Columbus, MS - In the previous five years of the prestigious John L. Cliett Tribute race at Columbus Speedway, only two different drivers have earned the victory. Surprisingly, there would be no change for the 6th running of the event.
The 6th Annual Carl Hogan Automotive John L. Cliett Tribute would be threatened by unfavorable forecasts, but the weather cooperated as the pits filled with cars and the stands filled with fans. The $4,000-to-win, $400-to-start Super Late Model event would also serve as the second of two MSCCS/SUPR Series Challenge Races in 2005, the first being held earlier this year in Baton Rouge, LA. SUPR driver David Ashley would take the win i the first event, and the MSCCS drivers were determined to defend their "home turf" for round two.
David Breazeale would set fast time with a 13.80-second lap, besting Anthony Rushing's 13.85. Neither would win their heat race - Rushing would event take a wild ride on the wall in turn 2, going to the rear of his heat, and working his way back to the last transfer spot. Mike Boland, who along with Rushing is one of the only two drivers to ever win the Cliett Tribute, would beat out Breazeale in their heat race for pole position in the feature. B-Mains were won by Johnny Stokes and Ray Moore.
Boland would dive low on the restart to take the lead over David Gentry while Kenny Merchant, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, and David Breazeale battled 3-wide for third place. Gentry would quickly begin to challenge Boland for the lead, running on the hub as Boland raced up high. Breazeale would move around Merchant to take over 4th but the move was reversed as the first caution fell on lap 6 with Boland, Gentry, Hollingsworth, Merchant, and Breazeale in the top five.
Again Gentry went inside Boland on the restart as Breazeale and Merchant resumed thier side-by-side duel for 4th. Breazeale would take over the spot on lap 8 as Hollingsworth moved in on the battling leaders. A second caution would break up the action on lap 11, and when the racing resumed it would be more of the same as Gentry challenged Boland at every turn.
The leaders continued to race high and low in the turns and door-to-door in the straights until Gentry finally gained the advantage on lap 15 and took over. As Gentry padded his lead over Boland, Breazeale raced outside of Hollingsworth for 3rd place. Rushing, who had started 14th on the grid, had by this time made his way up to 6th place. A lap 22 caution once again paused the action, followed quickly by yellows on laps 25 and 27. Gentry would lead Boland, new third-place holder Breazeale, Hollingsworth, and Marlon Wild for the restart.
Boland would drive outside Gentry to battle for the lead as the green flag waved again, and the two would run door-to-door around the track before Boland took over once again. Ruahing would close on the battling Breazeale and Hollingsworth, whose race had heated up once again before the final caution fell on lap 36 with Boland, Gentry, Breazeale, Hollingsworth, and Rushing now in the top five.
Boland, running stronger as the laps ticked away, would shrug off Gentry's last challenge on the final restart, but Breazeale seemed more than happy to pick up the battle with Gentry, now for second place. The two would duke it out with Gentry high and Breazeale low lap after lap as Boland charged ahead, while Jason Smith moved in using the rim to challenge low-flying Rushing. Gentry would finally manage to fight of Breazeale by lap 48 as Boland, now running all alone up ahead, navigated lapped traffic.
The field would sort out in the final stretch of the 59-lap event, with Hollingsworth catching Breazeale once again only as the white flag waved. Boland went on to take the victory, his second John L. Cliett Tribute trophy, followed by Gentry, Breazeale, Hollingsworth, and Rushing in the top five. Smith, Wild, Jason Ingalls, Neil Baggett, and Kenny Merchant would round out the top ten.
Ross Camponovo would capture his first Columbus Speedway feature win by taking the victory in the Open-Wheel Modified division. Camponovo would take over the lead after early leaders Tony Gray and Brian Rickman were involved in an incident on lap 6 and would race to the win ahead of Shay Knight, Jason Hollis, Brian Brock, and Jason Brock.
TK King would take the Street Stock win after battling off David Honey cutt and Richard West. Mike Langford would beatJason Sanderford and Joey McKinney in the Late Model Stocks, and Michael Pendley would come out on top in Mini Stocks over Mike Minor and Steve Bryan.
The Cruiser feature would be taken by Kevin McWilliams & Robby Tilley, and Trey Wright would win the Hot Shot feature.
Columbus Speedway will be closed next Saturday night, July 23rd, for the Michael Head Jr. Memorial race at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Action returns to "The Baddest Bullring in the South" the following weekend for the Southern All Star "Homecoming Weekend". Friday Night July 29th will feature the B.J. Parker Southern Thunder Tour Super Late Models with a $2,000-to-win feature event, and Saturday night July 30th will be the return to Columbus Speedway of the O'Reilly Southern All Star series Super Late Models competing for $5,000-to-win. For more information stop by www.ColumbusSpeedway.net .
SUPER LATE MODEL
6TH ANNUAL JOHN L. CLIETT TRIBUTE
59 Laps - $4,000 to win
Pos. Driver
1ST 222 MIKE BOLAND
2ND 56 DAVID GENTRY
3RD 54 DAVID BREAZEALE
4TH 18 RONNY LEE HOLLINGSWORTH
5TH 70 1/2 ANTHONY RUSHING
6TH 12 JASON SMITH
7TH 48 MARLON WILD
8TH 12 JASON INGALLS
9TH 21 NEIL BAGGETT
10TH C28 KENNY MERCHANT
11TH 1 JOHNNY STOKES
12TH 10 RODNEY WING
13TH 514 DAVID MOLPUS
14TH 1C CHAD THRASH
15TH 28 DOUG INGALLS
16TH 10 JODY PRINCE
17TH 14 DAVID ASHLEY
18TH C10 BUBBA MULLINS
19TH M31 TONY MORRIS
20TH 93 RAY MOORE
21ST 75 PATRICK DANIEL
22ND M6 MARTY HARDY
23RD 5 SHAWN EDWARDS
24TH 6R ROBBIE STUART
MODIFIED
Top 10
1ST 18 ROSS CAMPONOVO
2ND 3 SHAY KNIGHT
3RD 5 JASON HOLLIS
4TH 8 BRYAN BROCK
5TH 4 JASON BROCK
6TH CB1 ERIC HUGHES
7TH 88 BRYAN COCHRAN
8TH 119 REX MICHAEL
9TH 7 RANDALL REED-WOOD
10TH D97 DARRELL HAY
LATE MODEL STOCK
Top 10
1ST 22 MIKE LANGFORD
2ND 76 JASON SANDERFORD
3RD 1 JOEY MCKINNEY
4TH 11 CHAD NICKOLES
5TH 9 RAY MAULDIN
6TH 75M RUBLE MAXEY
7TH 65 BILLY FRANKLIN
8TH 24 JODY GUEST
9TH 21 BEN MCCREARY
10TH 52 PHILLIP CARLISLE
STREET STOCK
Top 5
1ST 6 TK KING
2ND 15 DAVID HONEYCUTT
3RD 4 RICHARD WEST
4TH 7 MARK WEST
5TH -1 JONATHAN EDWARDS
MINI STOCK
Top 5
1ST 57 MICHAEL PENDLEY
2ND 2 MIKE MINOR
3RD 10 STEVE BRYAN
4TH 42 ALLEN GILREATH
5TH 6 STANLEY BUSBIN
TWO-PERSON CRUISER
Top 5
1ST 56 KEVIN MCWILLIAMS & ROBBY TILLEY
2ND 8 JAMES SOLAR & GLEN AKIN
3RD 00 JON STANFORD & JAMIE PENNINGTON
4TH T7 GREG CAMPONOVO & RUSTY SHAW
5TH 37 JEREMY & MIKE HARRIS
HOT SHOT
1ST 171 TREY WRIGHT
2ND 11 ROBBIE TAYLOR
3RD 1 TOMMY DOVE
