10.24.20 Tazewell Speedway Results
With the Autumn air creeping in it was time to cap off another season of racing at Tazewell Speedway. Even with the Covid-19 virus disrupting all of our lives we were humbled to have great crowds and good car counts for every event. On Saturday night we presented the annual Fall Brawl with Crate Late Models on showcase for a $1,500 to win and increase winnings for our weekly classes.
In Crate Late Model times trials Brian Smith of Barbourville, KY set a new track qualifying record with a blistering lap of 11.817 seconds. The previous record of 12.047 seconds was held by Mike Smith of Rogersville. Pulling the two on the invert draw would place Smith on the outside of the front row alongside multi-class champion Jordon Horton of Sneedville for the forty lap feature.
With the flash of the green flag Smith used the top side of the speedway to squeeze past Horton for the lead on the back chute with Knoxville’s Josh Collins and Sneedville’s Jody Horton, the elder of the Horton brothers, giving chase. By the third circuit the top two cars had begun to pull away from the rest of the field. On lap nine Horton peeked to the inside of Smith coming off of the fourth turn yet had to back off due to a lap car in his way. Three laps later Horton used the same move to muscle his way into the lead as Collins pulled even with Smith.
By the sixteenth circuit Horton had stretched out to over a five car length lead as Smith and Collins dueled for second. Trouble would strike Smith as his car slowed just past the midway point of the feature giving second over to Collins. Leading the rest of the way “The Sneedville Sniper” would cruise for the $1,500 win plus a $500 bonus posted to the winner if that driver had not won a Late Model feature at Tazewell Speedway in the 2020 season. The win came in the Tim & Jeremy Seal owned Rocket Chassis with power from a DJ’s Performance Race Engine and sponsorship from Fair Taz Bookkeeping, Discount Auto Parts, Seal Property Management, S&S Equine, Norton Heating & Air and Southern Pride Land & Cattle.
Crate Late Model
1. 57 Jordon Horton
2. 144 Josh Collins
3. 97 Aaron Guinn
4. 71 Mack McCarter
5. 144 Chicky Barton
6. 2X Anthony White
7. 34 Austin Glass
8. 52 Troy Eads
9. 11 Chris Raines
10. 3 Jonathan Miracle
11. 7 Brian Smith
12. 56 Jody Horton
In Sportsman action former Modified Street champion Robbie Buchanan of Tazewell turned the quickest lap of 11.892 seconds in qualifying. Luck seemed to be on Buchanan as he pulled the one on the invert draw, earning the pole for the $800 to win feature. Buchanan would bring the field to green with Harrogate’s Chris Raines on the outside of the front row. Just as the field came storming down the front stretch contact from a car behind sent Raines’ car into a violent flip and landing on it’s top. After a few tense moments Raines emerged unscathed.
With the field reset, James Parrott of Rutledge, still searching for his first win of the season, moved up a row and alongside Buchanan. Using the outside line Parrott took the lead on the opening lap as Buchanan, Matthew Smith of Barbourville, Ky and Tazewell’s Troy Eads gave chase. The caution flag would fly on lap six as Buchanan’s slowed on the speedway. On the ensuing restart Smith went to the low side to battle Parrott for the lead. Smith would bring out the caution flag on lap twelve as he spun in turn four giving second over to Tazewell’s Odie Overholt.
On the restart Parrott smashed the loud pedal with Overholt right on his tail. As Parrott charged into turn four his car would slide up allowing Overholt to shoot inside for the lead at the stripe. The battle was just beginning as Parrott regrouped and muscled the lead back on the next lap. With three laps to go Parrott’s car once gain drifted high in four and banked off of the outside wall and down into Overholt’s car. The contact caused Parrott’s car to spin and flip once on the front stretch. Parrott was uninjured yet his quest for the win was over. Overholt would lead the rest of the way unchallenged for his second win of the season piloting the Clyde Overholt Racing, Halls Vision Clinic, Tazewell Drug & Express Care, Petty’s Wrecker Service, Tim Fletcher Heating & Air, Sparky’s Window Tinting, Shorty’s Shock Service, Pizza Inn of Tazewell sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car with power from a Phantom Race Engine.
Sportsman
1. 14 Odie Overholt
2. 5 Jerry Boling
3. 28 Richard Cox
4. 21 Bryan Howerton
5. 10 James Parrott
6. 14 Austin Atkins
7. 22B Tyson Britt
8. 52 Troy Eads
9. 7 Matthew Smith
10. 13 Robbie Buchanan
11. 00 Chris Raines
12. 24 Andy Wilder
13. 17 Logan Seal
14. 5 Joshua Chesney
DQ’D 77 Jimmy Calloway
The wild action continued into the Classic Car feature. Former track champion John Stevens of Wallin’s Creekm, KY was quickest in time trials yet would draw the three on the invert. This would place Maynardville neighbors Josh Chesney and Rusty Welch on the front row for the $500 to win feature. Using the preferred outside starting spot Welch would lead the first lap yet Chesney would wrestle away the spot on lap four. By lap ten Chesney had started checking out on the rest of the field.
With five laps left to go Joe Keck’s car tagged the outside wall in turn two, spun and slammed the wall exiting the turn. Keck gingerly walked away from the hard crash. Chesney would lead the rest of the way for his fourth win of the season and take the big check back to Union County behind the wheel of the Highway 33 Hardware sponsored Classic Car sedan.
Classic Car
1. XXX Josh Chesney
2. 17 Rusty Welch
3. 5 Jason Saylor
4. 7 John Stevens
5. 88 Richie Overholser
6. 18 Chris Worsham
7. 8 Eli Keck
8. 16 Will Carey
9. 78 Joe Keck
In the $500 to win Street Stock feature Mohawk’s Logan Cobb look poised to score his first win of the season. Cobb quickly snatched the lead on the opening lap and began pulling away from the cars giving chase. Bad luck would strike as his car slowed on lap thirteen. Jamie Whitt of Wise, VA, driving the Baldwin Filter, B&D Repair sponsored Monte Carlo, inherited the lead and held off a hard charging James Weaver for his first win of the season.
Street Stock
1. 1 Jamie Whitt
2. 20S James Weaver
3. 5 Greg Harville
4. 14 Donovan Long
5. 77 Bradley Bean
6. 73 Marty Irvin
7. 26 Zach Campbell
8. C4 Logan Cobb
Arguably the best racing of the night came in the $350 to win 4 Cylinder feature. Multi-time track champion Chuck McMahan of Dandridge earned quick time honors and the pole position for the 20 lap feature. Taking the point on the opening lap McMahan had to contend with Cartyville’s Shane Bullock and Harlan, KY’s Hayston Collett who were rights in his heels. The trio would duke it out hard in the opening laps. On lap four Collett would make slight contact with the back bumper of Bullock and slip by into second. Bullock would recover and reel back in the leaders.
On lap ten Collett shot inside of McMahan to take the lead going into turn one yet a caution would slow the field before the lap could be completed. This would put McMahan back into the lead yet Collett mounted the challenge again. With four laps left to go Collett shot to the bottom groove to snatch the lead away and seal the win in the Haynes Motorsports, Haynes Roofing and Boone’s BP Sponsored Ford Mustang.
4 Cylinder
1. 21 Hayston Collett
2. 99 Chuck McMahan
3. 2B Shane Bullock
4. 72 John Stevens
5. 17 Daniel Moody
6. 1 Mark Dalton
7. 1 Mitchell Fox
8. 5 Samuel Fox
9. 11 Josh Cody