Sean Rayhall is back on track after a two week break, and he’s also back fighting at the top end of the IRA field. After a disastrous night at Wilmot in early May where it was apparent some time needed to be taken by Rayhall and the SRM crew to take stock and make some necessary adjustments, the team was back in action at Beaver Dam Raceway last Saturday night.
Rayhall’s good luck in the pill draw ended on Saturday, sending him out as one of the last few cars to take time. The Woodstock, GA driver made the best of it, qualifying 11th quick overall and putting himself on the pole of Heat race #2.
After the initial start was called back, Rayhall got a flying getaway on the second green flag and roared to a 5 car length advantage by the second circuit. Two mid race yellow flags ensued, with Sean once again getting fantastic restarts both times. Even a late race challenge by 4th starting Blake Nimee would not deny Rayhall his first IRA heat race win.
“It’s crazy to think with the success and solid runs we had last year, that we never won a heat race.” Rayhall said. “But it’s definitely nice to finally tick that box.” He said with a laugh. More importantly than ticking that elusive box was that the win locked Rayhall into the dash redraw and guaranteed him a Top 10 starting spot in the night’s 30 lap A Main.
Sean’s lack of luck in drawing numbers continued, and he would have to start 5th in Dash #1. After a less than ideal start, Rayhall began testing the track to find a suitable line for the Feature. He would make gains on the field in the final circuit but would ultimately finish where he started in 5th place, locking in a 9th starting spot in the main event.
At the drop of the green flag, Rayhall immediately jumped to the high side. A torrent pace saw the Keweenaw Cars 14R make up 2 positions in the opening 5 laps. Confidence booming, Rayhall attempted a haymaker slide job for 7th place, but unfortunately overcooked it and spun in spectacular fashion off of the turn 2 cushion. The spin sent Sean to the tail of the pack, but he would still not be deterred and started to make his way through the stout IRA field. Throwing “bomb” slide jobs when needed and picking his moves perfectly and patiently, Rayhall set a torrid pace on the wall-tight cushion. By the end of the 30 lap race, Rayhall had passed an astounding 16 cars on track in total, and brought home a 9th place finish.
“Ninth place definitely isn’t anything to write home about with the speed we had in the Keweenaw Cars 14R,” Rayhall said about the feature result. “But I’m really happy with the direction we are going in as a team. The car is handling how I need it to, but now it’s on me to make less mistakes. I want to thank all of our partners for their continued support and I look forward to taking this momentum into next weekend and getting the job done.”
The Keweenaw Chevrolet 14R Team will move to a double header this weekend, kicking off with Sean’s first appearance at the Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, MI for a Sprints On Dirt Show Saturday night. The team will then return to the IRA Sprints on Sunday, May 30th for The second round of the Hopf Farms Bullring Showdown at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, WI. Tickets are available at the track, and Sunday’s race will be broadcast live on the FloRacing streaming service.
Sean and the entire 14R team would like to thank all their partners for the 2021 season!
Keweenaw Chevrolet
Able Roofing
Star Pharmaceuticals
Ping Racing
Marthaler Automotive
Bigg Golf
SU Group
X-1 Racecars
HRX Bespoke Racewear
ZMax Lubricants
Quality Freight Rate
Scott King Designs
Box3 Racing
Framed Dirt Photography Photo
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