The battle for the limited late-model feature laurels Saturday night at Illiana Speedway came down to a choice.
Anthony Danta made the right one. It paid off in his first victory of the 2008 season.
With a light rain falling and the white flag about to drop, leader John Nutley was a bumper ahead of Danta as they roared into Turn 4. A lapped car loomed immediately ahead.
Danta went low, Nutley high. The lapped car washed up.
"I ended up getting lucky out of the deal," Danta said. "Other than that, I don't think I'd have gotten by him if it wasn't for the lapped traffic."
Danta had a clear path to the front and took it, while Nutley was hung out to dry behind the slower car. The difference at the finish was 0.630 seconds.
Immediately following the limited late-model event the rain intensified, forcing the cancellation of the remainder of the feature races.
The loss was particularly tough for Nutley, who had prevailed in a gruelling side-by-side battle with Bobby Gash to take the top spot on lap 11. From there he doggedly held off Danta until making the wrong choice on how to approach the slower car on lap 24.
"Four laps, five laps earlier when I went by him he stayed on the inside," a frustrated Nutley said. "This time he goes up high and blocks me."
On opening night, Nutley and Danta were involved in a crash, resulting in heavy rear-end damage to Nutley's No. 96.
"After what happened last week with John and I, I just wanted to run him hard," Danta said.
"Anthony drove a good race," Nutley said. "I'm just glad we've got our rear end back together and we're fast again."
Defending track champion Phil Splant ran behind the two leaders for the last 10 laps and finished a solid third. Fourth went to Doug Hayes, ahead of Gash and Johnny Senerchia.
Heat races were run in all five divisions, with the highlight the first career victory by limited late-model driver Rita Fields, who outran Len Koprowski by 0.630 seconds.
Late-model
Qualifying: 1. Jeff Cannon (19.882), 2. Bobby Gash (19.955), 3. Mike White (20.049), 4. Chris Cooling (20.119), 5. Mike Monroe (20.233), 6. Dave Weltmeyer (20.304), 7. Joe O'Connor (20.354), 8. Jerry Sharp (20.384), 9. Richard Ruckh (20.524), 10. Perry Parker (20.524), 11. Vincent Merry (20.646), 12. Len Nowosel (20.772), 13. Dean Patterson (20.879), 14. Earl Counter (20931).
1st heat: 1. Sharp, 2. Monroe, 3. Weltmeyer, 4. White, 5. Cannon, 6. O'Connor, 7. Cooling, 8. Gash.
2nd heat: 1. Nowosel, 2. Parker, 3. Ruckh, 4. Merry, 5. Counter, 6. Patterson.
Limited late-model
Qualifying: 1. Anthony Danta (20.236), 2. Johnny Senerchia (20.421), 3. John Nutley (20.430), 4. Phil Splant (20.476), 5. Bobby Gash (20.667), 6. Doug Hayes (20.855), 7. Tyler Middleton (20.932), 8. Dennis Lyp (20.979), 9. Rita Fields (21.126), 10. Matt O'Leary (21.536), 11. Kevin Offdenkamp (21.716), 12. Joe Balser (21.977), 13. Brad Plunket (22.383).
1st heat: 1. Nutley, 2. Splant, 3. Danta, 4. Senerchia, 5. Lyp, 6. Middleton, 7. Hayes, 8. Gash.
2nd heat: 1. Fields, 2. Koprowski, 3. O'Leary, 4. Balser, 5. Plunket, 6. Offdenkamp.
25-lap feature: 1. Danta, 2. Nutley, 3. Splant, 4. Hayes, 5. Gash, 6. Senerchia, 7. Fields, 8. Koprowski, 9. Middleton, 10, Lyp, 11. O'Leary, 12. Balser, 13. Offdenkamp, 14. Plunket.
Turbo Stox
Qualifying: 1. Tony Meier (17.801), 2. Bill Serviss (17.939), 3. Scott Gardner (18.044), 4. Brian Kucaba (18.068), 5. Bobbie Jean Wall (18.071), 6. Eddie Ligue (18.107), 7. Ryan Moore (18.126), 8. Craig Coglianese (18.141), 9. Mark Ross Jr. (18.186), 10. Tony Neering (18.207), 11. Billy Jarrells (18.209), 12. Jerry Barnett (18.254), 13. Chris Woodall (18.263), 14. Jacob McKown (18.389), 15. Bobby Blood (18.468), 16. Pat O'Rourke (18.560), 17. Josh Easto (18.602), 18. Ed Hast (18.767), 19. Pat Ligue (18.870), 20. Kevin Czubak (18.925), 21. Crystal Sehr (19.663).
1st heat: 1. E. Ligue, 2. Neering, 3. Coglianese, 4. Serviss, 5. Ross, 6. Meier, 7. Gardner, 8. Kucaba, 9. Moore, 10. Wall.
2nd heat: 1. O'Rourke, 2. Blood, 3. Barnett, 4. Woodall, 5. Jarrells, 6. Czubak, 7. Easto, 8. McKown, 9. P. Ligue, 10. Hast, 11. Sehr.
Pure Stocks
1st heat: 1. Dan Witt. 2nd heat: 1. Steve Sabatino. 3rd heat: 1. Tim Cronin.
