Cap Henry Opens All Star Midwest Swing With Victory In Lake Ozark’s Beach Brawl Prelim

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – ELDON, MO – For the second time this season, Republic, Ohio’s Cap Henry powered his way to FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory lane, doing so in spectacular fashion in an all-out brawl at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri, on Friday, July 23.

The victory, earning Henry an $8,000 payday, was accomplished from the pole position, leading early before fading slightly to fourth, all before finding some late race stamina around the bottom to charge his way back to the top spot. Henry now owns six-career All Star Circuit of Champions victories, earning his first of the year at Gas City I-69 Speedway on May 22.

“We were so good at the beginning, then I messed up and allowed all of those guys to get by me. It got hairy there a few times, but I’m happy to be standing here,” Cap Henry said in Lake Ozark Speedway victory lane, driver of the Lane Racing, Blake’s Hard Cider, No. 4 sprint car. “I could see I was making gains, so I had to stick with it. With about five to go, I was starting to struggle a little bit and I was missing the bottom. I knew then that it was time to move up and just get going.”

Despite starting the 30-lapper from the pole position, Henry’s Beach Brawl preliminary campaign was far from a walk in the park. In fact, Henry was forced to battle with some of the sport’s finest including Series point leader and recent Kings Royal champion, Tyler Courtney, as well as KCP Racing’s Gio Scelzi, and rising open wheel star, Zeb Wise. Scelzi, who joined Henry on the front row, actually earned the initial jump before Henry took command for the first time on lap two.

A brief stronghold, Henry’s initial command over the field was quick, eventually losing the top spot to Courtney on lap four. A pair of cautions on laps 14 and 17 acted as Henry’s saving grace, allowing the Ohioan, who had faded to fourth by lap 12, to power his way back to the top of the running order. Utilizing each of the ensuing restarts to his advantage, as well as the very bottom of the speedway, Henry was back in charge by lap 18, ultimately driving back by Clauson Marshall Racing’s Tyler Courtney at the exit of turn four. The main event’s final caution appeared on lap 20, this time allowing Zeb Wise to also sneak by Tyler Courtney.

Wise, the 2021 Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race winner, did his best to reel in Henry around the very topside of the speedway, but a kiss with the wall on lap 25 sealed Henry’s fate; Wise held on to finish second, followed by a hard-charging Christopher Bell.

Lake Ozark Speedway’s inaugural Beach Brawl will conclude on Saturday evening, July 24, with the $10,000-to-win finale. Series action will then resume on Sunday, July 25, at Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kansas, where the All Star Circuit of Champions will hit center stage as the first-ever 410 sprint car program in the track’s history. The first and only Series visit to Kansas in 2021, the All Star event will award a $6,000 top prize.

Contingency Awards/Results: Lake Ozark Speedway | Friday, July 23, 2021:
Event: Inaugural Beach Brawl
Entries: 30
C&R Racing Hot Laps: Zeb Wise | 12.180
Dixie Vodka Fast Qualifier: Gio Scelzi | 11.580
Ford Performance Heat #1 Winner: Paul McMahan
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2 Winner: Cap Henry
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3 Winner: Cory Eliason
Kear’s Speed Shop Dash presented by Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts Winner: Cap Henry
Classic Ink USA B-Main Winner: Tanner Holmes
Rayce Rudeen Foundation First Non-Transfer: Jack Wagner
FloRacing A-Main Winner: Cap Henry
Hercules Tires A-Main Hard Charger: Christopher Bell (+11)

Qualifying

Group (A)
1. 18-Gio Scelzi, 11.580; 2. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 11.667; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 11.688; 4. 21BP-Brinton Marvel, 11.760; 5. 10-Zeb Wise, 11.767; 6. 3-Ayrton Gennetten, 11.774; 7. 5-Paul McMahan, 11.789; 8. 4-Cap Henry, 11.821; 9. 26-Cory Eliason, 11.839; 10. 31-Joe B. Miller, 11.872; 11. 20G-Noah Gass, 11.918; 12. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg, 11.966; 13. 11-Cale Thomas, 11.968; 14. 17B-Bill Balog, 11.983; 15. 39-Christopher Bell, 11.993; 16. 13-Justin Peck, 12.059; 17. 9JR-Derek Hagar, 12.155; 18. 24W-Garet Williamson, 12.164; 19. 18T-Tanner Holmes, 12.206; 20. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer, 12.244; 21. 47N-Marcus Dumesny, 12.286; 22. 7B-Ben Brown, 12.372; 23. 1X-Jake Bubak, 12.374; 24. 50K-Kyle Bellm, 12.387; 25. 21-Kameron Key, 12.441; 26. O7-Skylar Gee, 12.721; 27. 22s-Slater Helt, 12.757; 28. 77-Jack Wagner, 13.004; 29. 73-Samuel Wagner, 13.306; 30. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 13.528

Heat #1 – Group (A) (8 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer
1. 5-Paul McMahan [2]; 2. 18-Gio Scelzi [4]; 3. 11-Cale Thomas [5]; 4. 31-Joe B. Miller [1]; 5. 13-Justin Peck [6]; 6. 21BP-Brinton Marvel [3]; 7. 18T-Tanner Holmes [7]; 8. 21-Kameron Key [9]; 9. 77-Jack Wagner [10]; 10. 7B-Ben Brown [8]

Heat #2 – Group (A) (8 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer
1. 4-Cap Henry [2]; 2. 20G-Noah Gass [1]; 3. 10-Zeb Wise [3]; 4. 17B-Bill Balog [5]; 5. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [4]; 6. O7-Skylar Gee [9]; 7. 1X-Jake Bubak [8]; 8. 73-Samuel Wagner [10]; 9. 9JR-Derek Hagar [6]; 10. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer [7]

Heat #3 – Group (A) (8 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer
1. 26-Cory Eliason [2]; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [4]; 3. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [1]; 4. 39-Christopher Bell [5]; 5. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [3]; 6. 24W-Garet Williamson [6]; 7. 50K-Kyle Bellm [8]; 8. 47N-Marcus Dumesny [7]; 9. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [10]; 10. 22S-Slater Helt [9]

Dash #1 (6 Laps)
1. 4-Cap Henry [1]; 2. 18-Gio Scelzi [2]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [4]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [3]; 5. 10-Zeb Wise [8]; 6. 5-Paul McMahan [7]; 7. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [6]; 8. 21BP-Brinton Marvel [5]

B-Main (12 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer
1. 18T-Tanner Holmes [2]; 2. 1X-Jake Bubak [3]; 3. 50K-Kyle Bellm [4]; 4. 47N-Marcus Dumesny [5]; 5. 21-Kameron Key [6]; 6. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [9]; 7. 77-Jack Wagner [8]; 8. 73-Samuel Wagner [7]; 9. 7B-Ben Brown [11]; 10. 22S-Slater Helt [12]

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 4-Cap Henry [1]; 2. 10-Zeb Wise [5]; 3. 39-Christopher Bell [14]; 4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [3]; 5. 18-Gio Scelzi [2]; 6. 26-Cory Eliason [4]; 7. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [15]; 8. 5-Paul McMahan [6]; 9. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [10]; 10. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [7]; 11. 18T-Tanner Holmes [19]; 12. 50K-Kyle Bellm [21]; 13. O7-Skylar Gee [18]; 14. 17B-Bill Balog [13]; 15. 1X-Jake Bubak [20]; 16. 20G-Noah Gass [9]; 17. 21-Kameron Key [22]; 18. 21BP-Brinton Marvel [8]; 19. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [23]; 20. 11-Cale Thomas [11]; 21. 13-Justin Peck [16]; 22. 31-Joe B. Miller [12]; 23. 24W-Garet Williamson [17]; 24. 47N-Marcus Dumesny [24] Lap Leaders: Gio Scelzi (1), Cap Henry (2, 3), Tyler Courtney (4-17), Cap Henry (18-30)