HAUGHTON, La. (March 15) — Polesitter Kyle Cummings of Minden, La., led all 40 laps at Champion Park Speedway to capture the 2008 opener on the O’Reilly Auto Parts Southern United Professional Racing tour.
The 25-year-old driver’s third career O'Reilly SUPR victory paid $2,500 at the track where he first started racing.
"It's cool to win in front of my hometown crowd with a lot of people here,” said Cummings, the son of 1998 O'Reilly SUPR champion Rusty Cummings. The younger Cummings won his first two series events last May, first at ArkLaTex Speedway and then at the quarter-mile Champion Park.
Cummings faced challenges from fellow front-row starter Ronny Adams of Greenwood, La, and then fifth-starting Howard Willis of Dayton, Texas, but the low-running winner was never headed. Willis finished second followed by Adams, defending SUPR champion Ray Moore of Shreveport, La., and Rob Litton of Alexandria, La. Consolation winner Jeff Chanler started 17th and rallied to finish seventh.
After two complete restarts, Cummings grabbed the lead from the outset with Adams giving chase. Litton slipped ahead of Adams on the sixth lap, but Adams regained the second spot two laps later and held it until the 18th lap, when Willis went past.
A lap-20 caution for a stalled Keith Craft bunched the field and Willis went to work on Cummings in the second half of the race. Willis nosed in on the leader in the race’s late stages, but Cummings held on.
The winner’s GRT Race car is owned by Raymond Childress and sponsored by Childress Fishing & Rental Service, Minden Country Chevy and CIS.
O’Reilly SUPR competitors head to Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark., on March 21-22 for two complete events. Friday’s race pays $1,250 to the winner and Saturday’s winner will earn $2,500.
Hometown driver Billy Moyer won last year’s SUPR event at Batesville.
Corporate sponsors of O’Reilly SUPR include: AFCO, Barber Specialties Inc., Bert Transmission, Brodix, BSB Manufacturing, Dura-Lite Racing Wheels, GRT Race Cars, Hinchman Uniforms, Hoosier Tire Southwest, J&J Motorsports, Keith Craft Inc., Larry Shaw Race Cars, Lile's Custom Home's, Master Vac, O'Reilly Auto Parts, PBM Performance Products, Peterson Aluminum, Trick Wild, Triple A Diesel Service and Wall 2 Wall Performance. (Story courtesy Todd Turner of DirtonDirt.com)
O’REILLY SUPR @ CHAMPION PARK SPEEDWAY: (1) Kyle Cummings, (2) Howard Willis, (3) Ronny Adams, (4) Ray Moore, (5) Rob Litton, (6) Kenny Merchant, (7) Jeff Chanler, (8) Lee Davis, (9) Doug Ingalls, (10) Duke Whiseant, (11) Allen Tippen, (12) Michael Coleman, (13) Jody Prince,
(14) Waylon Morris, (15) Kevin Sitton, (16) Gary Christian, (17) Cody Robbins, (18) Patrik Daniel, (19) Keith Craft, (20) Jon Mitchell, (21) Robbie Stuart, (22) Nick Brown. Heat race winners: Litton, Daniel, Cummings. Consolation winner: Chanler.
The 25-year-old driver’s third career O'Reilly SUPR victory paid $2,500 at the track where he first started racing.
"It's cool to win in front of my hometown crowd with a lot of people here,” said Cummings, the son of 1998 O'Reilly SUPR champion Rusty Cummings. The younger Cummings won his first two series events last May, first at ArkLaTex Speedway and then at the quarter-mile Champion Park.
Cummings faced challenges from fellow front-row starter Ronny Adams of Greenwood, La, and then fifth-starting Howard Willis of Dayton, Texas, but the low-running winner was never headed. Willis finished second followed by Adams, defending SUPR champion Ray Moore of Shreveport, La., and Rob Litton of Alexandria, La. Consolation winner Jeff Chanler started 17th and rallied to finish seventh.
After two complete restarts, Cummings grabbed the lead from the outset with Adams giving chase. Litton slipped ahead of Adams on the sixth lap, but Adams regained the second spot two laps later and held it until the 18th lap, when Willis went past.
A lap-20 caution for a stalled Keith Craft bunched the field and Willis went to work on Cummings in the second half of the race. Willis nosed in on the leader in the race’s late stages, but Cummings held on.
The winner’s GRT Race car is owned by Raymond Childress and sponsored by Childress Fishing & Rental Service, Minden Country Chevy and CIS.
O’Reilly SUPR competitors head to Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark., on March 21-22 for two complete events. Friday’s race pays $1,250 to the winner and Saturday’s winner will earn $2,500.
Hometown driver Billy Moyer won last year’s SUPR event at Batesville.
Corporate sponsors of O’Reilly SUPR include: AFCO, Barber Specialties Inc., Bert Transmission, Brodix, BSB Manufacturing, Dura-Lite Racing Wheels, GRT Race Cars, Hinchman Uniforms, Hoosier Tire Southwest, J&J Motorsports, Keith Craft Inc., Larry Shaw Race Cars, Lile's Custom Home's, Master Vac, O'Reilly Auto Parts, PBM Performance Products, Peterson Aluminum, Trick Wild, Triple A Diesel Service and Wall 2 Wall Performance. (Story courtesy Todd Turner of DirtonDirt.com)
O’REILLY SUPR @ CHAMPION PARK SPEEDWAY: (1) Kyle Cummings, (2) Howard Willis, (3) Ronny Adams, (4) Ray Moore, (5) Rob Litton, (6) Kenny Merchant, (7) Jeff Chanler, (8) Lee Davis, (9) Doug Ingalls, (10) Duke Whiseant, (11) Allen Tippen, (12) Michael Coleman, (13) Jody Prince,
(14) Waylon Morris, (15) Kevin Sitton, (16) Gary Christian, (17) Cody Robbins, (18) Patrik Daniel, (19) Keith Craft, (20) Jon Mitchell, (21) Robbie Stuart, (22) Nick Brown. Heat race winners: Litton, Daniel, Cummings. Consolation winner: Chanler.
