Corey Hutchings Gets Early Street Stock Title At Waterford; Phil Evans Wins Dramatic Battle For Victory

WATERFORD – Corey Hutchings had a VIP seat on the way to a championship Saturday night at the Waterford Speedbowl.

Corey Hutchings

Hutchings rode in third for the final seven laps, in front of him watching an ultra dramatic battle for victory between Phil Evans and Joe Arena.

Third place was plenty enough needed for Hutching to clinch his second career Street Stock championship at Waterford.

Hutchings came into the night leading Josh Galvin by 40 points in the standings and Al Stone III by 61 points. Galvin and Stone both had issues during the Galvin finished 19th and Stone was 11th. With one event remaining for the division after this week, Hutchings needed to end the night with more than a 55-point lead in the division. He finished the night with a 72 point lead advantage over Galvin and 77 points up on Stone.

“I was hoping to get out of here tonight with the point lead and clinch it all,” Hutchings said. “It makes for a nice week, no pressure on us now [for the Finale].”

It marks the fourth Speedbowl championship for Hutchings, who won his first Street Stock title in 1998. He also won Late Model titles in 2003 and 2004.

In front of him Hutchings saw a full contact battle that saw Evans, of Uncasville, edge Joe Arena of Bristol for the victory in the 25-lap feature.

Evans went by Arena for the lead on the outside with seven laps remaining, but Arena stayed strong fighting for the victory.

The two came to the white flag side-by-side in a seeming dead heat at the front of the field.

“I just threw it in there hard and hope it stuck,” Evans said. “Joe ran me good. He got me a few times, I was expecting that. But I wasn’t expecting to come off turn four with the lead. … I was going into turn [three] expecting to end up third. I was pinching him down quite a bit, but he ran me clean. Joe is a classy guy to race against.”

Said Arena: “Me and Phil pretty much used each other up. We’re real good friends and it was a blast. He really worked at it. … I used him up and he stuck his foot in it and he deserved it.”