BELLEVILLE, Kan. (July 4, 2008) - Three-time series champion John Allen of Chanute, Kansas wired the field to become the fourth different winner in four events thus far this season as he won the fifteen lap O'Reilly NCRA modified presented by ICM/Ethanol feature event Friday night at the Belleville Highbanks.

 

Allen started on the pole with outside front row starter Marc Hurd, Brian Casey, Brian Powers and Greg Stephens all giving chase as Allen and his Hughes chassis quickly built a ten car length lead atop the big half mile oval. The races only caution waved on lap six when series rookie Jordan Whitehead slowed to a stop on the front stretch.

 

Once racing action resumed, Hurd kept pace with the leader and dove down low in turns three and four to briefly pull even with the leader, but Allen and his Buzzard Racing Engines would quickly pull away and would go on unchallenged the rest of the distance. The battle for positions three through sixth caught the crowds attention as Casey, Powers, Cody Gearhart and Jimmie Hobbs were separated by just five car lengths of each other the rest of the distance.

 

But in the end it was all Allen as he collected his first series victory on the 2008 race season, the twelfth of his career.   

 

Hurd would finish ten car lengths behind Allen to finish second while Stephens outdueled Powers and Casey for the third position.

 

Hobbs, Hurd and Allen all picked up the eight lap heat races for the twenty-two car field.