Johnny Clark Dominates Auto Value 250
Clark Pockets More Than $26,000 In Win At Speedway 660
GEARY, N.B. — Johnny Clark couldn’t have scripted it any better. Heck, even noted Hollywood director Steven Spielberg couldn’t have.
Clark thoroughly dominated the competition Sunday night at Speedway 660, leading all but a handful of laps en route to his second career Auto Value 250 win. Counting the win purse, the bonus paid to the leader at the halfway mark and lap leader earnings, Clark pocketed a total of $26,300 in the open competition for Super Late Model/Pro Stock cars.
The four-time PASS North Series champion and current series points leader previously won the Auto Value 250 in 2007.
“The first one was pretty awesome, but this one is, too,” said Clark, whose No. 54 Clark’s Car Crushing Chevrolet started fifth in the 28-car field. “This was way more of a dominant performance. I would have to say this one means more right now after the way we did this.
“It shows where (crew chief Robert Green) and I and the whole team are right now after working together for a few years. This is just unbelievable.”
It took Clark fewer than 20 laps to grab the lead, where he stayed until he and the leaders pitted for fresh tires with 70 laps remaining. Clark won the race out of the pits and restarted fourth in the running order. He made contact with Shawn Turple while racing for the lead shortly after the restart and was sent to the rear as a penalty from race officials.
“I messed up. I got into him,” Clark said. “I completely got sideways. I didn’t mean to, and I’m just glad he got back up to finish second.”
From there, Clark battled back and reclaimed the top spot with less than 40 laps remaining.
“Everything has to fall right into place to win one of these 250s anywhere you go,” Clark said. “This was unbelieveble. The car was just phenomenal, and we couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
Clark now has five career victories in races with distances of 250 laps or more — having won the DNK 250 at Unity Raceway in 2004, this race in 2007 and again in 2010, and both the Toyota Tundra 250 at Wiscasset Raceway and the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in 2008.