Tribune-Courier Sports
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PADUCAH – The beat goes on for drivers John Tindal of Mayfield and Mike Watson of West Paducah, winners of the Crate Late Model and Street Stock features Friday night at Paducah International Raceway.
The greatest variety has been in the Modified division. Jeff Elliott of Mayfield won his first feature of the season and became the eighth different winner in 12 races this year.
In the 4-Cylinder Warrior division, Mat Hartman of Paducah won his fourth race Friday night. It was his third win in the last four races. Kyle Clark of Calvert City, who interrupted Hartman’s streak with a victory June 8, finished second Friday night
In the other divisions, streaking was the norm.
Tindal won for the sixth time in the last seven races, while Watson won for the fifth time in the last eight races Friday night.
Tindal, who also won on April 6 in the second race of the year, pulled away from Jeff Walston to win Friday night’s feature. Calvert City drivers Cameron Brown and Troy English were third and fourth, and Credence Mott rounded out the top five.
Watson finished in front of Steve Hobbs of Benton in the Street Stock main event. Michael Henderickson was third and Clay Story of Benton took fourth place. Shawn Fairfield was fifth.
A new streak is being built in the High School Warriors class by Blake Martin of Kevil, who won for the third week in a row. A.J. Keeling, who finished second, won four straight before Martin won his first race.
NOTES: Six classes of racecars will be competing Friday night in the track’s Celebrate Summer event.
Modified, Crate Late Model, Street Stock, 4-Cylinder Warriors and High School Warriors will be augmented by the Kentucky Vintage Racing Association 1930s-40s era coupes and sedans.
n On June 29, Paducah takes its turn in the two-month-long Summer Nationals tour which began Wednesday at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway.
The Paducah race is No. 15 of 16 races slated for the month of June in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee and Missouri in an 18-day span.
The tour continues with 13 races in 14 days July 1-14.
The winner’s share of the prize money for the feature events on the tour ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 for all events except Paducah, which has the biggest payday of all at $12,000.
n The return of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to Kentucky Speedway is a little less than two weeks away.
In addition to promises of amends to the problems that plagued last year’s event, there is the energy of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s victory Sunday at Michigan Speedway, ending a four-year Cup Series drought.
