Brian Campell wins Super Lates feature, Johnny Benson 13th at Berlin Raceway

Brian Campell wins Super Lates feature, Johnny Benson 13th at Berlin Raceway
By Steve Ungrey | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com

MARNE -- Most drivers do not want to see a caution flag.

Brian Campbell was the exception Saturday, because it was the only chance he had to catch the field.

The Grand Rapids driver took advantage of a yellow flag four laps from the end of the Boyne Machine Premier Super Lates 100-lap feature, and he hung on for a checkered flag at Berlin Raceway.

Campbell, who was victorious for the second week in a row following a win last week in Toledo, was the top qualifier and started seventh after the draw for the race order. From there, he bided his time and laid off using his tires until late in the feature.

When Campbell reached second, that was when he tried to make his move.

"I was expecting this thing to have a couple yellow flags but I didn’t think I’d have to wait this long," Campbell said. "To come home and win one of these races is always something special."

Tim Steele started the race in the lead, but Anthony caught up to him 41 laps into the feature and passed him. Steele kept the lead until there were four laps to go, when the first caution came out on an accident involving Andy Ponstein and Josh Hobson.

Campbell overtook Steele on the restart and hung on. Anthony then clipped Campbell a lap later, forcing Campbell to spin, and Anthony and Johnny Benson Jr. spun off the backstretch. Campbell recovered his momentum and Anthony went on to take second, while Benson eventually finished 13th.

"We had a couple really good restarts to get the job done. We never would have caught up if it had not been for that yellow," Campbell said. "We did a good job preserving the tires to get into second, but we needed that caution to have a shot at first place. We stole one from Chris tonight, because Chris deserved this with how well he raced. I knew I could not catch him because he was out that far."

This is the first of seven Premier Super Lates features in West Michigan. The next is scheduled for May 28, and another will run later this summer at Kalamazoo Speedway.

It was a Mother’s Day present of sorts for Campbell, as his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Shelby, were able to take part in the festivities. With two wins under his belt, Campbell hopes more of these festivities follow.

"We were lucky to come out here and win," Campbell said. "I got to kiss my daughter and celebrate with the family. It’s a great way to celebrate the day before Mother’s Day. Now I’ve got two race wins under my belt and it’s a good way to start the year."

THE BUZZ
Saturday’s feature winners: Dave Lake (Super Stock), Brandon Hermiller (Pro Stock), Samantha Jansen (Vintage Racing Organization of America), Brian Campbell (Premier Super Lates), Cole Roelofs (4-cylinder)

Driver of the night: For the second week in a row, Cole Roelofs won both a heat and a feature race when he took the 4-cylinder event ahead of Phil Speet. Roelofs was .666 seconds in front of Speet.

Tough luck award: Johnny Benson Jr. was in the top five for most of the Premier Super Lates event, but caution flags and an accident in the final laps dropped Benson to 13th. This is the first of Benson’s appearances in this year’s Super Lates feature.

Move of the night: Brian Campbell took advantage of the caution flag with four laps remaining in the Premier Super Lates feature. He passed Chris Anthony to claim his second feature win in a row.

Up next: Late Models, Super Stock, Pro Stock and 4-cylinders are part of Lottery Night on Saturday, presented by Paragon Lanes.