One of the best stories of the 2014 Ace Speedway season got an exciting sequel in the 2015 season opener, as brothers Trevor and Dylan Ward staged a thrilling, door-grinding battle to the checkered flag.
Younger brother Trevor set fast time and cruised for the first 30 laps, while Dylan fended off a challenge from former LLM champion Ross Dalton and worked on reeling in his brother. As the laps wound down, Dylan doggedly pursued the younger Ward, catching him with five to go. Trevor withstood a last-corner dive bomb and a drag race to the finish to secure the victory by the length of his front fender.
The victory was especially sweet for Trevor, who was driving a car loaned to him by his sponsor and late model competitor Brad Kurth.
“We blew the motor up last night in my personal car,” said Ward. “[Kurth] let me run his backup car and said ‘run it like it’s yours.’ We just tried our best to stay out of trouble and keep it clean.”
Kurth seemed more than happy to step into victory lane as a car owner, praising the young Ward’s abilities and work ethic, only half-joking that even though he had just offered up his car for that one race, “I don’t know. He might want to run that car now. If he wants to run that one, he’s welcome to.”
King Continues His Reign
Brian King, who won all but one Ace Speedway modified race in 2014, debuted a brand new LFR chassis to predictable results. King led every practice, set quick time in qualifying by 3/10s of a second, and led every lap en route to a dominant victory.
There was some anxiety along the way, as an increasingly thick cloud of smoke followed his #17 around the track. Whatever the issue, it wasn’t enough to allow runner-up Gary Young, Jr. or third place Randy Butner even a glimmer of hope beyond a potential black flag.
But despite the amusing pleadings of several fans in the stands, officials didn’t see any evidence of fluid being put down, and King cruised to his first victory of the season.
