For the first time since 1998 Mansfield Motor Speedway opened its gates with dirt on the surface. This past Saturday marked the end of the transformation from asphalt to dirt and a new era of racing under promoter Cody Sommer.
Racers and fans greeted the highly-publicized transformation with plenty of excitement throughout the offseason, and Saturday’s first Triple Crown event was well-attended. There were roughly 6,000 fans in attendance with full fields of 410 Sprint Cars, Non-Winged Sprint Cars, and Late Models collected in the pit area.
Caleb Helms inherited the lead after Jac Haudenschild tangled with another car in the closing laps of the 410 Sprint Car feature event. Helms went on to grab the win after the lap-26 tangle. Rusty Schlenk grabbed the lead on lap 15 of the Late Model feature and went on to take the win. In the Non-Winged Sprints Haudenschild was outdueled by 2016 USAC Silver Crown Champion Chris Windom.
Round Two of the Triple Crown takes place this Saturday, April 1 with Round Three slated for the following Saturday, April 8.
For more information visit www.mansfieldmotorspeedway.com
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