Welshan overcame a mid-race challenge to get the win
Jason Welshan has started 2017 with momentum on his side. After picking up a Super Late Model win last weekend in Winchester, Tenn. the veteran driver hit the track again on Saturday afternoon in the Frostbuster 40 at 411 Motor Speedway. And by the end of the day, the Maryville, Tenn. driver had scored a $3,500 victory at the Mitch and Tanya McCarter owned facility.
John Ownbey earned the pole for the feature when he set the pace in Group A qualifying as he turned a lap of 15.693 seconds around the 3/8 mile clay oval. Donald McIntosh, Mike Weeks, Michael Chilton, Mitchell Childress, Ryan King, Brian Smith and Shanon Buckingham joined Ownbey in being locked into the main event from this group.
Welshan secured a front row starting spot when he led Group B qualifying and overall when he toured the Seymour, Tenn. track in 15.616 seconds. Cory Hedgecock, Dakotah Knuckles, Stacy Boles, Steve Smith, Matt Henderson, Carder Miller abd Clayton Turner were also locked into the feature out of this group.
Robby Moses won the one and only B-main race that set the remainder of the starting lineup for the main event.
Welshan used his outside front row starting spot to his advantage when the green flag waved over the 40-lap feature as he bolted to the early lead over Hedgecock, Ownbey, McIntosh and Weeks. The racing action got intense early as Ownbey, McIntosh and Weeks found themselves in a three-wide tussle for the third position during the second lap of competition just behind the two front runners.
Welshan holds off Hedgecock int he early going.
McIntosh seized the third spot on lap 3 as he passed by Ownbey then Weeks shuffled Ownbey back another position on the next circuit as he took fourth. At the same time, Welshan built a lead of almost a full straightaway over second running Hedgecock in the early going.
The race ran caution free for the first 26 laps with the top-3 of Welshan, Hedgecock and McIntosh tightening up considerably as the trio fought their way through slower traffic. Hedgecock made several attempts to draw alongside of Welshan during those laps but was never quite able to pull off the pass.
The race’s first caution came on lap 26 when Welshan and Billy Ogle, Jr. got together as the leader attempted to put Ogle a lap behind. Ogle spun while Welshan moved on and maintained the top spot on the leader board.
McIntosh took the runner-up spot away from Hedgecock on the lap 26 restart and then immediately went to work on Welshan for the lead. McIntosh did take the lead briefly on lap 27 when he slid up in front of Welshan. But the former front runner would not be denied as he executed a crossover move to regain the lead on the next circuit.
Another yellow flag waved on lap 35 as Hedgecock pulled off the track from the third. From that point, Welshan pulled away to take the checkered flag and the big check.
Feature Finish: 1. Jason Welshan, 2. Donald McIntosh, 3. Mike Weeks, 4. Michael Chilton, 5. John Ownbey, 6. Carder Miller, 7. Steve Smith, 8. Stacy Boles, 9. Shanon Buckingham, 10. Ryan King, 11. Billy Ogle Jr., 12. Matt Henderson, 13. Brian Smith, 14. James Williamson, 15. Robby Moses, 16. Mitchell Childress, 17. Andrew Littleton, 18. Clayton Turner, 19. Floyd Self, 20. Cory Hedgecock, 21. Dakotah Knuckles, 22. Levi Ashby
Welshan accepts the $3500 check from Mitch McCarter in victory lane
