9/23/2014
Key Charges To Pair Of Top Fives
(Photo by Hale Photography)
SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. – As the season winds down at Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex, the track regulars are beginning to gear up for the season-ending Show-Me Showdown that will take place on October 9-11. In preparing for this, Kameron Key would be taking on triple duty; his #21 sported wings for the first time in three months (the last time being a feature win on June 21) for the A-Class division. This was in addition to the usual nonwing class in that car, and the outlaw class in the Waters Motorsports #7jr.
A-Class heats kicked off the night’s racing with a track that was narrow, fast, and hard to pass. Key moved up one spot from fifth to fourth in that division (which drew 28 entries), qualifying him directly to the feature race. In nonwing, a heat race DNF for Key had no bearing on feature lineup as there were only 23 nonwing cars signed in. The largest class of the night, the outlaw class, saw 32 drivers in action. Key started fifth and finished sixth in the fourth and final heat race, which relegated him to the B-Main for a shot at grabbing one of the final four feature starting spots. In that B-Main, the Warrensburg, MO driver started sixth. He gained four positions in the 12-car, 12-lap affair, finishing second and transferring to the outlaw main event.
Without much of a break between, Key climbed back aboard the #21 for the nonwing feature, rolling out near the rear of the fully-inverted lineup, in the 19th spot. The first few trips around the 1/6 mile were fast-paced for Key, who already found himself just inside the top ten with only ten laps complete. The next ten laps were a struggle between five cars who were all nearly as fast as each other, running in the eighth through twelfth positions and swapping between those positions each lap. At the completion of lap 20, Key snagged the 8th spot for good, and picked off two more cars in the next two laps. Just as he moved into the fifth spot, the leader spun, bringing out the event’s first caution. Key restarted in fifth, as a lap was not completed after his last pass. Two positions lost in the two laps after the restart dropped him back to seventh with just six laps remaining, though he’d gain one back on the following lap. With 26 laps in the books, the fourth- and fifth-place cars tangled in turn three, nearly flipping just feet in front of Key. Thankfully, all cars stayed right-side-up, but one would come to a stop, moving Key forward one spot to regain top-five status in the running order. Going to work for fourth after the restart took two laps, making the pass on lap 28. The yellow would be shown for the final time after the completion of that lap, setting up a green-white-checkered, two-lap duel to the finish. Key got a good restart, and used the cushion to soar to the final podium spot coming to the white flag and onto the finish.
The wings were quickly put on the car in the pit area and the Stallard/Yamaha was soon back on the speedway for another 30-lapper. It would start a bit closer to the front in this A-Class feature, in 15th. The race started quite similar to the nonwing event: the #21 around the tenth position early, then shuffling back and forth for the next few laps. At halfway, Key started moving further forward. He was to ninth on lap 16, and then passed two cars on the 19th circuit to capture the seventh spot. He soon grabbed another position with eight laps to go. Just when it appeared that he would finish just out of the top-five, the car thundered forward, and as the white flag was in the air, he seized the position, and the fifth-place conclusion.
The outlaw feature would be the biggest test of the night for Key, who would start in the 22nd spot on the grid. He knew he would have to move quickly if he wanted to get to the front, and he did just that, passing three cars on the first lap and another two on the second to put him in 17th when the yellow would fly with two laps complete. A loss of a spot on the restart kept him in 18th for six laps, before finally regaining the 17th position on lap nine. The blue and orange Stallard/NPS Suzuki moved to 16th on lap 11, just as the yellow lights illuminated around the track, but getting to keep his position as the lap was complete. Key picked up two more positions before another yellow on lap 16, then ran in that position for the next ten laps. The last caution Key would endure came on lap 27, which slid him forward another two positions to 12th, but the #7jr headed back to the trailer under the yellow period with no brakes, being scored 22nd in the nightcap.
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 September 26 at Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex in Sweet Springs, MO in the #21 600cc nonwing micro sprint and in the #7jr Waters Motorsports 600cc outlaw micro sprint.
Quick Results
September 20 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc Nonwing – Heat: 7 (7); Feature: 3 (19)
September 20 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc A-Class – Heat: 4 (5); Feature: 5 (15)
September 20 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc Outlaw – Heat: 6 (5); B-Main: 2 (6) Feature: 22 (22)
Season Stats
36 races, 8 wins, 19 top fives, 22 top tens, 11 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
