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A New Three-Time King Is Crowned: 2021 King of the Hammers Recap

This year’s Hammers week was unlike any other. With social distancing, masks and testing, there was a lot more required for those who came to race and watch the action on the lakebed. However, that didn’t take anything away from what we saw on race day, with the drivers battling as hard as ever for the crown.

JP Gomez driving towards Hammertown

Last year, Josh Blyler, on his Nitto Trail Grapplers, became the first new King in seven years, taking advantage of the attrition in front of him to thread the needle to victory. Attrition took its toll again this year, but this time it was a former King who was able to work his way through the pack for the win. With now three-time King Randy Slawson coming in first, this year showed how there really isn’t any replacement for a veteran’s experience.

Whether you watched the race wire-to-wire or missed it this year, read along moment by moment to see how everything went down at this year’s OPTIMA Batteries King of the Hammers, presented by Lasernut.

7:55 The cars start their engines with the race about to start.

7:58 The cars are lined up at the starting line and ready to go.

Nitto Trail Grappler on Loren Healy's Bronco

8:00 JP Gomez and Jason Scherer are off the line to start the race! JP Gomez gets the better launch and goes through turn one first, heading out to the desert.

8:01 Brian Crofts and Cameron Steele race off the line and battle through the turns, with Brian taking the slight lead.

8:02 Brian Caprara and Wayland Campbell get going, with Wayland taking the edge out of Hammertown.

8:03 Cody Miller starts in his UTV, set to take on the bigger 4400 cars.

8:04 Josh Blyler and Bailey Cole get off the line. Can Blyler repeat?

Erik Miller driving his rig across the desert

8:05 Erik Miller starts his race. He’s finished on the podium for quite a few years now. Can he break through for his third win?

8:06 Vaughn Gittin Jr. takes off in his brand-new Bronco body. We’ll see how much it looks like a Bronco after the rocks.

8:08 Bailey Campbell’s car gets off the line, sans-Bailey. She’s expecting her first child soon, so she’s not racing, but has her car out there with her co-driver behind the wheel to pick up points.

Kevin Williams of Lite Brite driving his rig through the desert

8:12 Jason trails JP going through the desert. Kevin Williams and his wife Brittany leave the line for their first Hammers race. They only bought their rig a few months ago, so we’ll see if they can make it through the arduous course. If you came here because of them, welcome! And if you’ve fallen in love with the sport like we have, we have a ton more Ultra4 content for you.

8:13 Randy Slawson gets through Backdoor. Every driver needs to drive up it once this year, and he’s getting it out of the way early.

8:16 Jason Blanton gets off the line with his new wild livery.

8:17 Cars are already getting stuck on Backdoor, just few minutes into the race.

8:19 Wayland Campbell gets work done in Remote Pit 1 and heads back out.

8:22 The last few cars start their day as the race is now fully underway.

8:23 A whole bunch of drivers have now gotten stuck in Backdoor, with the lines totally clogged. This is why hitting Backdoor on your first lap is such a double-edged sword. You don’t have to do it from then on out, but there are so many cars there at once that it can be almost impossible.

Wayland Campbell driving his rig over a hill

8:24 Wayland Campbell makes his way into Crowbar, a little ways behind the leaders.

8:26 A car is stuck on its side on Backdoor with no oil pressure. No one is getting through for now.

8:28 Randy Slawson rolls into Remote Pit 1 after his problems on Backdoor.

8:29 Our leaders are a few minutes outside of Cougar Buttes.

JP Gomez's rig in the air going over a berm

8:30 JP Gomez is the first into Cougar Buttes, with Jason close behind.

8:33 Cameron Steele is right behind Jason in Cougar Buttes. The leaders have bunched up. Loren is running through Cougar Buttes, too.

8:35 Brian Caprara and Tom Wayes roll through Cougar Buttes. Wayes makes the pass and moves ahead.

8:37 Brian Crofts starts passing people back through Crowbar after needing to spend some time in Remote Pit 1.

8:38 Cody Miller goes through Cougar Buttes, showing how competitive a UTV can be.

8:47 Rusty Blyler is running through Cougar Buttes, a little ways behind fellow solid axle driver Erik Miller.

8:48 Shannon Campbell is only now making his way through Cougar Buttes, a little slower than would be expected. He drives past Eric Wicks, who is upside down.

Loren Healy driving fast through the desert

8:51 At the halfway point of lap 1, the top five are Jason Scherer, Cameron Steele, JP Gomez, Loren Healy and Brian Caprara.

8:55 Jordan Pellegrino races through the desert after finishing Cougar Buttes.

8:59 The Campbell pit confirms that both Wayland and Brian needed to pit, and they don’t know if Shannon has working comms.

9:04 With more cars now past the halfway point, the top four remains the same, but Greg Adler has moved into fifth.

9:06 Erik Miller drives through the desert right behind Kyle Chaney in his UTV.

9:13 The leaders are closing in on their second time through Remote Pit 1. Who will reach it first?

9:15 Jason Scherer is the first into Remote Pit 1. JP Gomez is a few seconds behind him, and Cameron Steele a few seconds behind him. The top three have broken away from the pack.

9:19 Jason Scherer really has the pedal down racing back through the desert to Hammertown. Loren Healy is the fourth one back through Remote Pit 1, but he’s a fair ways behind the leaders.

Bailey Cole driving his rig up over a berm

9:21 Bailey Cole is up to twelfth and has done Backdoor, which the other leaders have not. He’s in a great position for the rest of the race.

9:22 Tom Wayes is now up into fifth.

9:23 Raul Gomez heads through Remote Pit 1 for the second time, as the pack starts rolling through.

9:29 JP Gomez appears to be running a little faster through the desert, but Jason still has a lead of about a minute.

9:31 Vaughn Gittin Jr. pulls into his pit as he goes through Remote Pit 1 for the second time.

9:32 Jason Scherer pulls into Hammertown in first place and goes into his pit. His crew starts to pull off some body panels to work on some cooling issues.

9:33 JP Gomez pulls into his pit just 30 seconds later, with Cameron Steele right behind him.

9:34 JP Gomez refuels and gets out seconds in front of Jason Scherer.

9:35 Cameron Steele leaves the pits as JP gets ready for Backdoor.

The first lap this year turned into a three-car race. However, Backdoor strategy will absolutely play into the final outcome. Each of the top three drivers still needs to traverse it, which could allow for both Bailey Cole and Randy Slawson, who climbed it the first lap, to catch back up. When congested, Backdoor can be nearly impossible to climb, so our leaders will have to pick their moment when they think it will be as clear as possible. Will they make the right choice? Or have they already made the wrong one?

9:36 JP Gomez is trying to find a line up Backdoor. It’s totally dug out, so he gets out to winch.

9:37 Cameron Steele comes to Backdoor and looks to run a different line. It looks like Scherer has decided to wait until lap 3 to go through Backdoor. Will deciding to stretch out a lead right now help or hurt him? We’ll see.

Loren Healy driving down a hill towards Hammertown

9:38 Loren Healy is the fourth one into Hammertown and heads into his pit.

9:39 JP Gomez is up the big waterfall in Backdoor and away while Cameron is getting help winching up.

9:40 Cameron Steele is getting a second winch up a smaller ledge, putting himself more time behind Jason and JP.

Raul Gomez driving in between large rocks

9:41 Tom Wayes and Raul Gomez head into Hammertown, along with Wayland Campbell.

9:43 Jason Scherer is moving fast through the desert out to the rock trails, putting space between himself and JP.

9:45 Levi Shirley comes into Hammertown and heads to his pit.

9:46 Greg Adler comes into Hammertown, along with Cody Miller, who is the first UTV through lap 1.

9:47 Brian Caprara is out and winching up Backdoor. Scherer is already out at Spooners. He’s created some space on the field, but can he keep it?

9:50 Bailey Cole comes into Hammertown, done with Backdoor and ready to reel in the leaders.

Marcos Gomez driving through the dust

9:51 Marcos Gomez comes into Hammertown and gets some fuel.

9:52 Vaughn Gittin Jr. comes into Hammertown after getting work done in Remote Pit 1. Erik Miller is close to getting back into town.

9:53 Josh Blyler rolls into Hammertown, needing to make up some time to repeat as champion.

9:54 Cameron Steele is shown stopped on the tracker. Has he had some mechanical issues? Wayland is running fast and shown as ahead of Cameron.

9:55 Raul Gomez is also shown as stopped.

9:57 JP and Loren are both in Spooners behind Scherer. Vaughn is stuck in the bottom of Backdoor.

9:58 Cameron appears to have stopped to help another driver who has flipped, but it isn’t clear who that driver is.

10:00 After the leaders went through Hammertown, the top 10 were Jason Scherer, Cameron Steele, JP Gomez, Loren Healy, Greg Adler, Tom Wayes, Raul Gomez, Brian Caprara, Wayland Campbell and Levi Shirley.

10:01 Jason Scherer is in Outer Limits, still in physical first.

10:04 Wayland works his way through Spooners in physical third place.

10:05 It’s being reported that it was Tom Wayes who had rolled in the desert.

10:07 Levi Shirley leads Raul Gomez through Spooners where Wayland just was.

Loren Healy sitting outside of his rig in the rocks

10:10 Loren is stopped with the back of his Bronco body off.

10:13 Wayland passes Loren and it appears he is now in physical second place. Jason is now in Chocolate Thunder with the whole back of his Bronco body off.

10:15 Wayland is in Outer Limits, a ways behind Scherer for the lead.

10:16 Cameron Steele is running through Outer Limits. Where is JP Gomez?

10:18 Jason Scherer is into Bender Alley with quite a lead.

Erik Miller and Levi Shirley driving through the rocks

10:20 Erik Miller makes two quick passes in Spooners. If he wants to make it onto the podium, he’s going to keep up this pace.

10:22 Bailey Cole is into Outer Limits. He’s been making up time steadily through the race.

10:23 Both of Scherer’s rear tires are down! He’s still limping it through Bender Alley.

10:29 Jason has pulled over to replace one of the tires.

10:31 Cody Miller is making his way through Chocolate Thunder with Levi right behind him.

JP Gomez driving through the rocks

10:32 JP Gomez works through Outer Limits with Shannon Campbell. He’s lost quite a bit of time through the rocks.

10:33 Wayland is moving quickly through Bender Alley, but he has no idea that Scherer has stopped.

10:34 Jason is back underway, but he still only has three inflated tires. We’ll see how much time Wayland can continue to make up.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. driving through the rocks

10:37 Vaughn makes his way through Outer Limits. He’s the only Bronco driver with the back panels still on.

10:42 Cameron Steele has passed Wayland Campbell in the rocks to pull into physical second place!

10:43 Tom Wayes is officially out of the race after rolling his car.

10:44 Wayland and Cameron keep battling back and forth as they work through Jackhammer.

10:47 Erik Miller passes two UTVs in the rocks and is on a tear.

10:49 Cameron lets Wayland pass on a ridge after the rocks once Wayland gets right up to his bumper.

10:52 Scherer is running pretty fast. He’s doing really well for having a flat and still has quite a lead on Wayland.

10:55 Jason Scherer rolls into Remote Pit 2 and is ready to replace his tire and get a new spare, as well.

10:57 Shannon is out of his car in Bender Alley and is digging in his bag for tools. Something is broken.

Loren Healy working his way over some small, loose rocks

11:00 Loren and Vaughn are both working through Bender Alley. Something must have broken on Loren’s car for him to have needed to get out and lose that much time.

11:03 Wayland is now close behind Scherer as they go through the canyons after Remote Pit 2.

11:07 Raul Gomez is into Remote Pit 2, a few minutes behind the leaders.

11:08 Cody Miller is out of his UTV and working on it in Bender Alley.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. driving up a hill

11:09 Vaughn passes Greg Adler through Jackhammer, as he slowly claws back from some early issues.

It only took half a lap through the rocks for attrition to come into play with the leaders. With Jason Scherer blowing two tires and Loren and Shannon both needing to get out for repairs, no one is safe from the punishing Hammers trails. They weren’t even the first with serious issues this race, and they won’t be the last. Bad luck and broken parts haven’t even left these three yet. And remember, just because your car is still running, doesn’t mean that there won’t be repercussions from the damage down the literal road.

11:12 Cameron and Wayland are still battling it out behind Scherer.

11:19 Cameron has passed Wayland back. Since he’s already been through backdoor and the two other leaders haven’t, he may be in the best position to win.

11:24 Scherer is almost out of the mountains and back on the lakebed. It shouldn’t be long before he’s back into Hammertown.

11:26 Cameron Steele is finishing the mountains section, too and isn’t far behind Scherer.

Wayland Campbell driving fast through the desert

11:27 Wayland drops onto the lakebed right behind Cameron. Kevin and Brittany Williams work their way through the rocks. They’re doing really well considering that this is their first Hammers.

11:32 Our leaders are racing through the desert back to Hammertown. Raul Gomez is also closing in on the lakebed.

11:37 Josh Blyler rolls through Remote Pit 2.

11:44 Scherer is going slowly through Heartbreak Ridge and has pulled off to the side of the trail! He and his co-driver are getting out of the car. Something must have gone wrong so close to Hammertown. He might have run out of fuel!

11:45 Cameron Steele passes him for the lead!

11:50 Cameron Steele is the first one to come into Hammertown for a second time and comes in for fuel. Wayland appears to be stopped as well, so it looks like his race to lose.

11:54 Raul Gomez makes his way through Heartbreak Ridge and will be the second one to come into Hammertown. Jason Scherer’s co-driver starts running back to his pit to get some fuel.

11:55 It’s been confirmed that Wayland is out of gas, too.

11:58 Raul Gomez makes his way into Hammertown and his pit, eight minutes behind Cameron.

12:01 Cameron Steele is racing through the desert and putting some more distance between himself and Raul.

Bailey Cole driving up a hill

12:03 Bailey Cole runs through Heartbreak Ridge burning toward Hammertown, but he will need to stop in his pit for some repairs.

12:06 Raul Gomez has made it up the first part of Backdoor, but he’s sitting still at the top. Cameron’s gap continues to grow.

12:08 Bailey Cole is the third one to come back into Hammertown and heads into his pit.

12:10 Levi Shirley is fourth through Hammertown, and Bailey Cole heads back out.

12:11 Cameron Steele is beginning his second time through the rocks trails and is running into traffic.

12:14 Kyle Chaney is the fifth one into Hammertown in his UTV. Could a UTV make it on the podium in 4400?

12:15 Levi Shirley hits Backdoor as Josh Blyler, Loren Healy, Erik Miller and Randy Slawson near Hammertown.

JP Gomez climbing a small hill

12:17 JP Gomez is in his pit at Hammertown, having made up some time.

12:17 Levi Shirley is up Backdoor and will start trying to track down the leaders.

12:19 Kyle Chaney pulls a winch line on Backdoor as Levi pulls away and Vaughn runs through Heartbreak Ridge.

12:21 Loren Healy is winching up Backdoor.

12:23 The traffic is really backing up in the rocks. Anyone who wants to win will have a ton of other cars to contend with.

12:24 Erik Miller takes on Backdoor along with Loren. They’re racing to get their winch lines set up first!

12:26 Raul Gomez is hitting traffic in Spooners. He takes a tougher line and passes the car in front of him.

12:28 Through the first two laps of the race, the top 10 listed drivers are Cameron Steele, Raul Gomez, Bailey Cole, Levi Shirley, Kyle Chaney, Randy Slawson, Erik Miller, Josh Blyler, Loren Healy and Vaughn Gittin Jr. JP Gomez’s tracker appears to be broken, so we don’t know where exactly he is or what place he’s in.

Josh Blyler driving through the desert

12:31 Josh Blyler, Randy Slawson and Levi Shirley are all running with each other through the desert.

12:34 Jason Scherer’s co-driver is headed back to the car with fuel so that he can get back into Hammertown. It's not certain why he ran out of fuel, but he's stranded a few miles outside Hammertown.

12:39 Loren Healy is booking it through the desert, trying to make up time and end up on the podium.

12:40 Raul Gomez is moving through Outer Limits. Can he make up the distance to Cameron?

Wayland Campbell getting towed down a hill by another driver

12:45 Wayland is getting a tow back into town from another competitor. He won’t be in the mix for a podium, but at least he can get some fuel and finish the race.

12:47 Bailey Cole is having trouble working through Outer Limits.

12:48 Cameron is caught up in some traffic and has been blocked.

12:49 Bailey Cole’s co-driver is getting out of the car, likely needing to winch. Cameron is back moving again. It looks like the only one who may be able to track him down is Raul.

12:52 JP Gomez reaches Bailey Cole and waits for him to finish winching.

12:53 Jason Scherer is finally getting fuel back into his car.

12:54 As Cameron Steele fights lapped traffic, Raul Gomez drops into Chocolate Thunder.

12:55 Raul is trying a completely different line to get around the stopped lapped traffic.

1:01 Kyle Chaney is right in front of Loren Healy through Outer Limits. Healy makes the pass over a big boulder while the UTV flips on its side.

Bailey Cole kicking up dirt in loose rocks

1:07 Finally done winching, Bailey Cole drops into Chocolate Thunder.

1:11 Erik Miller passes Kyle Chaney in Outer Limits, who is still on his side.

1:14 Both Loren and Levi appear to have had issues and pulled into Remote Pit 2 early.

1:18 Cameron Steele is working his way through King's Graveyard, while Raul Gomez finishes up Sledgehammer.

1:22 Cameron’s co-driver is out of the car to help winch both the front and back of the car. It’s wedged in pretty well.

1:24 Another UTV has stopped to help Kyle Chaney get righted.

1:26 Cameron is getting further and further stuck in the loose dirt. His wheels keep digging deeper into the main race line.

Raul Gomez driving through the rocks

1:28 Raul Gomez is stuck in Sledgehammer, too. With JP Gomez, Randy Slawson and Bailey Cole charging fast, can one of them swoop in and steal the win?

1:30 Raul is winching and slowing working up the rocks, but Cameron is still a fair ways ahead. He needs to get going forward again if he wants to take advantage of how stuck Cameron is.

1:32 Vaughn and Loren are going down into Chocolate Thunder.

1:33 Raul snapped his winch line and he’s pulled off to let the other competitors go by! He’s gotten out of his car to help JP, the first one in line behind him.

1:34 Cameron Steele has broken something on his car, with JP Gomez currently physically in second.

1:37 Levi Shirley makes his way through Bender Alley as the field starts to get clogged behind the Gomez brothers.

1:38 JP Gomez has made it through where Raul’s line broke as Cameron begins to get himself unstuck. The race is off and away!

1:41 Even though he is unstuck, Cameron is still having trouble through Kings Graveyard.

Erik Miller and Vaughn Gittin Jr. driving through the rocks

1:42 Erik Miller tries to make it through Bender Alley, but he’s stuck behind traffic.

1:46 Cameron Steele is missing left front drive, and he’s having to winch again.

1:47 Randy Slawson is on his side as JP Gomez tries to work his way out of Sledgehammer. Bailey Cole is forced to wait his turn.

1:49 Levi Shirley is now to the back of Bailey Cole in line.

1:50 Bailey Cole is done waiting and is trying to find another line around Randy.

1:58 Jason Scherer is going through Outer Limits. Considering how many leading cars have issues and are clogged up, he’s not out of it yet. That’s why you always do everything you can to stay in the race.

2:00 Randy Slawson has passed JP Gomez and is the second one down into Kings Graveyard.

Bailey Cole and Loren Healy driving through the rocks

2:03 Erik Miller, Loren Healy and Vaughn Gittin Jr. are all up to the clogged spot in Sledgehammer.

2:04 Slawson is right up to Cameron and he’s looking for a way around him.

2:06 Cameron winches out of the way and Randy makes the pass for physical first place. It’s heartbreak again for Cameron Steele. This is now two years in a row he has had the lead on the back half of the final lap, only to have his car break down. It’s another disappointing finish for him, but he’ll be back next year.

With how clogged up Sledgehammer has become, whoever was able to muscle their way out of there first would have a massive advantage, and that driver was Slawson. It’s now become his race to lose, with most of the race behind him and only a few other drivers even close enough to sniff the lead.

2:08 JP Gomez has made it into Kings Graveyard. He’s going to need to be at his best if he wants to track down Randy in the rocks.

2:10 Sledgehammer is a total mess, with cars at least five deep stuck there waiting to get through.

JP Gomez driving over Cameron Steele's wheel in the rocks

2:12 JP Gomez runs into Cameron trying to get by! But he gets unhooked and keeps moving forward.

2:15 Randy Slawson has cleared Kings Graveyard and is in a great position to repeat as king. It’s also being reported that Cameron has lost all front wheel drive on his rig.

2:17 JP Gomez finishes Kings Graveyard. With JP starting on the pole and Randy in 29th, he has to both pass and put some time on him to win.

2:23 Wayland is stuck on course, and there may be quite a bit wrong with the car.

2:29 Bailey Cole finally makes it to Kings Graveyard. He’s pretty far off the pace for a win but is still in great position for a podium.

2:35 Bailey Cole is helping winch Cameron’s car out of the race line.

Bailey Cole driving by Cameron Steele's rig through the rocks

2:36 Bailey Cole is done winching Cameron and has passed him.

2:38 Randy is out of the last rock section and is getting close to the lakebed.

2:39 Raul Gomez finally got out of Sledgehammer is into Kings Graveyard.

2:40 Randy is onto the lakebed and racing towards the finish.

2:41 JP appears to be stopped. This could pave the way for Slawson to finish with ease.

2:42 JP is back moving again, but he’s still 15 minutes behind Slawson. It would take something big for him to make up that gap.

Josh Blyler getting out to winch through the rocks with Bailey Campbell and Jason Blanton behind him

2:43 Jason Scherer has reached the traffic jam in Sledgehammer, joining Loren Healy, Erik Miller, both Blylers, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and a few others.

2:45 Randy Slawson is all alone on the lakebed. He has clear air and no more tough sections to tackle.

2:50 Loren is the next driver to break out of Sledgehammer and has made it to Kings Graveyard.

2:52 JP Gomez is on the lakebed, but he can’t even see Jason’s dust. There’s a lot of time to make up.

2:59 Both Bailey Cole and Raul Gomez are nearing the lakebed and are fighting for third place.

3:01 Erik Miller has also cleared Sledgehammer, and Vaughn is nearly out. Kevin and Brittany of Lite Brite are making their way through the rocks for a second time. They’re doing really well and look poised to finish in their first year.

3:04 Randy Slawson is over Heartbreak Ridge and only a few minutes outside of Hammertown.

Randy Slawson crossing the finish line

3:08 Randy Slawson rolls into Hammertown and becomes the third three-time King in history.

JP Gomez crossing the finish line

3:10 JP Gomez crosses the line second only a few minutes behind Slawson.

3:11 “I wanted to bring it home. I’m really stoked to be able to do that this year,” said Slawson.

3:16 “Finally up on the podium,” JP said. “I got the lucky job to go out and thrash with this for five hours a day. We’ll be back for next year.”

3:23 Randy Slawson is officially crowed King of the Hammers and given a brand new Ford Bronco.

3:27 Raul Gomez is speeding through the desert and looks set up to finish in third, right behind his brother.

3:34 JP Gomez is waiting for his brother to finish so that they both can go up onstage at the same time.

Raul Gomez crossing the finish line

3:38 Raul Gomez comes into Hammertown and crosses the line third, right behind his brother JP.

3:39 “Pretty bummed out. I blew it in Sledgehammer,” said Raul after coming into Hammertown.

3:45 “Trying not to go 100 mph everywhere. That was the hardest part. It’s a mental game, honestly,” said JP.

3:48 “I said, alright, third lap, let’s turn it on, but then I hit traffic. I broke my winch line like three times, so I pulled off to work on it,” said Raul about his day.

3:55 Cameron Steele is helping Shannon Campbell as Campbell makes his way through Kings Graveyard.

3:56 Vaughn Gittin Jr. hits the lakebed and is in position for a top five finish.

4:04 The traffic jam in Sledgehammer is finally clear and most of that group is either working through Kings Graveyard or has moved on ahead even further.

Bailey Cole crossing the finish line

4:10 Bailey Cole flies into Hammertown as the fourth driver across the line. He’s now finished in fourth place two years in a row.

4:11 “Lap three was as hard as everybody said it was. Everything was going fine until Sledge, and man, it kicked our butts,” Bailey said.

4:16 Vaughn should be the next driver into Hammertown, but Jason Scherer is on the lakebed behind him, having made up a ton of time and positions after running out of fuel. Behind him is Erik Miller.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. driving across the finish line

4:23 Vaughn Gittin Jr. pulls his Bronco into Hammertown to cross the line fifth.

4:28 “Man, I’m feeling amazing. This is one of those races, it’s a battle. We had a really clean race. I learned a lot from last year,” Vaughn said. “Big shoutout to the Fun-Haver team. They’ve taken Brocky to a whole other level.”

4:30 Rusty Blyler crosses the line sixth.

4:37 Erik Miller crosses the line seventh.

4:42 Levi Shirley crosses the line eighth.

4:43 “Didn’t have a flat all day. How you can do that to a tire and keep racing, I have no idea. But it works,” Rusty said. “It’s a great tire. I feel bad that guys that don’t have them, though.”

4:45 Jason Scherer crosses the line ninth, a great finish considering how much time he spent trying to get fuel at the end of lap two.

4:54 Loren Healy crosses the line tenth.

4:57 Jason Blanton crosses the line eleventh. Kyle Chaney also crosses the line twelfth, and Bailey Campbell’s car, driven by Ryan Miller, crosses the line thirteenth.

Shannon Campbell in his rig with his helmet off

5:05 Shannon Campbell crosses the line fourteenth.

5:12 Hunter Miller crosses the line fifteenth.

5:16 The two UTVs come up onto the stage together. They worked together all day, including flipping each other over, and conquered the insanely tough course designed for cars way bigger and more powerful.

5:25 Loren is onstage talking about how he killed four driveshafts. He was only able to finish because Levi gave him a fifth one out on the course.

5:30 Josh Blyler, last year’s king, crosses the line sixteenth as the sun sets on Hammertown.

As the sun went down, there were still quite a few drivers out there battling to finish the race. All told, 37 drivers crossed the line for an official finish, which is quite the accomplishment. Looking back on this year’s race, attrition once again was a major factor. Randy Slawson was not only able to avoid any problems himself, but when others had issues, like what happened in Sledgehammer, he was the one who was able to extricate himself from the mess and take the lead.

Luck doesn’t matter much if you can’t take advantage of it, and he absolutely took advantage. It’s races like this that make us love the sport so much, and we’re already excited to be back next year.

4400 Class Results

POS CAR # DRIVER QUAL # LAPS/TIME BEHIND
1 4448  RANDY SLAWSON 29 3/7:1:17.378 ---
2 82  JP GOMEZ 1 3/7:10:18.268 09:00.9
3 83  RAUL GOMEZ 9 3/7:35:34.018 34:16.6
4 13  BAILEY COLE 18 3/8:5:29.389 04:12.0
5 25  VAUGHN GITTIN JR 23 3/8:16:53.935 15:36.5
6 46  RUSTY BLYLER 40 3/8:19:42.700 18:25.3
7 21  ERIK MILLER 20 3/8:29:44.888 28:27.5
8 81  LEVI SHIRLEY 12 3/8:38:39.275 37:21.9
9 966  JASON BLANTON 61 3/8:40:01.986 38:44.6
10 35  BAILEY CAMPBELL 33 3/8:41:46.588 40:29.2
11 76  JASON SCHERER 2 3/8:44:16.386 42:59.0
12 191  KYLE CHANEY 21 3/8:48:45.959 47:28.6
13 190  HUNTER MILLER 16 3/8:49:27.320 48:09.9
14 67  LOREN HEALY 7 3/8:51:14.677 49:57.3
15 5  SHANNON CAMPBELL 13 3/9:1:16.178 59:58.8
16 41  JOSH BLYLER 17 3/9:25:43.198 24:25.8
17 27  JON CAGLIERO 30 3/9:29:24.202 28:06.8
18 210  GREG ADLER 31 3/9:36:32.745 35:15.4
19 54  RON PRINDLE 22 3/9:51:38.029 50:20.7
20 4  CHIP MACLAUGHLIN 28 3/9:58:35.001 57:17.6
21 906  TAD DOWKER 38 3/10:14:30.849 13:13.5
22 221  CODY MILLER 11 3/10:31:21.756 30:04.4
23 98  JORDAN PELLEGRINO 14 3/10:39:17.090 37:59.7
24 999  KEVIN WILLIAMS 47 3/11:4:57.166 03:39.8
25 53  JEFF WAGGONER 25 3/11:41:28.856 40:11.5
26 4215  ERIC MIRAMON 44 3/12:7:49.182 06:31.8
27 4468  JOHN WEBB 46 3/12:11:17.247 09:59.9
28 308  JAMES MAHONEY 79 3/12:16:27.056 15:09.7
29 72  HUNTER SPARROW 59 3/12:20:31.410 19:14.0
30 1982  TOM GILPIN 57 3/12:27:56.215 26:38.8
31 4434  KEVIN YODER 50 3/12:28:18.769 27:01.4
32 59  ERIC WICKS 42 3/12:48:56.203 47:38.8
33 4472  DUSTIN ISENHOUR 58 3/12:52:02.764 50:45.4
34 792  KRIS WICKS 64 3/12:57:47.767 56:30.4
35 49  MATT BURKETT 60 3/13:1:11.501 59:54.1
36 24  ZANDY WILEMS 45 3/13:9:56.052 08:38.7
37 97  JEREMY HAMMER 75 3/14:47:04.371 45:47.0
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