Valentine’s Day may mean a time for love between sweethearts in most circles, but for east Tennessee racing fans it means something very different. For the third consecutive year, 411 Motor Speedway owners Mitch and Tanya McCarter opened the gates of their facility located in Seymour, Tenn. so that drivers, crew members and fans could show their love for dirt racing.
In all, five classes raced on a blustery Saturday afternoon, including Sportsman, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks.
Clyde Overholt was the Sportsman winner in the Sweetheart.
In the Sportsman class, Clyde Overholt set fast time in qualifying for the division by posting a lap of 14.908 seconds around the 3/8 mile clay oval. Terry Poore, Gary Blanken and Steve Smith would join Overholt in filling out the first two rows on the starting grid.
The entire field was set via time-trials with no heat races being contested.
Once the 20-lap feature got rolling, Overholt went immediately to the lead with Poore, Blanken and Smith following closely. Those top-4 cars distanced themselves from the rest of the pack in the early going with Blanken and Smith battling fiercely for the 3rd spot just behind the front two runners.
On lap 11, the second running car of Poore jumped badly out of shape in turn four and slowed dramatically. The No. 2 machine ultimately brought out a caution after spinning and collecting another car.
After that restart, Blanken and Smith continued to squabble for position as they exchanged position three times on laps twelve and thirteen. All the while, Overholt pulled away from his pursuers and drove on the the win.
At the finish it was Clyde Overholt winning ahead Steve Smith, Gary Blanken, Dalton King and Adam Mitchell.
Chris Rickett led all the way in the Street Stock feature.
In the Street Stock division, Chris Rickett led the way in qualifying with Jeff McLemore, Jerry Hux and Ricky Wagner just behind.
Again, the entire field was set via time-trials as no heat races were contested.
From the onset of the 20-lap feature, Rickett and McLemore pulled away from the rest of the field. However, a couple of cautions during the race’s first half brought the top-2 back to the pack.
Eventually, however, it would be Rickett who would driver away for the relatively comfortable win after McLemore’s car dropped out with five laps remaining. There was a good battle among the cars following the leader for positions within the top-5 over the final laps of the event.
At the finish it was Chris Rickett scoring the victory over Charles Devine, Jerry Hux, Michael Millsaps and Ricky Wagner.
Jason Gregory had to fight off a late race challenge in the Mini Stock feature.
Jason Gregory was the fast qualifier in the Mini Stocks ahead of Chris Griffin.
As was the case in the other classes, there were no heat races in this class.
Gregory went to the lead immediately in the 20-lap feature and looked as if he might drive away to a dominating win. However, numerous cautions kept the field tightly bunched throughout most of the event.
Late in the going, John Byers overcame an early race spin to march through virtually the entire field and challenge for the top spot. With three laps to go, Byers and Gregory ran side-by-side, making slight contact in the process. Eventually, Gregory fought off the challenge and went on to claim the win.
At the finish it was Jason Gregory, John Byers, Mike Townsend, Chris Griffin and Derik Duggan.
