Salina Highbanks Speedway
Looney tours Highbanks for 3 in a row on MARS
Brad Looney (left) visits victory lane at Salina Highbanks Speedway. (Ron Mitchell)
SALINA, Okla. (June 4) — Brad Looney entered the season with a single victory on the MARS DIRTcar Racing Series. Now he's at four and counting.
The 36-year-old driver from Republic, Mo., continued a torrid streak on Saturday night at Salina Highbanks Speedway, racing to his third consecutive victory on the MARS tour. The series points leader earned $3,000 in adding the victory to a triumph seven days earlier in Monett, Mo., and the previous night at Brill's Motor Speedway in Meeker, Okla. | Slideshow
Looney becomes just the fourth driver in the history of the 12-year-old series to record three straight victories. The other three-in-a-row winners are Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo. (he's won a series-record four straight on four occasions), Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., and Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark.
At Salina, Looney took the checkered flag ahead of Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, Ala., who posted his second top-three finish of the weekend in a pair of rare series starts. Modified ace Tommy Weder Jr. of Woodward, Okla., was third followed by Eric Turner of Springfield, Mo., and another home-state modified standout, Jason Hughes of Westville.
Phillips, the six-time and reigning series champion, finished eighth and remains winless on the series in 2011. His 11-race drought going back to last season is tied for the second longest winless streak of his MARS career.
Notes: Looney's Hatfield-powered Victory Circle Chassis is sponsored by Family Pharmacy, Federal Protection Inc., and Republic Glass. ... Looney stands sixth in Lucas Oil MLRA points. ... The visit to Salina was the first for the series since 2001, when Jeff Taylor and Mike Bowers captured victories. ... The MARS circuit takes month break before July 1-3 action, a doubleheader at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway and a weekend capper at Monett (Mo.) Speedway.
MARS @ Salina: (1) Brad Looney, (2) Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, (3) Tommy Weder Jr., (4) Eric Turner, (5) Jason Hughes, (6) Jesse Stovall, (7) Tony Jackson Jr., (8) Terry Phillips, (9) Brandon McCormick, (10) R.C. Whitwell, (11) Justin Asplin, (12) Jeff Roth, (13) Chris Hawkins, (14) Joey Vaughn, (15) Jason Redman, (16) Jay Rierson, (17) Leroy Johnson, (18) Dan Leatherman, (19) Jimmy Miller, (20) Dustin Mooneyham, (21) Shawn Harker, (22) Jeremy Payne. Heat race winners (among 22 cars): Turner, Phillips, Payne.
