Rick Eckert parks "Hondo" long enough to celebrate his Battleground Speedway win with wife Krystal.(Ron Skinner)

Eckert Scrubs Off Season's First Win on Battleground Gumbo

By Sam Holbrooks

HOUSTON, Tex. - March 26. Slowed only by a half-dozen or so minor cautions, Rick Eckert, of York, Pa, found few serious challenges en route to his first win of the season as the World of Outlaws Late Model Series returned to the black gumbo oval at Mike Walling's Battleground Speedway.

Eckert started outside of pole winner Tim Fuller and grabbed the lead on lap one as Fuller momentarily gave up the low side of the race track. From there

on, Eckert commanded that groove and held off Fuller's best efforts to attack from the high side, using the track's remaining "cushion".

Steve Francis and Darrell Lanigan logged into the third and fourth positions early on, with Tim McCreadie, Josh Richards, and Austin Hubbard following as the track provided at least two solid racing grooves.  

As Battleground's black mud began to glaze over down low, Eckert seemed only to get smoother, and appeared unfazed as he approached the tail end of the field near lap ten. Eckert's paced was slowed for the first time by a slowing

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