Kitzmiller And Huffman Take Thrillers In Granite Falls

We had been alluding to September 7th race night at Tri-County being special the entire week beforehand, and boy did it not disappoint. The storylines started to develop early as Donnie Doster suffered an unfortunate and untimely leg injury. Seeking a substitute into the late hours of Friday night, Doster finally landed on 2023 CARS Tour Old North State Nationals winner Landon Huffman to drive the # 57 machine. Along with that came young prospect Austin Vaughn attempting yet another Grand National Super Series start for Larry Wilcox’s organization, splitting the seat with Wilcox on the night. Add to that a hot Jason Kitzmiller along with returns from drivers like Dave Hutchinson and Will Lauderback, and you had a recipe for a classic in the making.

With a lap of 16.297 seconds, Kitzmiller was the ChaLew Performance Pole winner, but after the top six redrew, Pennsylvania’s own Shotime Mike led the field to green. It didn’t take long however for Kitzmiller to assume the top spot in an attempt to stretch his winning streak. Meanwhile behind him, Huffman got his feet under him quickly and made a valiant charge to second, earning himself the first Howe Racing Enterprises Hard Charger Award of the night. All eyes in the crowd were focused on the battle for third though as Shotime Mike and AJ Henriksen, donning an amazing tribute to legendary dirt racer Scott Bloomquist, engaged in an absolute dogfight for third, with Shotime Mike eventually crossing the line on the final podium spot. The Owners Championship took a turn as Lauren Butler had early issues, breaking a panhard bar in practice. That led to her bringing the Edlin Motorsports # 53 machine to the pits after the lap 20 competition caution, putting her in the rear of the field for the restart. That allowed Owner points leader Jeremy Mayfield to strengthen his cushion with a fifth place finish while Butler rallied to finish seventh. But in the end, it was Jason Kitzmiller once again visiting Tri-County Speedway victory lane with crew chief Frank Kimmel.

Unfortunately sitting out the second fifty lap feature would be Bob Schacht, coming down with a sickness that kept him out of the seat, meaning more Owners Championship implications. Mayfield was the lucky recipient of the number one chip in the redraw, putting him on the pole for race two. Race one winner Kitzmiller had a little bit of ground to make up as he drew fifth behind Huffman. It didn’t take long though for both Huffman and Kitzmiller to carve their way through the field, putting on one of the best races of the year and arguably one of the best races in GNSS history. Putting on a race reminiscent of Daytona or Talladega, Mayfield, Huffman, Henriksen, and Kitzmiller found themselves in a four car pack in a battle for the lead, leaving the fans on their feet! Kitzmiller and Huffman were able to break away, trying to settle it amongst themselves. Multiple bumps and bangs later, Huffman squeezed out to the lead and never looked back, taking his first career Grand National Super Series victory. In the midst of the chaos, Larry Wilcox put the # 66 machine in fifth from the rear, gaining the second Howe Racing Enterprises Hard Charger Award of the night.

We’re still pumped with adrenaline from last night’s event, and we can’t wait to see everyone back at Bobby Watson’s Carteret Speedway on September 28th for our next event!