Rylinn Renaud has been the star of the 2017 Box Stock Class throughout the first half of the season. He now has seven victories in eight starts this year, and is poised to pick up his first Cycleland Speedway Track Championship if he can keep up the pace throughout the second half of the season.
When the green flag flew in the Main Event it was Jennifer Osborne who had the lead on the initial start but Rylinn Renaud would not be denied as he charged past Osborne at the start/finish line to lead the opening lap. From that point on it was all Renaud, and he put on an absolute clinic as he lapped all the way up to fifth place. The top four finishers were the only ones on the lead lap when the Checkered Flag went in the air for Renaud. Rowdy Gramps has been great behind the wheel of the Whitchurch & Sons #14 kart the last few weeks. He crossed the line in the second position, picking up his fourth top five finish of 2017. Gramps was also the Hard Charger for the Box Stocks as he started in the seventh position and passed five karts to finish second. Seth Standley gave it all he had to try and beat Rowdy Gramps to the line but came up just short and would have to settle for a third-place finish in the #25, his sixth top five finish this season. After starting from the Pole Position Jennifer Osborne was able to hang on to a top five spot scoring her third top five of the year finishing in the fourth position. Luke Hayes continued his stellar start to the season by recording his seventh straight top five finish as he came home fifth in the Hayes Farms #9L kart.
The night began with 13 drivers signing into the pit area for the night’s Points Race #8. Once again it was the Standley Bros. Hot Rods #25 kart of Seth Standley setting Fast Time in Qualifying with a lap of 12.341 seconds. Standley has been the dominant driver in Time Trials in the Box Stock Class this season as he now has eight Fast Time’s in 2017. His qualifying efforts have really kept him alive in the Championship battle. Now he just needs to figure out a way to beat the #16 when it comes time for the Main Event.
Heat Race competition saw Geyserville, CA driver Jennifer Osborne pick up her third Heat Race Win of the season in the one and only Box Stock heat of the night. Jennifer has become one of the top drivers to watch in the Box Stock Class in 2017, as she continues to improve behind the wheel each and every race.
Rylinn Renaud has been almost as great in Trophy Dash Competition in 2017 as he scored his fifth Trophy Dash win of the season. He is definitely getting a lot of practice talking into a microphone this season with all of his Trophy Dash wins.
The Points Standings after the first eight points races are led by the Race City Injector #16 of Rylinn Renaud. Renaud currently holds just a 24-point lead over second place driver Seth Standley. Standley has utilized his qualifying points to keep himself in the hunt for the Championship. Rowdy Gramps remains third in the standings but lost a bit more ground this week as he now sits 166 points behind the leader. Jennifer Osborne is still fourth in the standings, now 187 points behind Renaud. Hank Simmons is still clutching the fifth spot in the standings as he sits 230 points back.
We will be back in action at the Cycleland Speedway this Saturday night, June 24th, with Points Race #9 of the 2017 race season. We have reached the halfway point of the year and the Championship battles are all beginning to take shape. The second half of the year will be ever important to the drivers going for the Championships. Hot Laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30PM with qualifying to follow. For ticket information and/or directions to the racetrack please visit www.cyclelandspeedway.com.