9/30/2014
Key Duels For Win, Ends Up Second
(Photo by Hale Photography)
SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. – A weekend doubled up with racing action for Kameron Key put him in both familiar and unfamiliar territory: familiar territory being running up front with Sweet Springs’ finest in the outlaw class, and unfamiliar territory being making his first-ever start in the sportsman division.
After fuel and gearing troubles in hot laps were thought to be fixed, Key was set to start inside of the second row of the sportsman heat. On the start, the #7jr car didn’t come up to speed as quickly as it should. He fought the car for several laps before taking the car to the infield before the checkered flew, being scored ninth. The outlaw #7jr fared much better in heat race competition, moving from fifth to fourth and bypassing the B-main.
As he had never driven in the sportsman class before, Key was required to start at the rear of the ten-car feature race. Unfortunately, the issues remained a factor throughout the night, and Key was forced to bring the car to the infield once more, about halfway through the race, and took eighth-place in the final running order.
Luckily, the night’s action was not over for Key, as he still had the last race of the evening on tap. 30 laps was the distance for the outlaw main event, and the Warrensburg, MO wheelman rolled off outside of row number four. Very meticulously, he picked off cars one by one, reaching the top five around halfway, and then grabbed the next three spots with a bit more urgency. With four or five to go, he obtained the second spot, needing to run down the leader if he was to win the race. Attempts for several slidejobs were gunned down by the driver out front. The two were in a dead heat on the backstraight on lap 29, and Key appeared to have a slight edge coming under the white flag and into turn one. His opponent maneuvered back by on the low side exiting the corner, and put a small gap between himself and Key. The pair took the checkered in that arrangement, netting Key his 20th top-five finish this year, but narrowly missing what would have been his ninth feature victory.
One class of racing was left for the weekend on Saturday night, as Key’s cousin Clinton Boyles would take over the duties in the sportsman entry, and the #21 team electing to hold their car out of competition due to the upcoming Show-Me Showdown. Still in action in the outlaw class, the aviation major at the University of Central Missouri started in the third spot in the fourth and final heat race. Key slipped back as far as sixth in the race, recovering one spot to take fifth. The top 20 in passing points were locked into the feature event, with Key being 21st on that list; he would have to get in through one of two B-mains that each sent the top two finishers to the back of the A. He wasn’t taking any chances of missing the main event though; he started pole and never looked back, winning the eight-lapper by half a straightaway.
Winning the B put him 21st in the feature lineup, making finishing up front a tall task, especially since, unlike the night before, the low side was the preferred line, making passing difficult. Regardless, Key got down to business quickly, taking just one circuit to move up to 17th. A caution emerged with 4 down, putting him in 15th upon the restart. Another position picked up before the next yellow slid him up to 13th. When the field went back green, he got to 12th, but fell back to 13th three laps later. The longest green flag run of the race ensued, and the Stallard/NPS Suzuki was still in 13th at the lap 20 caution. On the final restart, he moved forward one spot, and it appeared that he was priming himself for a top-ten finish. With five to go however, the handling started to go away, and slipped to 16th before the checkered.
Key would like to thank Bybee Lawn Care for their continued support with his family’s #21 car.
Key is next scheduled to compete on October 4 at Lebanon Midway Speedway in Lebanon, MO in the #93 360ci nonwing sprint car.
Quick Results
September 26 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc Sportsman – Heat: 9 (3); Feature: 8 (10)
September 26 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc Outlaw – Heat: 4 (5); Feature: 2 (8)
September 27 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc Outlaw – Heat: 5 (3); B-Main: 1 (1) Feature: 16 (21)
Season Stats
39 races, 8 wins, 20 top fives, 24 top tens, 12 DNFs
Social Media
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kameronkey_21
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kameron.key.9
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kameronkey_21
Article Credit: Redbeard Promotions