Cottle’s Top-Four Run Is Thwarted
When Doran-Swanson No. 77 Loses Power
Sunday at Terre Haute and Ends Up 14th

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., July 7 — Shane Cottle was a solid fourth and preparing for a late kick during a restart with 63 laps complete in the 100-lap Sumar Classic USAC Silver Crown race Sunday night at the Terre Haute Action Track. Unfortunately an unknown gremlin caused the Doran-Swanson Racing No. 77 to shut off going into Turn 1 on the restart and bring out another yellow. Cottle was able to get out of the racing line and avoid contact with anyone else. He was even able to refire the car and return to the field in tenth place, still on the lead lap. However, the same problem occurred again and he was forced to retire the entry with 69 laps complete for a 14th-place finish.

It was a disappointing end to the evening for the driver from Kansas, Ill., and the Lebanon, Ohio-based team after Cottle qualified fifth, just 0.423 off the pole, and ran mostly in fourth or fifth place for more than two-thirds of the race on the half-mile dirt oval. It was the 22nd edition of the Sumar Classic and the 500th USAC Silver Crown race ever held. It was also Cottle’s first time driving the car, which carries the colors of Doran Enterprises, Rosewood Machine & Tool, and TJ Forged.

Cottle set his fastest lap of the race early, on lap three, with a time of 22.338 after qualifying with a lap in 21.050. That was the third-fastest lap in the early going, and even at the end of the race it was the sixth-fastest lap run by anyone.

He was fifth for the first five laps, which included a red flag with four laps down when the 17th-place driver, Patrick Bruns, flipped and hit the wall in Turn 1. Luckily he wasn’t hurt.

Cottle got by Kyle Cummins for fourth with a move to the outside going into Turn 1 following a restart with seven laps down, but another yellow flew shortly thereafter and he had to give the position back. He remained in fifth until lap 23 when C.J. Leary got by. Chase Stockon passed him on lap 29 to push him to seventh, but he passed Stockon back on the very next lap to regain sixth.

He was back in the position he started, fifth, on lap 34 when both Cummins and he passed Justin Grant. By the halfway point he was still fifth, 1.009 seconds behind the driver in fourth, Leary, and 1.283 seconds ahead of the driver in sixth, Grant.

Four laps later he moved back into fourth when he passed Leary. He remained in fourth for the next 10 laps until the mechanical issue surfaced.

Polesitter Mitchel Moles led all but one lap and finished more than 2 seconds ahead of the runner-up, Hayden Reinbold. Leary, Grant, and Jake Swanson rounded out the top five. Bill Rose was the hard charger, as he came from 18th to finish sixth. Steve Gennetten, Mario Clouser, Gregg Cory, and Cummins rounded out the top 10.

“There was no warning; the car just shut off,” Cottle said after the race. “It was running well before that.

“I had some close calls. Probably the closest was when one guy stalled on a restart right in front of me.

“I had a good battle with a couple of guys; probably the one with Cummins was the best.

“The track was really technical tonight. Turns 1 and 2 were good, but 3 and 4 were a little rough.”

Doran-Swanson Racing is fielding a car for Briggs Danner in the series’ races on paved tracks. One of them is next on the schedule, as the series visits Winchester (Ind.) Speedway July 19. Cottle’s next race with the team is Aug. 22 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

For more information see Briggs Danner Racing on Facebook.
For more information on Doran Racing, see DoranRacing.com.
The team also has a Facebook page.
Series information on USACRacing.com