Wanat and Anderson Claim Titles in the 35th Annual Fall Classic
Spokane, WA – Doni Wanat took the lead from Kulwicki Driver Development Program finalist Haeden Plybon with 13 laps remaining in the 35th Annual “Fall Classic 125” at Tri-City Raceway” (WA). He pulled away to score the $10,000 victory Sunday afternoon in the season finale for the Northwest Super Late Model Series presented by Racing Dynamiks (NWSLMS). Kaiden Anderson was able to take home the series championship, when a lap 123 pass, earned him the series title over Haeden Plybon, in the closest championship finish in series history.
“Wanat exclaimed after finally seizing a Fall Classic victory, “Oh man, we work so hard.” “I feel like I was leading in two Fall Classics, and if we count last year, it would make it three, dating back to Yakima (Speedway). All of them seemed to slip away due to some strange racing luck. I’m thrilled to finally pull it off! No one can claim ‘well this happened or that happened.’ I made clean passes, navigated the entire field, and overtook everyone I needed to. Perhaps only Cristiani and Owen (Riddle) got into some trouble. But apart from those two, it wasn’t handed to me. And that’s great, considering I’ve had some taken from me.”
As the laps wound down, Sunday’s win was nearly snatched away from Wanat once again. The veteran racer started experiencing overheating issues in his Super Late Model.
“The moment I noticed the car overheating, I couldn’t believe it,” Wanat expressed with frustration. “Is this going to happen again? I radioed the team once I passed Tayler, with 29 laps remaining, warning them that the car was on the verge of blowing up. I wasn’t sure if it would hold up, so I began to go easy on the throttle. Despite turning into what appeared like a tractor, the car still handled well. Fortunately, everything worked out in the end, and I’m relieved about that.”
It was not an easy victory for Wanat, as he had to start 13th in the field of 33 Super Late Model racers, on the tricky ½-mile triangular track. Patience was a key for the eventual winner, as well as a little good fortune under the hood.
“I know that racing these races and starting where I did….., for some reason we didn’t fire off good in qualifying. I don’t know if it was because we went early or whatever it was. We didn’t fire off well in qualifying and we started 13th, so I knew I had to keep the fenders on the car, and just kind of bide my time and try to get closer to the front by the break, and then go to work after that. Once I got into second place right-a-way, the thing started to lose (power), the water temp was pinned, and it was starting to blow up. It held on, which I’m thankful for. I said a prayer almost every couple of laps and she held on, so it was pretty awesome”
The championship was another barn burner, with Haeden Plybon cutting Kaiden Anderson’s lead to six points, after earning the AFCO Racing / Longacre Racing Products Fast-Time Award, and five additional championship points. Plybon drew the number five with Trevor Cristiani pulling the number one card to start on the pole. Last year’s runner-up Scott Walker lined up alongside, with former winner’s Owen Riddle and Tayler Riddle making up row two. After Plybon, Blake Williams, defending winner Jason Frasier and three-time winner Naima Lang completed the redraw participants.
Cristiani took an early lead on the Troy Blanton green, with Plybon hot on his heels, overtaking Owen Riddle for the second spot on the seventh lap. The top four drivers managed to distance themselves from the rest of the field, with Blake Williams maneuvering past Walker for fourth place. As they approached Dave Garber, who was slowing down on lap 29, the leading group of drivers were in a tight formation. Riddle and Williams couldn’t avoid the decelerating Garber, which resulted in Riddle having to retire a few laps later due to nose damage while the race continued under green. At lap 40, a Competition Caution was issued. At this point, Cristiani was leading, followed by Plybon, Tayler Riddle, Jason Fraser, and Blake Williams, whose car had suffered damage.
The Pro Late Model event from the previous night continued after the restart. Plybon and Cristiani alternated leading positions in the following restarts, with Cristiani aiming to improve on his second-place finish from Saturday night. However, the contest only lasted until lap 65 when Cristiani stalled and was forced to retire to the pits. A chain reaction incident on lap 68 brought the field under caution, resulting in Jeff Hillock being towed to the pits, while Andy Beaman also had to pit due to damage.
The restart was marked by a Red flag as the field couldn’t clear Turn 1. Kasey Kleyn, who was fifth, and Fraser, in fourth place, collided, causing a pile-up involving multiple cars including those of Matt Doyle, Naima Lang, Glenn Knutsen, and Blake Williams. At this point, the scheduled mid-race break was initiated, with Plybon, Tayler Riddle, Wanat, Marshall Jr., and Frasier in the top five positions. This break proved beneficial for the eventual runner-up, who managed to maintain his position despite the collision.
Fraser explained, “During the break, we discovered that our right front tire was deflating, and it was a struggle to keep control of the car in the first half of the race. We were doing well, but then we got hit from behind. I was aware of the other driver’s presence and I thought I had given him enough space. We got hit, but I knew if we kept going without hitting anything else, we could regain our position. I did everything possible to keep the car moving and get the tires spinning as soon as I saw an opportunity. I was certain we could reclaim our spot. That was a significant part of the race for us. I trust my crew implicitly and knew they would provide me with a high-performing car for the second half. I was confident. Upon discovering the flat tire when we came in, it was another thing we wanted to fix. The crew indeed provided me with a great car for the second half of the race.”
After the break, Plybon regained his lead over Tayler Riddle while Fraser moved up to fourth place, overtaking Marshall. On the 96th lap, Wanat finally managed to overtake Riddle, who was the 2015 race winner now struggling with a deflating tire. Five laps later, Fraser followed suit as Riddle was forced to head to the pits on the 110th lap due to a flat tire. At this point, Wanat had managed to reduce Plybon’s lead from nearly two seconds, pressurizing the rookie for the top position. The seasoned racer took only two laps to clinch the lead, while Kaiden Anderson moved up to sixth from 26th, putting him in a joint lead for the championship. As the race progressed, Fraser narrowed the gap with struggling Plybon, dueling with him for about twelve laps before advancing to second place with only two laps left. This allowed Anderson to secure the championship as Wanat crossed the finish line, earning him a $10,000 prize.
Anderson’s victory was deeply emotional, as winning the series championship had been his goal since he was just nine years old.
“After the points were tallied, Anderson shared, “It’s quite emotional. I’ve dreamt about this since I was nine years old, so it’s quite significant. I can’t express my gratitude enough, it’s rather surreal. Our concentration was on maintaining our integrity, advancing to the front, and just doing what was necessary. As for the championship, we certainly want to win, but we need to finish first to secure that championship. Our primary objective was simply to finish and then see where we ended up.”
Starting far back in the field, Anderson had to weave his way forward, skillfully avoiding the incidents unfolding before him. This mirrored his season’s progress, where his consistency and a single race victory clinified his championship. The same level of patience was on display in the Fall Classic, where he overtook 20 teams.
Anderson described the race as long and hard-fought, starting right from the back. “A half-mile race with 125 laps is indeed a long one,” he said. “Our aim was to remain unscathed and gradually but surely make our way to the front, which is exactly what we accomplished.”
Plybon was the leader for most of the laps, set a Fast Time, and appeared to have the fastest car for a large part of the event. However, after the break, his car’s performance declined, causing him to fall to third place at the end.
Plybon speculated that his performance drop in the second half could have been due to a poor set of tires on the right side. “We didn’t modify anything during the halfway break. I was pushing the car to its limits and just trying to keep pace with the others. Sometimes, things just happen this way. I’m not sure,” he mused.
On Saturday, Plybon triumphed in the Pro Late Model event and secured the Tri-State Pro Late Model Series championship. He also set Fast Time in the NWSLMS race but narrowly missed the series championship by two points. Despite this setback, he chose to focus on the positive aspects of the weekend after the event.
Plybon reflected on his weekend, saying, “We had a great time, placing third is not bad, and luckily, none of the racecars were damaged.” He continued, “During the final 50 laps, the car became a bit too free, making it difficult to regain speed and navigate corners. Despite this challenge, it was still an enjoyable experience. I’m pleased that we managed to keep the car intact, maintain our third position, and successfully complete the last 25 to 30 laps even with the car’s issues.”
The reigning Fall Classic champion was also satisfied with his weekend, having not competed in a Super Late Model event since his victory. He encountered a competitive field on a challenging course, yet still managed to secure back-to-back top-two finishes.
Fraser expressed, “In this class of field, it feels really good and the track is set up well. However, this track tends to take a toll on some racecars. Racers can get impatient – it’s not really impatience, but each corner has us on edge. Sometimes, you have to remember to breathe, you’re holding on. It’s not that the guys are getting rough or impatient; mistakes just happen sometimes. We’re not professional drivers here. We’re all just doing our best. But at this track, mistakes can be costly. As for me, I’m really happy to have made it to the podium two years in a row.”
Glenn Knutsen came from 23rd starting to finish fourth and BJ Tidrick came from 16th to complete the top-five. Plybon was the only driver to qualify inside the top-10 to finish in the top-five. Anderson was sixth, after improving 20 positions and Spears Southwest Tour Series Rookie-of-the-Year leader Zach Telford was seventh. 2021 NWSLMS Rookie-of-the-Year Bryce Bezanson was eighth, with 2022 Hermiston Raceway Pro Late Model champion Nick Gibson ninth, and Ashton Cristiani 10th.
Anderson not only won the championship, but also took home the Rookie-of-the-Year title. The top three positions in the series championship standings were all claimed by rookie drivers, with Plybon and Nick Gibson rounding out the trio. Andy Beaman secured the fourth position in the championship, and the top-five was completed by Ken Bonney. Following a seven-race schedule in 2022, the NWSLMS is now on winter break. The focus is now on preparing the 2023 schedule.
Results are as follows: First place is Doni Wanat, followed by Jason Fraser in second and Haeden Plybon* in third. Glenn Knutson secured the fourth spot, while B.J. Tidrick came fifth. Kaiden Anderson* is in sixth place, with Zachary Telford in seventh. Eighth place goes to Bryce Bezanson, and Nick Gibson* is ninth. Tenth place is held by Ashton Cristiani*, with Ken Bonney in eleventh. Andy Beaman secured the twelfth spot, and Wyatt Gardner came thirteenth. John Newhouse is fourteenth, and Logan Jewell fifteenth. Sixteenth place goes to Dylan Caldwell, with Christopher Kalsch in seventeenth. Tayler Riddle is eighteenth, followed by Naima Lang in nineteenth. Randy Marshall Jr.* is twentieth, with Kasey Kleyn* in twenty-first. Blake Williams came twenty-second, followed by Matt Doyle in twenty-third and Dan Lowther in twenty-fourth. Jeff Hillock secured the twenty-fifth spot, with Trevor Cristiani in twenty-sixth. Tyler Brown* is in the twenty-seventh position, with Nick Gunderson in twenty-eighth. Dan Nelson* is twenty-ninth, followed by Owen Ridle in thirtieth. Scott Walker is thirty-first, Dave Garber is thirty-second, and Tim Babcock is the thirty-third.
*Rookie of the Year Contender
Press Release for the Northwest Super Late Model Series
