The Ultimate Super Late Model Series made its way to the Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tenn. on a cold Saturday night to contest their fourth event of the 2015 season. After all was said and done, it was Randy Weaver who walked away with the $5,000 first prize following yet another victory in what has so far been a perfect season for the Crossville, Tenn. driver.
Weaver is now three-for-three in 2015 after scoring wins in the Bama Bash at East Alabama Motor Speedway and a Southern Nationals Bonus Series race at Boyd’s Speedway.
Weaver started off the night by setting the pace in qualifying with a fast lap of 15.591 seconds around the 4/10 mile clay oval. Also locked into the feature race’s starting lineup through time-trials were Mark Douglas, Ray Cook, Billy Ogle, Jr., Stacy Boles, Casey Roberts, Mike Marlar, Chris Wilson, Eric Wells and Donald McIntosh.
Mack McCarter and Skip Arp won the two B-main races used to set the remainder of the starting lineup for the feature race.
At the start of the 50-lap main event, Douglas bolted to the early lead with Weaver, Ogle, Cook, Boles and Roberts trailing.
The pace was torrid in the opening laps as the race ran caution free for the first 14 circuits. Douglas led the way early but Weaver began to stalk almost immediately while Ogle, Cook and Roberts ran in tight formation just behind the lead duo.
After applying pressure for several laps, Weaver was finally able to make a move for the lead on lap 11 as the cars roared down the backstretch.
It was on lap 14 that the race took what was perhaps its most dramatic turn. The car of Tommy Kerr began smoking heavily and Robby Moses spun just behind that ailing machine. Before the field could get slowed down for the caution, the 5th running car of Roberts slammed into the prone Moses vehicle. The Ultimate SLM points leader was then sidelined for the rest of the evening.
After that restart, Weaver began to flex the muscle of the #116 as he pulled away to a relatively comfortable margin over his pursuers. At the same time, however, a couple of other drivers began making significant moves through the field.
The 7th starting Marlar and 14th starting Dennis Franklin picked off their competitors at a steady rate until they found themselves well up the running order. Marlar moved from 5th to 2nd in a matter of only five laps as Franklin was performing similar feats just a bit behind.
A pair of successive cautions on laps 38 and 39 provided a final opportunity for others to make a move on Weaver for the lead. However, the defending Ultimate race winner at Smoky Mountain would not be challenged.
The battle would instead be for the other positions within the top-5 as Franklin would eventually move all the way to 2nd when it appeared as if Marlar suffered a flat tire on the last lap.
Feature Finish: 1. Randy Weaver, 2. Dennis Franklin, 3. Mike Marlar, 4. Billy Ogle, Jr., 5. Skip Arp, 6. Derek Ellis, 7. David Crabtree, 8. Dustin Mitchell, 9. Dusty Carver, 10. Chad Ogle, 11. Jeff Smith, 12. Sammie Russell, 13. Donald McIntosh, 14. Eric Wells, 15. Ray Cook, 16. Chris Wilson, 17. Kenny Collins, 18. Stacy Boles, 19. Mark Douglas, 20. Mack McCarter, 21. Mark Vineyard, 22. Casey Roberts, 23. Tommy Kerr, 24. Robby Moses
