Ash races from back of pack, earns event win, season title

Dustin Ash only needed to start the 17-car Super Late Models race Saturday night to win the division championship in the final NASCAR All-American Series event of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Bullring.

That didn't seem like much of a challenge in his quest for his first major stock-car championship, but when his No. 11 car failed its post-qualifying inspection because its rear end was too high, it sent him to the back of the pack to start the 40-lap feature.

But the 19-year-old Las Vegan accepted the penalty as a challenge to prove his Dick Cobb-owned car didn't need to skirt the rules to show its dominance. And he was, winning the year's last regular-season feature and the season title.

"This should prove to everybody that this isn't a cheating car," Ash said.

In less than 10 laps, Ash moved into the top seven. Taylor Barton, the quickest in qualifying, was dominating the race and led by about 15 car lengths ahead of Tom Lovelady and Ash, who was up to third, when a yellow flag bunched the field with 17 laps to go.

Another yellow on the last lap erased another big lead for Barton and after a two-lap shootout got the green flag, Ash tapped the rear of Barton's car causing it to get loose and allow Ash to pass.

From there Ash led and beat Barton by 1.2 seconds to earn his ninth feature victory of the year and become the youngest champion of the Bullring's premier stock-car division.

"That's one goal I can cross of my list," said Ash, who unofficially finished 44 points ahead of Justin Johnson.

"When the season started I never imagined we could win nine times. I hoped for maybe five or six at the most."

The Cimarron-Memorial High School graduate said he wasn't even certain he'd be running a Super Late Model this year. He said the opportunity came when former Las Vegas racer Doc Faustina offered financial support to back the efforts of Ash and Cobb, a former Bullring and NASCAR regional champion.

"This tops it all off," Ash said of his dream season.

He said another major factor to his team's success was engines built by Steve Rzesnowiecky's Universal Auto Machine shop.

It was the second championship celebration of the night for Rzesnowiecky. His 15-year-old son, Bear, finished second in the Legends Cars Pro race to lock up his first season championship.

Rzesnowiecky, who graduated from high school this summer in order to focus on his racing career, led for a few laps late in Saturday's race but was unable to hold off Lovelady.

Other division champions crowned Saturday were: Doug Hamm (Late Models), Mario Opipari (Chargers), Bobby Rupert (Legends Masters), Jeremiah Wagner (Legends Semi Pro), Scott Osborn (IMCA Modifieds), Charlie Wahl (Thunder Roadsters), Jonathan Eakons (Bandolero Bandits) and Brianna Holley (Young Guns).

• RACE CANCELED -- AMA Pro Racing was forced to cancel the last round of the AMA Flat Track Championship midway through Saturday night's motorcycle event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Dirt Track.

Track conditions provided by event promoter Doug Stewart Live I Sports were deemed unsafe for the riders, according to an AMA release.

The promoter rented use of the facility from the speedway, which was not involved with track preparation.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0247.