Hunter Marriott hustles to win at Hogan Memorial

VINTON — Hunter Marriott didn't make Sunday night easy on himself.

The Brookfield, Mo. driver, who races out of West Union in the summers, came to the Hogan Memorial at Benton County Speedway like he does all the other big money shows in the Midwest: confident he'd have a fast car.

The only issue Sunday, he said, was not having a fast enough car early enough in the night. It's unusual for Marriott to have to qualify for main events through a B-main, last chance qualifier, but that's where he found himself.

In the end, it didn't matter. He just had to work for it.

Marriott started 15th in the IMCA Modified main event, but finished it nearly a straightaway in front of the field — taking $3,433 and the victory home with him.

'I never count myself out,' Marriott said. 'As a driver, you always have to think you've got a shot at it. You just can't ever give up.

'We did it to ourself (early). Our car wasn't good enough. You've just got to keep your head up and keep digging.'

Marriott — known as 'The Hustler' by his fans — got the win ahead of Tyler Droste, defending winner Richie Gustin, Joel Rust and Cayden Carter.

Like Marriott, Droste and Carter had to transfer through a B-main as well, so he was in similar company up front at the end. Marriott said there was no real plan of attack for where to put the car or what line to run necessarily because there are too many factors at work. Drivers who make a plan of attack often see it tossed out the window in a hurry.

Marriott took the lead with just more than 20 laps to go, but had to work a tall cushion in Turns 3 and 4 that required drivers to throw the car in hard and on the throttle — which means a razor thin margin for error.

When asked what his car was doing, Marriott laughed and said 'it did everything,' as he stood next to a car with a right side that was crumpled up from jumping the cushion multiple times.

'You cannot plan for the unexpected,' Marriott said. 'You've just got to do the best you can with what you see. You've got to take your chances when you see them. That's what we did.

'With 10 to go, I just said to myself, 'Hold on, hit your marks,' and I pretended it was just a heat race. I just had to stay up on the wheel.'

Droste finished second again, which has been something of a theme of his summer — finishing as the runner up in high-profile events. While he got a Hawkeye Dirt Tour win last week at Hancock County Speedway in Britt, he still had that half-grin Sunday night, frustrated in a good way over coming so close.

He led briefly off the restart from the halfway break, getting around Corey Dripps — who led all 25 laps of the first half — but by his own admission wasn't consistent enough behind the wheel to keep the lead or chase Marriott back down later.

Droste echoed what Marriott said about working the cushion, and said while he thought he might've had a slightly better car, Marriott earned the win with how consistent he was.

'He was fast; he's always fast and any time I can run consistent with him or even be a little faster, it makes you feel good because he races more than most of us would even think of,' Droste said. 'We'll keep going. If you keep getting top 2 finishes, the wins have to come. We got by Corey for the lead and I tried to slow myself down to not make mistakes, but it was so tight, I had to keep it wide open — especially once Hunter got under me.

'He was more consistent, so he deserved it more.'

For anyone who's followed Marriott's career, it might be hard to believe he ever lacks confidence or needs a boost of it.

But after the race, that's exactly what Marriott said this win does for him. He's consistently in the top five or top three at these kinds of races, but there's obviously nothing like a win to validate the work that goes in.

With a trip to the Dakota Mod Tour next on the docket, Marriott probably wanted the shot of confidence worse than he really needed it. Having to work for it like he did Sunday night added just that much more.

'It just lets you breathe again,' Marriott said. 'You can't be afraid to get up on the wheel and get after it. We've been fast lately and we're keeping the confidence rolling with that. You've got to have (confidence). If you get down even a little bit, you're going to be running fourth and trying to scratch your head about what to do. Sometimes it's what you've got inside you (that allows) you to keep your head up.'

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