by @HordRaceWatcher
It’s tough to get a win at Attica Raceway Park. It’s tougher to get a win with the World of Outlaws. It’s even more tough to get your first Outlaw win, at Attica Raceway Park, at the Brad Doty Classic, nonetheless. Spencer Bayston and Sam McGhee Motorsports did just that Tuesday night. Fresh off their first All Star win together Saturday at the Lou Blaney Memorial, Bayston and McGhee’s were riding that momentum into Attica, a place where McGhee’s have had success, and where Bayston collected his first All Star win of his career. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see them up front.
After the fireworks had settled, the field got ready for the 40 lap feature, with Logan Schuchart and Tyler Courtney pacing the field to green. The front row went straight to battle, with Schuchart taking the early advantage as the yellow came out for a spinning Kyle Larson. After a failed restart, the third time was the charm, as Schuchart jumped out to the lead over Courtney by .698 seconds.
The yellow came back out on lap four, as Cole Macedo was stopped on the track. On the restart, Sunshine took over the top spot from Schuchart, and Spencer Bayston almost stole second from Schuchart. A turning point of the race happened on lap six, as Logan Schuchart tried to go under Courtney for the lead, it sounded like they made contact, which sent the leader Courtney spinning to a stop. Schuchart continued on and inherited the lead, bumping Bayston to second.
The restart saw Bayston try for the lead as Brad Sweet and Cory Eliason lurked. The red flag came out, though, as Marcus Dumenesy hit the front stretch wall, leaving Cole Macedo nowhere to go, and Macedo found himself upside down, ending his night. The ensuing restart was a wild one, as Schuchart, Bayston, and Eliason fought hard for the lead. All three momentarily held the lead, but it was Bayston who claimed the top spot and led lap eight.
“The bottom didn’t go as much- it really didn’t go at all all night. I got back to fourth and was riding around, and they weren’t getting away from me. I just rode around, biding my time.”
“Sunshine and Schuchart got together there and gave me a free spot and then I was just able to race really well. I was able to maneuver and get around the racetrack so well. I could go wherever they weren’t,” said Bayston.
Bayston described his race-winning move: “We hustled in to the top, not knowing what Cory was going to do. As soon as I saw him coming at that closing rate, I had the transition momentum and got down the racetrack. It just fell in my lap. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and tonight I think we were both lucky and good.”
Bayston set sail, with a clear track ahead of him he gapped Schuchart, Sweet, and Eliason as they waged war for second. By lap 12, Bayston’s lead was 2.176 seconds, and grew to 2.704 seconds over Sweet. Bayston caught lapped traffic a few laps later, and Sweet slowly started to reel Bayston in. The lead was down to .980 seconds at the halfway point. Bayston navigated traffic well, and his lead held steady around the .900 mark. On lap 24, the caution flew once again, this time for Eliason who was stopped off of turn four.
This put Bayston in clean air, but also put the Big Cat in position to pounce. The clean air was valuable. Sweet tried a slide job on the restart, but Bayston held his ground and had a .777 second lead over Sweet on a clean track. That lead grew to 2.133 seconds with eight laps to go, when the final caution came out for Aaron Reutzel. Bayston would have clean air, and Sweet would have one more shot at the win. Once again, the clean air was just too valuable, and Sweet couldn’t get by. Bayston cruised to his first World of Outlaws win by 2.174 seconds over Sweet and Carson Macedo.
There’s just something special about Attica Raceway Park for Spencer Bayston.
“This is where I got my first winged sprint car win with the All Stars in 2017, and where I got my first Outlaw win. That’s something I’ll always be able to take down with me and something I’ll never forget,” said the race winner.
“It was an outstanding night overall by my guys. Devin and Sam did such a good job at giving me what I needed, got the motor calmed down for my foot, and just giving me the best race car possible. To be able to beat these guys, you have to have your stuff dialed and make good racing decisions. I felt like I did my part and they sure as hell did theirs.” Bayston added.
For Bayston, picking up the Brad Doty Classic is a career highlight, and he was over the moon about the win.
“I’m a long ways away from those guys [Kyle Larson, Donny Schatz, Bobby Allen, Steve Kinser], but to be able to get the first one out of the way, it means so much. There’s so many drivers that go their whole career without winning an Outlaw race, and to get it done at 22 years old, I’m very happy and humble to be able to do and say that. It all comes from who you surround yourself with, and I’ve surrounded myself with a great group of people. I’m happy to get it done.”