When Grand National Super Series racer Jason Kitzmiller unloaded his car Saturday night at
Dominion Raceway, cars were on track for the pre race fan meet and greet. By the time he was
in the car ready to race, the Big Truck Convoy was parading around DR thanks to the support of
Davis Auto Group. Kitzmiller was a late arrival due to running an ARCA race at Talladega earlier in the day. One might think that his hustle and logistical miracle to even make it to Virginia was his greatest feat of the day, but Kitzmiller, with not a single practice or qualifying lap run on the day, would end the night with not one, but two GNSS victories.
The evening began with the first 50 lap race for the Grand Nationals, and it was Kevin Kromer
and JJ Pack taking the green flag. The Dale Earnhardt-inspired #3 GM Goodwrench machine
shot around from the outside lane for second, while Jeremy Mayfield would settle into third.
Three laps in, Pack would get inside position on Kromer entering Turn 3 and would clear for the
lead with Mayfield in tow.
While this happened, Kitzmiller went from last to fourth. He passed Kromer for third a lap after
Pack took the lead. A competition caution would lead to a restart 20 laps into the race.
Kitzmiller’s #97 would get to second over Mayfield with the restart, and Joe Wilder would move up to fourth in his #42 Dodge.
With 27 to-go, Kitzmiller would take the lead from Pack in Turns 1 and 2. Pacl would drop to
third when Mayfield passed him as well. Mayfield’s solid run would come to an end with eight
laps to-go when his car would start shooting smoke. Luckily, no oil was on track so the race
could restart without a delay, but Mayfields night in the #21 would be over.
Kitzmiller, Pack, and Wilder would lead the restart and end up finishing in that order. Kitzmiller’s speed and ability to attack the corners allowed him to navigate traffic and showed he was the car to beat despite the lack of tracktime before the green flag.
After the disappointment at Talladega, Kitzmilller said the first win helped mend his spirits, “It
helps [to win here]. This is by far my favorite short track we go to. It’s treated me so well.”
The Ucars returned after last week’s exciting battle between Jimmy Parker and Michael Frayser.
fight for the lead after an early restart. Griffith would take the lead two laps in. On lap six, James Garrett and Trevor Stinson would get past Rhoades.
Another caution would come out and Griffith would take the lead again. Garrett and Stinson
would maintain second and third. David Rhoades would have some trouble and come to the
pits. With eight laps to-go, there was some great side-by-side action, as Garrett and Frayser
would battle for third and Parker and Kason Howe would battle for fifth behind them.
Griffith would go unthreatened for the win, while Stinson, Frayser, Garrett, and Parker would
round out the top five behind him.
“This car is a rocket ship,” said Griffith from Bugsy Auto Repair Victory Lane. “Me and my dad
worked on it all last week, and I’d say it paid off.”
15 laps of the Carlisle III Home Inspection and Consultation INEX Bandoleros would follow and
be a pretty straight forward race. Eli Van Patten and Addison Schumann would rocket to the
lead and those two would be a zip code away from a three-car battle for third. Tuggie Case,
Bryson Nichols, and Tristan Brunelli’s fight for third would see Nichols and Brunelli passing
Case, and then Brunelli getting by Nichols with seven to-go. Eli Van Patten’s stars and stripes
car would be the first to see the checkers fly.
The Truckin Thunder Virginia Racers would take to track next for a 35 lap clash. A week ago
Reid Murphy and Chase Johnson were the winners. Conner Weddell returned after a battle with Johnson and Murphy ended his night in race one last week.
Mike Ganoe, Richard Storm, Dan Rogers, Murphy, Weddell, and Johnson would make up the
first three rows. Johnson would initially get by Weddell, but the #8 would get him back and take fifth before applying pressure on Murphy. Weddell would follow Murphy for multiple laps, but with Johnson on his back bumper, the clock was ticking to make a move. It looked like the finale of last week’s battle, where Weddell got squeezed by both and cut a tire before riding off into the wall. This time however, Weddell would move Murphy out of the groove as Johnson made contact with the #8. This got Murphy loose and both young guns got by him.
A lap later, a caution would come out for David Blankenship’s spin on the front stretch.
Richard Storm would resume the lead on the restart while Weddell would get past Rogers.
Johnson would follow suit and get by the #33. Storm’s lead would be in jeopardy as C-Weed
and Johnson approached. For a few laps, all three would be under a blanket with Weddell
nudging the #07. With 16 to-go, Weddell pulled the bump-and-run on Storm and took the lead.
Storm would see Johnson get by and Rogers would make a pass on him to drop him to fourth.
Another caution would come out late, and the contact between Weddell and Johnson would be
a harbinger of things to come. Further in the pack, Kayla Surles, Blankenship, and Kyle Terczak
would wreck in Turn 2, and there would be one attempt at a green-white-checker finish.
Conner Weddell would take the Truckin Thunder white flag, but Johnson would nudge the #8
and pull the crossover on him for the race-winning move. Loose from the contact, Weddell
would drop back to 4th after leading 17 laps. The victory would be Johnson’s second of the
season.
“I don’t know what it is, but this thing comes alive at racetime,” said Johnson.”[regarding the
contact with Weddell] It’s short track racing. I expect the same from Conner, because he had a
great race.”
The INEX Legends saw a great battle between Layton Harrison and David Polenz. Polenz was
leading late, but a caution and a restart saw him, Harrison, and Miles Murray jostling for position out of Turn 4. Harrison would get inside position from Polenz while charging to the front, and Polenz would be up by the wall on the front stretch. As he came down, he made contact with Miles Murray. The contact and his high rate of speed, would send him into the wall where sparks would fly as he wall-rode into Turn 1. A tire went flying, and Polenz’s night would be over.
Another late caution would send the race to a green-white-checkered finish which saw Harrsion hold off Murray.
“They made me work for it,” said Harrison. “I had to do everything I could do to stay ahead of them.”
The sixth race of the night saw Kayla Surles return to victory lane for the Virginia Modifieds.
The second Ucars race also went to a green-white-checkered finish after Trevor Stinson led
most of the race. Stinson would hold on for his first win of the year, as Griffith would pass
Frayser and finish second.
“I had to hit that little skinny pedal on the left and turn left better than anyone,” said Stinson.
When the Grand National Super Series came back out on track for the finale, it was JJ Pack,
Joe Wilder, Jeremy Mayfield, and Jason Kitzmiller on the front two rows. Joe Wilder would jump out to the lead, but after a great battle with Mayfield, the former Cup Series veteran would take it. Now in the #75, Mayfield would lead through the competition caution. After the restart Mayfield would lead Kitzmiller, who was lurking. At the halfway point the #97 would strike and claim the lead. Kitzmiller survived a late caution to win his second race of the night and secure the sweep.
The great racing action returns to DR on April 27th for a pre race RC Airplane Show and TWIN Night at the Races. The evening will feature twin Late Models, twin Dominion Stocks, and Twin 8 cylinder AnyCar with twins getting in free just need to show id with matching birthdays!
