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DIRT CUP | Barnes claims Dirt Cup victory
June 22, 2008 - 01:54 AM
by Trevor Pyle

Jayme Barnes claimed the Dirt Cup title on Saturday night.
ALGER — The Dirt Cup is staying close to home.

Everett’s Jayme Barnes bested a tough field of competitors, including two-time Dirt Cup champion Jonathon Allard and former NASCAR Trucks driver Tyler Walker, to claim the A Main on the final day of Skagit Speedway’s signature event.

In an event often dominated by out-of-state drivers, Barnes’ win is the first for a Skagit regular since Bob Burrow’s victory in 1992.

He started in the front two with Walker, who was the winner of Friday’s night’s feature race, but darted past the NASCAR veteran with an especially nifty piece of driving in the 12th lap.

On that lap, Barnes darted between a pair of cars to claim the lead, which he never relinquished after several restarts.

Barnes was the Skagit Speedway’s 360 Rookie of the Year in 1996 with two feature wins.

Roger Crockett, Tim Kaeding, Travis Rutz and Brock Lemley rounded out the top five in the race. The race saw several of its leading drivers knocked to the back of the pack by crashes, including Walker, who eventually finished eighth; Allard, who was knocked on his side twice and eventually finished 13th; and Brent Kaeding, who eventually finished 10th.

Allard was gunning for his third Dirt Cup victory; Kaeding, a recent inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame was going for his fourth.

Tim Kaeding had one of the most impressive runs of the night, moving up from 16th into his eventual fourth-place finish.

Kyle Hirst, who finishes eventh in the A Main, was the winner of the B Main.

Walker had won the A Main Scramble to claim the pole in the A Main race.

• Trevor Pyle can be reached at 360-416-2156 or by e-mail at