By James Essex
ALPHA, KY--Tyrel Todd of Eubank, KY won his second O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sports Shirts event of the 2004 season on Friday Night at the Clinton County Speedway leading all 40 laps to win the Lucas Oil A-Main worth $3000. The 22 year old driver piloted the Todd Family Motorsports, Pulaski Steel and Supply, Todd Truss Company, Gerald's Auto Parts, Alexander Recycling Inc., Valley View Car Wash, WFO Decals, American Racer Tires; Mike Bullock Race Engines sponsored MasterSbilt Monte Carlo to his second career BoB win leading a MasterSbilt Race Cars sweep of the top four positions. Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN finished second in the Southern Indiana Rock Drilling/Cornett Engines/MasterSbilt Grand Prix with third place at the finish to Brad Neat of Dunnville, KY in the Neat's Service Center/Cornett Engines/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo. Finishing up in fourth was Bobby Carrier Jr. of Harrodsburg, KY in the R&P Industrial Chimney/Bullock Race Engine/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo and completing the top five was Michael Luna of Sparta, TN in the Highway 70 Market/Vic Hill Race Engines/Rocket Monte Carlo.
Todd would earn the outside of the front row by drawing the number two spot for the three heat race winners. Todd quickly jumped to the lead with Michael Luna running in second followed by Shannon Thornsberry, Bobby Carrier Jr. and Mike Jewell. Luna would immediately start to hound Todd for the top spot as the laps were clicking off at a rapid pace. The pair of young drivers would be quick all the way around the race track with two wide battles going on behind them. On the fifth lap the first caution of the race came out for last week's Clinton County winner, Tim Tim Tungate who spun around in turn two and stopped after contact with another car. On the restart Thornsberry would go to the top side of the race track and run alongside of Luna for a couple of circuits until he was able to pass him for second in the 12th lap. Meanwhile Jewell had passed Carrier for fourth and was closing on on Thornsberry and Luna. Up front it was Todd rolling along and after 15 laps were scored he would have built up an almost seven car length lead iver the field. A stalled Joe Patrick would bring out the next caution on te 16th lap wiping out Todd's lead. When the race went green again Thornsberry would suddenly slow on the backstretch allowing several cars to get by him.
Luna would then climb bakc in second followed by Jewell, Carrier and Victor Lee. Lee would pass Carrier for fourth and then start to pressure Jewell for third. On lap 26 Lee would get into turn three too hot and climb the side of Jewell's car after hitting the berm on the inside of the track. The result would be that Jewell would get his third spot back and Lee would have to restart on the tail. A car on the move was now Brad Neat. The eighth place start would take the outside route in steadily moving up to challenge the top five drivers. Neat would claim fourth from carrier on the 28th circuit with carrier falling to fifth. With ten laps to go Todd had his car working almost perfectly and appeared to be on his way to an unchallenged victory. Luna and Jewell would duel it out for second in the final five laps with Jewell getting by the Clinton County regular to take second spot. A caution flag with three laps to go is what Todd did not want to see and it came out for a spin on the track, because on the restart Jewell would be right behind Todd. With the green flag unfurled again Jewell would try every avenue to pass Todd, but Todd held a steady line and did not chop off Jewell at any time as the two raced to the checkered flag as Jewell could not muster enough speed to overtake Todd as Todd would flash across the finish line the victor in BoB competition for the second time this year. Jewell settled for second with Neat coming home in third. Carrier would claim fourth with Luna rounding out the top five in his best career Battle of the Bluegrass effort.
Completing the top ten was Johnny Wheeler, Aaron Hatton, Jeff Watson, Victor Lee and Doug Smith.
In preliminary events Lee was the Racing Optics/Russell Baker Engines fast qualifier at 13.019 seconds. Lee also earned an additional $150 bonus from Eric Selby of Albany Auto Color who presented Lee a check for his fast time honor. The Crown Spray Power heat race winners were Michael Luna, Tyrel Todd and Shannon Thornsberry.
The next O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass event will be this Saturday Night, June 19 at the Barren County Speedway in Glasgow, Ky for the running of the Wayne Coakley Memorial Race paying $3000 to win.
Race Summary
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Event #9
Friday Night, June 11, 2004
Clinton County Speedway-Alpha, KY
Racing Optics/Russell Baker Fast Time: Victor Lee 13.019 seconds
Crown Spray Power Heat #1: Michael Luna, Bobby Carrier Jr., Victor Lee, Jeff Watson
Crown Spray Power Heat #2: Tyrel Todd, Tim Tungate, Brad Neat, Aaron Hatton
Crown Spray Power Heat #3: Shannon Thornsberry, Mike Jewell, Johnny Wheeler, Joe Patrick
Lucas Oil A-Main (40 Laps): Tyrel Todd, Mike Jewell, Brad Neat,, Bobby Carrier Jr., Michael Luna, Johnny Wheeler, Aaron Hatton, Jeff Watson, Victor Lee, Doug Smith, Steve Cornelius, Michael England, Dennis Selby, Anthony Ferguson, Spensor Watson, Shannon Thornsberry, Joe Patrick, Tim Tungate, Lloyd Owens, Steven Ashby
Race Statistics
Entries: 20
Caution Flags: 4
Red Flags: 0
Lap Leaders: Todd 1-40
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Brad Neat (started 8th and finish in third)
ALPHA, KY--Tyrel Todd of Eubank, KY won his second O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sports Shirts event of the 2004 season on Friday Night at the Clinton County Speedway leading all 40 laps to win the Lucas Oil A-Main worth $3000. The 22 year old driver piloted the Todd Family Motorsports, Pulaski Steel and Supply, Todd Truss Company, Gerald's Auto Parts, Alexander Recycling Inc., Valley View Car Wash, WFO Decals, American Racer Tires; Mike Bullock Race Engines sponsored MasterSbilt Monte Carlo to his second career BoB win leading a MasterSbilt Race Cars sweep of the top four positions. Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN finished second in the Southern Indiana Rock Drilling/Cornett Engines/MasterSbilt Grand Prix with third place at the finish to Brad Neat of Dunnville, KY in the Neat's Service Center/Cornett Engines/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo. Finishing up in fourth was Bobby Carrier Jr. of Harrodsburg, KY in the R&P Industrial Chimney/Bullock Race Engine/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo and completing the top five was Michael Luna of Sparta, TN in the Highway 70 Market/Vic Hill Race Engines/Rocket Monte Carlo.
Todd would earn the outside of the front row by drawing the number two spot for the three heat race winners. Todd quickly jumped to the lead with Michael Luna running in second followed by Shannon Thornsberry, Bobby Carrier Jr. and Mike Jewell. Luna would immediately start to hound Todd for the top spot as the laps were clicking off at a rapid pace. The pair of young drivers would be quick all the way around the race track with two wide battles going on behind them. On the fifth lap the first caution of the race came out for last week's Clinton County winner, Tim Tim Tungate who spun around in turn two and stopped after contact with another car. On the restart Thornsberry would go to the top side of the race track and run alongside of Luna for a couple of circuits until he was able to pass him for second in the 12th lap. Meanwhile Jewell had passed Carrier for fourth and was closing on on Thornsberry and Luna. Up front it was Todd rolling along and after 15 laps were scored he would have built up an almost seven car length lead iver the field. A stalled Joe Patrick would bring out the next caution on te 16th lap wiping out Todd's lead. When the race went green again Thornsberry would suddenly slow on the backstretch allowing several cars to get by him.
Luna would then climb bakc in second followed by Jewell, Carrier and Victor Lee. Lee would pass Carrier for fourth and then start to pressure Jewell for third. On lap 26 Lee would get into turn three too hot and climb the side of Jewell's car after hitting the berm on the inside of the track. The result would be that Jewell would get his third spot back and Lee would have to restart on the tail. A car on the move was now Brad Neat. The eighth place start would take the outside route in steadily moving up to challenge the top five drivers. Neat would claim fourth from carrier on the 28th circuit with carrier falling to fifth. With ten laps to go Todd had his car working almost perfectly and appeared to be on his way to an unchallenged victory. Luna and Jewell would duel it out for second in the final five laps with Jewell getting by the Clinton County regular to take second spot. A caution flag with three laps to go is what Todd did not want to see and it came out for a spin on the track, because on the restart Jewell would be right behind Todd. With the green flag unfurled again Jewell would try every avenue to pass Todd, but Todd held a steady line and did not chop off Jewell at any time as the two raced to the checkered flag as Jewell could not muster enough speed to overtake Todd as Todd would flash across the finish line the victor in BoB competition for the second time this year. Jewell settled for second with Neat coming home in third. Carrier would claim fourth with Luna rounding out the top five in his best career Battle of the Bluegrass effort.
Completing the top ten was Johnny Wheeler, Aaron Hatton, Jeff Watson, Victor Lee and Doug Smith.
In preliminary events Lee was the Racing Optics/Russell Baker Engines fast qualifier at 13.019 seconds. Lee also earned an additional $150 bonus from Eric Selby of Albany Auto Color who presented Lee a check for his fast time honor. The Crown Spray Power heat race winners were Michael Luna, Tyrel Todd and Shannon Thornsberry.
The next O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass event will be this Saturday Night, June 19 at the Barren County Speedway in Glasgow, Ky for the running of the Wayne Coakley Memorial Race paying $3000 to win.
Race Summary
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Event #9
Friday Night, June 11, 2004
Clinton County Speedway-Alpha, KY
Racing Optics/Russell Baker Fast Time: Victor Lee 13.019 seconds
Crown Spray Power Heat #1: Michael Luna, Bobby Carrier Jr., Victor Lee, Jeff Watson
Crown Spray Power Heat #2: Tyrel Todd, Tim Tungate, Brad Neat, Aaron Hatton
Crown Spray Power Heat #3: Shannon Thornsberry, Mike Jewell, Johnny Wheeler, Joe Patrick
Lucas Oil A-Main (40 Laps): Tyrel Todd, Mike Jewell, Brad Neat,, Bobby Carrier Jr., Michael Luna, Johnny Wheeler, Aaron Hatton, Jeff Watson, Victor Lee, Doug Smith, Steve Cornelius, Michael England, Dennis Selby, Anthony Ferguson, Spensor Watson, Shannon Thornsberry, Joe Patrick, Tim Tungate, Lloyd Owens, Steven Ashby
Race Statistics
Entries: 20
Caution Flags: 4
Red Flags: 0
Lap Leaders: Todd 1-40
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Brad Neat (started 8th and finish in third)
