Brent Marks Is Top Dog In Texas High Limit Run

Brent Marks (center) and his crew in victory lane Thursday at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. (High Limit Racing photo)

FORT WORTH, Texas – Brent Marks has found a second home at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, and he reinforced that feeling Thursday night during the Stockyard Stampede opener.

The Myerstown, Pa., native earned his third win in five tries at the Fort Worth dirt track, as well as his second straight Kubota High Limit Racing triumph at the four-tenths-mile dirt oval. He previously pocketed a $50,000 check from last year’s All-In Championship Weekend.

Starting from the pole, Marks controlled all 25 laps Thursday, but had his hands full dealing with several early-race restarts, one close call with Brad Sweet, and a load of lap traffic in the closing stages.

The win gave the Murray-Marks Motorsports No. 19 team their first High Limit victory the season and marked their fourth career trip High Limit feature win overall.

“I felt coming in that our program is good here, so I was confident we’d come into the night with speed and we did that,” said Marks in victory lane. “The Murray-Marks Motorsports guys have all done such a great job. We showcased awesome teamwork and communication tonight.

“The track just seemed like it kept getting wetter, and my main focus was getting through lap traffic, because that was where the race was going to be won or lost,” Marks continued. “If you weren’t free enough to maneuver, the guy behind you would just pounce on you. I think we did a great job getting this car where it needed to be to get through that traffic and not put myself in a vulnerable spot.

“Just so thankful to get this win. It’s one that we needed as a team and one that I needed personally. I’m definitely falling in love with this place.”

Chasing Marks for the entirety of the race and coming close to overtaking him on a lap-nine restart was Brad Sweet, who finished second by 1.420 seconds at the line.

It was the sixth podium in seven High Limit races for the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 team, which brought a new-look gold design to Texas celebrating NAPA Auto Parts’ centennial anniversary.

Completing the podium was Sunnyvale, Texas, native Sam Hafertepe Jr. with a stellar performance in his home state.

A third-place finish for the Hill's Racing No. 15H puts them alongside Kyle Larson and the Silva Motorsports No. 57 as the only non-full-time teams to podium with both Kubota High Limit Racing and the World of Outlaws this season.

Another Texan in Chase Randall picked up a season-best finish of fourth, while Tyler Courtney crossed the finish line fifth aboard the Clauson-Marshall Racing No. 7BC.

Kasey Kahne, Landon Crawley, Rico Abreu, Larson, and Tanner Thorson closed out the top 10.

Along with Larson, fellow NASCAR Cup Series stars Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell also made Thursday night’s Stockyard Stampede main event. Gibbs finished 18th, two laps down, while Bell was credited with 21st after a mechanical issued sidelined him eight laps into the feature.

Kubota High Limit Racing closes out the two-night Stockyard Stampede at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track Saturday night, May 3 with another complete program.

The finish:

Kubota A Feature (25 laps): 1. 19-Brent Marks [1]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [4]; 4. 9R-Chase Randall [8]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [3]; 6. 9-Kasey Kahne [6]; 7. 45X-Landon Crawley [18]; 8. 24-Rico Abreu [9]; 9. 57-Kyle Larson [13]; 10. 88-Tanner Thorson [22]; 11. 87-Aaron Reutzel [19]; 12. 13-Daison Pursley [16]; 13. 14-Spencer Bayston [17]; 14. 42-Sye Lynch [11]; 15. 5-Brenham Crouch [23]; 16. J2-John Carney II [21]; 17. 4-Austin Mundie [15]; 18. 84-Ty Gibbs [10]; 19. 88W-Austin McCarl [12]; 20. 22M-Rees Moran [20]; 21. 69K-Christopher Bell [5]; 22. 36-Jason Martin [24]; 23. 24D-Danny Sams III [7]; 24. 26-Justin Peck [14].

Lap Leader(s): Brent Marks 1-25

Hard Charger: 88-Tanner Thorson (+12)