After waiting two rain-soaked weeks the faithful drivers and fans of Tazewell Speedway were more than eager to get back to racing. After the wild night of racing action most were sure that a full moon had risen somewhere close.Third-generation racer Jason Trammell of Knoxville recorded a blistering lap of 11.522 seconds in Limited Late Model time trials with last year’s points champion Dakotah Knuckles of Ewing, VA only a tick behind with a lap of 11.532 seconds. After Trammell drew the two on the pill draw Knuckles would start on the pole of the thirty lap feature.
With the green flag displayed the field stormed down the front stretch into turn one. Using the heavy track Knuckles dove low into the first turn to muscle his way into the lead on the back chute. Behind him Trammell, Brian Smith of Barbourville, KY and Tazewell natives Austin Neely and Clyde Overholt jockeyed for positions. By the eighth circuit Knuckles and company has caught the tail end of the field. Just as Knuckles was putting a couple of cars a lap down he car would slow with a flat right rear tire. After bolting on a new Hoosier race tire Knuckles would rejoin the field.
Trammell would inherit the lead and look to put some distance between himself and Smith. With some clean green laps there was furious racing throughout the field. On lap eighteen Neely would give up third as he slowed on the speedway with a flat right rear tire. With the field reset Overholt would move up to third with Clinton’s Lynn Leach taking over fourth and Knuckles into fifth. On the restart Knuckles started a charge toward the front. Three laps later shoved his way past Leach for fourth.
The wildest and scariest moment of the night would occur on lap twenty-five. As Knuckles was charging back towards the front the right rear wheel would break sending his car into a wild flip between turns one and two. Just behind him Neely, who had worked his way back into the top five, would get take evasive actiontrying to avoid colliding with Knuckles. As Neely’s car got sideways it would tip into the air and get tagged by the car of Brian Shockley, turning Neely’s car onto it’s top. After several tense moments both drivers walked away from their wrecked machines.
With the track cleared Trammell would lead the rest of the way for his third Limited Late Model feature win of the year piloting the Trammell Construction, Hatmaker Holdings, Fastlane Signs & Graphics, Dents R Us Collision Center, R&J Signs, Hoosier Race Tire South, XS Batteries, Winchester Welding, R&R Sandblasting, Charlie Brown Signs, Brucebilt Performance sponsored Rocket XR-1 Race Car with power from a Vic Hill Racing Engine.
Limited Late Model
1.90J Jason Trammell
2. 7 Brian Smith
3. 4 Clyde Overholt
4. 22 Lynn Leach
5. 54 Mitchell Burke
6. 7 Marty Calloway
7. B7 Bubby Braden
8. 83 Cody Thompson
9. 21K Dakotah Knuckles
10. 3 Austin Neely
11. 17 Brian Shockley
12. 25 Eric Webber
A stout field of Sportsman Late Models were on hand with last year’s points champion and current points leader Travis Fultz of Harrogate recording the quickest lap in qualifying of 12.031 seconds. James Parrott of Rutledge, debuting a brand new race car, would turn in the second quickest time of 12.288 seconds, his best qualifying effort at the track. After drawing the one in the pill draw Fultz woukld start on the pole of the twenty lap feature.
From the opening lap Fultz set out to prove that he had the car to beat while behind him Parrott, Jimmy Calloway of Maynardville, Sneedville’s Logan Seal and Chris Raines of Middlesboro, KY gave chase. Just before the second lap could be completed the caution flag came out for a couple of cars spinning in turn four. On the restart Seal muscled his way past Calloway for second. The yellow flag would fly again on lap seven as Matt Shockley tagged the wall in turn one. With the field reset Seal would set his sights on Parrott with the pair racing hard and even trading a little paint.
By the halfway mark Fultz set sail with a full straight lead over the rest of the field. The scariest moments of the feature both occurred on lap eleven. As Harrogate’s Anthony Burchett and Joshua Sneed of Tazewell were battling for position exiting turn two the pair would make contact sending Burchett’s car up into the outside retaining wall and flipping on the back stretch. While this was happening the car of Morristown’s Donovan Long suffered a malfunctioned and crashed into the wall on the front stretch. As his car came down the track he was t-boned by David Bullington of Morristown. Tazewell’s Odie Overholt was also involved in the crash. All drivers walked away on their own.
On the ensuing restart Seal would overtake second from Parrott on the back chute yet he would spin on his own with only three laps remaining. Fultz would go unchallenged for his fifth win of the season driving the Overholt Motorsports, Petty’s Wrecker Service, Tim Fletcher Heating & Cooling, Harrogate Collision Center sposnored Rocket Race Car powered by a DJ’s Performance Race Engine.
Sportsman
1. T0 Travis Fultz
2. 10 James Parrott
3. 84 Jimmy Calloway
4. 00 Chris Raines
5. 79 Joshua Sneed
6. 24 Andy Wilder
7. 9 Nicholas Shelton
8. 34 Phillip Shockley
9. 17 Logan Seal
10. 28J Justin James
11. 76 Joe Bray
12. 18 Anthony Burchett
13. 15 Donovan Long
14. 8 Richard Bailey
15. 20 David Bullington
16. 14 Odie Overholt
17. 122 Matt Shockley
18. 2 Steve Smith
Hayston Collett of Harlan, KY fought off the hard challenge from Wallins Creek, KY’s John Stevens to notch his first win of the season in the Classic Car feature. Collett would set fast time in qualifying with a lap of 14.476 seconds with Stevens qualifying second. The pair would share the front row with Collett taking the preferred outside line. From the opening laps Collett and Stevens began putting rest of the field in the distance. Collett would lead every lap even and keep Stevens at bay for the win in the Bullco Trucking, Anderson & Laws Funeal Home, Williams Trucking and Dr. Dahhan sponsored, DJ’s Perfromance Race Engine powered Classic Car sedan.
Classic Car
1. 3 Hayston Collett
2. 7 John Stevens
3. 5S Jason Saylor
4. 1A Quincy Arnwine
5. 1W Rusty Welch
6. 11 Tim Stevens
7. 69 Jesse Hickman
Chuck McMahan of Dandridge was the best of the field in the 4 Cylinder feature, notching his fourth win of the season in the Lowes Auto Parts, Koontz Plumbing & Mechanical, Original Mr. Freezo Ford Mustang. Joey Allen of Cosby stayed withing striking distance of McMahan until he dropped out of the race on lap eleven. Rufus Collett of Harlan, Ky would inherit second yet couldn’t track down McMahan.
4 Cylinder
1. 99 Chuck McMahan
2. 72 Rufus Collett
3. 13 Terry Boshears
4. 5 Robby Steakly
5. 7 Robert Fox
6. 49 Joey Allen
The racing action didn’t slow down in the Street Stock feature. Kevin Smith of Barbourville, KY was quickest in qualifying yet would pull a four in the pill draw. Chris Hickman of Maynardville and Tazewell’s Dustin Harville would make up the front row of the twenty lap feature. Hickman would take the lead from the green flag trailed by Harville, Smith, Wendell Williams of Tazewell and Wise, VA’s Jamie Whitt. On lap four Williams would spin on his own sending him to the tail. With Hickman holding on to the lead the race was on for second between Harville, Smith, Whitt and J.J. Green. The quartet would swap spots several times throughout the middle of the feature. A caution period on lap nineteen for a slowing Ryan Bailey would reset the field for a shootout for the finish.
On the restart Smith charged past Harville for second in turn two. As Smith was passing Hickman for the lead at the end of the back stretch he would make contact sending his car spinning and spoiling his quest for the lead. On the next restart Harville’s car would blow an engine, giving up his strong second place run and moving Whitt into second. With the white flag in the air Whitt set his sights for the lead yet would spin on his own in turn two. This would move Williams in second for a last lap duel. Hickman would lead the field to the checkers yet his celebration was cut short as a post race inspection by track officials uncovered an illegal carburetor on his engine. Williams would be awarded the win, his second of the season, driving the Williams Electric, Interstate Batteries, Johnson Lawn Care, 1st Class Recovery Monte Carlo.
Super Stock
1. 71 Wendell Williams
2. 26 J.J. Green
3. 1 Jamie Whitt
4. 58 Kevin Smith
5. 15 Dustin Harville
6. 28 Ryan Bailey
7. 89 Roy Bailey
DQ’d 7 Chris Hickman