Peterson, Jacobs steal show; Courtney, Henry 1-2 in Speedweek stop at WCS

Written By: Randy Worrell (Ranger)

ORRVILLE – The cream usually rises to the top, as they say, as it did Monday evening at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Speedway near Orrville during the annual All Star Circuit of Champions’ Ohio Sprint Speedweek stop.  

And track officials, unwavering fans, and participating race teams provided the guaranteed ingredients. 

After Mother Nature intervened with drought-busting rains on Sunday evening that saturated the 3-8-mile, WCS promoter Jason Flory and track officials marched on to give all involved in the $10,000-to-win Duffy Smith Memorial a night to remember. 

Two-time ASCoC champion and current kingpin Tyler Courtney scored a popular victory with a hard-fought triumph in the 25-lap main event in recording his series-leading fifth win of the season and third podium finish of the week. Ohio-based Cap Henry, a previous Duffy Smith and Pete Jacobs Memorial winner at WCS notched his second Speedweek runner-up finish in solidifying his Jeff Ward Motorsports 33 as the region’s top 410 sprint car team.  

It was a pair hungry WCS regulars, though, that stole the show. Ricky Peterson, who calls WCS home on Saturday nights when not on the road as the FAST series point leader, stormed from 14th to 3^rd, while Trey Jacobs, a competitor at the speedway every weekend in the McClure Motorsports 9, rode home 4^th after starting 12^th. The duo each recorded a victory at WCS in 2022 but had endured a string of misfortune thus far this season before cashing in Monday night. The run culminated in Peterson’s first career ASCoC podium finish in his family-owned, South Dakotan-turned Wayne County resident Bonsai Bruns-wrenched Benjamin Steel deuce.  

Cole Macedo, who has recorded three victories at WCS the last two seasons rode home sixth ahead of Zeth Sabo and two-time 2023 winner Tyler Gunn. The “Machine Gunn” earned the pole position for the Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts Dash before earning a seventh-place finish.  

Mansfield’s Ryan Prosser-owned 19 of Sean Rayhall claimed 12^th, with WCS regulars Tyler Newhart (15^th), Jordan Ryan (16^th), Dylan Kingan (18^th), Tyler Street (22nd, and Chris Myers (23rd) all qualifying for the main event.  

The speedway returns to action this Saturday night with a modified version of its Fast Five Series program featuring the super late models, modfieds, super stocks and mini stocks with an appearance from the mod lites. The 410 sprints sit idle while observing the finale of Ohio Speedweek’s stop at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The sprint cars return to action on the 24^th with a visit from the FAST Series.