Wednesday kicked off feature racing for the 2023 Nashville Spring Series presented by zMAX, and 10 of the scheduled 14 races were completed, plus four B Mains.
The 12-car Beginner Bandolero field was the first feature race of the day and quickly went under caution for a two-car spin on Lap 2. Roo Reaves maintained his lead on the restart, a position in which he held until he and second place Bryson Nichols encountered lapped traffic. With just a handful laps remaining, Reaves slipped up, allowing Nichols to pass. He would go on to win, with Reaves finishing second and Gerald White III coming home in third.
Landon Thrasher was quick in the first Bandits feature of the day. He began to nudge away from LaQuan McCoy and Colt Johnson as the pair battled for second. That battle stepped over a line just enough for the two to get squirrelly. They kept their Bandoleros pointed straight but an accordion effect swept through the field behind them sending several cars around, but no one suffered major damage. Following the restart, Thrasher was once again out to a healthy lead as Johnson battled McCoy for second. Behind them was Wyatt Coffey, who was pulling away from fifth place Aspyn Lange before suffering a mechanical issue and parking his bright yellow car in the pits. With a handful of laps to go, Johnson was able to make a pass stick against McCoy, but Thrasher was too far ahead. He’d win the race, with Johnson and McCoy filling out the top three.
At the front of the Round 1 Outlaws feature was Jayden Johnson and Ben Morabito. For the race’s first few laps, the duo were door-to-door. Eventually, Johnson was able to sneak ahead of Morabito while Emma Britt completed a pass on Danny Mann for third. Morabito never let Johnson get too far ahead, even as they began to maneuver through lapped traffic. Suddenly, Madilyn Lange spun right in front of leading pair. They avoided her and the race resumed with eight laps to go. Johnson held onto the lead as another caution flew a few laps later and when the race resumed, a tangle of cars reracked the field once again. Morabito gave it his all, but Johnson won the race with Mann finishing third.
Two Young Lions B Mains were contested before the start of the Round 1 Young Lions feature. Austin Bloodworth won both with Abi Johnson, Caleb Johnson, and Aidan Walker transferring from the first B Main to the Round 1 feature and Beckham Malone, Abi Johnson, and Caleb Johnson transferring from the second B Main to the Round 2 Feature.
Pole sitter Ayden Christensen was overtaken by Jackson Denton on the first lap, as did Cooper Gaul. Trouble struck Garrett Irwin early as his car slowed to a stop and refired, but not before a caution was displayed. After battling with Gaul on the restart, Denton would slip his Legend Car right in front of him to regain control. A spin in turn two reset the field once more, but Denton once again found himself leading the field laps after the restart. Cole Robie slotted into third before a red flag was displayed for Isaac Kitzmiller, who took a tumble down the backstretch, with Nathan Lyons, London McKenzie, Chase MacKay, and Vito Cancilla all involved, too. Kitzmiller walked away and the race continued. On the next and final restart, Denton looked as if he shot out of a cannon and walked way to victory over Gaul and Robie.
The Semi-Pro division was the other division requiring B Mains to be run. They ran two before the start of Round 1 feature. Ian Hampton score wins in both, bringing Parker Traves, Dawson Drimmie, Coleman Moody with him in the first and then Parker Traves, Josh Inglis and Coleman Moody in the second.
In the Round 1 Semi-Pro feature, it was all Dylan Faulkner in his patriotic wrapped machine. He did receive challenges from George Phillips early in the race before a yellow flag for a crash in turn two. Phillips would slip on the restart, allowing Nick Morabito and Tanner Jones to move past. Phillips dispatched Jones in a short time and set his sights on Morabito, but Faulkner grew smaller in their windshields. Just after halfway, a caution was thrown for Sean McElearney and Josh Inglis who had a coming together off the exit of turn two. The race would be called official when a crash on the backstretch involving Jerrod Holle and Nick Morabito sent Dawson Sutton for a tumble, coming to a rest on the inside wall. Faulkner was declared the winner, with Phillips coming home in second and Jones in third.
From the drop of the green flag, Josh Mullins was in control of the Round 1 Masters feature. While Daryl Mahar gave it his best to make Mullins’ life difficult, he would not be successful, despite being within a car length or two most of the race. The race was only interrupted by two cautions, both of which Mullins preserved his control of the field. He would take the checkered flag, with Mahar coming home in second and Kevin Rollins brining home third.
Landen Lewis was the pole sitter for the Pro race, but Alex McCollum strapped his belts extra tight at he start because he muscled his way to the lead on the outside on the very first lap of the race. Landon Rapp moved into third in front of Jacob Staten as Lewis pursued McCollum. Lewis worked to find a way around McCollum, as did Staten with Rapp. Except for Staten stepped over the line when he sent his Legend Car into turn three and spun himself out while attempting to pass Rapp. Lewis would be moved back to fourth on the restart as Rapp and Tyler Reif moved past him. Lewis would find his way around Reif laps before Jensen Jorgensen hit Tanner Reif’s left rear, sending Tanner around to bring out the yellow. The race restarted with seven laps to go with McCollum maintaining the lead, driving off to victory. Rapp would hold off Lewis for second.
The second round of features started with the Beginner Bandoleros. Allee Johnson hesitated on the initial start, handing the lead to Round 1 winner Bryson Nichols. As Johnson chased Nichols, Roo Reaves pushed Gerald White III wide in turn two and again in turn three. The pair of incidents didn’t result in a wreck, but sent the pair from the top five to the rear of the field. Their loss was John Kimler’s gain, as he took over third. As Johnson was making ground up on Nichols, a three-car collision ended Emily Billing’s race. The race resumed with 10 laps to go and Johnson looked to Nichols inside but thought better of it, waiting to make a better move. Johnson completed a pass on Nichols but a final caution was displayed with two laps to go. On the restart, Johnson held onto the lead but not for long. Kimler passed Nichols on the restart and as the field took the white flag, he completed a pass on Johnson for the Round 2 Beginner Bandolero win.
Thrasher started Round 2 just where he left off in Round 1 in the Bandits division – leading. Colt Johnson made a move on Thrasher, but wasn’t able to make the move stick as he lost grip and had to reset. Wyatt Coffey was challenging LaQuan McCoy as Brexton Busch spun on the frontstretch, backing his Bandolero into the inside wall. He would drive away, receive repairs, and continue. With 14 laps to go, the green flag returned with Coffey pushing Johnson into turn one. The pass for the lead against Thrasher wasn’t completed, and Johnson settled for second with McCoy in third and Coffey in fourth. Johnson was becoming a smaller object in Thrashers mirrors as Carson Cauble spun on his own right behind Busch and Billy Lee III. Coffey once more pushed Johnson on the restart and the pass was successful for about half a lap, because Thrasher regained the lead in turn four. No more attempts for the lead were made, making Thrasher a two-time winner on the day. Johnson would finish second and McCoy third.
It was the same song, different round for Jayden Johnson and Ben Morabito. The Round 2 race started with the pair side-by-side, but this time it was Morabito with the upper hand. He took the lead just in time before a single-car spin brought out the caution. Morabito slid high on the restart and had to lift, allowing Johnson on the outside to pass him. Killian McMann challenged Morabito for second, but the fight didn’t last long; his Bandolero wasn’t strong enough to fight Morabito’s. Joshua Shine spun on the frontstretch but the caution wasn’t thrown until his engine cover fell off in turn two. The field reset with 14 laps to go and again a few laps later. Both times Johnson won the restart battle against Morabito. McMann would pull off the track with a mechanical issue, handing third to Danny Mann, who would finish in third behind Morabito and winner Johnson.
The Round 2 Young Lions feature was started and halted on Lap 3 as a result of a combination of a major crash cleanup and time restriction switching off the engines. A major pileup as a result of a blown engine sent several cars into the outside retaining wall. All drivers walked away and the race will resume today, along with the remaining Semi-Pro, Masters, and Pro Round 2 races and all seven Round 3 features.
PRO
ROUND 1 FEATURE (25 Laps): 1. 1-Alex McCollum[2]; 2. 28R-Landon Rapp[4]; 3. 99-Landen Lewis[1]; 4. 9-Tyler Reif[8]; 5. 72-Nick Woodall[5]; 6. 5-Garrett Gumm[6]; 7. 24-Joel Smith[7]; 8. 39-Jacob Staten[3]; 9. 51-Donovan Strauss[12]; 10. 24D-Jadyn Daniels[14]; 11. 32-Jensen Jorgensen[11]; 12. 4-Tanner Reif[10]; 13. 20-Josh Dickens[9]; 14. 21-Ethan Nascimento[13]
Qualifying 1: 1. 99-Landen Lewis, 00:13.866; 2. 1-Alex McCollum, 00:13.874; 3. 39-Jacob Staten, 00:13.881; 4. 28R-Landon Rapp, 00:13.925; 5. 72-Nick Woodall, 00:14.007; 6. 5-Garrett Gumm, 00:14.008; 7. 24-Joel Smith, 00:14.011; 8. 9-Tyler Reif, 00:14.020; 9. 20-Josh Dickens, 00:14.021; 10. 4-Tanner Reif, 00:14.037; 11. 32-Jensen Jorgensen, 00:14.041; 12. 51-Donovan Strauss, 00:14.064; 13. 21-Ethan Nascimento, 00:14.113; 14. 24D-Jadyn Daniels, 00:14.120
MASTERS
ROUND 1 FEATURE (25 Laps): 1. 21M-Josh Mullins[1]; 2. 66-Daryl Mahar[2]; 3. 93-Kevin Rollins[4]; 4. 51-Brandon Mckenzie[3]; 5. 5-Brandin Wrisley[6]; 6. 57-Kevin Foisy[10]; 7. 31H-Lonnie Hochstetler[8]; 8. 31G-Giles Martin[7]; 9. 24-Greg Gresham[13]; 10. 31-Greg Erhardt[5]; 11. 08-Steve Gareau[9]; 12. 11-Jeremy Lange[11]; 13. 36-Paul Jones[15]; 14. 76-Stephen Carpenter[16]; 15. 25-Eugene Drew[12]; 16. 5R-Ronnie Wehunt[14]
Qualifying 1: 1. 21M-Josh Mullins, 00:13.890; 2. 66-Daryl Mahar, 00:13.922; 3. 51-Brandon Mckenzie, 00:13.963; 4. 93-Kevin Rollins, 00:13.993; 5. 31-Greg Erhardt, 00:14.139; 6. 5-Brandin Wrisley, 00:14.184; 7. 31G-Giles Martin, 00:14.212; 8. 31H-Lonnie Hochstetler, 00:14.217; 9. 08-Steve Gareau, 00:14.220; 10. 57-Kevin Foisy, 00:14.317; 11. 11-Jeremy Lange, 00:14.350; 12. 25-Eugene Drew, 00:14.371; 13. 24-Greg Gresham, 00:14.419; 14. 5R-Ronnie Wehunt, 00:14.440; 15. 36-Paul Jones, 00:14.591; 16. 76-Stephen Carpenter, 00:14.783
SEMI-PRO
ROUND 1 FEATURE (25 Laps): 1. 60F-Dylan Faulkner[1]; 2. 55-George Phillips[2]; 3. 22-Tanner Jones[3]; 4. 5X-Jesse Martinez[5]; 5. 17-Mason Lastra[8]; 6. 9-Michael Crafton[6]; 7. 64-Lucas Vera[10]; 8. 60-Parker Traves[22]; 9. 31M-Sam Mazzo[15]; 10. 03-Colton Noble[11]; 11. 22C-Taylor Corum[12]; 12. 38-Cameron White[16]; 13. 66-Owen Mahar[13]; 14. 73-Ian Hampton[21]; 15. 66D-Dawson Drimmie[23]; 16. 316-Coleman Moody[24]; 17. 51J-Josh Inglis[19]; 18. 98-Sean McElearney[14]; 19. 26-JT Poole[18]; 20. 99Y-Connor Yonchuk[17]; 21. 71-Nick Morabito[4]; 22. 0-Jerrod Holle[7]; 23. 26S-Dawson Sutton[9]; 24. 38C-Galen Clark[20]
Round 1 B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 73-Ian Hampton[2]; 2. 60-Parker Traves[4]; 3. 66D-Dawson Drimmie[1]; 4. 316-Coleman Moody[3]; 5. 4-Preston Wrisley[5]; 6. 25-Nate Morris[6]; 7. 316W-Adam Walker[10]; 8. 12B-Bryanna Bruce[8]; 9. 73H-Zachary Honaker[9]; 10. 75-Makenna Crocker[7]
Round 2 B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 73-Ian Hampton[1]; 2. 60-Parker Traves[3]; 3. 51J-Josh Inglis[4]; 4. 316-Coleman Moody[2]; 5. 4-Preston Wrisley[5]; 6. 316W-Adam Walker[10]; 7. 12B-Bryanna Bruce[6]; 8. 73H-Zachary Honaker[9]
Qualifying 1: 1. 60F-Dylan Faulkner, 00:13.837; 2. 55-George Phillips, 00:13.887; 3. 22-Tanner Jones, 00:13.931; 4. 71-Nick Morabito, 00:13.935; 5. 5X-Jesse Martinez, 00:13.944; 6. 9-Michael Crafton, 00:13.944; 7. 0-Jerrod Holle, 00:13.954; 8. 17-Mason Lastra, 00:13.957; 9. 26S-Dawson Sutton, 00:13.967; 10. 64-Lucas Vera, 00:13.973; 11. 03-Colton Noble, 00:13.974; 12. 22C-Taylor Corum, 00:13.979; 13. 66-Owen Mahar, 00:13.995; 14. 98-Sean McElearney, 00:14.000; 15. 31M-Sam Mazzo, 00:14.005; 16. 38-Cameron White, 00:14.014; 17. 99Y-Connor Yonchuk, 00:14.087; 18. 26-JT Poole, 00:14.092; 19. 51J-Josh Inglis, 00:14.118; 20. 38C-Galen Clark, 00:14.147; 21. 66D-Dawson Drimmie, 00:14.152; 22. 73-Ian Hampton, 00:14.162; 23. 316-Coleman Moody, 00:14.199; 24. 60-Parker Traves, 00:14.211; 25. 4-Preston Wrisley, 00:14.293; 26. 25-Nate Morris, 00:14.473; 27. 75-Makenna Crocker, 00:14.490; 28. 12B-Bryanna Bruce, 00:14.527; 29. 73H-Zachary Honaker, 00:14.568; 30. 316W-Adam Walker, 00:14.602
YOUNG LIONS
ROUND 1 FEATURE (25 Laps): 1. 124-Jackson Denton[2]; 2. 8G-Cooper Gaul[4]; 3. 29-Cole Robie[5]; 4. 00-Caden Tufts[10]; 5. 24-Ayden Christensen[1]; 6. 18-Ayrton Brockhouse[9]; 7. 88-Aiden King[6]; 8. 21-Nathan Lyons[12]; 9. 81-Hunter Jordan[11]; 10. 4Z-Ryan Zima[20]; 11. 88R-Max Reaves[18]; 12. 24B-Austin Bloodworth[21]; 13. 84-Caleb Johnson[23]; 14. 87-Anastasia Markovic[13]; 15. 93-Aidan Walker[24]; 16. 79-Neal Dulin[15]; 17. 9J-Abi Johnson[22]; 18. 95-London McKenzie[7]; 19. 97-Isaac Kitzmiller[19]; 20. V5-Vito Cancilla[17]; 21. 9-Garrett Erwin[3]; 22. 8-Dawson Noble[14]; 23. 71-Chase MacKay[16]; 24. 16-Kaeden Ballos[8]
Round 1 B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 24B-Austin Bloodworth[4]; 2. 9J-Abi Johnson[2]; 3. 84-Caleb Johnson[6]; 4. 93-Aidan Walker[8]; 5. 22-Randy Phillips[1]; 6. 23-Beckham Malone[3]; 7. 40-Dillon Thomas[10]; 8. 20-Evan McKnight[9]; 9. 13-Ayden Brockhouse[7]; 10. 22W-Austin Warner[11]; 11. 78-Gracie Crocker[5]; 12. 4-Michael Sinagra[13]; 13. 13M-Ben Mack[12]
Round 2 B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 24B-Austin Bloodworth[4]; 2. 23-Beckham Malone[3]; 3. 9J-Abi Johnson[2]; 4. 84-Caleb Johnson[6]; 5. 40-Dillon Thomas[10]; 6. 93-Aidan Walker[8]; 7. 20-Evan McKnight[9]; 8. 22-Randy Phillips[1]; 9. 13-Ayden Brockhouse[5]; 10. 78-Gracie Crocker[7]; 11. 22W-Austin Warner[11]
Qualifying 1: 1. 24-Ayden Christensen, 00:13.845; 2. 124-Jackson Denton, 00:13.893; 3. 9-Garrett Erwin, 00:13.919; 4. 8G-Cooper Gaul, 00:13.941; 5. 29-Cole Robie, 00:13.952; 6. 88-Aiden King, 00:13.955; 7. 95-London McKenzie, 00:13.983; 8. 16-Kaeden Ballos, 00:13.988; 9. 18-Ayrton Brockhouse, 00:14.018; 10. 00-Caden Tufts, 00:14.025; 11. 81-Hunter Jordan, 00:14.042; 12. 21-Nathan Lyons, 00:14.043; 13. 87-Anastasia Markovic, 00:14.055; 14. 8-Dawson Noble, 00:14.059; 15. 79-Neal Dulin, 00:14.080; 16. 71-Chase MacKay, 00:14.084; 17. V5-Vito Cancilla, 00:14.091; 18. 88R-Max Reaves, 00:14.099; 19. 97-Isaac Kitzmiller, 00:14.110; 20. 4Z-Ryan Zima, 00:14.167; 21. 22-Randy Phillips, 00:14.175; 22. 9J-Abi Johnson, 00:14.192; 23. 23-Beckham Malone, 00:14.210; 24. 24B-Austin Bloodworth, 00:14.244; 25. 78-Gracie Crocker, 00:14.300; 26. 84-Caleb Johnson, 00:14.315; 27. 13-Ayden Brockhouse, 00:14.318; 28. 93-Aidan Walker, 00:14.338; 29. 20-Evan McKnight, 00:14.436; 30. 40-Dillon Thomas, 00:14.461; 31. 22W-Austin Warner, 00:14.625; 32. 13M-Ben Mack, 00:14.733; 33. 4-Michael Sinagra, 00:15.398
OUTLAWS
ROUND 1 FEATURE (20 Laps): 1. 8-Jayden Johnson[1]; 2. 17-Ben Morabito[2]; 3. 10-Danny Mann[4]; 4. 12-Eli Russell[5]; 5. 15-Alison Johnson[8]; 6. 28-Joshua Shine[11]; 7. 3-Kristopher Conrad[10]; 8. 38-Emma Britt[3]; 9. 14-Samantha MacDonald[12]; 10. 21-Madilyn Lange[13]; 11. M00-Lily Impellizzeri[15]; 12. 2W-Lily Whynot[14]; 13. 2-Killian McMann[6]; 14. 41-Mandi Lee[9]; 15. 9-TJ Moon[7]
ROUND 2 FEATURE (20 Laps): 1. 8-Jayden Johnson[1]; 2. 17-Ben Morabito[2]; 3. 10-Danny Mann[3]; 4. 12-Eli Russell[5]; 5. 9-TJ Moon[7]; 6. 15-Alison Johnson[8]; 7. 38-Emma Britt[4]; 8. 14-Samantha MacDonald[12]; 9. 41-Mandi Lee[9]; 10. 21-Madilyn Lange[13]; 11. 2W-Lily Whynot[15]; 12. 28-Joshua Shine[11]; 13. M00-Lily Impellizzeri[14]; 14. 2-Killian McMann[6]; 15. 3-Kristopher Conrad[10]
Qualifying 1: 1. 8-Jayden Johnson, 00:14.671; 2. 17-Ben Morabito, 00:14.760; 3. 38-Emma Britt, 00:14.913; 4. 10-Danny Mann, 00:14.944; 5. 12-Eli Russell, 00:14.966; 6. 2-Killian McMann, 00:14.997; 7. 9-TJ Moon, 00:15.115; 8. 15-Alison Johnson, 00:15.303; 9. 41-Mandi Lee, 00:15.512; 10. 3-Kristopher Conrad, 00:15.704; 11. 28-Joshua Shine, 00:15.823; 12. 14-Samantha MacDonald, 00:15.868; 13. 21-Madilyn Lange, 00:16.003; 14. 2W-Lily Whynot, 00:16.003; 15. M00-Lily Impellizzeri, 00:16.012
BANDITS
ROUND 1 FEATURE (20 Laps): 1. 55-Landon Thrasher[1]; 2. 24-Colt Johnson[3]; 3. 26-Laquan McCoy[2]; 4. 007-James Faulkner[5]; 5. 9-Jack Smith[7]; 6. 18B-Brexton Busch; 7. 37-Carson Cauble[9]; 8. 38L-Billy Lee[6]; 9. 12-Aspyn Lange[10]; 10. 2-Wyatt Coffey[4]; 11. 18-Matthew Laprade[8]
ROUND 2 FEATURE (20 Laps): 1. 55-Landon Thrasher[1]; 2. 24-Colt Johnson[3]; 3. 26-Laquan McCoy[2]; 4. 2-Wyatt Coffey[4]; 5. 9-Jack Smith[7]; 6. 007-James Faulkner[5]; 7. 38L-Billy Lee[6]; 8. 18B-Brexton Busch; 9. 18-Matthew Laprade[10]; 10. 12-Aspyn Lange[9]; 11. 37-Carson Cauble[8]
Qualifying 1: 1. 55-Landon Thrasher, 00:14.992; 2. 26-Laquan McCoy, 00:15.063; 3. 24-Colt Johnson, 00:15.071; 4. 2-Wyatt Coffey, 00:15.095; 5. 007-James Faulkner, 00:15.175; 6. 38L-Billy Lee, 00:15.310; 7. 9-Jack Smith, 00:15.562; 8. 18-Matthew Laprade, 00:15.660; 9. 37-Carson Cauble, 00:15.717; 10. 12-Aspyn Lange, 00:15.953
BEGINNER BANDOLERO
ROUND 1 FEATURE (15 Laps): 1. 80-Bryson Nichols[2]; 2. 40-Roo Reaves[1]; 3. 38-Gerald White III[4]; 4. 75J-Allee Johnson[3]; 5. 8X-Addison Martinez[5]; 6. 10-John Gauge Kimler[9]; 7. 10B-Emily Billings[10]; 8. 74-Addyson King[8]; 9. 15-Rhylee Hutchins[11]; 10. 5F-Christopher Flynn[7]; 11. 05-Charlee Hutchins[12]; 12. 13-Keatin Lyons[6]
ROUND 2 FEATURE (15 Laps): 1. 10-John Gauge Kimler[8]; 2. 75J-Allee Johnson[1]; 3. 80-Bryson Nichols[2]; 4. 74-Addyson King[9]; 5. 38-Gerald White III[4]; 6. 8X-Addison Martinez[5]; 7. 15-Rhylee Hutchins[11]; 8. 40-Roo Reaves[3]; 9. 05-Charlee Hutchins[12]; 10. 13-Keatin Lyons[7]; 11. 10B-Emily Billings[10]
Qualifying 1: 1. 40-Roo Reaves, 00:15.426; 2. 80-Bryson Nichols, 00:15.484; 3. 75J-Allee Johnson, 00:15.489; 4. 38-Gerald White III, 00:15.551; 5. 8X-Addison Martinez, 00:15.861; 6. 13-Keatin Lyons, 00:15.879; 7. 5F-Christopher Flynn, 00:15.977; 8. 74-Addyson King, 00:16.231; 9. 10-John Gauge Kimler, 00:16.333; 10. 10B-Emily Billings, 00:17.074; 11. 15-Rhylee Hutchins, 00:17.705; 12. 05-Charlee Hutchins, 00:17.891