Along with the Southern Nationals Bonus Series race for Super Late Model cars, the Crossville Speedway also hosted competition for other classes in a two-night event billed as the Tennessee State Championship. Brett Wyatt earned $2,000 for his win in the Crate Late Model division while Zack Shannon outran the competition in the Sportsman Late Model class.
Brett Wyatt was the winner in the Crate Late Model class
Wyatt was fastest in Friday night’s qualifying session for the Crate Late Model machines when he posted a lap of 13.487 seconds around the third-mile clay oval. Drew Kennedy, Michael Smith, Anthony White and Mark Martin rounded out the top-5 in time-trials.
Wyatt started the 30-lap feature from the pole but the main event proved to be a difficult one to get going. On each of the first three attempts to start the race, the third starting Martin and outside front row starter White made significant contact which resulted in yellow flags waving over the speedway. On the third attempt, those same two drivers banged off of each other through turns one and two then repeated the action down the back stretch and into the third and fourth turns. Both cars spun with White then banging into Martin’s car as the two began to pull away from the site of the incident.
White retired from the feature at that point while Martin continued on.
On the fourth attempt at a start, Martin and Wyatt had contact to bring out another caution.
Finally, the race got underway only to be slowed once again after a single lap of competition when the fourth starting car of Kennedy spun and collected top-10 runners Andy Picklesimer and Troy Davenport.
Once the green flag laps began to click off, Wyatt led a three-car breakaway with Andy Miller and Martin in tow. Martin had moved up quickly after starting from the rear following a flat tire on the fourth attempt at an initial start of the race. From that point, Wyatt was dominant and even stretched his lead to more than the length of a straightaway over his closest pursuers.
At the finish, it was Brett Wyatt grabbing the checkered flag ahead of Andy Miller, Mark Martin, Robert Ardry, Joe Cline, Michael Smith and Andy Picklesimer.
In the Sportsman division, Shannon started the 25-lap feature from the outside of the front row and hardly looked back as he quickly pulled ahead of pole starter Philip Thompson, Justin Winters, Brandon Stanfield and Kyle Courtney during the early laps.
Winters worked his way around Thompson for the runner-up position on lap 5 but was unable to ever mount a serious challenge on Shannon for the top spot. For the remainder of the feature, the real battle was between Stanfield, Darren Goins, Kyle Courtney and Michael Courtney for positions 4- 7.
At the finish, it was Zack Shannon appeared to take the victory ahead of Justin Winters, Philip Thompson, Michael Courtney, Kyle Courtney, Brandon Stanfield and Darren Goins. Shannon refused to tear down and was disqualified. Winters was declared the winner.
Justin Winters was declared the sportsman winner.
