By: Eric Huenefeld

CLERMONT, IN --- Brian Campbell is by no means a stranger to winning features. Or for that matter, no stranger to passing cars to get to the front of features. But Saturday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park outside of Indianapolis, the Michigan Late Model ace wowed the crowd at the big half mile and stormed from deep in the field to win the Gleaners 200, the second race of the 2009 ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division championship season.

After starting the race from the 11th position, Campbell and team struggled with an ill-handling race car and could only muster a 10th place showing as the race neared the lap 100 halfway break. However, after he and his crew had a chance to work on the car and regroup for the second
100 laps, Campbell began his assault on the field.

In front of Campbell, the racing was intense early on. Front row starters Ross Kenseth and Drew Brannon would duel for the lead on the opening circuit, with Brannon jumping to the point. Brannon, the winner of the series opening race at the Milwaukee Mile, would stretch his lead after 15 laps to nearly 15 car lengths on the field.

Behind Brannon, a titanic battle would tip off between Kenseth and 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Landon Cassill. Kenseth and Cassill would battle hard for the runner up spot for 45 laps, before Cassill would get around Kenseth and set sail for Brannon.

It would then take only 10 laps for Cassill to catch Brannon, and 13 more to take the lead. Cassill would jump away from Brannon and look to be the dominant car in the event as the race moved towards halfway. But on lap
80, Cassill’s car would lose power coming out of turn two while in the lead, bringing out the yellow flag and handing the lead back to Brannon.
Brannon would continue to pace the field at halfway, with fast timer Willie Allen coming hard for his back bumper as the lap 100 yellow flag flew.

In the second 100 laps, it was clear that fortunes had changed for Brian Campbell. After starting the second segment of the race in 10th spot, it took Campbell only nine laps to advance his racer to seventh spot. And by lap 150, Campbell had put his red and white #20 car into the top 5!

“At halfway, we were honestly just talking about getting through this race and just trying to pick off as many people as we could,” Campbell said.
‘The car was good enough at the drop of the green flag for the start of the second 100 where I thought we were good enough for a top 5 and that was our goal, top 5...clean car…and move on to the next one and figure out what was wrong with the old girl.’ But as the race moved into its final quarter, with Campbell suddenly in the top 5 and contending for the win, his attitude began to change in regards to his goals for the Gleaners 200.

“When you get that close, you start to smell blood a little bit,” Campbell stated, “and you want it a little more all the sudden and instead of trying to maintain you try to figure out how to pass someone instead of messing with them for too long,” he said.

With 25 laps to go Campbell would get to second spot, over taking Allen.
He would then set his sights on Brannon, who led by 10 car lengths at the time. Campbell would click off consistent laps and with 14 laps to go, would begin to toil with the Florida youngster for the top spot. Campbell would finally make his move on lap 191 and stretch it out and sprint away for his first victory of 2009.

“We got to him (Brannon) a couple times,” said Campbell. ‘Our car got loose, he would get away. We got to his bumper again and it seemed like when I got there, he started to try and find a new line and it didn’t work for him and he kinda scooted a little high and opened the door for me,” the winner said of the deciding pass.

Brannon, who fought illness throughout the day, would soldier on to a second place finish. Allen would finish off his stout run with a third place finish. The top 3 was the former NASCAR Truck Rookie of the Year's best finish in an ASA Late Model Series race.

Hometown favorite Brent Downey was strong all night long, showing he had what it took to hang in the lead pack of the Gleaners 200, and was rewarded with a fourth place finish. Pole sitter Kenseth would fight side by side with Cassill, Campbell, Downey and Josh Hamner most of the night.
And as the dust settled on the feature race, the 16 year old son of 2009 Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth would notch a hard-earned top 5 finish.

33 cars from 16 states tried to make the field for the Gleaners 200, with Willie Allen being the "Fastest Man in Town in ARP Bodies Time Trials with a lap of 21.959. Mooresville, North Carolina driver Jerick Johnson won the
15 lap GM Performance Parts Shootout race, with Scott Rueschenberg overtaking Nick Glaze for the second spot in thrilling fashion on the last lap. Rueschenberg's move would put him into the 200 lap main event, and knock Glaze out of a starting spot in the feature.

Unofficial Results Gleaners 200 O'Reilly Raceway Park
6/13/09 Position Number Name Laps Completed
1. #20 Brian Campbell (200)
2. #08 Drew Brannon (200)
3. #26 Willie Allen (200)
4. #25 Brent Downey (200)
5. #025 Ross Kenseth (200)
6. #64 Griffin McGrath (200)
7. #11 Peter Cozzolino (200)
8. #38 Josh Hamner (200)
9. #8 Eddie Hoffman (200)
10. #23 Jimmy Weller (200)
11. #10 AJ Frank (200)
12. #93 Kyle Sirizzotti (200)
13. #6 Dave Gentile (199)
14. #125 Scott Rueshcenberg (199)
15. #48 Billy Crane (197)
16. #90 Becca Kasten (195)
17. #42 Cody Mahoney (188)
18. #88 Trent Snyder (185)
19. #22 Chris Eggleston (161)
20. #89 Brett Moffitt (152)
21. #44 Tommy Martens (137)
22. #29 Joey King (124)
23. #04 Phil Bozell (111)
24. #0 Josh Nelms (98)
25. #76 Jerick Johnson (96)
26. #61 Landon Cassill (81)

Leaders: Kenseth (pole), Brannon (1-70, 81-191), Cassill (71-80), Campbell (192-200)

Yellows: 7 for 41 laps The ASA Late Model Series is its own entity and not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated in any way with ASA Racing, American Speed Association or the ASA Member Track Program. The ASA Late Model Series is owned and operated by Ron and Sandy Varney For more information on the ASA Late Model Series and teams, visit our websites at www.asalatemodels.com, www.asalatemodelsnorth.com or www.asalatemodelssouth.com


Have an opinion on this story? E-MAIL KARNAC to send a letter to the editor!