Evan Goetz Cashes In on $26,000 Payday At Wenatchee 200

Evan Goetz picked up arguably the biggest win of his young career on Saturday night, winning the Wenatchee 200 presented by Plumb Perfect at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval.

The 16-year-old Kulwicki Driver Development Program finalist took the lead following the race's halfway break and fended off the likes of Bubba Pollard and Haeden Plybon to secure a $26,000 payday.

The halfway break proved to be crucial for Goetz, as adjustments from his team gave him the car he needed to jump out front.

“That first 100 laps, I was really loose in," said Goetz in victory lane. "I couldn’t really get to the center. Whatever they did in the pits, they wouldn’t tell me, but it’s a rocketship right now.”

From there, Goetz did a masterful job of maintaining his advantage without using too much of his car and tires. Ultimately, he crossed the line 1.5 seconds ahead of Plybon for the victory.

“I was just trying to match their times with the guy behind me," said Goetz. "For some reason, I can do that. I’m not really sure why. My spotter tells me what their time is, and I try to match it. If they pick it up, I pick it up, too.”

Along with the $25,000 first place prize, Goetz earned a $1,000 "Bubba Bounty" offered by Speedway Promotions, LLC. Drivers who have won at Wenatchee Valley in Super Late Model or Pro Late Model competition were eligible for the bounty if they could beat Pollard and the rest of the stout field of cars in the Wenatchee 200.

Plybon could have also pocketed the $1,000 bounty if he had gained one more spot in the final running order. The defending Northwest Super Late Model Series champion rebounded from an early spin to finish second.

Plybon said he probably needed a late caution to truly challenge Goetz for the win.

“I messed up in that first half," said Plybon. "I got in a little deep and locked them up, trying not to get into Kole [Raz]. We had a fast car. I think if we had another caution, it would have been fun to race Evan. We’ll take notes off this and be better next year.”

Pollard, piloting a No. 26 from the Evans Racing Enterprises stable, rounded out the podium after a fierce battle with Alan Cress over the final laps. The Georgia driver led laps during the first half, but lost the handling on his car over the course of the second half.

“We were good there at the beginning of the race," said Pollard. "We were right where we needed to be. We just made our way to the front there.

I don’t know, we just got tight the last set of tires. I just can’t thank all these guys enough, Garrett and all his guys that work on this crew. It made us feel like home this weekend. I can’t thank those guys enough for giving me a good race car and having fun."

Ultimately, Pollard still had a big smile on his face after his first-ever trip to the Wenatchee Valley Super Oval.

“That’s what it’s about. These fans, it’s good to go somewhere and race up front where the fans get excited about coming to the race track and seeing their local guy win. That’s what it’s all about.”

Cress finished fourth, with Jason O'Neil rounding out the top five.

The race was red flagged on lap 129 for a scary incident involving Kole Raz and Dave Garber. The two cars made contact along the frontstretch, with Garber's right-side tires climbing the outside wall and flipping him onto his roof. Fortunately, both drivers climbed out under their own power and walked away from the incident.

Raz won last year's Wenatchee 200, and led nearly 20 laps during the first half of the race.

-Photo credit: Shari Garber

WENATCHEE 200 PRESENTED BY PLUMB PERFECT UNOFFICIAL RESULTS