By Michael Despain
Bardstown, KY-May 29- Kelly Warren of Columbia, KY scored his first ever NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series win in the 4th Annual Mod Squad Bash at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY on Saturday night.
Ricky Arms and Jerry Rutherford would bring the field to the green flag in the 30 lap Lucas Oil A-Main, with taking the initial lead with Rutherford, Josh Lucas, Kelly Warren, and Joey Kramer in tow. Dion Benningfield would pressure Kramer in the early going as Lucas would go second and put the heat on Arms for the lead. Caution would wave on lap 5 as Joe Mattingly and Mike Watson spun in turn three. Arms would then see his night go awry as his mount developed motor problems and field restarted, with Arms being done for the night. This would hand the lead to Lucas, with Warren in pursuit at this point. Warren would pressure Lucas for the lead and take the top spot on lap 9. The action would heat for second as Lucas and Rutherford would mix it as Kramer and Benningfield would join the fray as well. Warren was beginning to stretch his lead when the next caution would wave on lap 19 for Chris Reihle spinning in turn three. The double restarts would see Lucas and Kramer pressure Warren, only to have the caution wave for a slowed Mattingly on the backchute. The restart would again be interesting as Kramer dived beneath Warren and throwed a slidejob for the lead in turn two, only to see Warren work back beneath him in turn three. The final caution would wave with just two laps remaining when Anthony Reams went airborne on the frontchute and spin around. The final restart would see the lead trio go three wide for the lead off of turn two and down the backchute and still be three wide off of turn four coming to the white flag. Warren would nose out in front down in turn one and hang on to take the win aboard his Race Kentucky Motorsports, B and B Motorsports, Horsephotos.com, Frankland Rear Ends, PBM Performance Products, #0 Bandit Race Cars, Dale Meers Racing Engines powered, American Race Tires shod mount. Lucas would take second at the line over Kramer, with Benningfield and Don Adams completing the top five. Butch Shay, Jason Wheatley, Jerry Rutherford, Brandon Green, and Steve Pyles completed the top ten. Forty-three Modifieds were on hand, with Jason Wheatley the Racing Optics fast qualifier with an 18.032 second lap. The Crown Spray Power heats were scored by Warren, Arms, Lucas, and Rutherford. The O'Reilly Auto Parts B Mains were won by Mattingly and Reihle. Series provisionals went to Leonard Pierce and Russell Childress, with track provisionals going to Wes Howard and Eddie Hasty.
SUMMARY-Bluegrass Speedway-Bardstown, KY-May 29, 2004
NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modifieds (43 entries)
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier- Jason Wheatley 18.032
Crown Spray Power 1st Heat- Kelly Warren, Dion Benningfield, Brandon Green, Robbie Gullion
Crown Spray Power 2nd Heat- Ricky Arms, Joey Kramer, Adam Gootee, Joe Mattingly
Crown Spray Power 3rd Heat- Josh Lucas, Joey Jones, Steve Pyles, Anthony Reams
Crown Spray Power 4th Heat- Jerry Rutherford, Butch Shay, Joe Gray, Mike Watson
O'Reilly Auto Parts 1st B Main- Mattingly, Wheatley, Don Adams, Gullion, Freddy Garmon
O'Reilly Auto Parts 2nd B Main- Chris Reihle, Reams, Watson, Rick Gumm, David McWilliams
Series Provisionals- Leonard Pierce, Russell Childress
Track Provisionals- Wes Howard, Eddie Hasty
Lucas Oil A Main (4th Annual Mod Squad Bash)- Warren, Lucas, Kramer, Benningfield, Adams, Shay, Wheatley, Rutherford, Green, Pyles, Reihle, Jones, Hasty, Reams, Pierce, Watson, Childress, Howard, Gootee, Mattingly, Gray, Arms
Bardstown, KY-May 29- Kelly Warren of Columbia, KY scored his first ever NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series win in the 4th Annual Mod Squad Bash at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY on Saturday night.
Ricky Arms and Jerry Rutherford would bring the field to the green flag in the 30 lap Lucas Oil A-Main, with taking the initial lead with Rutherford, Josh Lucas, Kelly Warren, and Joey Kramer in tow. Dion Benningfield would pressure Kramer in the early going as Lucas would go second and put the heat on Arms for the lead. Caution would wave on lap 5 as Joe Mattingly and Mike Watson spun in turn three. Arms would then see his night go awry as his mount developed motor problems and field restarted, with Arms being done for the night. This would hand the lead to Lucas, with Warren in pursuit at this point. Warren would pressure Lucas for the lead and take the top spot on lap 9. The action would heat for second as Lucas and Rutherford would mix it as Kramer and Benningfield would join the fray as well. Warren was beginning to stretch his lead when the next caution would wave on lap 19 for Chris Reihle spinning in turn three. The double restarts would see Lucas and Kramer pressure Warren, only to have the caution wave for a slowed Mattingly on the backchute. The restart would again be interesting as Kramer dived beneath Warren and throwed a slidejob for the lead in turn two, only to see Warren work back beneath him in turn three. The final caution would wave with just two laps remaining when Anthony Reams went airborne on the frontchute and spin around. The final restart would see the lead trio go three wide for the lead off of turn two and down the backchute and still be three wide off of turn four coming to the white flag. Warren would nose out in front down in turn one and hang on to take the win aboard his Race Kentucky Motorsports, B and B Motorsports, Horsephotos.com, Frankland Rear Ends, PBM Performance Products, #0 Bandit Race Cars, Dale Meers Racing Engines powered, American Race Tires shod mount. Lucas would take second at the line over Kramer, with Benningfield and Don Adams completing the top five. Butch Shay, Jason Wheatley, Jerry Rutherford, Brandon Green, and Steve Pyles completed the top ten. Forty-three Modifieds were on hand, with Jason Wheatley the Racing Optics fast qualifier with an 18.032 second lap. The Crown Spray Power heats were scored by Warren, Arms, Lucas, and Rutherford. The O'Reilly Auto Parts B Mains were won by Mattingly and Reihle. Series provisionals went to Leonard Pierce and Russell Childress, with track provisionals going to Wes Howard and Eddie Hasty.
SUMMARY-Bluegrass Speedway-Bardstown, KY-May 29, 2004
NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modifieds (43 entries)
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier- Jason Wheatley 18.032
Crown Spray Power 1st Heat- Kelly Warren, Dion Benningfield, Brandon Green, Robbie Gullion
Crown Spray Power 2nd Heat- Ricky Arms, Joey Kramer, Adam Gootee, Joe Mattingly
Crown Spray Power 3rd Heat- Josh Lucas, Joey Jones, Steve Pyles, Anthony Reams
Crown Spray Power 4th Heat- Jerry Rutherford, Butch Shay, Joe Gray, Mike Watson
O'Reilly Auto Parts 1st B Main- Mattingly, Wheatley, Don Adams, Gullion, Freddy Garmon
O'Reilly Auto Parts 2nd B Main- Chris Reihle, Reams, Watson, Rick Gumm, David McWilliams
Series Provisionals- Leonard Pierce, Russell Childress
Track Provisionals- Wes Howard, Eddie Hasty
Lucas Oil A Main (4th Annual Mod Squad Bash)- Warren, Lucas, Kramer, Benningfield, Adams, Shay, Wheatley, Rutherford, Green, Pyles, Reihle, Jones, Hasty, Reams, Pierce, Watson, Childress, Howard, Gootee, Mattingly, Gray, Arms
