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PHIL NICOLETTI
250 SX / SD
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / ECKERT DESIGN / WILSON
>> With round two officially underway and Military Appreciation night in full effect, Filthy Phil jumped out to a great start in Heat Two, grab- bing 3rd out of the first turn. A hard charge of Jeremy Martin pushed Nicoletti back to 4th as the boys crossed the line on lap one but Phil was able to hold this position for most the race. Making a few late mistakes, Nicoletti lost a few spots to 7th in the last couple laps of the race but managed to stick it out to take the transfer position straight to the main.
As the gate dropped on the main event, the JGR Suzuki allowed Phil to hold it wide and into the inside of the top ten for his second solid start of the night. Trouble on lap two forced the #37 from 6th to 10th behind Bowers and Plessenger but Phil quickly turned the momentum back around. With some bobbles from a fading Dan Reardon and Jer- emy Martin, Nicoletti made quick work back to 8th and began to pres- sure Bowers through the midway point of the race. Getting the better end of the deal with Bowers, Nicoletti pushed into 7th with 5 minutes left, a spot that began to feel the heat from Jimmy Decotis and the #6 of Jeremy Martin. As the final laps came to a close, Nicoletti couldn’t hold off the late charges and settled for 8th on the night. Now 11th in the point standings, Nicoletti looks to Anaheim 2 next weekend as a chance to make up more ground.
84 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 15, 2017