KASSIE WANAMAKER BECOMES FIRST REPEAT WINNER
GARY HUNT’S US 131 RACER OF THE WEEK PRESENTED BY AEROQUIP
Sometimes, Gary Hunt’s choice for US 131 Racer of the Week is so obvious even a career politician could make it. At other times, though, there are so many good options that it would be difficult for Watson, the IBM supercomputer, to come up with the selection.
This week, for instance, reigning Top ET track champion Scott Taylor of Portage would have been an excellent pick after winning for the first time in the new season. Also extremely worthy were Allegan’s Al Bruischart in Modified and Vicksburg’s Conner Jenson in Advanced Jr. Dragster.
However, Hunt opted to honor eight-year-old Kassie Wanamaker of Martin for two very good reasons. One, she is the first repeat winner of 2017 and, two, she claimed the Beginner Jr. Dragster title without having to use the buyback option employed so effectively by Taylor, Bruischart and Jenson.
The youngest of the racing Wanamakers (dad Kyle is a US 131 regular), Kassie averaged .05 lights and ran within .05 of her dial virtually every round before beating her cousin, Jase Wanamaker of Kalamazoo, in the final.
Congratulations, Kassie, from Gary Hunt and everyone else at US 131 Motorsports Park.
ABOUT GARY HUNT
Gary Hunt is in his tenth season as the track announcer at US 131 Motorsports Park, a track on which he used to race in the brackets and Stock Eliminator. His experience as a race car driver (he won seven points championships) has served him well behind the mike and while he often misses the thrill of competition, his “desk job” is not without its benefits. “It’s given me the best seat in the house, which is always climate controlled,” he said. “I never break any parts, don’t have to wait in line and I leave with a little bit of money every week.”
-www.us131msp.com-
