Mopar driver Darren Hagen was his typical, hard-charging self in scoring a tough second-place finish in the Sprint Car portion of the "Mopar/PRI Sprint & Midget Classic."
Hagen, in his Keith Kunz Motorsports entry, started from the pole position in the prestigious event, but lost the lead in a first-corner traffic jam on the opening lap. He spent the remainder of the 40-lap feature trying to work his way back into the top spot and hounded the leader relentlessly until a pair of lapped cars broke his momentum in the closing laps. Still, Hagen ended up second and was joined on the podium by his teammate on the Kunz squad, NASCAR rookie Bryan Clauson, who finished third.
Rounding out the top five was another Mopar shoe, Floridian Brian Gingras (shown), who on Thursday evening had rocked the pit area by setting fast time with his RAM Motorsports Sprinter. He edged Clauson for the top honors, giving Mopar-powered Sprinters a sweep of the top two qualifying positions. Dakoda Armstrong, winner of the companion Orlando Midget feature, displayed his versatility by steering his Mopar-powered Sprint Car to a fine eighth-place finish. Further back came Kasey Kahne Racing teammates Brad Sweet and Brady Bacon (11th and 14th, respectively), and Indiana driver Mario Marietta (15th).
