Hundreds of fans gathered from miles around to cheer their favorite NASCAR drivers Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace on Clarksville's red, clay oval.
Fun and excitement began as cars took to the track for hot laps, qualifying runs and heat races. Prizes, interviews, give-a-ways and fireworks were in store for the race-goers that braved some of the hottest weather this year.
Event sponsors SprintPCS, The Leaf-Chronicle and Budweiser are to thank for helping to bring such an enjoyable show to town.
All five classes of stock cars were qualified tonight where the fastest time was set by Randle L. Sweeney in the Burr #33 Late Model. Randle didn't quite break into the thirteen's with his 14.082 fastest time, but Superstar Kenny Schrader didn't leave him much room to breath either with less than a tenth of a second difference - Kenny put 14.134 seconds on the clock. The UMP Open Wheel fast time of 14.623 was driven by Michael L. Asberry in the
#1 car. Fast times for the other classes were driven by Matthew "Matt" D.
Potter (64) in Pro Street with 15.251, Dale W. Phillips (87) with 15.970 for the Street Stock and Donald "Don" Donegan (54), his Mini Modified bagged him a 16.631 second spin around the track.
Even before the first Open Wheel race pulled out onto the track, local vendors Allen's Fireworks and The Pinnacle Family Entertainment Center catered to the crowd with complimentary prizes and provided excitement during the breaks. The first few laps of the Dash pitted the drivers bumper-to-bumper with each other where Clayton Miller (X15) led Asberry and Mike Sweeney (25S) until a caution slowed down the field. Asberry used the restart to catch up on Miller and was pulling ahead by the time the crossed flags came out. The next lap had Miller back in front with Sweeney on his tail. With just one lap to go, Sweeney would sway coming out of turn 4 just enough to let Kenny Schrader (99) take over second and start the feature race next to Clayton Miller. Late arrivals caused other Open Wheel heats to get rearranged and got a few cars on the track in the wrong place. Once that was taken care of, the first Open Wheel heat showed Michael Lee (55) overpowering the field for the lead with Ricky Knight (43) following. A caution just 2 laps into the race moved David Flowers (99) into the second spot where he would finish behind Lee without any more yellow flags flying to slow them down. On the first lap of the second Open Wheel Heat, a caution restarted the field, but got the drivers door-to-door till nearly the half-way mark. After the crossed flags came out, leaders Duke Wright (66), Mike Neighbors (711N) and Kenny Wallace (23) put enough room to race between themselves and the rest of the pack where they finished in that order.
Track 'chaser' Randy Lewis was announced to the attending fans and presented a hat, making Clarksville Speedway his 736th track he's visited.
The Mini Modified Feature race ran perfectly without a caution and had Don Donegan (54) led the entire event. Don would pull across the scales underweight and forfeit the title to Thomas Clinard (55). Up next, the Late Model Dash. When the green flag dropped, Sweeney and Schrader would drive door-to-door for the first couple laps, then Schrader took the lead. Less than 2 minutes later, it was over, with Kenny Schrader landing the poll in the feature. Jimmy Grant (4) kept Arville Pittman (53) in his sights for most of Late Model Heat two. With the last few laps to drive, Grant would slow a bit and found his position challenged by Gary Johnson (20), Johnson would have to settle for the show spot, Pittman and Grant taking the honors.
The final Late Model Heat piled on the excitement, having fans jumping and screaming when local favorites Mike Chandler (51) and Richard Frost (15) drove seven of the eight laps nose-to-nose with Chandler finally prevailing.
The Street Stock Feature race had Ronnie Hedgepath (H55) leading the first couple laps with the rest of the field muscling for position. Dale Phillips
(87) began puling past Ronnie when he had a tire go out. Phillips good crew got him back out onto the track where he drove his way back to finish third.
Dale's caution wouldn't be the only one. By the half way mark, Hedgepath opened up his lead while Don Everett (9) and Dorris McCord (45) jockeyed for second place. By the time it was over, Everett would have Phillips moving up and Hedgepath took the checkered.
The Open Wheel Feature race had Clayton Miller (X15) out on an early lead with Kenny Schrader (99) in tow. Two and three-wide racing was the norm for this full track of twenty-one UMP Modified machines. When the crossed flags came out, the tail still hadn't been lapped. With only a few laps to go, Miller began maneuvering through lap traffic leaving Schrader in second with Mike Sweeney (25S) only a few car lengths behind to finish third.
Pro Street stock cars had the track next. With a first-lap caution, leader Don Young (41) would suffer a mechanical failure leaving Matt Potter (64) at the front. The race proceeded from the start and with only four laps to go, slowed with a caution on the front stretch. Potter would maintain the lead and took the checkered ahead of Larry Hamm (11L) and Curt Cherry (11X).
The feature that everyone was waiting for finally took center stage.
Fifteen Late Model dirt cars roared round the track with NASCAR driver Kenny Schrader pitted against local driver Randle Sweeney (33) for more than half the race. They would switch positions first going high, and then going low; into lap traffic, until a caution straightened out the field. Getting back underway, a third caution would put Schrader in the lead with Gary Frost
(F14) in second. The final few laps saw Kenny Schrader put nearly half a lap between himself and his nearest challenger, where Frost and track champion Tony Albright (1) would wrestle for runner-up. With Schrader taking the checkered flag, Albright overcame Frost who had to settle for the show spot.
Clarksville Speedway sends out thanks to our guests Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace as well as to all the fans, drivers and their crews, sponsors and supporters of the great sport of auto racing.
Fun and excitement began as cars took to the track for hot laps, qualifying runs and heat races. Prizes, interviews, give-a-ways and fireworks were in store for the race-goers that braved some of the hottest weather this year.
Event sponsors SprintPCS, The Leaf-Chronicle and Budweiser are to thank for helping to bring such an enjoyable show to town.
All five classes of stock cars were qualified tonight where the fastest time was set by Randle L. Sweeney in the Burr #33 Late Model. Randle didn't quite break into the thirteen's with his 14.082 fastest time, but Superstar Kenny Schrader didn't leave him much room to breath either with less than a tenth of a second difference - Kenny put 14.134 seconds on the clock. The UMP Open Wheel fast time of 14.623 was driven by Michael L. Asberry in the
#1 car. Fast times for the other classes were driven by Matthew "Matt" D.
Potter (64) in Pro Street with 15.251, Dale W. Phillips (87) with 15.970 for the Street Stock and Donald "Don" Donegan (54), his Mini Modified bagged him a 16.631 second spin around the track.
Even before the first Open Wheel race pulled out onto the track, local vendors Allen's Fireworks and The Pinnacle Family Entertainment Center catered to the crowd with complimentary prizes and provided excitement during the breaks. The first few laps of the Dash pitted the drivers bumper-to-bumper with each other where Clayton Miller (X15) led Asberry and Mike Sweeney (25S) until a caution slowed down the field. Asberry used the restart to catch up on Miller and was pulling ahead by the time the crossed flags came out. The next lap had Miller back in front with Sweeney on his tail. With just one lap to go, Sweeney would sway coming out of turn 4 just enough to let Kenny Schrader (99) take over second and start the feature race next to Clayton Miller. Late arrivals caused other Open Wheel heats to get rearranged and got a few cars on the track in the wrong place. Once that was taken care of, the first Open Wheel heat showed Michael Lee (55) overpowering the field for the lead with Ricky Knight (43) following. A caution just 2 laps into the race moved David Flowers (99) into the second spot where he would finish behind Lee without any more yellow flags flying to slow them down. On the first lap of the second Open Wheel Heat, a caution restarted the field, but got the drivers door-to-door till nearly the half-way mark. After the crossed flags came out, leaders Duke Wright (66), Mike Neighbors (711N) and Kenny Wallace (23) put enough room to race between themselves and the rest of the pack where they finished in that order.
Track 'chaser' Randy Lewis was announced to the attending fans and presented a hat, making Clarksville Speedway his 736th track he's visited.
The Mini Modified Feature race ran perfectly without a caution and had Don Donegan (54) led the entire event. Don would pull across the scales underweight and forfeit the title to Thomas Clinard (55). Up next, the Late Model Dash. When the green flag dropped, Sweeney and Schrader would drive door-to-door for the first couple laps, then Schrader took the lead. Less than 2 minutes later, it was over, with Kenny Schrader landing the poll in the feature. Jimmy Grant (4) kept Arville Pittman (53) in his sights for most of Late Model Heat two. With the last few laps to drive, Grant would slow a bit and found his position challenged by Gary Johnson (20), Johnson would have to settle for the show spot, Pittman and Grant taking the honors.
The final Late Model Heat piled on the excitement, having fans jumping and screaming when local favorites Mike Chandler (51) and Richard Frost (15) drove seven of the eight laps nose-to-nose with Chandler finally prevailing.
The Street Stock Feature race had Ronnie Hedgepath (H55) leading the first couple laps with the rest of the field muscling for position. Dale Phillips
(87) began puling past Ronnie when he had a tire go out. Phillips good crew got him back out onto the track where he drove his way back to finish third.
Dale's caution wouldn't be the only one. By the half way mark, Hedgepath opened up his lead while Don Everett (9) and Dorris McCord (45) jockeyed for second place. By the time it was over, Everett would have Phillips moving up and Hedgepath took the checkered.
The Open Wheel Feature race had Clayton Miller (X15) out on an early lead with Kenny Schrader (99) in tow. Two and three-wide racing was the norm for this full track of twenty-one UMP Modified machines. When the crossed flags came out, the tail still hadn't been lapped. With only a few laps to go, Miller began maneuvering through lap traffic leaving Schrader in second with Mike Sweeney (25S) only a few car lengths behind to finish third.
Pro Street stock cars had the track next. With a first-lap caution, leader Don Young (41) would suffer a mechanical failure leaving Matt Potter (64) at the front. The race proceeded from the start and with only four laps to go, slowed with a caution on the front stretch. Potter would maintain the lead and took the checkered ahead of Larry Hamm (11L) and Curt Cherry (11X).
The feature that everyone was waiting for finally took center stage.
Fifteen Late Model dirt cars roared round the track with NASCAR driver Kenny Schrader pitted against local driver Randle Sweeney (33) for more than half the race. They would switch positions first going high, and then going low; into lap traffic, until a caution straightened out the field. Getting back underway, a third caution would put Schrader in the lead with Gary Frost
(F14) in second. The final few laps saw Kenny Schrader put nearly half a lap between himself and his nearest challenger, where Frost and track champion Tony Albright (1) would wrestle for runner-up. With Schrader taking the checkered flag, Albright overcame Frost who had to settle for the show spot.
Clarksville Speedway sends out thanks to our guests Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace as well as to all the fans, drivers and their crews, sponsors and supporters of the great sport of auto racing.
