Action at Wythe Raceway

Matt Parks gets win number three.

By JUSTIN GREER/Correspondent

Fans were treated to a brilliant display of colors in the annual Wythe Raceway fireworks show Saturday night as well as side by side racing and some side by side wrecking.
With the exception of the fireworks, the Cook’s Clean Center Super Streets stole the show. Sugar Grove’s Eddie Bentley led every lap of the 20 lap feature en route to the win.
This win did not come easy, though. Mike Keith, Rural Retreat, was right on Bentley’s back bumper. A few times Keith pulled right up beside Bentley. Third place finisher Keith Griffitts had the best seat in the house right behind the two leaders.
Had they slipped in the turns Griffitts was right there. The finish was amazing. Coming off turn four Keith pulled to the low side of Bentley. The two touched coming down the front stretch with Griffitts closing fast. Bentley kept the lead by about a foot coming across the line.
The streak is still alive in the Berglund Performance Parts Late Models. Matt Parks, Wytheville sat in victory lane again.
He also led every lap of the 25 lap feature. Rural Retreat driver Daniel Baggerly qualified on pole for the second week in a row, but fell back to a third place finish. Randy Taylor, Troutdale, posted his best finish of the season coming home in second place. Points leader Clinton Cook, Radford, came home in fourth. Fifth went to Tate Hughes of Beaver, W.Va.
The Open Wheel Modifieds saw some excitement. Will Ferguson, Wytheville, rolled down the front stretch coming to a stop right before the start finish line. Also involved was Justin Blevins, Marion, and Gator Cornett, Sugar Grove. All drivers were ok. Up front you could have covered the top four with a blanket. Mike Johnson, Marion, held off strong charges from Abingdon’s Willie Gibson and Ron Lawson, Austinville.
Brandon Farris, Marion, took his first Pro Mini Feature win of the season. Farris led every lap of the feature. R.K. Dix, Rural Retreat, came home second. Max Meadows’ Doug Monday posted another top three finish adding to his points lead over Rural Retreat’s Randy Kincer, who was involved in a wreck early in the feature. Jerry Dillow of Bluewell, W.Va., finished fourth, and J.R. Davis, Crockett, rounded out the top five.
Josh Forrest of Mount Airy, N.C., picked up his first feature win of 2008 in the Ucar class. Forrest started in the back and by the halfway point of the 20 lap feature he had made his way up to the lead. From there it was on to the checkers. Travis Lefler of Rural Retreat came home in second. Abingdon’s Pie Short was the third place finisher.
Cole Dutton, Chilhowie, repeated last week’s win in the Pepsi Hornets. Morgan Widener, Marion, posted his best finish of the season finishing second. Zack Sprouse, in only his third race, put up his best finish, third.
The Battle of the Blue Ridge will be a combined event for the FASTAK Late Models competing at Friendship Speedway, Elkin, N.C., on Thursday night and then at Wythe Raceway on Saturday night. $1,000 will be awarded to each winner with a $500 bonus on the line if the same driver is able to win both. More info is available at WytheRaceWay.com.

Wythe Raceway results for June 28:

Dirt Modified – Feature
Winner Hometown
(Winner listed according to finish)
Driver Hometown
Mike Johnson Marion
Willie Gibson Abingdon
Ron Lawson Austinville
Michael Davis Atkins
R K Dix Rural Retreat
Lance Reynolds Wytheville
Troy Loomis Sherills Ford, NC
Duke Bare Meadowview
Roby Orr Glade Spring
Randy Wright Max Meadows
Tim Widener Marion
Taylor Hayes Marion
Fred Riley Rural Retreat
Justin Blevins Marion
Gator Cornett Sugar Grove
Will Ferguson Wytheville

Hornet - Feature
Driver Hometown
Cole Dutton Chilhowie
Morgan Widener Marion
Zack Sprouse Rural Retreat
Ryan Wakeford Alderson, WV
Clark Cooper Rural Retreat
Jon Keyes Sugar Grove
Cameron Kirk Marion
Cody Umberger Rural Retreat
Michelle McMahan Marion
Jay Cox Rural Retreat
Zack Dunford Austinville
Corey Tate Rural Retreat

Late Model - Feature
Driver Hometown
Matt Parks Wytheville
Randy Taylor Troutdale
Daniel Baggerly Rural Retreat
Clinton Cook Radford
Tate Hughes Beaver, WV
Trevor Agee Christiansburg
Scott Agee Radford
David Wikle Dublin
Randy Kinder Radford
Jackie Cook Radford
David Peeples Rural Retreat
Justin White Marion
Jerry King Ivanhoe
Les Roberts Independence

Pro Mini - Feature
Driver Hometown
Brandon Farris Marion
R K Dix Rural Retreat
Doug Monday Max Meadows
Jerry Dillow Bluewell, WV
J.R. Davis Crockett
Jason Powers Marion
Andy Jolliffe Chilhowie
Gary Rudolph Fries
Brad Carpenter Lansing, NC
John Hickman Abingdon
Chris Martin Troutdale
Travis Harden Atkins
Ron Jackson Marion
Everett Cox Austinville
Richard Shupe Bluefield, WV
Cody Hottinger Rural Retreat
Randy Kincer Rural Retreat
Steve Skeen Abingdon
James Cooper Lenoir, NC
Cecil Rigney Pulaski
Adam Jones Marion
Tim Everson Bland

Super Street - Feature
Driver Hometown
Eddie Bentley Sugar Grove
Mike Keith Rural Retreat
Keith Griffitts Sugar Grove
Chad Hale Wytheville
Jimmy Tate Wytheville
Teddy Tate Rural Retreat
Michael Deskins Tazewell
Michael Hedrick Wytheville
Aaron Hopkins Chilhowie
Larry Dowell Atkins
Trevor Cregger Christiansburg
Tim Robinson Marion
Brandon Broyles N Tazewell
Dustin Dowell Atkins

UCar - Feature
Driver Hometown
Josh Forest Mt Airy, NC
Travis Lefler Rural Retreat
Pie Short Abingdon
Josh Dunford Austinville
Tim Widener Marion
Cody Tate Rural Retreat
Jake Eaton Bland
Chuck Kinzer Independence
Dakota Wilson Rural Retreat
Noel Easter Princeton, WV
Cody Dutton Chilhowie
Michelle Justus Wytheville