Action heats up at Wythe Raceway

By JUSTIN GREER/Correspondent

The skies were clear and when the sun set behind the mountains, Wythe Raceway fans saw some of the most exciting rock’em, sock’em, sideways action on the high bank clay oval.
The Pro Mini’s ran two heat races, which set the inside and outside lanes for the A feature. Randy Kincer of Rural Retreat and Doug Monday of Max Meadows battled from the drop of the green flag until the checkered flag. The race saw no cautions. Kincer held his lead up until the closing laps when Monday got a run going into turn 4. Coming down the front stretch, Monday took the lead.
Kincer was right there, but the checkered flag fell. Monday captured the win in the second race of the season. Last week’s winner Kincer was second, and R.K. Dix, Rural Retreat, repeated a third place finish.
The Berglund Performance Part Late Models each took one lap in an effort to take the Berglund Pole Award. When all was said and done, Clinton Cook of Radford was awarded the pole. Cook turned an 18.569 second lap, averaging 97 mph and a new track record.
The feature was set for 30 laps. Sixteen cars took to the green flag.
Lap 8 brought out the first caution when David Wikle of Dublin and Kenny Peeples Jr. of Rural Retreat wrecked just past the start/finish line. Both cars were unable to move. The red flag was brought out to give safety crews and wreckers plenty of room to clear the track.
On the restart Cook led David Watts, Buchanan, to the green. Coming off turn 4 Watts slid up the track and hit the outside wall. This brought out another caution. The wrecker was called out once again. This moved Ron Thomas, Rock Hill, S.C., up to second and Daniel Baggerly, Rural Retreat, to third. Green flag racing resumed.
Two more cautions waved for spins. Cook led flag to flag en route to his second straight win as well as second career Berglund Performance Parts Late Model win. Thomas made a run at Cook on a restart with a few laps to go, but was unable to make a pass. He held on for a second place finish and Baggerly was third.
The always-exciting Cook’s Clean Center Super Streets had another outstanding race for the crowd. Sugar Grove’s Eddie Bentley, who finished runner up last week, backed it up this week with his first victory of the 2008 season. Jimmy Buchanan of Wytheville led the first few laps of the 20 lap feature.
Bentley, who had a very fast car, made a clean pass to take over the lead on lap 4. Mike Keith, Rural Retreat, had experienced some unfortunate luck. Last week he was forced to retire from the race because of mechanical problems, but this week he pulled off a second place finish. He spun about midway through the race, but raced hard back to the front. Teddy Tate, Rural Retreat, started at the end of the field at the beginning of the night. Over the course of the race he moved up through the field to a third place finish.
Open Wheel Modified racing action followed with a 20 lap event. It was slowed by a few cautions. Roby Orr, Glade Spring, spun around in turn 2. Tim Widener of Marion, Taylor Hayes of Chilhowie, and Duke Bare of Meadowview each spun in the middle of turns 1 and 2.
Widener’s car took some damage and was unable to continue. Caution number three came out for a four-car incident in turn 1. Will Ferguson, Wytheville, Willie Gibson, Abingdon, R.K. Dix, and Randy Wright, Max Meadows, were involved.
Lap 18 was the final caution when Hayes spun in turn 4. Ferguson held the lead for a good portion of the race. Michael Davis, Atkins, was able to get around Ferguson. From there he led until the checkered flag.
2007 Track Champion Ron Lawson of Austinville made his way to the front, and was within striking distance of Davis, but the laps ran out before he could make a run at the lead. Bare, who spent some time upside down last week, had a good showing. After starting at the rear of the field and overcoming a spin, he made his way back to a third place finish.
Trevor Cregger, Christiansburg, won for the second week in a row in the Pepsi Hornet Division. Cole Dutton of Chilhowie was runner up again. Morgan Widener of Marion pulled off a third place finish.
The Ucar division saw Jake Eaton of Bland take first place. Josh Forrest of Mount Airy, N.C., ran a solid second. Last week’s winner, Pie Short of Abingdon, came home in third. Jerry Dillow of Bluefield, W.Va., grabbed the win in the Mini B main. Bland’s Tim Everson finished second and Marion’s Ron Jackson was third.
The Carolina Clash Super Late Model series rolls into town this Saturday for Twin 25 races with $2,500 going to the winner in each of the races. With unrestricted engines approaching 900 hp, the skill level of the drivers becomes evident as they reach speeds of nearly 140 mph on straightaways. Then making a hard left onto the high banks, the sophisticated suspension components allow the race cars to carry a lot of speed through the corners.
More info can be found online at WytheRaceWay.com.

Wythe Raceway race results for May 10

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

Hornet - Feature
Driver Hometown
Trevor Cregger Christiansburg
Cole Dutton Chilhowie
Morgan Widener Marion
Jonathan Gray Max Meadows
Clark Cooper Rural Retreat
Jon Keyes Sugar Grove
Hunter Reedy Marion
Michelle McMahan Marion
Tyler Croson Chilhowie
Cody Umberger Rural Retreat
Jay Cox Rural Retreat

Late Model - Feature
Driver Hometown
Clinton Cook Radford.
James Thomas Rock Hill, S.C
Daniel Baggerly Rural Retreat
Jason Lawrence Pilot
Justin White Marion
Matt Parks Wytheville
Justin Martin Rural Retreat
Gary Ball Summerville, Ga
Jerry King Ivanhoe
David Peeples Rural Retreat
David Watts Buchanan
David Wikle Dublin
Jackie Cook Radford
Cody McMahan Chilhowie
Kenny Peeples, Jr Rural Retreat
Randy Taylor Troutdale
Randy Kinder Radford
Pro Mini - Feature
Finish Car No Driver Hometown
Doug Monday Max Meadows
Randy Kincer Rural Retreat
R K Dix Rural Retreat
Jason Powers Marion
Brandon Farris Marion
Andy Jolliffe Chilhowie
Brad Ball Abingdon
J.R. Davis Crockett
Cody Hottinger Rural Retreat
Travis Lefler Rural Retreat
Duke Bare Meadowview
Dustin Dowell Atkins
Thomas Viars Barren Springs
Billy Cline Chilhowie
Jerry Dillow Bluewell, W.Va
Tim Everson Bland
Ron Jackson Marion
Chris Martin Troutdale
Travis Harden Atkins
Jody Taylor Max Meadows
Adam Jones Marion
Michael Howard Pulaski
John Carlin Chilhowie
Jon Buchanan Wytheville
Gary Rudolph Fries

Super Street - Feature
Driver Hometown
Eddie Bentley Sugar Grove
Mike Keith Rural Retreat
Teddy Tate Rural Retreat
Michael Hedrick Wytheville
Keith Griffitts Sugar Grove
Duke Bare Meadowview
Brandon Broyles N Tazewell
Jimmy Buchanan Wytheville
Michael Deskins Tazewell
Jimmy Tate Wytheville
Tim Taylor Fries
Steven Quillen Marion
Tim Robinson Marion
Aaron Hopkins Chilhowie
Brian Moore Wytheville
Matthew Taylor Max Meadows
Guy England Max Meadows
Tam Topham Wytheville

UCar - Feature
Driver Hometown
Jake Eaton Bland
Josh Forest Mt Airy, N.C
Pie Short Abingdon
Cody McMahan Chilhowie
Paul Jones Max Meadows
John Tate Atkins
Jonathan Ensor Marion
Dakota Wilson Rural Retreat
Jonathan Bentley Abingdon
Michelle Justus Wytheville
Cody Dutton Chilhowie
Tim Widener Marion