Leading saloon stockcar driver Lance Jennings provided the spark for the season's opening meeting at Waikaraka Park, despite a bone-jarring crash.
Jennings and former national champion Dean Waddell began a running battle at the Waikato stockcar speedway two weeks ago. They were in full flight again in the feature race in Auckland when veteran Jennings was involved in a three-car tangle which all but launched his IROC Camaro into a rollover.
Jennings was holding off his arch-rival, Waddell, when the pair put too much pressure on Robin Thomas and all three came into contact coming off turn four.
A light touch turned Jennings' car sideways and launched it into the air. It was saved from rolling because Thomas' Corvette pierced a door of the Camaro and turned all three into the concrete wall.
Waddell, of Tauranga, went on to win, giving him and Jennings two wins each from six starts and setting up a top season.
Earlier in the evening, Whitianga driver Greg Barnett claimed his first win, while Thomas celebrated the debut of his new Corvette with a victory in the limited-saloons feature.
Stockcar favourite Neil McCoard scored two wins from three starts, surrendering the feature race to Kelvin Gray.
The only clean sweep of the night went to mini-sprint driver Shaun Cook.
Motorsport: Duelling drivers come to grief in wall crash
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.