Tag Archives: Luke Mowatt

September 11, 2021 · 10:21 pm

Rookie Nick Wilson wins second Bandits feature

Nick Wilson with his crew after winning tonight’s Bandits’ feature

(Oxford ME) If your race car isn’t working the way you want, the usual remedy is to upgrade something.

Tonight’s Bandits winner Nick Wilson chose to go in the opposite direction…..he downgraded and got himself a victory.

“The car was awful in the heat,” said Nick. “We didn’t know what to do about it. We took the new left tire off and replaced it with an old one. I didn’t think it would work, but it surprised us.”

In the twenty-lap feature, Nick took the lead from pole-sitter Jeremy Farrar in Lap Three and never let go.

This was Nick’s second win in his rookie season with the Bandits.

On July 25^th,Nick won for the first time.

In that first win Nick led the entire race surviving one restart.

Nick Wilson in front (53) protecting the bottom

In both races, Nick did a remarkable job protecting the bottom.

“Nick was good,” said runner-up Luke Mowatt post-race tonight.

“They probably were faster than me,” said Nick of his challengers who never were far away. “I was protecting the bottom. It’s hard to go on the outside.”

Luke Mowatt confirmed that point: “The track was hot and still pretty greasy. I wouldn’t have stood a chance out there.”

With passing opportunities minimalized, the race came down to seeing if the leader (Nick Wilson) would make a mistake. In today’s twenty-lap feature it didn’t happen. The order of finish (Nick, Luke, Alex Mowatt, Jeff Libby, Jeremy Farrar) was established early and stayed in place lap after lap.

Jeff Libby gets the lead late in the heat

The Bandits eight-lap heat was a different story. Jeff Libby skillfully worked his way past both Jeremy Farrar and Nick Wilson late in the race to win.

Luke Mowatt had a remarkable run over the past fourteen races. He finished either first or second. Luke led the Bandits with seven wins.

Alex Mowatt won the points race for the second straight year. Alex was in the top three in every race but two of them.

“It would have been a lot closer in points if Luke didn’t have a bad start to the season,” admitted Alex.

Luke had his car get wrecked in a heat in May and didn’t make that feature as a result. He got no points on that occasion.

“It would have been pretty close in points if I hadn’t missed that one feature,” said Luke.

Alex Mowatt finished third but still led the Bandits in points this season

“Overall, we had a really good year,” said Alex. “The highlight was winning on 250 weekend. I hadn’t done that before.”

It sounded to me after the race as if the Mowatt brothers won’t be as active in the Bandits Division next year.

“I’m not going to race a full season in the Bandits,” said Luke. “It gets to be a lot every weekend. Maybe I’ll try something else.”

“I’m not really sure what division I’ll race in,” added Alex. “I might take some time off.”

Both of the Mowatts work for Bancroft Contracting Corporation.

Nick Wilson (senior at Oxford Hills) was named the top rookie in the Bandits Division. “I’d say I had a pretty good rookie season,” he said. Nick had two firsts and two seconds in 2021.

Nick Wilson on his way to the checkered flag in the Bandits feature

Nick told me post-race that his #53 was his grandfather’s number.

Alex’s #11 and Luke’s #22 were numbers they said that they have always had. “It was on my go-kart,” said Alex.

Luke Mowatt tries the outside on the final lap

Nice weather (low 70’s) with sunshine. The 4PM start gave this photographer some daylight to shoot in. Always appreciated.

I have enjoyed watching the races and talking to the drivers. Thanks to the Mayberrys for letting me do it.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Jeremy Farrar started on the pole in the feature and faced plenty of pressure in the early going.

Amari Parker’s damaged car draws plenty of interest

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Tagged as Alex Mowatt, Jeff Libby, Jeremy Farrar, Luke Mowatt, Nick Wilson

August 28, 2021 · 5:17 pm

Alex Mowatt wins sixth Bandits feature

(Oxford ME) Talk about dominating a division.

The Mowatts (Alex and Luke) have certainly done that.

Alex Mowatt (11) chased by his brother Luke (22) in the Bandits feature

Alex took first in the 17^th Bandits feature tonight. It’s his sixth win.

Alex Mowatt with the Bandits feature trophy (photo from Mowatt Brothers site)

In the Bandits seventeen features this season, Alex and Luke have thirteen wins between them. Jeff Libby has two of the remaining four wins.

Jeremy Farrar and Luke Mowatt side by side in the staging area

September 11^th is the final Bandits race of the year. I am going to guess that older brother Alex will be highly motivated to collect a win and tie the win score with his younger brother in that one.

Tonight’s feature was quickly a dogfight between Nick Wilson (he has a win this year), who started on the pole, and Alex Mowatt.

A big difference tonight was the weather. It was much cooler than it has been. That meant that the upper levels of the track would be in play.

“The weather was good,” said Alex Mowatt afterwards. “It cooled down so that the outside groove was workable.”

For almost half of the twenty-lap feature, it was Nick Wilson holding the lead on the inside and Alex Mowatt holding his own on the outside.

Nick Wilson leads early in the race but Alex is coming up on the outside

Alex, however, was persistent and eventually got his #11 ahead of Nick’s #53 just before newcomer Erin Aiken caused a caution on Lap 11.

“I was working on Nick every lap,” said Alex, “and I managed to be ahead of him before the caution.”

On the restart, Alex had the pole position, and on this evening, he wasn’t giving the inside lead up.

Luke told me that he figured early that he wouldn’t be adding to his win total tonight.

“He (Alex) had me tonight,” he said. “I think that I could have had him early on but as the race went on it got harder and harder.”

Nick Wilson came down from the outside after the restart and tangled with Jeremy Farrar. That did in Nick as he ended up seventh. Jeremy, on the other hand, hung in there and ended up third. It was Jeremy’s best finish of the season.

With Nick Wilson moved back, it was Luke Mowatt’s turn to move up.

Another caution put the two Mowatts side-by-side on the restart with seven laps left. That setup had the makings of an exciting end to the race.

But Alex was off very quickly on the restart.

“I missed a shift on that last caution,” said Luke. “It set me back enough to stay out of it.”

Rather quickly there was a problem when Luke chose to leave the outside.

“I may have come down on Jeff (Libby),” recalled Luke. “I didn’t see him until it was a little too late. I gathered it up once I realized he was there, but it was too late. Once you get sideways it’s hard to come back out of it.”

Jeff Libby took the worst of it and finished sixth.

Luke went after his brother but never could get into the side-by-side position he had on the restart. Luke settled for second.

Remarkably, Luke has come in either first or second in each of the last thirteen Bandits features.

Yet Alex leads in the points standings. How is that possible? It all goes back to May 1^st.

“I got wrecked in the heat race (on May 1^st) so I didn’t get any points in that feature,” recalled Luke. “Without that I might be leading the division or be right near the lead.” Alex has not missed any of the seventeen features.

It was a cool night with lots of racing and restarts. The Bandits feature started 2 ½ hours after the racing began.

My two cents: If there’s a darker and more dangerous area than the OPS pits when the sun goes down, I’d like to know where it is. The race cars have no headlights, and the OPS lighting is VERY limited. Drivers come off the track in a hurry for repairs and they try to get back on the track fast. This is all being done in the limited light! Many folks are walking around in the pit area at the same time. Something bad waiting to happen?

Jeremy Farrar (1) and Nick Wilson (53) in the first heat

I wanted to interview Jeremy Farrar after the Bandits feature. Finding him was an adventure in the dark. The best I could find was his car!

Trying to take a picture of Alex Mowatt and his first-place trophy? Another darkness fiasco. (I have since added a picture from the Mowatt Brothers website. They, at least, had someone capable of taking a picture in a dark setting!)

Clearly, the Bandits division is down cars from last year. A year ago, in the OPS 250 weekend Bandits feature, twenty drivers finished. Luke Mowatt got his first win in that feature. Only ten drivers finished tonight’s race.

Missing this year, are drivers showing up week after week. In the Bandits division a three-week rolling average is used to place drivers in the feature. Regulars are placed in the front spots. The further back you finished in the previous weeks, the closer to the front you were placed in next week’s feature. Therefore, you could count on inexperienced, regular drivers being in front on starts and the points-leading type of drivers having to maneuver around them to get the top spots. Certainly added some suspense to the features! Now with few regulars, the points leaders are much closer to the front. Race outcomes are sorted out much earlier than last year.

Alex (11), Jeff (44), and Luke (22) in second heat

It was nice to have a crowd watching races at OPS on Friday night. I think/hope that the crowd will be one of the best they’ve ever had for Sunday’s OPS 250.

Nick (the announcer) was very good with the descriptions of what was happening on the track on Friday night. However, I’ll wild guess that he hasn’t been to OPS before. Why? He kept referring to Wednesday night racing at OPS. He also wondered out loud if the “Mow-ATTS” were brothers. When two guys win 13 of the 17 Bandits races, you would have that Mowatt family figured out if you’ve been on hand!

(All of the pictures will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

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Tagged as Alex Mowatt, Jeremy Farrar, Luke Mowatt, Nick Wilson, Oxford Plains Speedway

August 7, 2021 · 10:58 pm

Jeff Libby wins second Bandits feature

Luke Mowatt (22) and Jeff Libby (44) battled lap after lap

Jeff struggled for control in the last lap

(Oxford ME) Jeff Libby’s strategy was “not to look back.”

But he knew where Luke Mowatt was.

“I could see him going across my mirror,” said Jeff afterwards, “but I was just trying to focus on my line and not mess up.”

Jeff and Luke had at it for eighteen laps of the twenty-lap Bandits feature on Saturday night.

Jeff came away with his second win of the 2021 season at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Luke, who has been first or second in the last eleven races and won six races, did everything he could to get the lead.

Jeff started on the pole and Luke was quick to get out of the second row and in behind him.

Luke Mowatt has been first or second for eleven straight weeks

There Luke would stay the entire remaining laps of the twenty-lap Bandits feature.

“I was trying to get by him with everything I knew,” said Luke. “I knew that it would be tough to get under him. I was hoping he’d slip up, but he just never did.”

“The tires got hot quick,” added Luke. “It was hard to go on the outside. I couldn’t do much after the first lap.”

Jeff had a lot to do with it because every way Luke tried to go (to pass), Jeff positioned his car to prevent it.

“Jeff is good at holding his spot,” said Luke.

While that race was going on, another many-lap race went on between Nick Wilson and Alex Mowatt for third place.

Nick Wilson fought off Alex Mowatt for third place

Nick started in the second row and Alex in the third row.

Jeff Libby and Luke Mowatt quickly separated from the rest of the field.

That left Nick and Alex to have an eighteen-lap battle for third place.

Nick, like Jeff Libby ahead of him, held the third spot and never gave it up.

Lap after lap Nick and Alex were side-by-side but the positioning never changed.

“Alex was beside me the whole race,” said Nick afterwards. “It wore me out, but it was fun.”

On July 24^th, Nick held off both Mowatt brothers to get his first Bandits win.

Two separate battles made this a very interesting race to watch

This time Nick only had one of them to contend with. “We ran side-by-side and didn’t touch once,” said Nick.

Alex has won five times and only finished less than third twice in fifteen races. Tonight, was one of those times.

“I just held the inside line and kind of prayed,” said Nick. “I tried to race as clean as I could.”

Nice night for racing.

It seemed like a light crowd to me. Maybe folks are saving up for the 250 later this month.

Jeff Libby also won the Bandits heat tonight. “Tonight was our night,” he said.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Jeff Libby and daughter Karmann with the trophy

Jeff Libby takes the checkered flag in the Bandits heat

Luke Mowatt gets into second (behind Jeff Libby) early in the Bandits feature

Jeff Libby does a victory lap after his feature’s win

Repairs are made and Cody gets second in the Rookies feature

Nick Wilson (53) surrounded by Alex (11) and Luke (22) Mowatt in the Bandits heat

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July 31, 2021 · 11:29 pm

Alex Mowatt wins 5th feature

Alex Mowatt (11) uses the high side in the feature

The order of finish was established early in the feature.

(Oxford ME) He’s the Bandits points leader at Oxford Plains Speedway.

But it had been five weeks since his last win.

Tonight, Alex Mowatt added to his point total and ended his five-week non-winning streak.

“I’m leading in points,” said Alex afterwards, “My car is in one piece. I can’t complain.”

Luke Mowatt (Alex’s younger brother) took second and continued his run of quality races.

After starting the season fifth, seventh, and tenth, Luke had been either first (six times) or second (four times) for ten straight weeks! That’s consistency.

No question that both the Mowatts have fast cars and can keep up with each other. What they can’t do is pass each other. It’s not that they aren’t trying to do it!

In the lone Bandits heat and the 20-lap feature, Alex successfully used the same strategy. He went to the upper part of the track and was quickly past the front cars. Once in front he basically ran out the laps.

“I jumped right into the early lead,” said Alex. “I took my opportunity and didn’t look back.”

“He got to the front quick,” recalled Luke. “It took me about five laps to get into second.”

Once both Mowatts were in the top positions the outcome wasn’t hard to figure.

“The Mowatts are tough,” said 3^rd place finisher Jeff Libby. “They’re fast. I don’t know what to do with them. You’ve got to get to the front first and fight them.”

Luke tried to get by his brother, but it didn’t work. “I knew he wasn’t going to give me the bottom and I definitely couldn’t get by him on the outside.”

On the 12^th lap, Luke gave his brother a bump. “I just wanted him to know that I was there,” said Luke laughing. “I think he enjoyed the bump I gave him.”

Alex finishes first with Luke (22) second

Alex held onto the lead and won by several car lengths.

The Bandits spent a long time getting checked over after the race.

Two weeks ago, Jeff Libby was disqualified after a lengthy post-race checkout.

“They were trying to figure out some of our transmission codes tonight,” said Jeff. “Some didn’t match but it got figured out.”

I asked Jeff about the disqualification: “I was a little hot-headed when it happened. It was over something we didn’t know about. It had to do with the wheels. We thought they were all the same, but they weren’t. We were wrong. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.”

“Tonight, was a good race,” said Jeff. “We are a little bit off from where we should be, but we still managed to come home third. You can’t complain about that.”

Luke said that the track was “wicked” slippery. Jeff said, “The track lost a lot of grip with all the rain we’ve had.”

There was plenty of action in the Street Stock Division. I caught Shawn Knight (#25) spinning out in one of their heats.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

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Tagged as Alex Mowatt, Bandits Division, Jeff Libby, Luke Mowatt, Oxford Plains Speedway

July 25, 2021 · 12:24 am

Nick Wilson wins first Bandits feature

Nick Wilson wins his first Bandits feature

(Oxford ME) What a night!

Maybe it was the full moon.

Things happened.

Karson Hewins and Nick Wilson became first-time winners tonight.

Ten-year-old Karson led wire-to-wire in the Rookies Division and Nick used the same formula in the Bandits Division.

According to the announcer, Karson may have been the youngest driver to ever win a race at Oxford Plains Speedway.

If you’re going to win a Bandits feature you must be able to hold off the Mowatt brothers.

Jeff Libby did it on July 5^th. Brandon Caston did it on May 8^th. The other ten Bandits features? Won by either Luke Mowatt (6 times) or his brother Alex (4 times).

Tonight, it was young Nick Wilson’s turn to hold off the Mowatts.

Nick started in the pole position for the first time this season.

“I started up front and had a good car,” explained Nick afterwards.

The question was whether Nick could hold onto the top spot.

Very quickly the race had Nick in front with one of the Mowatts beside him and another behind him.

Nick Wilson chased by Alex Mowatt (11) and Luke Mowatt

“I was nervous the whole race seeing them there, but I knew that they’d run me clean,” said Nick.

A spinout away from the front in Lap Eight bunched up everyone including Nick, Luke, and Alex.

“I didn’t want to see that caution, but we got it done after that,” said Nick.

Nick did not give up his front position on the restart and held on to get his first win.

Nick Wilson maintained his lead after the restart

“I’ve had a couple of seconds,” said Nick, “it feels really good to finally win.”

Getting to the front early in crucial and Alex and Luke know it.

“Whoever gets to the front first is going to get the position,” explained Alex (3rd) afterwards. “Passing is hard. Our cars are even. I can’t pass him, and he can’t pass me.”

“Nick ran a good race,” said Luke (2nd). “It was a lot of fun.”

Luke won his first Bandits feature last August. I asked Alex how his brother has become a six-time winner this year.

“He has more experience. More seat time. He also has another car that is not as tired as the old one.”

Nice night for racing. The bad weather on Friday night pushed that night’s schedule into the regular Saturday night schedule. Talk about a long night!

But there were, “Do-you-remember-the-time?” moments on this evening. Four times vehicles flipped over, and red flags came out. Four times, not once!

In each instance, twice with trucks and twice with cruisers, the drivers got out of the vehicles without life-threatening injuries. One of the drivers, however, was taken away in an ambulance.

I tend to keep a camera “eye” on the OPS first turn early in races because often trouble shows up there. I got a pretty good look at the accident that Drew Hayward (Cruiser Division) got into.

(All of the pictures will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

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Tagged as Alex Mowatt, Karson Hewins, Luke Mowatt, Nick Wilson

August 28, 2020 · 10:23 pm

Mowatt and Mowatt dominate Week 9 in Bandits Division at Oxford Plains Speedway

Luke Mowatt (18) wins the Bandits feature for the first time

Alex Mowatt (current Bandits points leader) finished second

Jeff Libby gets an elusive win

(Oxford ME) Racing was back.

At least the way I remember it.

The pits were crowded, and race cars were in places unused until today.

The parking lot was transformed into a campground. Fires were burning and, I suspect, stories of previous races were being shared.

Races were won and for the first time since June 27^th you could hear the winner’s support system erupt in cheers.

But all this was tempered by a look across the infield to the grandstand.

There the policies of Governor Mills (D) were on display. In an area ready and willing to hold thousands, there were several hundred spectators.

Infield dust kicked up in the heat race

The Oxford 250 is scheduled for Sunday (August 30^th). In the past, the noise of the cars warrants some sort of hearing protection.

The crowds make plenty of noise too. But not this year.

The race will end, and the primary excitement will come from the driver and his close associates.

But I digress!

This is a story about last night’s Bandit’s racing.

It was exciting.

Let me tell you why.

Chris Foster (71) gets turned in the feature

There were folks in the pit grandstand, and they came to root for specific drivers.

There were more cars in the race than usual. I counted at least twenty. The more cars, the more action on the corners.

With eight divisions racing in the heats and a large delay while some 250 drivers got some practice, the start of the feature was delayed into darkness.

Without headlights and running under streetlights, the visibility was limited. Another direct link to action on the corners.

The cautions were frequent in the Bandits 20-lap event. Cars went into the infield. Others went off the track high-side.

The placement in the feature is based on a rolling three-week average. That puts those who show up every week, but haven’t been very successful, in the front. The successful regulars face the task of getting by a collection of less-successful drivers to get where they have been ending up. I actually like the concept because it makes every feature interesting.

But I continue to digress.

Luke Mowatt wins his heat

The surprises for the Bandits were already in place even BEFORE the race itself.

Jeff Libby got a pole start in the first heat and actually won. I know that he has never won a feature at OPS. I’m guessing that the winless thing might also extend to heats as well.

I have interviewed Jeff after several of his near-wins and he has never made an excuse. He sees me coming and he says, “One of these times….” Tonight was that time!

Jeff had points leader Alex Mowatt chasing him at the end but on this evening, Jeff held off the challenger and had, what has been, the elusive win.

The other heat winner was young Luke Mowatt. Last week, in a heat shocker, Luke held off his older brother for the victory. That impressed me at the time. However, in the feature that followed, Luke could only get 6^th.

But there was Luke again tonight winning a heat.

Chad Wills (52) and Jeff Libby (44) off the track in the feature

Tonight, however, was only Luke’s fourth feature race of the season, all in the last few weeks. I didn’t think he had the experience yet to be a feature contender.

“I didn’t have a car,” Luke told me afterwards as to why he hadn’t raced earlier in the season.

Tonight, Luke started on the pole in the feature and won the biggest race of his life.

“It was his time to win tonight,” explained his brother Alex post-race.

Luke had the sweet starting spot and a car that could handle the numerous restarts.

Meanwhile, Alex the points leader with three wins, started back in the pack thanks to the 3-week rolling average. That was indeed where the action was.

Luke leads Caleb Proctor and his brother Alex in the feature

In recent weeks Alex has avoided most trouble by staying away from the inside. Not tonight. With 20+ cars in play, Alex went off the track early along with Chad Wills and his new car.

“I got a nice dent that I’ll have to fix,” said Alex.

But Alex stayed in the race, as did Chad, and thanks to cautions moved back in contention.

Luke, meanwhile, escaped the fender benders.

“I knew about them, but they were all behind me,“ he said.

Before too many laps were gone, Alex had recovered from his earlier mishap and was in 2^nd challenging his younger sibling. Having seen Alex for eight weeks show the ability to engineer comebacks, I was quite certain I knew what would happen next.

The Mowatt brothers with Eric Parlin spinning behind them

But I was wrong.

Luke held his own.

A caution put them side by side near the end but that didn’t matter. On this night, Luke did not wilt. He rode to his first feature win in only his 8^th race.

I have four siblings and I know how competitive things can get among us, so I tried the “sibling rivalry” angle with the Mowatt brothers but they wouldn’t take the bait.

“You weren’t just letting your brother go, were you?” I asked.

“No, I was actually trying to catch him,” Alex laughed. “With all that went on I was fortunate to be there to get second.

“I’m happy for Luke,” said Alex.

Caleb Proctor ended third in the car that Chad Wills borrowed (for a win) on August 15^th.

Track dispute in the feature

Tempers reached an elevated status after one of the multi-car spinouts. OPS security made sure that things didn’t get worse in the pits.

The weather turned cool as the evening wore on.

One of the most dangerous places you’ll ever be in would be the pits at night. The cars, coming and going, have no lights and there are no overhead lights in the pits. It truly can be “look, listen, and run for your life” in that area!

All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.

I am on Twitter (McClellandPeter) and Instagram (McClelland Miscellanea).

Luke Mowatt, Alex Mowatt, Caleb Proctor, and Chris Foster in the last lap of the feature

Luke Mowatt in front followed by his brother in the feature

Cars in the infield in the feature

Spin off the back in the feature

Brady Heath (91) and Luke Mowatt (22x) in front on a restart

Travis Verrill in the infield in the feature

Brady Heath between races

Doug Churchill (07) spinning in first heat

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Tagged as Alex Mowatt, Caleb Proctor, Luke Mowatt, Oxford 250

August 10, 2019 · 11:28 pm

Caleb Proctor wins first Bandits feature at Oxford Plains Speedway

Chad Proctor won his first Bandits feature tonight

Chad Proctor on Victory Lane

(Oxford ME) You come back week after week and finally everything falls into place.

That’s what happened tonight for Caleb Proctor as he won his first feature at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Caleb started in the pole position and never let go of the lead.

“Starting at the front really helped,” said Caleb afterwards. “We started in the front and stayed there.”

The driver from Casco has been in all fourteen of the Bandits races this season. Prior to tonight his best finishes were third on June 29^th and fourth on May 25^th.

I asked Caleb if they had done anything different with the car this week: “Nothing different. We’re running on old tires. We’re about as low-budget as it gets.”

Jeff Libby – still chasing his first win

Jeff Libby, from Poland, took second.

“Sooner or later we’re going to get one,” said Jeff afterwards. “We’re getting close.”

Jeff finished second on July 27^th behind Travis Verrill.

Jeff stayed in second for most of the 20-lap feature after moving up from 5^th at the start.

“Caleb is a really good guy,” explained Jeff. “Running second to him? I’m not mad about it.”

I asked Jeff what it might take for him to win a race: “A little bit better starting position would help.”

I dubbed Dustin Salley, “Mr. Consistent,” last week. He continues to be just that. DSal’s lowest finish this season was 5^th on June 8^th. Tonight he ended up third but believe me he was pressing Caleb and Jeff over the last few laps. Dustin started near the back in the feature but skillfully worked his way into contention.

Travis Verrill and Bobby Doherty caused a caution early in the race. Travis didn’t return from the collision that resulted.