Dallas Chandler picks up third win of the season at Hawkeye Downs

CEDAR RAPIDS — Dallas Chandler had built up a massive lead Friday night in the Miller Time Hornets series race at Hawkeye Downs.

Chandler, who was sitting in second place in the points standings with two wins, suddenly looked up and saw a flashing yellow light. With just two laps to go, and a win all but sealed up, the caution flag was thrown.

He'd have to restart. And with Derek Parrott and Lucas Foster right on his tail, Chandler knew it would be tough.

'You always get that sinking feeling in your gut when you see that and you know you had a decent lead out there,' Chandler said. 'I just knew that the car had been running good, knew I had to hit my marks and knew I had to hold on the last three laps.'

Yet the restart turned out not to be an issue. Chandler won the series, earning his third win of the season and putting him in a good position heading into the final three weeks of the season.

'I knew I would have to hit those last three laps perfect to hold off Derek and Lucas,' Chandler said. 'It's nice to be back in Victory Lane. I think I closed the gap up on the points. I'm going to try to go hard these next three weeks.

Yet for Parrott and the rest of the field, the restart came at a good time. Parrott led the standings by just five points going into Friday's race, and doesn't want his lead to slip at a critical point in the season.

And, after getting edged out by Chandler a few weeks prior, Parrott knew he had a chance to return and get the win. He just wasn't quick enough.

'We got the caution when we needed it I guess, but couldn't capitalize on the restart,' Parrott said. 'Dallas is really good on the restarts, and it takes me a couple laps to get going. It was a good race, and all four tires have air, so it was a good night.'

There are two more weeks of regular-season races at Hawkeye Downs before championship night on August 18. And in the Hornets series, they now have a tight race at the top. Parrott, Chandler and Drew Nickell now have three wins each, and sat within six or fewer points of each other heading into Friday's race. Foster wasn't far behind either, sitting just two points back of Nickell.

And while Chandler may have closed the gap slightly between him and Parrott with the win, anything can happen over the next three weeks. Yet he isn't flustered. He's been in this situation before, and he's ready.

'I feel good about it,' Chandler said. 'I've been in this situation before. I've won three championships. I feel confident that if we can stick around we can make sure we can get another championship or get second. I can live with that I guess'

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