Jason Welshan drove his #29 MasterSbilt to the win in the Crate Late Model class on Saturday.
Jason Welshan wasn’t even supposed to be racing at the Volunteer Speedway on Saturday night. The Maryville, Tenn. driver had planned to race much closer to home. But when the Smoky Mountain Speedway cancelled their World of Outlaws Late Models event, Welshan pointed his hauler toward Bulls Gap for that track’s Limited Late Model and Crate Late Model double feature.
In the Crate Late Model portion of the event, Welshan served notice early on that he would be the man to beat when he posted a blistering lap of 13.478 seconds in qualifying to secure the pole position for the feature race. With the feature lineup being set entirely by time-trials, Ricky Moore, Matt Henderson, Bryson Dennis and Tim Maupin rounded out the top-5 starters at the drop of the green flag.
Once the feature got underway, Welshan was on cruise control, often times stretching his lead to the length of a full straightaway over Moore, Dennis and Henderson. However, three cautions gave those in pursuit an opportunity to close the gap. But those opportunities would prove to be short-lived as Welshan would pull away quickly each time the race went back to green.
The only issue the eventual winner faced during the race was a brush with a slower car that briefly allowed Moore to close to his rear spoiler.
At the finish, it was Jason Welshan picking up a win on a track he had not even planned on attending over Ricky Moore, Matt Henderson, Forrest Trent, Bryson Dennis, Gary Crittenden, Tim Byrd and Warren McMahan.
“I tried to get out early and kind of cruise,” Welshan said in his winner’s interview. “Then I’d try to slow the race pace down to stay out of traffic because they’ll take you out.”
Welshan did not fare so well in the Limited Late Model race as mechanical issues derailed his efforts.
In other racing action, Gary Blanken scored the win in the Modified Hobby feature over Jamie Whitt, Dale Reed and Jon Cook.
