TROUTMAN, N.C. — Kyle Beattie took home a $1,000 check for winning the finale of the Short Track Showdown Wednesday night, after weathering a two-hour rain delay and then topping a torrid battle with long-time friend Adam Welch at the Iredell County Fairgrounds.
In the final appearance for Millbridge Speedway’s popular mini outlaw karts during HMS Motorsport NC Race Week at the sixth-mile fair oval, Beattie ran double-duty in both the Intermediate and 500cc Open divisions, winning the 20-lap Open feature after contending at the front of the 15-lap Intermediate main event before a late-race incident derailed his chances at double-dipping.
Regardless, it was Beattie’s first mini outlaw win of the season under Millbridge sanction, and one that he was all smiles about after the race.
“The bottom was pretty slick, but I’ll say this much, props to (promoters) Jeremy and Ashly (Burnett) for pushing to get this thing in,” said Beattie. “They’re two of the hardest working people in this business and I’m thankful we could race at all after everything the weather threw at us.”
“The track was good; there were a couple spots that were a little rough to where you had to be on the gas, but it wasn’t bad. I was just riding, trying to keep the tires on the ground, and then I had to hammer down after Tom (Hubert) got by me for second. When it worked, I figured I could do the same thing to get the lead back from Adam if I was patient and waited for the right opening. He got pinned up behind that slower car and that was that.”
Beattie, who set fast time in qualifying and rolled off from the pole position, ultimately passed Welch for the win on the outside of Turns 3 and 4 with nine laps to go, after Welch was bogged down trying to pass the slower car of Alex Bodine.
Moments later, third-running Hubert got tangled up with Bodine on the opposite end of the race track and the caution flag flew. From there, the die was cast and Welch could never find his way back around Beattie.
“I wasn’t going to give up the bottom, so I knew he would try the top,” said Welch, who started on the outside pole and led from the drop of the green flag. “We just had a car in the lane I was running and it broke my momentum … allowed him to get around me. It’s one of those deals; obviously I wanted to win, especially with Chad (Bush) being here and me running his kart … but we’ll take it. It’s still a decent night.”
J.D. Frey completed the podium in third, followed by 12-year-old Joey Robinson, who competed against the Open field in his Intermediate and finished a strong fourth. Andrew Wehrli was fifth after coming back from an opening lap spin.
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