Premier Speedway a happy hunting ground for newest national champion

Queenslander Lachlan McHugh - a regular visitor to the Victorian circuit - won the national title after a superb drive in a non-stop 40-lap A-Main feature race on Saturday, January 27.

McHugh added the Australian Sprintcar Championship to his already impressive resume, which already boasted the 2022 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.

"When I won the classic it went green the whole way as well, so it's pretty cool," he told The Standard after his in-field celebrations which included having Australia 1 stickers plastered on his car's wings.

"It is really sweet to win them both now and I'm pretty pumped."

McHugh finished second at last year's Australian championship in Perth and made sure to avenge that result.

He moved from sixth to first after about 30 of the 40 laps of the feature race before holding off the likes of former national title-holder Jamie Veal and defending champion Jock Goodyer.

Victorian duo Jordyn Charge and Grant Anderson rounded out the top-five in what was a quick A-Main, lasting just seven minutes and 46 seconds.

"All the rain (prior to the race) threw a spanner into the works and we took a guess at it really and it (the car) seemed to roll through pretty nicely," McHugh, who will fly to America in April to compete in its season, said.

"We got through traffic pretty well and managed to get around those guys for the lead.

"I knew I would have a bit of a buffer but you're not really sure. He (Veal) could've got through lap traffic just as good as me and be waiting right there."

The result capped off a stop-start night of racing, with rainfall delaying the A-Main for close to an hour.

Pole-sitter Brock Hallett pulled infield with 22 laps to run, while James McFadden's title aspirations at his home track vanished before the race when his engine blew up.

Four-time Australian champion Kerry Madsen provided one of the runs of the night, moving from 13th to first in the B-Main to qualify for the feature race, alongside Brett Milburn, Luke Dillon and Sam Walsh.

Meanwhile, C-Main winner Brody Appleby, as well as Cody Maroske, Michael Stewart and Grant Stansfield, had made their way into the B-Main.

In the opening lap of the D-Main, Troy Hose sparked a multiple-car collision, which wiped out Ben Morris and Ricky Maiolo, with Dane Court and Randy Morgan also sustaining damage.

There was a lengthy delay as Court, from Hamilton, was taken to hospital for observation. Racing resumed with Tate Frost and Jy Corbet earning tickets to the C-Main.

Corbet though was forced out due to mechanical issues.

Earlier, Jordan Rae and Dennis Jones transferred from the E-Main to the D-Main, though Rae, similar to Corbet, didn't start the latter due to a motor issue.

In the heats, Appleby took out the first, in which Hallett punched his ticket to a top three A-Main start after moving from sixth to third, while South Australian Steven Caruso claimed heat two honours.

Western Australia's Andrew Priolo held off McFadden in heat three before Warrnambool's Peter Doukas suffered a frightening crash on turn four to close heat four, won by Madsen.

Doukas walked away though his night ended after the V98's chassis sustained too much damage.

Chris Solomon won heat five, with Tim Hutchins rounding out the winners in heat six.

Meanwhile, Murray Bridge Speedway was announced as the host of the 2025 Australian Sprintcar Championship to be held across January 31 and February 1.

Tasmanian late model driver Callum Harper took out the Victorian title - the race declared with four laps to run following a massive pile-up on turn three.