With school systems around the region now back in session, Kingsport Speedway hosted Precision Electrical Back to School Night at the Races which saw one of the biggest crowds of the season Friday in the Model City as youth enjoyed special activities including free back packs, race car rides, over 50 new bicycles given away, face painting and other prizes.
Zeke Shell of Johnson City and Nik Williams of Chuckey split NASCAR Whelen All-American Series twin Late Model Stock Car features by each visiting victory lane.
The top four in Late Model Stock Car qualifying dropped down in the 14-second range, with Shell fastest at 14.940, followed by Hayden Woods (14.966), Williams (14.973), and Kres VanDyke (14.979).
In the first 35-lap feature Shell took the lead at the start over Woods, VanDyke, Williams and Robbie Ferguson. With Shell and Woods running in single file out front, VanDyke was feeling pressure from Williams each lap trying to get around him for the third spot.
Williams finally completed the pass on lap 17, as he got to the inside of VanDyke between turns one and two and forced him high up the track, which also opened the door for Ferguson to slip by VanDyke into fourth place.
With Shell in command on the point leading Woods, Williams worked his way past Woods on lap 26 racing off the fourth turn to move into second place. But there would be no catching Shell as he captured his third win of the season over Williams, Woods, Ferguson and VanDyke.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Trey Bayne, Joey Trent, Derek Lane, Dillon Hodge and Kyle Barnes.
With NASCAR Whelen All-American Series rules mandating the top eight finishers being inverted when track’s host twin features, the front row for the second 35-lap race had Lane and Trent leading the field to green. Lane jumped out to the lead over Trent, VanDyke, Bayne and Woods.
VanDyke passed Trent for second on lap 7 racing up off (turn) two. Behind leader Lane and VanDyke, the racing was intense involving Trent, Woods, Ferguson, Williams and Bayne.
Woods worked his way past Trent for third on lap 11 racing off the second corner, and behind him Williams got up-on-the-wheel and passed both Ferguson and Trent to settle into fourth in the running order behind Woods. Williams pressured Woods for third until making the pass for position on lap 15 racing off the fourth turn.
The battle for the lead between Lane and VanDyke ratcheted up a notch on lap 18 when VanDyke moved out front. Williams also wasted no time as he quickly got around Lane to move in behind leader VanDyke.
With Williams riding right on VanDyke’s rear bumper lap-after-lap, VanDyke kept hitting his marks to maintain his advantage. Lane got loose between turns one and two on lap 28, allowing Shell, Woods and Ferguson to drive past him.
As VanDyke and Williams raced down the front straightaway to receive the white flag, Williams used the short-track classic bump-and-run move to take leader VanDyke up the banking.
The duo raced off turn two down the backstretch side-by-side into the third turn, and with Williams on the bottom he used a strong run off the fourth turn to narrowly edge VanDyke for his sixth Late Model Stock Car victory of the season. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Shell, Woods and Ferguson.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Bayne, Trent, Barnes, Hodge and Wayne Hale.
Chase Dixon of Abingdon, Virginia, continues to be impressive during his rookie season competing in the Modified Street division. The 15-year-old earned his seventh fast-time qualifying award with a quick lap at 15.972 seconds. Dixon backed his speed up by capturing his third feature win in the first twin 20-lap event by outrunning Kirby Gobble, Royce Peters, Alex Miller and Daniel McMurray. … Gobble, also from Abingdon, visited victory lane in the second race by winning over Dixon, Peters, Miller and Rusty Clendenin.
Brandon Sutherland grabbed lead at start of the 30-lap Pure 4 feature and showed the way out front the first six laps before being passed by John Ketron and Keith Helton of Kingsport. Racing action was tight back through the field involving Ketron, Helton, Sutherland, Kenny Absher, Billy Byington, Dylan Bates, Bruce Crumbley, William Hale, Craig Phelps, Jason Ketron and a host of others as they jockeyed for position at times two- and three-wide.
Helton passed John Ketron for the lead on lap 11 racing off the fourth turn, but Ketron tucked in right behind Helton. Ketron worked his way around Helton for the lead on lap 23, but Helton wasn’t about to roll over and give in as he reclaimed the lead on lap 26. Helton went on to win his division-leading seventh feature, with Byington, Sutherland, Absher and Ketron rounding out the top five finishers.
Just call him “King Kevin!” Kevin Canter of Abingdon continues to rule the Mod 4 division, as he cruised to his 11th feature win of the season. Canter was chased to the checkered flag by Kirby Gobble, Dalton Thomas, Jimmy Acito and Chris Amburgey.
There were two frightening incidents during the Mod 4 race. The first on lap 6 when Joshua Gobble and Billy Duty got together in turn two, with Joshua Gobble flipping on the backstretch to bring out the red flag. Canter’s 74-year-old grandfather, Hershell Robinette, violently slammed the inside concrete retaining wall following contact from another car exiting the second corner on lap 17, which ended the race prematurely due to time limit. Robinette was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for precautionary measures, and after being thoroughly examined by medical personnel was released.
Rob Austin of Castlewood, Virginia, recorded his third straight Pure Street win by outrunning Joey Sykes, Sammy Ferguson, Kevin Darnell and Jon Cook.
NASCAR WHELEN ALL AMERICAN SERIES
PRECISION ELECTRICAL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT AT THE RACES
FRIDAY, AUG. 24, 2018
LATE MODEL STOCK CAR #1 (35 laps)
1. Zeke Shell #1-Johnson City, TN
2. Nik Williams #32-Chuckey, TN
3. Hayden Woods #87-Piney Flats, TN
4. Robbie Ferguson #7-Jonesborough, TN
5. Kres VanDyke #15-Abingdon, VA
6. Trey Bayne #21-Knoxville, TN
7. Joey Trent #26-Gray, TN
8. Derek Lane #28-Kingsport, TN
9. Dillon Hodge #5-Kingsport, TN
10. Kyle Barnes #15-Draper, VA
11. Trey Lane #4-Kingsport, TN
12. Darin Silver #12-Spruce Pine, NC
13. Bryson Dennis #15-Greeneville, TN
14. Wayne Hale #19-Bluff City, TN
15. Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, TN
16. Greg Bohanon Jr. #17-Leicester, NC
17. Dale Cline #99-Wytheville, VA
18. Kyle Lockrow #7-La Plata, MD
19. Mardy Roberts #55-Kingsport, TN
LATE MODEL STOCK CAR #2 (35 laps)
1. Nik Williams #32-Chuckey, TN
2. Kres VanDyke #15-Abingdon, VA
3. Kres VanDyke #15-Abingdon, VA
4. Hayden Woods #87-Piney Flats, TN
5. Robbie Ferguson #7-Jonesborough, TN
6. Trey Bayne #21-Knoxville, TN
7. Joey Trent #26-Gray, TN
8. Kyle Barnes #15-Draper, VA
9. Dillon Hodge #5-Kingsport, TN
10. Wayne Hale #19-Bluff City, TN
11. Bryson Dennis #15-Greeneville, TN
12. Trey Lane #4-Kingsport, TN
13. Darin Silver #12-Spruce Pine, NC’
14. Derek Lane #28-Kingsport, TN
15. Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, TN
16. Dale Cline #99-Wytheville, VA
17. Greg Bohanon Jr. #17-Leicester, NC
18. Mardy Roberts #55-Kingsport, TN
MODIFIED STREET #1 (20 laps)
1. Chase Dixon #07
2. Kirby Gobble #88
3. Royce Peters #42
4. Alex Miller #37
5. Daniel McMurray #0?
6. Rusty Clendenin #27
7. Travis Watson #91
8. Derek Lane #48
9. Hannah Seal #55
10. Gene Griffey #1
11. Jason Yates #8
12. Dennis Deese #24
13. Richard Adkins #73
14. Tim Barnette #7
Did Not Start: Trey Lane #9
MODIFIED STREET #2 (20 laps)
1. Kirby Gobble #88
2. Chase Dixon #07
3. Royce Peters #42
4. Alex Miller #37
5. Rusty Clendenin #27
6. Derek Lane #48
7. Gene Griffey #1
8. Travis Watson #91
9. Jason Yates #8
10. Richard Adkins #73
11. Dennis Deese #24
12. Hannah Seal #55
13. Daniel McMurray #0?
14. Tim Barnette #7
Did Not Start: Trey Lane #9
PURE 4 (30 laps)
1. Keith Helton #9
2. Billy Byington #11
3. Brandon Sutherland #48
4. Kenny Absher #11
5. John Ketron #27
6. William Hale #47
7. Bruce Crumbley #33
8. Dustin Kestner #19
9. Brett Hall #7
10. Craig Phelps #00
11. Jason Ketron #28
12. Chad Jeffers #38
13. David Trent #57
14. Bucky Smith #99
15. Chris Stine #10
16. Paul Stanley #40
17. Tim Jennings #1
18. Josh Detwiler #38
19. Dennis Stanley #21
20. Josh Collins #77
*** Remainder of 30-car field results TBA ***
MOD 4 (17 laps – Reached Time Limit)
1. Kevin Canter #3
2. Kirby Gobble #77
3. Dalton Thomas #22
4. Jimmy Acito #57
5. Chris Amburgey #17
6. James Deese #14
7. Hershell Robinette #9
8. Jessie Amburgey #7
9. Greg Clevenger #12
10. Chris Coleman #20
11. Joshua Gobble #11
12. Billy Duty #1
13. Randall Scott Artrip #2
PURE STREET (25 laps)
1. Rob Austin #18
2. Joey Sykes #23
3. Sammy Ferguson #5
4. Kevin Darnell #4
5. Jon Cook #17
6. Dustin Smith #5
7. Jay Swecker #77
8. Bryan Young #13
9. Mike Mays #30
10. Ricky Payne #12
11. Dave Strong #53
12. Penny Hurd #11
13. Brian Eggers #74
- Robert Walden \ Kingsport Speedway PR
