning from the pole position.
Into the main event and going 17th, Cornell had his fair share of work, and then some, ahead of him to work his way into the top five. Regardless, he dispatched car after car on the high-speed, high-banked half-mile oval. The result was a fourth-place finish worthy of the hard charger award, picking up 13 positions in the 25-lap competition. After thanking crew chief Chad Cypert for the strong car in the feature, Cornell pointed out that the Kiowa Line Builders car “could’ve been a contender if we started up front.”
One race for the weekend remained: Double-X Speedway. Just nine days after collecting a $1000 bounty for beating Jack Dover in that driver’s back yard, Cornell had the Springfield, Neb. racer looking to take a win at the track Cornell has ruled for several years. 32 sprinters entered the gates of the California, Mo. quarter-mile, but only one would earn the victory. All eyes were on the second of four heat races, where both Cornell and Dover would be on the gas. Going from the pole, Cornell set sail to win the race handily, but Dover charged from sixth to take second.
Dover earned high point honors for his effort, and Cornell was eighth-highest to narrowly squeak into the redraw. The outcome couldn’t have been more fitting, as Dover drew the “1” pill, but the “2” remained in the bag for Cornell, the last to draw. That set up a 25-lap showdown between the two, with Dover seeking redemption and Cornell seeking to protect his house. As the field sped into turn one, it was Dover who led first. Following an early red flag, Dover again stretched out his lead, but he began to reach lapped traffic. Cornell’s experience around the tiny speedway played in his favor, and he rapidly ran down the “Gas Man.” One lap after Cornell made a failed slidejob attempt, the yellow flag waved. Dover had put one more car a lap down before this, however, and per ASCS rules, the lapped car would restart between the leader and second place. Cornell quickly put the lapped car behind him after the restart, but the extra time Dover picked up was too much for Cornell. A valiant effort once the leader re-entered lapped traffic wasn’t enough to run him down, and Cornell crossed under the checkered flag in the runner-up position.
Jonathan Cornell Racing would like to thank Kiowa Line Builders, Starline Brass, Gas Monkey Tequila, VKCC Motorsports, Yeager's Cycle, Champion Brands, Ostrich Racing Engines, Peak Performance, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Weld Racing, Hoosier Racing Tire, Maxim Chassis, Rod End Supply, Lucas Oil, KSE Racing Products, ButlerBuilt, Factory Kahne Midwest, Duinkerken Farms, Steve Watt Enterprises, R2C Performance Products, Simpson Race Products, Don's Truck Towing & Truck Wash, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions LLC, Outlaw Wings, Sparks Electric Co., SureCoat, Xtreme Fuel Stick, and Steve and Charlie Smith, as well as all of his fans for their continued support.
Cornell is next scheduled to compete on July 12 at Double-X Speedway in California, Mo. in the No. 28 360ci winged sprint entry.
Quick Results
July 3 – Fulton, MO – 360ci Winged Sprint – Heat: 2nd (9); Feature: 19th (5)
July 4 – Moberly, MO – 360ci Winged Sprint – Heat: 6th (3); B-Main: 1st (1); Feature: 4th (17)
July 5 – California, MO – 360ci Winged Sprint – Heat: 1st (1); Feature: 2nd (2)
2015 Stats
15 races, 15 features, 4 wins, 8 top fives, 10 top tens, 3 DNFs
Social Media
Twitter: http://twitter.com/teamtwentyeight
Article Credit: Redbeard Promotions
