Saturday’s season-opening Icebreaker at Berlin Raceway provided all the excitement and intensity that fans and drivers have been used to with the historic facility.
While afternoon featured a handful of hard hits across the four different divisions on display at Berlin, the Icebreaker also included many fantastic on-track battles, most of which were not resolved until each respectful race entered its closing stages.
FLORACING: Watch all the highlights from the Icebreaker
The exciting on-track action culminated into an intense fight for the win between two experienced competitors during the 75-lap Super Late Model feature.
Late restart propels Kyle Crump to victory
Throughout his career, Kyle Crump has developed a reputation as one of the most efficient drivers on restarts in the Midwest.
That quality proved to be essential on a restart inside of six laps to go in the Icebreaker’s main event, as he utilized the high line to power past fellow veteran Joe Bush and hold on for his second career victory at Berlin.
Crump, who battled Bush for most of the event’s second half, knew his restart had to be perfect for him to clear Bush and pull away.
“Joe Bush has been doing this for years [at Berlin],” Crump said in Victory Lane. “He knows how to get it done, and that was a true test. I was biting my teeth the whole time, and I was expecting him to get to my rear bumper. That didn’t happen, and I ended up in Victory Lane.”
Having won the most recent edition of the Battle at Berlin 150, Crump entered the Icebreaker with confidence and momentum on his side.
The speed Crump displayed from that victory was prevalent from the drop of the green flag. He methodically worked his way to the front after starting sixth and patiently bided his time while waiting for an opportunity to chase Bush down for the win.
Now that he has another Berlin victory on his resume, Crump is eagerly looking forward to returning to the track later this year as he looks to defend his Battle at Berlin title while also striving to add a Money in the Bank 150 win to his growing resume.
“This is kind of surreal,” Crump said. “This is a brand-new car, and I only got one tire mark on it. We’ll take it back and get ready for the next one.”
Veteran Joe Bush enjoys strong day at Berlin
A season-opening victory at Berlin just narrowly slipped away from long-time competitor Joe Bush.
The 55-year-old driver from Hastings, Michigan, stalked Kyle Crump for the lead before finally taking it away with just 20 laps remaining. Unfortunately for Bush, an ill-timed competition caution reset the field and enabled Crump to overtake him for the win.
While Bush came up short on a trip to Victory Lane in the Icebreaker, he still managed to bring home a strong second place finish and show Berlin’s diverse group of regulars that he is still more than capable of being a top contender.
Outside of Berlin, Bush has recorded starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ASA National Tour. All his combined experience was prevalent as he attempted to pick up a big season-opening Icebreaker victory in front of a packed house at Berlin.
Bush will have another opportunity to add another win at Berlin when the Super Late Models hit the track once again this Saturday.
Carl Snider and Dave Avink escape violent crash
Before the other divisions hit the track, Berlin’s 4 Cylinder competitors kicked off the day’s festivities in an unorthodox-but-frightening manner.
While battling for the lead in the first feature, Carl Snider and Dave Avink made contact down the backstretch after the former was bumped by Corey Holtzlander. Both drivers lost control of their cars and crashed hard into the protective tire barrier that separates the runoff area on the backstretch from the Turn 3 wall.
Both Snider and Avink emerged from the wreckage unscathed, but the damage to the tire barrier resulted in a red flag that lasted approximately 15 minutes. Neither driver took the green flag for the second 4 Cylinder feature later in the day.
NOTES:
- NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Carson Hocevar, who won the track championship at Berlin in 2017, struggled to make his way to the front after being inverted to the fifth row for the 75-lap main event. He did rebound to finish third behind Crump and Bush.
- Terry Senneker, who is the nephew of all-time ASA National Tour wins leader Bob Senneker, was among the 25 cars that took the green flag for the 75-lap Super Late Model feature. A mechanical issue cut his day short after nine laps and he ended up finishing 21st.
- Other notable names in the Super Late Model field include former ARCA Menards Series competitor Michael Simko and two-time Money in the Bank 150 winner Brian Campbell. Simko finished seventh while Campbell pulled behind the wall shortly before halfway to come home in 20th.
Feature winners:
Super Late Model: Kyle Crump
Sportsman (1): Brian Thome
Sportsman (2): Kevin Ford
Limited Late Model (1): Nick Delongpre
Limited Late Model (2): Tyler Rycenga
4 Cylinder (1): Case Roelofs
4 Cylinder (2): Chase Roelofs