(LEBANON, Mo.) – Lil’ J.C. Newell made it look relatively simple, passing Cole Rouse just past the halfway mark and fending off O’Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Pro Late Models’ points leader and fellow teenager Cole Williams over the final laps en route to his second win in the division. While it may have seemed simple, it was anything but for the young gun, who had to survive multiple lengthy caution periods and a pair of red flags on a humid and heated night on Missouri’s only asphalt oval.
Newell wasn’t the only one left to fend off the high temperatures and heated competition on the track, as David Bates survived his feature to claim his first checkered flag of the season in the Budweiser Modifieds and J.C. Newell made it a family sweep when he took the checkers in the Monster Energy Sportsman. Jimmy Poindexter padded his points lead in the Coca-Cola Chargers with a triumph on Coca-Cola Night at the Races while Justin Blake did the same with another win in the Hoosier Tire Road Warriors.
Joe Ross brought out an early caution in the 30-lap O’Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Pro Late Models showcase on the second lap of the event, bunching the field back up under yellow. When the green flag waved again, Cole Rouse returned to the point as the 12-car field stacked up behind him. Another caution flew with 21 laps remaining after Austin Fullerton’s engine expired on the entrance to turn three.
A major incident with 19 laps to go left Jimmy Vanzandt’s car in flames against the wall on the frontstretch as fire licked the night sky. Thankfully, the driver escaped from the burning car and feel to the attention of the EMS crew. After a lengthy red flag period to clean up the debris from the destroyed VanZandt machine, racing resumed with Rouse up front but it wasn’t long before another caution flew, this one with major implications on the championship race. Seventeen-year-old North Carolina hotshoe Matt Wallace, sitting second in points behind fellow teenager Cole Williams, had mechanical issues and saw his night end on the hook with 18 laps to go.
When racing resumed, Lil’ J.C. Newell nabbed second from Caleb Allison as Williams charged into third. Suddenly, it was a three-car fray for the lead as Rouse tried to make his back bumper as wide as possible. Rouse led when the caution flew for Holt’s spin in turn four and the field slowed down once again.
On the restart, Newell rolled to the lead as Williams continued his march up to second. That’s where his run would stop as Newell held on for his second triumph of the year with an impressive drive to the front. “It was wild out there tonight and Cole was coming at the end,” said a drained Newell in the winner’s circle. “I’m just glad I was able to find enough speed to hold on at the end and grab this win.”
Williams extended his points lead with the runner-up finish while Brennan Willard came home third and posted another solid effort.
A wild start marred the start of the 25-lap Budweiser NASCAR Modifieds headliner and swept up co-points leader Scotty Allen in the process, bringing out a red flag on the second lap after a gaggle of cars came together and machines became mangled in a chain reaction. When racing began in earnest, David Bates brought the field to green as new points leader Tyler Scott worked through the field.
It took Scott all of seven laps to get from sixth to the bridesmaid’s position, and the two-time defending series champion cut into Bates’ advantage out front. As the laps wound down, Scott continued to slowly erase the leader’s edge, but Bates’ consistent circuits were enough to keep the young gun at bay. Scott ran out of time as Bates went wire-to-wire for his first feature win of the season.
Scott had a great night, though, claiming the top spot in the standings and giving himself a real chance at a third straight title. Terry Taylor scored a podium finish in third.
Jordan Nisbett nabbed the early edge in the 12-lap Coca-Cola NASCAR Chargers main event as points leader Jimmy Poindexter immediately worked his way through the field and began tracking him down. Poindexter, seeking another win for his resume, chased down Nisbett in just a couple of laps, diving to the bottom of the track and pushing past him for the lead at the halfway point. Things got wild after that, as Nisbett got turned around by a hard-charging Larry Hunter, sending both drivers for a wild ride on the Budweiser Wild Side and bringing out the caution with five laps to go. On the restart, Poindexter ended Lauren Buhr’s advances and held on for another feature win, extending his points lead in the process as Buhr settled for second and Jason Walls took third.
The elder statesmen of Missouri’s only asphalt oval, J.C. Newell, raced to the early lead in the 15-lap Monster Energy NASCAR Sportsman main event and quickly built up an insurmountable advantage up front. Behind the leader, Aaron Douglas raced into second and slipped away from the field as the top two drivers were clearly the class of the field. Douglas had nothing for Newell, however, as the ‘Gentle Giant’ held on for his third victory of the 2013 campaign. Douglas took home a runner-up finish while Randy Besser continued a strong season with his third place finish.
After a couple of weeks where points leader Justin Blake couldn’t quite get to the front, the top dog in the Hoosier Tire NASCAR Road Warriors returned in a major way, racing to the front of the pack in the 15-lap feature. Blake managed to survive a late-race caution and never looked back en route to a wire-to-wire win. The points leader padded his lead and grabbed another win in a magical season, continuing his dominant run toward what is looking like a Monster Energy Chase for the Cup title. Carl Harlow settled for second and Steve Shaw ended up in third with another great finish.
Racing returns to Lebanon I-44 Speedway next Saturday night, September 7th, for United Insurors Night at the Races as the season winds down and only two weeks remain in the Monster Energy Chase for the Cup. The O’Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Pro Late Models headline the action with twin 25-lap features while all five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions will be in action once again, including the Budweiser Modifieds, Monster Energy Sportsman, Hoosier Tire Road Warriors, and Coca-Cola Chargers. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the first green flag waves at 7 p.m. sharp on an exciting night of racing action. Fans can expect the same great prices with the bonus of an extra Pro Late Models feature!
For more information on Lebanon I-44 Speedway, including a full 2013 schedule and more, visit the track website at www.i44speedway.net or visit the track’s Facebook and Twitter pages online.