Holt High School's Clay Sanders drives to win in final Arena Racing event of season

By Steve Kaminski The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
WALKER -- Clay Sanders won his first career Mini Sprints feature race Saturday night when DeltaPlex Arena hosted Thunder on the Grand II.

Victory No. 2 came only about three hours later for the 16-year-old Holt High School student.

Sanders started on the pole and led from start to finish in the program’s opening 30-lap Non Winged Sprints main. Drivers then put the wings on the Sprinters, and Sanders came back and dominated the Winged feature, leading all 40 laps.

It wasn’t as easy as that, though, with the first race being the toughest.

Sanders tore around the tiny oval on the DeltaPlex floor, dodging lapped traffic, while holding off hard-charging Danny Shirey of Oberlin, Ohio. The going got especially crazy with two laps to go when Sanders rode over the wheel of the spinning lapped Sprinter of Tim Neal. But Sanders was able to main control and continue his surge forward.

"When I saw Timmy spin, I knew we were going to hit," Sanders said. "I thought I was going to stop, but as soon as I went over him, I just held onto the wheel and pushed the gas and hoped that I was going to make it over."

Shirey wasn’t giving up either, and he had arguably the move of the night when he spun out while trying to slide underneath Sanders midway through the race. Shirey, who won the feature at the DeltaPlex in February, did a 360-degree loop and was able to keep going. Shirey ran Sanders back down and pressured him late, but Sanders kept his cool.

"The last time I was here, I started on the pole and led half the race," Sanders said. "When I saw that there was five to go, I knew it was going to be mine.

"When I got into that lapped traffic, I wasn’t going to try to pass them. I wanted to block and hold my line. I have to give a lot of props to Danny Shirey. He is a great guy, and he won the last time we were here, and he is a good friend of mine. He made it a challenge."

Saturday’s races marked the final Arena Racing program of the season. Sanders raced the Arena cars last year, but has turned his focus to Sprint racing. He outran Neal to win the Winged Sprints main.

"I love it," he said of the DeltaPlex venue. "We raced the Arena cars here last year, but these are much more fun. It is a great place to have it."

Clayton Marvel of Lowell won the 40-lap Arena Racing feature, holding off Brad Huisken of Coopersville, while Dan Reimersma of Ada took top honors in the 40-lap 4 Cylinder race. Garrett Peterson captured the Quarter Midgets main.

Go-kart feature winners were Mike Villena (Flat Head Medium), Cameron Deckard (Cage Carts and Heavy Animal), Al Gierz (Open), Josh Spindelman (Purple Plate), Charles Schultz (Clone) and David Dipple (Gold Plate).