LITTLE ROCK — All Jason Meyers wanted was a shot to win. In the end, he took full advantage of his opportunity.
Meyers, of Clovis, Calif., had to pass Tulsa's Shane Stewart twice on the last 1 1/2 laps, but hemade the last one count, winning the 20th annual O'Reilly ShortTrack Nationals sprint car race Saturday night at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock.
"You've got to be there at the end, and that's what I was shooting for," said Meyers, who collected $20,500 with the victory. "The last one [lap] is all that matters."
Meyers, a regular with the World of Outlaws series, started from the pole. But at the start of the 40-lap feature, he fell behind Stewart, another Outlaws driver who started second.
Stewart immediately built a comfortable lead and was able to restore that advantage after each of the three caution periods early in the race, driving almost exclusively on the quarter-mile track's top groove. Later, however, he had problems picking his way through lapped traffic.
With about five laps to go,Stewart found himself trapped behind Terry Gray of Bartlett, Tenn., and Travis Rilat of Forney, Texas, who were battling side by side for position.
"It was one of those things that happens," Stewart said. "Terry was on the bottom, and Travis was on the top. I wasn't sure where to go."
Meyers had spent the first half of the race battling for second place with another Outlaws driver, Tim Shaffer of Aliquippa, Pa. In the closing laps, he was gaining ground on the leader even before Stewart's problems.
"But I knew I was going to need help from the lappers if I was to have a shot to win.Everyone slows down in traffic," Meyers said. "Racing with [Shaffer] gave me the opportunity to move around and try out some different parts of the track. I learned I could run the bottom of [turns] three and four pretty well, and I guess that helped me get the lead."
On the 39th lap, Stewart and Meyers split Gray entering turn three. Meyers negotiated the turn a bit better on the bottom groove, however, and took the lead for the first time as the white flag flew.
Stewart battled back and dived under Meyers in turn oneand slid in front of him exiting turn two. But Meyers went back to the bottom in turn three and had a car-length advantage at the checkered flag.
Stewart managed a playful kick at Meyers after both drivers climbed from their cars on the frontstraight. But for a driver who spent much of his formative racing years at I-30, the failure to win was heart-wrenching.
"I'm pretty devastated," Stewart said. "I hate it most for my guys. We've lost two or three of these big races the same way this year. This race is always one that I've got circled on my calendar, and it always will be."
Shaffer took third, and defending champion JasonJohnson of Eunice, La., was fourth. Gary Wright of Hooks, Texas, the only four-time winner of the event, was fifth.
Zach Chappell of Talala, Okla., was sixth. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Olive Brach, Miss., a former I-30 regular who recently signed to drive for NASCAR car owner Jack Roush, was seventh. Rounding out the top 10 were Sam Hafertepe Jr. of Sunnyvale, Texas, Daryn Pittman of Owasso, Okla., and Gray.
The only Arkansan to make the field was Benton's Zach Pringle. As I-30's sprint points champion, Pringle was guaranteed a starting spot. But he raced his way into the field and started seventh.
Sports, Pages 22 on 10/29/2007