8/4/2014
Key Impresses In Sprint Car Debut
(Photo by Kelli Miller)
CALIFORNIA, Mo. – The first weekend of August brought a strong showing in three different cars for eighteen-year old Kameron Key. The Warrensburg, MO native started his race weekend off on Saturday night at Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex in Sweet Springs, MO, competing in the nonwing and outlaw classes.
Key kicked things off in the nonwing division heat race, bringing his family-owned Bybee Lawn Care #21 Stallard/Yamaha from the eighth and final starting position up to fourth in the ten-lap race.
He then moved into the Waters Motorsports #7jr Stallard/NPS Suzuki outlaw class entry, coming from the sixth on the grid to a third place finish.
In feature competition, Key would roll off from outside row eight in the nonwing division. The going was tough early on, and he stayed around his starting spot for several laps. Key quickly found his rhythm, however, and began to pick off cars lap after lap. He moved into the top five with five laps remaining in the 30-lapper. Key made his final pass of the race with two laps left, capping his sixteenth to fourth place run.
Key would start ninth in the outlaw feature, quickly making his move into the top five. Methodically picking off fourth, third, and finally second, he found himself restarting on the leader’s rear bumper after a caution flag. He began his attack on the lead, but his efforts were thwarted by a stripped steering gear, coming to a rest at the top of turn four. The car came back to the trailer on the hook, with nothing to show for the stellar run Key had just had.
Though the night was over, the weekend was just beginning for the young shoe. Sunday night saw Key piloting a 360 winged sprint car for the first time. His hot laps around the XX Speedway in California, MO aboard Terry Walton’s Aaron’s Dream Machine #93 JEI/Walton entry were his first laps with four extra cylinders under the hood. Key quickly stepped up to the plate in his second session, looking like a track regular to the casual fan.
Heat race action saw Key starting fourth on the grid in heat number three, and working both the low and high sides of the speedway to bring himself to the checkered in third.
The third place heat race finish was sufficient to qualify Key directly to the feature race and place him ninth on the starting grid. On the start, he took to the low line, and a spinning car on the backstretch caused much of the field to brake check, allowing several cars by. No yellow flag was thrown, relegating Key to the fourteenth position. The track started to take rubber around the bottom early in the race, and he took full advantage of it. He slowly picked off cars, finding himself in the top ten about halfway through the race. Though he was making the #93 one of the faster cars on the track, a lapped car slowed his charge through the field, keeping Key from advancing past the tenth position. He would bring the car home tenth, marking up a top ten in his first career sprint car start.
Key would like to thank Bybee Lawn Care for their continued support.
Key is next scheduled to compete on August 16 at Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex in Sweet Springs, MO in the #21 600cc nonwing entry and the #7jr 600cc outlaw entry.
Quick Results
August 2 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc Nonwing – Heat: 4 (8); Feature: 4 (16)
August 2 – Sweet Springs, MO – 600cc Outlaw – Heat: 3 (6); Feature: 19 (9)
August 3 – California, MO – 360ci Winged Sprint – Heat: 3 (4); Feature: 10 (9)
Season Stats
24 races, 5 wins, 10 top fives, 13 top tens, 9 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
