of a pack of
four slower cars running tightly in front of the leader. Richards, who had nearly a half-straightaway advantage
over Clanton, momentarily came together with the machine driven by Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., on the inside of
turn three and lost too much speed to stave off Clanton.
"They went down the racetrack together and there he was," Clanton said of the lapped traffic that blocked
Richards's path to the checkered flag. "It stopped his momentum just enough for me to catch up and pass him.

Brian Birkhofer added another strong finish to his resume' with third place
after putting away #15 Steve Francis at Lincoln Speedway. (Mike
Ruefer)
"I seen him get in the gas and spin the tires hard off (turn) four, but I had a run and said, 'Just be
smooth and don't spin the tires.' We just beat him to the line."
Richards was gracious in defeat. He interrupted the post-race ceremonies to
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