The Southern Nationals, the race in West Monroe Louisiana. The facility with the bright lights, indoor pitting, the ac, and a snack bar. Taking place for the first time in the summer months, the Southern Nats took the old AMS Dates. It was the perfect swap since this facility is air-conditioned. We arrived on Thursday morning to set up the pits and get organized for the weekend ahead. Friday consisted of 13 hours of practice from 8 am-9 pm. They seeded drivers based on their previous Race Time Entertainment event results. Saturday was three rounds of qualifying scored by best 2 of 3. As always, we’d wrap up the weekend with the big show on Sunday.
The track layout was tricky and the surface was rough. We had to agree that the mains were some of the most chaotic we’ve seen in a very long time. However, it made for some interesting racing! Stay Tuned for those videos on YouTube! Tire choice varied throughout the weekend. Drivers all tried different treads and compounds to see what would work best for them. Ultimately, Maifield ran Aqua Reflex in the nitro truck main. Dakotah Phend went with Aqua Detoxes for the Nitro Buggy Main.
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One stand-out driver this weekend was Jackson Brunson. Brunson was running a JConcepts equipped HB Racing buggy. He was able to TQ a round of Pro Nitro Buggy and start 3rd in the main, behind Phend and Maifield. When it was all set and done he led some of the Nitro Truck main and ended up taking 3rd on the podium! We were so stoked for Brunson! It’s always an awesome feeling to see drivers who’ve been with us for years progress and make their way to the Pro podium at a major event!
Qualifying (Best 2 of 3):
Pro Nitro Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Ryan Maifield (2), Jackson Brunson (3)
Pro E-Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Ryan Maifield (3), Jackson Brunson (4),
Pro Nitro Truck: Dakotah Phend (1), Ryan Maifield (2), Jackson Brunson (4)
Int. Nitro Buggy: Coty Ingram (1), Robbie Darby (3), Izriah Osborne (4), Robert Chapman (5)
Int. E-Buggy: Coty Ingram (2), Matthew Pyle (3), Smiley Henn (5)
Int. Nitro Truck: Izriah Osborne (1), Robert Chapman (4)
E-Truck: Phi-Long Nguyen (1), Tyler Hooks (2), Patrick Rossiter (3), Smiley Henn (4)
40+ Nitro Buggy: Drew Spurgeon (1), Robbie Darby (2)
40+ E-Buggy: Drew Spurgeon (1), Randy Enger (5)
Final Results:
Pro Nitro Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Mason Fuller (2), Seth VanDalen (4)
The race was off, Phend and Maifield quickly tried to pull away so they wouldn’t get caught in the chaos behind them. There was all kinds of carnage over the step up, onto the back section. Maifield got caught on the back step down but tried to recover quickly. Ogden moved up into the 2nd spot. Tebo moved up to the 3rd spot. A lot was happening straight out of the gate. Phend was pulling away. Maifield was in 5th but gaining a new position as he chased cars down. Tebo and Ogden got a little sideways into the left-hand bowl turn. Maifield was making moves through the minefield and moved into 3rd. He was closing in on Tebo who was in 2nd. Brunson moved back into 4th, and Ogden was on his wing. Maifield and Tebo were drag racing down the front straight away as they made the turn into the first section. Tebo got on two wheels, and Maifield zoomed by into 2nd. Tebo was now on Maifield’s wing, too close for comfort. They were going side by side through the center section over that big front double and Tebo got it wrong. Maifield now had some breathing room. Seth VanDalen made his way up to 4th from 15th on the grid! The chaos was working in his favor! Phend had a 12-second lead with 24 minutes left in the race. Maifield flamed out, something was not working right with his engine. His pit guy quickly got him back out on the track. Unfortunately, the problem continued for the remainder of the race. The new running order was Phend, Fuller, Tebo, and VanDalen. Fuller had been lurking just outside of that top 4, so when pit stops happened, he was able to make a move. From there, the top 4 spots cruised along for the remaining 20 minutes.
Pro E-Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Joe Bornhorst (2), Mason Fuller (3), Ryan Maifield (5)
Pro E-Buggy consisted of triple A-Mains each 8- minutes long.
A1: Dakotah Phend led the way. Ogden was on his wing waiting to make a move. Maifield was in 3rd, and Brunson was applying the pressure from 4th. Ogden made a mistake over the quad, and Maifield got by into 2nd. Brunson was able to get into 3rd. He was on the backside of Maifield. Brunson got a little wrong over that merciless quad. Bornhorst was able to capitalize and take 3rd. Phend and Maifield had pulled away from the rest of the field. Bornhorst was closing the gap on Maifield. He wanted that 2nd place spot. There was less than a second between them. 60 seconds to go. Maifield got a little sideways over the step-up, and Bornhorst took over 2nd. The race concluded as the following: Phend, Bornhorst, Maifield, Brunson, and Ogden.
A2: Phend led the way. On lap two, Ogden took a tumble off the step-down and Maifield moved into 2nd. Brunson was now in 3rd. Bornhorst was all over the backside of Brunson. Bornhorst and Brunson got together, and their separation was merely tenths apart. Bornhorst got on the pipe and Rose moved into 4th. Maifield was 1.9 seconds behind Phend. Maifield got upside down over the center jump, the Marshall didn’t see him, so he fell back into 5th. Brunson was now in 2nd and Rose was in 3rd. Rose made his way into 2nd and Bornhorst was in 3rd. Rose hit the pipe after the quad, but he held onto 2nd. Bornhorst was all over his wing. Rose clipped the quad, and Bornhorst took 2nd. Mason Fuller was running 4th and making time up on Rose. The final 60 seconds. Fuller made the pass on Rose into 3rd. The race concluded as the following: Phend, Bornhorst, Fuller, Rose, and Tebo. It was an early victory for Phend!
A3: The final race! Phend already wrapped up the win so Ogden led this one. A huge pile-up happened into turn 3 and then more carnage over the step up. It was complete and utter chaos! Ogden was leading, Rose was in 2nd, Brunson in 3rd, VanDalen in 4th. The top 6 were running extremely close together. Rose cut it close on the quad, and Brunson moves into 2nd. He got on the inside of Ogden and took over the lead. Brunson cased the step up and Ogden took back the lead. Fuller was able to make the pass into 2nd. Brunson was in 3rd. Bornhorst was uptime and found himself in 4th. VanDalen made a hard push into 3rd. Fuller and Ogden were battling for the lead position. Ogden had to get marshaled over the quad, and Fuller took over the race lead. It was the final 30 seconds. Fuller was creating a gap. Fuller caught the pipe, Ogden was getting closer. Ogden took the inside line, it was the final lap. Fuller was basically touching his wing trying to take back the lead. Ogden got it wrong, and Fuller got it wrong over the quad. It was the home stretch they were sending it. Ogden held onto the lead. The race concluded as the following: Ogden, Fuller, Bornhorst, Maifield, and VanDalen.
Pro Nitro Truck: Ryan Maifield (1), Dakotah Phend (2), Jackson Brunson (3), Mason Fuller (5)
Phend led the way from the tone, through the S-turn. As they went over the jump onto the back section Phend got it wrong, tried to correct himself, but got into Maifield on accident. Ogden capitalized and took the lead with Brunson right behind him. Bornhorst was running 3rd. Bornhorst had a bobble, and Maifield moved up from 4th to 3rd. As they went over the 2nd quad, Ogden got a little wonky and Brunson moved into the lead. On the next lap, Ogden made the same mistake and Maifield moved into 2nd. Brunson had a 3.6-second lead over Maifield. Ogden was running 3rd, but Phend was on his wing. Phend passed him through the minefield. Bornhorst was running 5th and putting pressure on Ogden who was in 4th. Brunson got it wrong going over that first single onto the back section, and Maifield moved in even closer. Maifield was on the hunt. Over the quad through the turn, Phend took the inside line for a pass on Maifield. They both went into fuel at the same time. Maifield took over 2nd and Phend was back in 3rd. It was a 3-way battle, Brunson got a little wobbly over the far-back double, and Maifield took the lead. 18 minutes to go, all three of them went down the back drop off, Brunson made a mistake, and Phend took over 2nd. Maifield and Phend were battling for that lead position. Phend was looking for a way around Maifield with 15 minutes to go. Right after the minefield section, Phend rolled it upside down, and Maifield’s lead lengthened. Brunson was close enough to capitalize and take 2nd. Brunson was trying to come in for fuel, but a Marshall got in his way, he did eventually get into pit lane, but it would set him back in time. After fuel stops, it was Maifield, Phend, and Brunson as your top 3. They would continue to run as your top 3 for the remainder of the race.
Int. Nitro Buggy: Coty Ingram (1), Izriah Osborne (4), Robbie Darby (5)
Int. E-Buggy: Cole Chura (2), Izriah Osborne (4), William Ables (5)
Int. Nitro Truck: Robert Chapman (1), Izriah Osborne (2),
E-Truck: Tyler Hooks (1), Phi-Long Nguyen (2), Patrick Rossiter (3), Smiley Henn (4)
40+ Nitro Buggy: Drew Spurgeon (1), Robbie Darby (2)
40+ E-Buggy: Drew Spurgeon (1)
Overall, it was a very successful weekend for the JConcepts team and we are proud of their hard work! Everyone came together to help create the best results for themselves and the team. We look forward to seeing everyone trackside again soon! Up next, the ROAR 1:10 Carpet Nationals in Albany, Oregon!
Winning Products:
F2 Truck Body
Bullet Wheels
F2I Wing
S15 Body
Aqua Reflex Tires
Aqua Detox Tires
Fin Turnbuckles