Weekend Recap will be a regular feature throughout the 2017 season on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, a brief summary of the various national and regional touring series that impact the east Tennessee area will provide a quick review of what happened over the past weekend.
With the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the World of Outlaws Late Models both suffering weekend washouts of races slated for the Midwestern part of the country, the three series that sanctioned events for the southeastern region benefited with star studded fields. And for the most part, those stars took advantage as in two of the three Super Late Model races held in Tennessee and North Carolina national touring series regulars found victory lane.
Spring Nationals: The Ray Cook-promoted mini-series staged the $10,052-to-win event at the Volunteer Speedway that had been postponed from six days earlier due to torrential rain in the area around Bulls Gap, Tennessee. With some of the sport’s top stars on the grounds of the high-banked clay oval, Ricky Weiss laid down the fastest lap in qualifying. However, Mike Marlar secured the pole by winning his heat race. Michael Chilton, Jimmy Owens and Chris Madden were also heat race winners on Friday night.
Chilton got out to the early lead but Marlar proved to be masterful in traffic in the race that ran caution-free as he pinned the leader behind and slower car and took the top spot on lap 16 of the 52 circuits that made up the event distance. Madden, a fast closing Dale McDowell, Owens and Chilton rounded out the top-5 in the finishing order.
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Mike Marlar(157) passed Michael Chilton for the lead on lap 14
Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series: This regional series, like the Spring Nationals, benefited in terms of car count with the postponements of the national touring series races. Smoky Mountain Speedway saw some of the biggest names in the sport drive through their gates for the $7,500-to-win race on Saturday evening. And those big name drivers proved to be the ones who would race for the win.
Brandon Sheppard set fast time in qualifying then earned a front row starting spot alongside fellow WoO Late Models competitor Shane Clanton. Sheppard wrested the lead away from Clanton on lap 15 in the feature then had to hold off another WoO driver in Chris Madden to grab the checkered flag.
Sheppard got the win in a race that essentially ran caution-free(a wave off of the initial start brought out the only yellow of the night) ahead of Madden, Tim McCreadie, Clanton and Eric Wells.
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Brandon Sheppard and crew in the Smoky Mountain victory lane
Ultimate Super Late Model Dirt Series: The Ultimate Series made its way to the Dublin Motor Speedway in North Carolina for a two-day $10,000-to-win affair. Chris Ferguson was the fast qualifier on Friday night but G.R. Smith earned the pole for the feature by virtue of his heat race win.
Lucas Oil regular Earl Pearson, Jr. assumed the lead on lap 2 of Saturday night’s feature when Smith retired from the race with mechanical problems. Pearson went on the lead the rest of the distance and collect the win. Casey Roberts, Dennis ‘Rambo’ Franklin, Chris Ferguson and Russell Erwin rounded out the top-5 finishers.
Earl Pearson, Jr.
