Columbus, MS - Billy Moyer has annihilated Super Late Model fields across the country countless times over the course of his storied career. Saturday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway, he would add one more such performance to his legendary resume.
The 2005 season opener for the state-of-the-art facility would also serve as the first event under Race Director Johnny Stokes and the Columbus Speedway event team. On his first weekend on the job, Stokes would already be forced to use his track preparation skills to "rescue" the 3/8-mile oval prior to feature race time, and the results were astounding.
Shane Clanton would start on the pole of the 60-lap, $10,000-to-win main event after setting fast time on Friday night (15.10) and winning his heat race. Clanton would never see the lead after the green flag fell, as "The Kosciusko Kamikaze" shot by on the top of the track out of turn two as if he were shot from a cannon to take the lead. Clanton could only watch as Billy Moyer, Terry Phillips, and Ray Cook followed suit, and as the first caution fell for Randall Walker with one lap in the books, the polesitter would have to settle for 5th place.
After one false start for a spin by Rick Rickman, racing resumed, with cars racing up to 4-wide throughout the pack as the blazing-fast leaders chased each other relentlessly. Rushing would already be in lapped traffic by lap 8, and Moyer would take over the top position on the following lap. Rushing then regained the spot on lap 10, but another caution as Rickman decided to take his noseless machine out of the race on the same lap would keep Moyer up front.
Rushing avoided losing several positions on the ensuing restart as an accident involving Walker, Jason Smith, and Jack Sullivan caused the restart to be waived. As racing resumed, Rushing held on to second with Terry Phillips on his tail. Behind the top three, the action began to get wild as recent hot-streak rider Clint Smith, Clanton, and last year's Governor's Cup Champ Rodney Wing battled 3-wide through turns 3, 4, and down the front stretch. Smith then dove under Clanton to continue the battle as Wing rode the rim right behind them. Mark Teske would then jump into the battle going under Smith as Phillips started driving inside Rushing in a battle for second place.
The two would race door-to-door while Moyer stretched out his lead. Phillips would continue driving under Rushing, who was running near the wall, and Ray Cook joined the battle on lap 19 to make it a brief three-way dance. Moyer would be reaching lapped traffic all alone as the race for second heated up, but action was broken up for the final time on lap 23 as Terrance Nowell pulled to a stop and then exited the track. Moyer, Rushing, Phillips, Cook, and Clanton would still hold down the top five spot.
The leaders went 3-wide on the restart, and would mix and match up front with only one constant - Moyer remained the unchallenged leader. Clanton would cut back through the pack to claim second, Phillips held on to third, and Ray Cook now claimed 4th as Rushing dropped to 5th. By this time, Jeff "Fireball" Floyd, who made the race via a B-Main, could be seen up toward the front after a mad charge from the back. Floyd would go inside Teske in a race for 7th behind a heated battle for 5th between Smith and Rushing.
The #44 and the #70 1/2 would go door-to-door for all of lap 29, and on lap 30, Smith would finally take over 5th place off of turn 2. Teske would briefly shed Floyd to look low on Rushing, now 6th, as Moyer reached traffic on lap 32.
Things would calm down for a while as prolonged green flag racing gave the leaders a chance to stretch out, with the top five all separated for a while by several car lengths. Moyer would methodically put lapped cars behind him on the wide speedway, with all of the others also making their way through backmarkers. Teske, running the bottom of the track continued to battle Rushing, who still raced up near the concrete wall on the outside. Teske would finally put Rushing behind him on lap 35, and Floyd would pick up the battle.
Up front, Phillips had finally caught Clanton and began to race for second. Floyd would clear Rushing by lap 38, and by lap 43, Moyer would hold a full straightaway lead on the battling Clanton and Phillips. The two would nearly race the remainder of the event door-to-door as Smith engaged Cook in a race for 4th in much the same manner. Lap after lap the two would spar side-by-side, with Cook finally regaining a bit of an advantage with just ten laps to go.
Floyd's battle with Teske for 6th was overshadowed by the two races ahead, but the #F1 would take over 6th on lap 51 after starting on the next-to-last row. Clint Smith would take 4th from Cook, but Cook snatched the position right back as Moyer enjoyed a half-track lead on the pack. As Cook and Smith continued to duel for 4th, Moyer would pull up behind Floyd, having lapped every driver up to 6th place.
Phillips would once again engage Clanton in the final laps, running the middle of the track as Clanton raced on the rim. Clanton would swoop low to keep his hold on 2nd place as the white flag began to wave for Moyer. Moyer cruised on to a thoroughly impressive victory, followed by Clanton, Phillips, Cook, and Smith in the top five. Floyd, Teske, Jack Sullivan, Mike Boland, and Rushing would round out the top ten.
The Open-Wheel Modifieds would take the stage and put on a thrilling show. 3- and 4-wide racing would be commonplace as Jack Sullivan worked his way into the lead, battling with Chris Moore and early leader Jeremy Shaw before taking over. Moore would take second place, and Shaw settled into a battle with Shaw Knight like those seen weekly "across the river" at Columbus Speedway each week between the two.
Shaw would make a late bid for the lead after a late caution, the only one of the race, but Sullivan held on over Moore and Shaw to take the win. Knight and Matt Price completed the top five, with Curt Smith, Jason Brock, Brian Rickman, Todd Gray, and Jason Hollis earning top-ten honors.
Judson Littlejohn would lead early in the Late Model Stock feature only to give up the point to Johnny Smith. Smith would ride the rim to a comfortable lead before breaking down and giving the lead back to Littlejohn. Littlejohn would continue to hold off Doug Todd until taking the win. Jason Sanderford, Randy Boyd Thompson, and Chad Nickoles rounded out the top five.
TK King would stay ahead of David Honeycutt to take the Street Stock win, with Chris Reeves, Kevin Elfring, and Richard West in the top five for the finish. Steve Bryan took the Mini Stock win over Scott Gable, Steve Miller, Michael Pendley, and Austin Broadaway. Lee Ray and Alan Hall would take the Two-Person Cruiser feature win.
Next weekend action once again moves "across the river" for a special FRIDAY NIGHT show at Columbus Speedway, "The Baddest Bullring in the South". For more information, stop by the Columbus Speedway website at www.ColumbusSpeedway.net .
MAGNOLIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
2nd Annual Governor's Cup
SUPER LATE MODEL - $10,000-to-win
Pos. Car# Driver (Started)
1ST 21 BILLY MOYER (4)
2ND 25 SHANE CLANTON (2)
3RD 75 TERRY PHILLIPS (6)
4TH 53 RAY COOK (8)
5TH 44 CLINT SMITH (12)
6TH F1 JEFF FLOYD (21)
7TH 41 MARK TESKE (3)
8TH 18 JACK SULLIVAN (18)
9TH 222 MIKE BOLAND (13)
10TH 70 1/2 ANTHONY RUSHING (2)
11TH 10 RODNEY WING (10)
12TH 68 EDDIE RICKMAN (15)
13TH 54 DAVID BREAZEALE (7)
14TH 71 CHRIS WALL (14)
15TH 48 MARLON WILD (9)
16TH 89 MARSHALL GREEN (17)
17TH 33 SCOTT DEDWYLDER (22)
18TH 12 JASON SMITH (24)
19TH 17 KYLE SCHEER (19)
20TH 18 RONNY LEE HOLLINGSWORTH (11)
21ST 55 TERRENCE NOWELL (16)
22ND 15W RANDALL WALKER (23)
23RD 56 DAVID GENTRY (20)
24TH 86 RICK RICKMAN (5)
OPEN-WHEEL MODIFIED
1ST 18 JACK SULLIVAN
2ND 17 CHRIS MOORE
3RD 1S JEREMY SHAW
4TH 3 SHAY KNIGHT
5TH 17 MATT PRICE
6TH 20 CURT SMITH
7TH 4 JASON BROCK
8TH 90 BRIAN RICKMAN
9TH 7 TODD GRAY
10TH 5 JASON HOLLIS
11TH 8 BRYAN BROCK
12TH 6X KYLE PLEASANT
13TH 66 CHRIS GLENN
14TH 18 ROSS CAMPONOVO
15TH 51 JOHN POLASINI
16TH 31 BLAKE KOENIGSBERGER
17TH 41 BILL SUDDUTH
18TH 99 BRANDON POPPENHEIMER
19TH 7 JEROD ROLLER
20TH 66 LAWSON HOWARD
21ST 15 ERNIE PARKER
22ND 09 TIMMY THRASH
23RD 15 DAVID HONEYCUTT
24TH 16 BROCK OTTS
LATE MODEL STOCK - Top 10
1ST 3 JUDSON LITTLEJOHN
2ND 4 DOUG TODD
3RD 82 JASON SANDERFORD
4TH K3 RANDY BOYD THOMPSON
5TH 11 CHAD NICKOLES
6TH 22 MIKE LANGFORD
7TH 75M RUBLE MAXEY
8TH 88 DWIGHT MOSLEY
9TH H1 JERRY LUCAS
10TH X15 ROMAN PONDS
STREET STOCK - Top 5
1ST 6 TK KING
2ND 15 DAVID HONEYCUTT
3RD 2 CHRIS REEVES
4TH 25 KEVIN ELFRING
5TH 4 RICHARD WEST
MINI STOCK - Top 5
1ST 10 STEVE BRYAN
2ND 7 SCOTT GABLE
3RD M5 STEVE MILLER
4TH 57 MICHAEL PENDLEY
5TH 77 AUSTIN BROADWAY
TWO-PERSON CRUISER - Top 5
1ST 69 LEE RAY & ALAN HALL
2ND 11 WAYNE & JAMIE SUDDUTH
3RD K6 BENJI JONES & CURT SMITH
4TH 14 CHRIS & AUDREY MONAHAN
5TH 22 JOHN BEARD & ???
