PLUER PUSHES PAST SPOONMORE TO SECURE OVERALL SPRING CLASSIC WIN

Topics:  Mark Pluer

Matt Panure
Mid American Stock Car Series
April 14, 2013

LOVES PARK, Ill. (April 14, 2013) - Mark Pluer grabbed his second Spring Classic win since 2010 at Rockford Speedway Sunday afternoon by nipping defending Mid-American Stock Car Series Champion Jeremy Spoonmore at the line in the second of two 25-lap segments. With a second-place finish in the first segment, Pluer needed every inch to take third from Spoonmore to secure the overall win by one point.

"I knew I had to get the spot to take the overall," a content Pluer said in Victory Lane afterward. "I'm thankful he raced me clean and we had a heck of a battle right to the line."

Fast qualifier Brad Keith finished second overall with a second-place finish to Jack Stern in segment two and a fourth-place finish in segment one. Keith and Stern tied with six points for second, but Keith was awarded the tiebreaker as he set fast time earlier in the day.

Adam Bendzick cruised to a win in segment one and seemed to have the overall win locked up running third in the second segment. However, with just six laps to go Bendzick was forced to retire due to heavy smoke and fluid leaking from the rear of his machine. He still went on to pick up fifth overall.

To spice up the program, Mid-American and Rockford officials decided to run twin 25-lap features in the morning hours. The changed up format proved to provide some extra drama.

The earliest drama came just two laps into the first 25-lap feature. Former Spring Classic winner and 2010 MASCS champion Lyle Nowak was tangled in traffic and was sent into the outside retaining wall on the backstretch. Nowak's momentum nearly took him into the pit road point, but Nowak was able to control his racer in time to veer left and avoid further damage. However, the incident ended his day.

Bendzick swung to the inside line when the decision cone was placed and fought off the early-race leader Stern. A debris caution brought Pluer to the front row on the following restart, however, Bendzick was able to break away and secure his lead in the first 25.

While Bendzick cruised up front, the defending MASCS champ Spoonmore and Keith marched through the field. Spoonmore moved to third on lap ten with Keith following into fourth on the next lap. The field would stay put over the next 15 laps even though positions were being hotly contested.

After inverting the top eight finishers of the first 25 lapper, Ryan Gutknecht and Scott Null led the field to green in the second stanza. Gutknecht took the lead from Null as the top four from the first segment began to mix in the top ten.

On lap eight Stern took the lead away from Gutknecht, who was experiencing mechanical difficulties. Keith followed to the runner-up spot just two laps later.

As Gutknecht started to fade on the outside line, the inside lane was opened for Bendzick, who slashed to third on lap 11. As Stern and Keith broke away out front and Spoonmore and Pluer dueled behind, Bendzick seemed assured of his first MASCS win.

Unfortunately for Bendzick his machine began showing signs of strain just after his pass of Gutknecht. The smoke began to increase, as did the fluid leaking from the rear of his machine, just past the midway point. On lap 19 Bendzick was shown a mechanical black flag.

Attention then turned to Pluer and Spoonmore who were settling a battle for third. Spoonmore held the spot with just two laps to go, but Pluer was able to edge him at the white flag, then again by a bumper at the line after Stern and Keith had taken the checkered flag.

Had Spoonmore held off Pluer, a four-way tie between Keith, Stern, Spoonmore and Pluer would have taken place for the top spot. Keith would have been declared the overall winner.

The next event for Mid-American is Friday, May 17 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information on Hawkeye Downs visit www.hawkeyedownsspeedway.com