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Industry RacingThe Grand Industry Hills Expo Center 2018 Connor Penhall Memorial Cup Results from Industry Racing and are Continued Below... by Ryan Evans
Industry Racing officially opened its 2018 season by hosting the 4th annual Connor Penhall Memorial Cup. The event has been staged four times yet it continues to have the same outcome as Billy “The Kid” Janniro walked away with the prestigious title yet again. Broc Nicol had first choice of starting position and he selected gate one. Janniro was next to pick and he chose gate four. Dillon Ruml picked gate three which left his brother, Max Ruml, with gate two. Nicol made the best start and led the field into turn one. Janniro set out after the leader on the back straight. Nicol stuck to the low line in the corners but tried his best to get wide on the straights to slow Janniro’s momentum. The strategy worked for two laps but things changed on lap three. Janniro was able to get alongside Nicol on the back straight and used the ample dirt on the outside to take the lead as they approached the white flag. Nicol switched lines to the outside to try to recapture the lead. He found just a bit of unwanted traction and it was enough to kill his momentum and any hopes of ending Janniro’s stranglehold on this event. Janniro crossed the finish line first, a disappointed Nicol was second, Max Ruml finished third, and Dillon Ruml was fourth. The event was held in remembrance of Connor Penhall who was tragically killed by a drunk driver in 2012 while he was working construction on a local freeway. Connor, the son of speedway icon Bruce Penhall, briefly raced junior speedway a decade ago. The Penhall family was in attendance and presented an amazing trophy that is topped by a custom painted Troy Lee Designs helmet. The purse for the evening was $14,000. The event has become one of the biggest on the American Speedway calendar. Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz, a friend, competitor, and teammate of Bruce Penhall for 45 years, was the Grand Marshall. The racing began with Nicol winning event one ahead of Russell Green. Aaron Fox led event two until Tyson Burmeister slipped past him in turn three for the lead and the win. Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell had event three in the bag before lifting and falling on the last lap. His misfortune was Jimmy Fishback’s gain as he took the gift victory. Event four had a lot of bumping in the corner which sent three competitors wide and allowed 16 year old Michael Wells to take the lead. Janniro chased him down and took the lead and the win with Dillon Ruml following him through to take second. Dillon Ruml started the second round with a win over Charlie “The Edge” Venegas. Nicol held off Tyson Burmeister for his second consecutive win. Former Youth National Champion Colton Hicks defeated Fishback in event eight. Janniro and Max Ruml waged a side-by-side battle with Max Ruml gaining the advantage. Janniro fought back and took the lead with a pass on the back straight on lap three. Janniro finished the second round with his second victory. Burmeister opened round three with an impressive victory over Janniro. Max Ruml, who is racing for the Edinburgh Monarchs in the British League and flew home for just this event, scored the victory in the next heat while Nicol took a distant fourth after beginning the race with his fuel off. Venegas defeated Hicks for his first victory. Dillon Ruml ended the third round with a win over McConnell. The fourth round began with Fox beating Max Ruml. Nicol got back on track with a defeat of Dillon Ruml for his third victory. Janniro scored his third win by beating McConnell. Venegas completed round four by beating Austin Novratil. The scores were very close after four rounds. Janniro was the top scorer with 11; Dillon Ruml and Venegas each had 10; Nicol and Burmeister had nine apiece; Max Ruml had eight; Hicks and Fox sat on seven; and Fishback had six. The final round commenced with Green getting the win while second-placed McConnell’s six points had to leave him wondering what might have been had he not fallen while leading his first race. Event 24 would have significant semi-final implications. Venegas took the early lead but had Nicol and Janniro were both looking for ways to take the lead. Venegas held them at bay for three laps before Nicol went around him the final time on the back straight. The crowd went wild as he scored his fourth win in fantastic style. The penultimate heat ended in a heap in turn two with the Ruml Brothers and Burmeister all going down. There was a full restart and Colton Hicks led with Dillon Ruml trying valiantly to get by. Hicks withstood all the pressure to hold on for the win. Meanwhile, Max Ruml had a spectacular crash in the final corner that left everyone holding their breath. Thankfully, he was up right away and walked off the track. Tim Gomez led the final heat before Novratil, suffering through a disastrous night, went around the outside on lap two for the lead and the win. Ryan Bast crossed the line third but was excluded for putting two wheels on the infield. That handed a crucial point to Fishback because it gave him seven points and put him in semis on count back over Fox and Green. Nicol stormed to victory in the first semi with Max Ruml following him into the Final by finishing second. Venegas finished third and Burmeister was fourth. Janniro was victorious in the second semi with Dillon Ruml getting second to also transfer to the Final. Hicks was third and Fishback finished fourth. Two-time and defending Junior 250 National Champion Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese cruised to victory in the Junior 250 Main. Slater Lightcap, last year’s Mini 150 National Champion, finished second, Greg Moore was third, and Luke Whitcomb finished fourth. Owen Williams was victorious in the Mini 150 Main. Travis Horn finished second, Jose Navarrete was third, Levi Leutz finished fourth, and Gordon Teuber III was fifth. RESULTS Connor Penhall Memorial Cup Final Semi 1 Semi 2 Mini 150 Main Event Junior 250 Consolation Junior 250 Main Event Scoring 1 2 3 4 5 T S T
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