MANSFIELD — It couldn’t have been scripted any better.
Mansfield native Kyle Moore took the lead on the 25th lap and held off pole sitter Rusty Schlenk to win the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series 30-lap main event during Friday’s Comeback Classic at Mansfield Speedway.
Schlenk led most of the race but a late bobble opened the door for Moore, who started 12th in the 22-car field. Moore’s winning margin was 0.394 of a second, good for a $5,000 payday.
“I just kept picking them off one at a time and I looked up and I was in second,” an ecstatic Moore said on pit row. “I thought, ‘this is about to happen.’
“Rusty was probably a little better than me but … I capitalized on his mistake or whatever happened there.”
The win was Moore’s first of the season and third ever on the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series. He won a street stock race at Mansfield Speedway in 2017.
“It’s wild. I can’t believe the track is back,” Moore said. “It’s only going to get better.”
Track owner Matt Tifft was ecstatic for Moore.
“A Mansfield boy getting it done. It’s pretty cool,” Tifft said. “First race back. How about that?”
There were about 70 cars entered across the three classes. In addition to the late models, sprint cars ad modifieds were also in action Friday.
The evening included a fireworks show, too.
“We know across the dirt-racing world, tonight the eyes are upon us,” Tifft said. “Just keep in mind that this is Night One.
“I’m so proud of the effort that our team has put into this.”
