JACKSON, MS – May 24, 2014 – That was the mantra for the duo of teammates Tait Davenport and Lucas Lee during Saturday night’s USCS K&N Outlaw Modified Series vs. Gulf States Modified Series portion of the Ival Cooper Memorial, and it worked to perfection.
After starting on the final (eleventh) row due to missing time trials and the heat races, Davenport blasted to the front of the field, passing race-long leader Robby Arnold, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, on lap seventeen of the twenty-five lap contest and never looking back en route to the www.rockauto.com USCS vs. Gulf States Victory Lane for his first-ever USCS-sanctioned and open wheel modified victory at Jackson Motor Speedway.
“We almost turned around and came home; that’s how frustrated we were,” Davenport said in www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane. “We had five flat tires on our way to the race track; you saw how late we got here. I don’t even know how we’re in victory lane right now, but we are. It’s amazing.”
Davenport finished just ahead of open wheel modified veteran Greg Hollingsworth from Lawrence, Mississippi at the checkered flag. Hollingsworth finished second, followed by Dyersburg, Tennessee’s Preston Seratt in third, Lee, out of Paris, Tennessee, fourth after also starting at the rear, and Brandon Rowland from Paragould, Arkansas, who completed the top five at the finish.
Arnold blew his engine with seven laps to go, bringing out the final caution of the night in the 25-lap A-main. He ultimately finished in 15th place.
The race was stalled early on by a pair of cautions in the first five laps, the first for Toby Howard’s spin in turn 1 on lap 2 and the second when two-time USCS Modified champion Ben Reed stopped in turn 1 due to an apparent mechanical failure. Once the field got back to racing, they bunched up side-by-side for several laps until K&N Fast Time Award winner Chris Moore out of Hernando, Mississippi stopped on lap 10, again in turn 1.
The race’s most serious accident occurred on lap 11, when Jim Gulley flipped his open-wheel modified in turn two, however Gulley immediately climbed out of his car uninjured. From there, Arnold led the field back to green and continued to pull away until a caution at lap 15 for the stopped car of Glendale Shoemake in turn two. That caution ultimately set up Davenport’s pass for the win.
Chris Moore kicked off the night’s action by setting the K&N Filters Fast Time with a lap of 16.79 seconds around the quarter-mile Jackson bullring. Robby Arnold scored the win in the Wilwood Disc Brakes First Heat, while Preston Seratt grabbed the Aero Race Wheels Second Heat victory. After a redraw of the top six positions, Jason Henry took the K&N Filters Pole Award. Tait Davenport passed the most cars (eighteen) in the A-Main to net the Comp Cams Hard Charger Award.
The USCS K&N Outlaw Modified Series will be back in action on Monday, May 26th as part of the Memorial Day Motor Madness at Clayhill Motorsports Park in Atwood, Tennessee.
For rules, schedules and more information on the K&N Filters USCS Outlaw Modified Series, please visit www.uscsracing.com or call 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.
RESULTS: K&N Filters USCS Outlaw Modified Series; Jackson Motor Speedway; Saturday, May 24, 2014:
K&N Filters Fast Time: #45X – Chris Moore, 16.79 seconds.
Wilwood Disc Brakes First Heat: Robby Arnold, Chris Moore, Jason Henry, Toby Hodge, Jim Gulley, Kyle Rutkoski, Brian Powell, Rodney Etheridge, Lance Walker, Race Taylor.
Aero Race Wheels Second Heat: Preston Seratt, Greg Hollingsworth, Ben Reed, Brandon Rowland, Alex Ashley, Justin Roberts, Mark Herbert, Chad Shivers, Glendale Shoemake, Rusty Cooper.
K&N Filters USCS Outlaw Modified Series vs. Gulf States Modified Series “Ival Cooper Memorial” at Jackson Motor Speedway Main Event: 25-laps:
1. #12D – Tait Davenport, Marion, AR
2. #008 – Greg Hollingsworth, Lawrence, MS
3. #29 – Preston Seratt, Dyersburg, TN
4. #12L – Lucas Lee, Paris, TN
5. #6 – Brandon Rowland, Paragould, AR
6. #1 – Alex Ashley, Zachary, LA
7. #37R – Kyle Rutkoski, Eight Mile, AR
8. #10 – Jason Henry, Brandon, MS
9. #6W – Rusty Cooper, Saucier, MS
10. #25L – Lance Walker, Morton, MS
11. #L88 – Mark Herbert, Montizello, MS
12. #25 – Toby Hodge, Pulaski, MS
13. #22 – Chad Shivers, Prentiss, MS
14. #04 – Rodney Etheridge, Tuscaloosa, AL
15. #21 – Robby Arnold, Jonesboro, AR
16. #292 – Glendale Shoemake, Prentiss, MS
17. #44G – Jim Gulley, Brookbend, AR
18. #45X – Chris Moore, Hernando, MS
19. #99X – Justin Roberts, Paragould, AR
20. #34 – Brian Powell, Magee, MS
21. #07 – Ben Reed, Munford, TN
22. #12T – Race Taylor, Utica, MS (DNS)
K&N Filters USCS Outlaw Modified Series Race Awards:
K&N Filters Pole Award: #10 – Jason Henry
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: #29 – Preston Seratt
Comp Cams Hard Charger Award: #12D – Tait Davenport
Saldana Racing Products Top Five Award: #6 – Brandon Rowland
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: #37R – Kyle Rutkoski
DMI/Bulldog Rear End Top Ten Award: #25L – Lance Walker
The USCS K&N Filters Outlaw Modified Series would like to gratefully thank its sponsoring partners for their involvement in advancing the series: K&N Filters, www.rockauto.com, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Aero Race Wheels, Comp Cams, Saldana Racing Products, and Pyrotect Racing.
Tait Davenport from Marion, Arkansas charged from row ten into the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane in the K&N Filters USCS Outlaw Modifieds on Saturday night at Jackson Motor Speedway (Chris Seelman photo)
Story by Jacob Seelman