Once again, Connor Jones took the checkered flag first but would be disqualified, handing Hunter Wright his third Pro Late Model World Series win of the week.
Jones would lead the last 38 laps and seemed to finally shake the bad luck he has had all week.
However, he couldn’t make it past the scales, and would fail tech for a left-side weight violation, by just one pound and one percent, with Wright winning in the same fashion he did on opening night.
Wright started the race from the outside pole alongside Isaac Kitzmiller, but took the lead on the opening lap. He would have an iron grip through the first half of the race, holding off Jones on three restarts.
With 38 laps remaining, Jones would slip past and take the checkers.
“We just got beat,” Wright said post-race before Jones was DQed. “I feel like I did all we could once we dropped the green flag, but we got beat during the day. Didn’t work hard enough freeing the car up, they could just turn on a dime, so they beat us rolling through the center a little, by a couple of miles an hour”
Jimmy Renfrew would also finish like he did on opening night, getting second place after the DQ.
He started the race in 13th and would steadily make his way through the field before pitting just before halfway to make adjustments.
“We were just too tight that last run,” Renfrew said. “We pitted and I had to come from the back again, was trying to hang on there at the end and just overworked the tires at that point. The 25 was a little better than me but had to move me to pass me, so I figured I’d beat him back to the line, send him to tech early.”
Spencer Davis set quick time in qualifying but would start in eighth after the redraw. Wright passed Kitzmiller on the outside on the start and Brody Monohan would take advantage of the outside line, pushing Kitzmiller back to third. By lap 28 Jones had made his way up to the runner-up spot and set his sights on the lead, but a caution would come out two laps later for a spinning Brody Wharff.
On the restart, Brody Monohan would tap the right side of Kitzmiller off of turn 2, sending him spinning towards the infield and bringing out the second caution. Wright and Jones would line up again for the restart, with Wright taking the lead and Jones lining into second.
Night 4 winner Max Reaves wrestled third away from Kitzmiller, only for Spencer Davis to pass both of them. The next yellow would come out two laps later from Jade Avedisian spinning off of.the door of Renfrew on lap 39.
All would hold steady on the restart. The race stayed green until lap 48 where Travis Stearns would spin from right-side contact with Larry Gelanis, collecting Brody Wharff.
Wright and Jones would break away on the ensuing restart, with Jones hounding Wright. Spencer Davis lost multiple positions on the restart and would ultimately pit, allowing Reaves to take third and Kitzmiller moving to fourth. With 48 laps left, Jones would start battling side by side with .
Conner would take over the lead on lap 62 and would proceed to open a gap until lap 66, where the 5th and final caution would come out from Kenneth Canales spinning out of turn two, collecting Raphael Lessard. With now 34 laps to go, Conner Jones would take the lead off the restart with Wright falling into second and Reaves slipping into third. Max Reaves would start to fall back as He would lose third to Jimmy Renfrew on lap 80, with Kitzmiller taking fourth from him three laps later.
PLM World Series Race 5
February 12 2025
New Smyrna Speedway
- #29w Hunter Wright
- #00R Jimmy Renfrew Jr.
- #25K Isaac Kitzmiller
- #18R Max Reaves
- #15B Luke Baldwin
- #08 Nicholas Naugle
- #51 Anthony Bello
- #47 Brody Monohan
- #18S Mike Sorzelli
- #24 Jade Avedisian
- #37 Larry Gelinas
- #4 Brody Whorff
- #5 Ryan Phipps
- #48 Raphael Lessard
- #83 William Roberge
- #54D TJ DeCaire
- #9J Jared Maupin
- #54C Kenneth Canales
- #153 Travis Stearns
- #11 Randy Sargent
- #0S Glenn Styres
- #96 Spencer Davis
- #42L Alex Labbe
- #29R Cole Robie
- #6 Brandon Lopez
- #44 Conner Jones
