What won the race: Surging from the 12th starting spot, James Rice of Verona, Ky., dethroned Tyler Erb on lap 45 of 50 for the $10,000 C.J. Rayburn Memorial victory Monday at Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis. Rice finished 0.452 of a second ahead of Erb, who led a race-high 23 laps.

Quotable: "I was just trying to go as hard as I could. I tried to move up for a lap or two and run the top. I didn’t feel like I lost a lot of speed down there. They kicked the infield tires in a lot too and that helped me. I just wanted to stay the bottom and run my race. Luckily it all worked out."

Key notes: Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, led laps 11-24 before fading to finish seventh. ... Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., lowered the track record with a lap of 12.724 seconds, but fell out of contention when he hit the wall on the lap-33 restart. ... Two cautions slowed the 50-lap main event on laps 33 and 43. ... Circle City hosted the first C.J. Rayburn Memorial, a $10,000-to-win, event for Super Late Models sanctioned by the Ultimate Heart of America Series. … The race was originally scheduled for April 17, but rained out. … The series, which ran its first three seasons as Ultimate Battle of the Bluegrass Series, made its third-ever visit to Circle City, a fairgrounds oval on the outskirts of Indianapolis. … Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, swept both series races at Circle City last season. … The race honored the late Hall of Fame chassis builder from Whiteland, Ind., who passed away on Jan. 1 at the age of 81 after battling Covid pneumonia.

On the move: James Rice of Verona, Ky., won from 12th; Rusty Schlenk of McClure, Ohio, started 20th and finished eighth.

Winner's sponsors: Rice's Rice Brothers Racing Rocket Chassis is powered by a Draime Racing Engine and sponsored by Sunesis Holdings, AirMax Heating and Cooling, BLOX Spiked Ice, Extreme Sportswear, Maxwell Trucking, Integra Shocks and ATC Bolts & Fasteners LLC.

Points chase: It’s the Ultimate Heart of America Series season opener.

Current weather: Scattered Clouds, 84°F

Car count: 27

Fast qualifier: Ricky Thornton Jr.

Time: 12.724 seconds

Polesitter: Ricky Thornton Jr.

Heat race winners: Ricky Thornton Jr., Tyler Erb, Spencer Hughes,  ,  ,  ,  ,  

Next series race: July 16, Richmond Raceway (Richmond, KY) $5,000