By Brady Cupp
After two weeks off Tazewell Speedway roared back to life with it’s first Dirty Thirty event of the season. Super Stock drivers from all around the region gathered to vie for the $1,000 top prize. Chris Rickett of Morristown was quickest in time trials with a lap of 13.099 seconds with Brad Davis of Tazewell turning in the second quickest time.
With the drop of the green flag Rickett quickly took the point followed by Davis, Michael Woods of Morristown, Austin Neely of Tazewell and Tony Horton of Sneedville. On lap four Davis would spin in turn two as he was pursuing Rickett. As Davis was looping around Woods would make contact, cutting down a tire and ending his night early. Davis was relegated to the tail of the field. During the restart Horton shoved his way past Neely for second. The yellow flag would fly again on lap five as the car of Logan Seals dropped fluid down the back stretch. During the caution Rickett would drop pitside with a flat tire and Neely retired with engine woes.
Back under green Horton moved into the lead with Tazewell natives Jonathan Miracle and Cody Thompson giving chase. By lap eight Davis was back in the mix as he passed Thompson for third and set his sights on the front runners. Davis would slip past Miracle on lap fifteen and two laps later was door to door with Horton. Wrestling the lead away Davis would cruise the remaining laps to take the $1,000 and his second win of the year in the Jeffers Exterminating, A-1 Tint & Graphics, Dynamic Machine, Andrews Construction, Old Town Grill, Little Caesars, Southern Outdoors, Paradise Marine, Locus Chapel sponsored Rainmaker Race car with power from a Phantom Race Engine.
Super Stocks Dirty Thirty
1. 88 Brad Davis
2. 56 Tony Horton
3. P21 Jonathan Miracle
4. 83 Cody Thompson
5. 12 J.J. Green
6. 51 Dalton King
7. 55 Brad Sturgill
8. 20 Scottie Atkins
9. 36 Chris Rickett
10. 3 Austin Neely
11. C4 Logan Cobb
12. 17S Logan Seals
13. 66 Michael Woods
Jason Trammell of Knoxville scored his third Limited Late Model win Saturday night after taking the lead on the fifth lap of the thirty lap feature. Trammell turned the fastest qualifying lap of 11.749 seconds with Brian Hendrix of Knoxville and former Sportsman standout Josh Fields of Tazewell turning the second and third quickest times.
After two failed attempts at a clean start in the feature, polesitter Trammell was relegated to the second row. This would move Fields into the pole position with Hendrix on the outside of the front row. Storming down the front stretch Fields jumped into the lead trailed by Trammell and Hendrix. Settling into the groove Fields kept the challengers at bay in the early going. On lap five Trammell flexed his muscles in moving past Fields for the point. Distancing himself from the rest of the field Trammell would go on to capture his third win in a row piloting the Fastlane Signs & Graphics, Quality Medical Center, Trammell Construction, Hatmaker Holdings, High Velocity Heads, Integra Shocks, Charlie Brown Screen Printing & Embroidery, Hoosier Tire by Pup sponsored Rayburn Race Car with power from a Vic Hill Race Engine. After the race it was announced that track owner Gary Hall had posted a $250 bounty for any driver that can beat Trammell in next week’s Limited Late Model event.
Limited Late Models
1. 90J Jason Trammell
2. 11 Josh Fields
3. 5 Brian Hendrix
4. 17 Brian Shockley
5. 11 Anthony Arnwine
6. 28 Jerry Williams Jr.
7. 22 Lynn Leach
8. 54 Larry Burke
In Sportsman action Matt Tharp of Luttrell shook off the bad luck bug for his first win of the season in the Hickory Star Marina, Fast Lane Signs & Graphics, DJ’s Performance Race Engine powered GRT Race Car.
Sportsman
1. 35 Matt Tharp
2. 50M Jonathan Miracle
3. 11 Cody Smith
4. 3 Michael Boyd
5. 15 Wade Howerton
6. 1 David Clark
7. 24 Philip Thompson
8. 00 Chris Raines
9. 24 Andy Wilder
10. 41 Richard Bailey
11. 20S James Weaver
12. 1B Mark Sexton
13. K5 Nick Kniat
Don Adams of London, KY became the third different Open Wheel Modified winner of the season after impressively leading every lap of the feature over a stout field of competitors. Adams was quickest in qualifying with Amos Bunch of Wartburg, in his first Tazewell Speedway visit since 2010, posting the second quickest lap.
Adams would take the lead from the drop of the green with Bunch, Matt Henderson of Lenoir City and Billy Palmer of Hardin Valley giving chase. On lap eight Henderson, a Late Model hot shoe piloting the Terror Chassis House car, started putting pressure on Bunch for second place. Just past the halfway point Adams started pulling away from the rest of the field and lead the rest of the way in the Lightning Chassis House Car.
Open Wheel Modified
1. 90 Don Adams
2. 50 Amos Bunch
3. 89 Matt Henderson
4. 36 Billy Palmer
5. 2 Jimmy Dalton
6. J3 Jody Puckett
7. 00 Jeff Akard
8. 4 Wayne James
9. 16 Logan Hickey
10. 14 Austin Atkins
11. P20 Erwin Vance
DNS 0 Terry James
Chuck McMahan of Dandridge led every lap of the 4 Cylinder feature for his first win of the season in the Round Boy Motorsports, Lowes Auto Parts, Original Mr. Freezo sponsored Ford Mustang.
4 Cylinder
1. 99 Chuck McMahan
2. 17 Danny Pennington
3. 99 Bill Goss
4. 1 Mark Wallace
5. B7 Bubby Braden
6. 72 Rufus Collett
7. 22 Chris Reichert
8. 69 Jesse Hickman
9. 111 Randy Dyke
10. 1 Wesley Galloway
John Stevens of Wallins Creek, KY picked up his third Classic Car win in a row after wrestling the lead away from Josh Chesney of Maynardville on the ninth lap of the feature. Stevens’ Red Eyes Racing sedan gets sponsorship from VFW #1178 and Hensley Trucking.
Classic Cars
1. 7 John Stevens
2. 5 Hayston Collett
3. XXX Josh Chesney
4. 2 Brandon Munsey
5. 11 Tim Stevens
Next Saturday night April 30th we’ll present another night of Grass Roots Racing with a full racing program featuring our Limited Late Models, Sportsman, Open Wheel Modified, Street Stock, 4 Cylinders and Classic Cars. It will also be Dollar Dawg Night with hot dogs only $1 each all night long.
