SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (May 31, 2008) – Brian Ickler found the perfect place the short-track ‘big one’ – out front.

Ickler (No. 15 Ickler Motorsports Chevrolet) won his second straight NASCAR Camping World Series East race, leading nearly ever lap of the Strutmasters.com 150 at South Boston Speedway Saturday night.

“We worked so hard in the shop and have had such great cars,” said Ickler, who qualified second. “I’m just so proud to have another win for them and be here in Victory Lane at South Boston.”

The San Diego native also won the NASCAR Camping World Series combination race at Iowa Speedway May 18. He led 149 laps Saturday, conceding the front position only on a handful of restarts. Each time, he powered back into the lead and began to drive away from the field.

Andy Santerre Motorsports teammates Austin Dillon (No. 3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet) and Peyton Sellers (No. 44 Danville Community College/Casella Chevrolet) finished second and third, respectively. Eddie MacDonald and last year’s race winner Matt Kobyluck rounded out the top five. The race was 155 laps and ended under caution on the white flag lap of a green-white-checkered finish.

Dillon maintained his points lead by 19 over Ickler.

“Second is a good points day,” Dillon said. “As a driver, you always want the win. I wish we could have. We just didn’t have enough at the end.”

Said Sellers: “We had a third-place car. I was in over my head the last couple laps trying to make something happen.”

“Anytime the No. 3 and 44 come to the track, you better be ready to race your heart out,” Ickler said. “We definitely had a good car for a couple laps. It turned into a great long run race car.

Ickler added that by getting out front, “we could use the whole racetrack the whole night.”

Others weren’t as fortunate.

A 16-car pileup in Turn 3 on lap 128 brought out a red flag for 29 minutes. Among those involved were Trevor Bayne and Bryon Chew, who were battling for third, and Coors Light Pole Award winner Ricky Carmichael, who was running 10th.

The race resumed on lap 134, and Dillon briefly jumped in front of Ickler before conceding the lead back. Dillon also got a run on the final restart but Ickler powered back.

“We had a good restart, but Brian did a good job coming right back,” said Dillon, who retained the points lead. “I couldn’t hold the bottom right there at the end. I probably could have but just didn’t get on the brakes enough.”

Jody Lavender, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Steve Park, Marc Davis and Rogelio Lopez completed the top 10. Steve Park moved into third in points with his finish, 85 behind Dillon and five ahead of fourth-place Davis.

During post race technical inspection, potential issues with the No. 15 car of Ickler were found. Additional information will be made available early next week.

NASCAR Camping World Series East-Strutmasters.com 150 Unofficial Results
Saturday
At South Boston Speedway
South Boston, Va.
Lap length: 0.4 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Brian Ickler, Poway, Calif., Chevrolet, 155 laps, 36.917 mph, $7,050.
2. (9) Austin Dillon, Lewisville, N.C., Chevrolet, 155, $2,815.
3. (11) Peyton Sellers, Danville, VA., Chevrolet, 155, $2,041.
4. (16) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 155, $2,100.
5. (12) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 155, $1,300.
6. (23) Jody Lavender, Hartsville, S.C., Ford, 155, $2,675.
7. (20) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Mooresville, N.C., Chevrolet, 155, $1,175.
8. (17) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 155, $1,150.
9. (5) Marc Davis, Mitchelville, MD., Toyota, 155, $1,050.
10. (14) Rogelio Lopez, Aquascalientes, Mexico, Chevrolet, 155, $1,050.
11. (3) Bryon Chew, Mattituck, N.Y., Chevrolet, 155, $1,000.
12. (27) Jeff Anton, Russell, Mass., Chevrolet, 155, $975.
13. (10) Craig Goess, Greenville, N.C., Toyota, 155, $975.
14. (26) Ryan Duff, Hazard, Ky., Chevrolet, 155, $950.
15. (7) Jesus Hernandez, Fresno, Calif., Chevrolet, 155, $950.
16. (13) Jamie Hayes, Norlina, N.C., Chevrolet, 155, $925.
17. (31) Chase Mattioli, Long Pond, Pa., Ford, 154, $925.
18. (24) Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, Conn., Dodge, 154, $925.
19. (28) Dustin Delaney, Mayfield, N.Y., Chevrolet, 153, $925.
20. (8) Derek Thorn, Lakeport, Calif., Ford, 151, $900.
21. (4) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Chevrolet, 151, $900.
22. (22) Jason Cochran, Marion, N.C., Chevrolet, 149, $900.
23. (21) Richard Johns, Cornelius, N.C., Dodge, 146, $900.
24. (18) Richard Gould, North Brunswick, NJ, Chevrolet, 142, $900.
25. (6) Trevor Bayne, Knoxville, Tenn., Chevrolet, 141, $900.
26. (1) Ricky Carmichael, Clearwater, Fla., Chevrolet, 139, $2,400.
27. (15) Ben Stancill, Ayden, N.C., Chevrolet, 127, accident, $900.
28. (25) Max Dumarey, Gent, Belgium, Chevrolet, 127, radiator, $900.
29. (29) James Pritchard, Wharton, N.J., Dodge, 122, accident, $900.
30. (30) Todd Peck, Glenville, PA., Chevrolet, 67, accident, $900.
31. (32) Ian Henderson, Greenville, S.C., Chevrolet, 64, engine, $900.
32. (19) Alex Kennedy, Aztec, New Mexico, Chevrolet, 17, accident, $900.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 40 minutes 46 seconds
Margin of Victory: under caution
Fastest Qualifier: R.Carmichael (89.759 mph, 16.043 seconds)
Caution Flags: 15 for 77 laps.
Lead Changes: 12 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B.Ickler 1-38; D.Thorn 39; B.Ickler 40-52; D.Thorn 53; B.Ickler 54-71; D.Thorn 72; B.Ickler 73-83; D.Thorn 84; B.Ickler 85-133; A.Dillon 134; B.Ickler 135-152; A.Dillon 153; B.Ickler 154-155.
Standings: 1. A.Dillon, 520; 2. B.Ickler, 501; 3. S.Park, 435; 4. E.MacDonald, 423; 5. M.Davis, 418; 6. J.Earnhardt, 400; 7. M.Kobyluck, 394; 8. T.Bayne, 391; 9. R.Lopez, 390; 10. J.Hernandez, 385.

 

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