Randy Weaver won on his home track
The American Crate All-Star Series kicked off a two-race weekend on Friday night at Crossville Speedway. At the end of an evening filled with racing action it was hometown hero Randy Weaver who claimed the winner’s trophy and the accolades that go along with it. The Crossville native walked away from the facility located on the scenic Cumberland Plateau with a first place check valued at $2,500 for his efforts.
The American Crate All-Star Series heads to I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, TN on Saturday night to complete the double-header weekend.
Zach Sise was fastest in qualifying with a lap of 13.010 seconds around the third-mile clay oval besting the efforts of Ross White, Randy Weaver, Jesse Lowe, Michael Bland and Trevor Sise.
The top-6 in time-trials were locked into a dash race that would set the first three rows on the starting grid for the feature.
Jason Welshan won the first heat race of the night ahead of Scott Cook, Carson Ferguson and Jordan Hedger while Greg Martin took the second heat by beating out Terry Poore, Colby Quick and Cameron Weaver.
Eli Beets was the victor in the third heat over Josh Henry, William Blankenship and Riley Hickman.
Colton Proffit, Tyler Collins, Rusty Ballenger and Austin Langley made their way into the feature by way of their efforts in the B-main race.
Ross White earned the pole for the main event by beating Zach Sise, Randy Weaver, Jesse Lowe, Trevor Sise and Michael Bland to the finish line in the dash race.
At the start of the 45-lap feature it was Zach Sise who bolted to the early lead with White, Weaver, Lowe and Trevor Sise trailing. However a lap 1 caution slowed the action briefly.
On the restart, Weaver moved around White to capture the runner-up position. At the same time, Lowe stepped up to battle White for third.
By lap 9, the leading machine of Zach Sise was mired in heavy traffic which allowed Weaver to close in. Further back, Welshan began to climb up the leader board as he passed by Trevor Sise for fifth.
After follow the leader for several laps, the veteran Weaver shot through an opening left as Sise worked around a slower car to grab the lead on lap 18. Soon after, the leaders were spared of having to negotiate traffic as a yellow flag waved on lap 22 for a spin by Poore.
White regained the second spot in the runing order on the restart by passing Zach Sise. Welshan also continued to rise on that same restart as he took fourth away from Lowe.
A pivotal moment occurred at the halfway mark when White spun in turn two to bring out another yellow flag while racing with Zach Sise. Once restarted, White showed his displeasure with Sise as the car circulated under caution by pulling alongside the No. 9 car.
Over the final 20 laps, Trevor Sise proved to be the man on the move as he got around Lowe for fourth then younger brother Zach for third. Ultimately, however, the night belonged to Weaver as the No. 116 machine cruised under the checkered flag to claim the win.
Feature Finish: 1. Randy Weaver, 2. Jason Welshan, 3. Trevor Sise, 4. Jesse Lowe, 5. Zach Sise, 6. Eli Beets, 7. William Blankenship, 8. Michael Bland, 9. Greg Martin, 10. Riley Hickman, 11. Josh Henry, 12. Colby Quick, 13. Carson Ferguson, 14. Tyler Arrington, 15. Terry Poore, 16. Tyler Collins, 17. Cameron Weaver, 18. Scott Cook, 19. Rusty Ballenger, 20. Bradley Lewelling, 21. Colton Proffit, 22. Ross White, 23. Jordan Hedger, 24. Austin Langley
