Beach won his Semi and then backed that up with a second-place in the four-lap dash for cash. He proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that those performances were no fluke by putting forth a race-long challenge for victory in the premier class Main Event. That effort ultimately concluded in a hugely rewarding runner-up result just 0.487 seconds removed from victory. Like Beach, Carlile also showed strength, storming up to sixth position on the race’s final lap.
Meanwhile, AFT Singles teammates Daniels and Rush were every bit as impressive. The two ran in third and fourth, respectively, early in the Main Event until it was momentarily halted by a red flag. Reigning class champ Daniels made a concerted push off the restart and quickly executed a pass for position with an eye on tracking down the leader. The 17-year-old ace successfully reeled in the front runner but simply ran out of time, finishing a scant 0.131 seconds short of victory at the finish line.
Rush worked his way up to third, where he found himself at the head of a five-rider freight train contending for the final spot on the podium. The experienced rider held strong in that position, hitting the flag 0.072 seconds ahead of his fourth-placed rival.
The Estenson Racing team will look to build on its spectacular start to the year in tomorrow evening’s second half of the season-opening Volusia Half-Mile doubleheader.
