Kids and fans were greeted at the gate of Clarksville Speedway with school supplies to get students off to a good start this school year. UMSA Mini Sprint Cars awaited them in racing action. We hope the anticipation of watching their favorite drivers don't distract them from their studies as the racing season continues!
Setting fast time for the track tonight was Randle Sweeney in the Burr 33 Late Model who drove each of his two laps in nearly twelve and a half seconds, the fastest 12.507. Clayton Miller (X15) shot his Open Wheel Modified car around the track in 14.061 seconds to rate fastest in that class. And The R-C Man, Brian M. Caudle (RC1) put his big Pro Street car at the top with a 14.360 fast lap.
With Don Everett (9) starting the first Street Stock heat race on the pole, Sam Morgan (D4) made a tight race sticking to Everett's side until suffering mechanical failure with only two laps to go leaving Dale Phillips (87) to take an easy second place, Everett taking the win. Mike "Smokey" Kondwros
(7X) drew the poll position for the second Street heat and was quickly looking at the rear bumpers of Ronnie Hedgepath's H55 and Dorris McCord's number 45 as the two point leaders passed him on the first lap. McCord would keep a comfortable distance from Hedgepath as the H55 led the entire race without caution to the finish. Sprinters ran their course in two heats only to have a dice roll invert the first and third rows. In the Open Wheel Dash, Michael Lee (55) got an edge over Clayton Miller (X15) and held the lead to the checkered flag. Miller would have to deal with pressure from Randle Sweeney (182) until a caution slowed the field. When the pace picked back up, Sweeney put himself in a solid second place finish while David Flowers
(99) and Lucas Lee (12) left the track for repairs. The first Open Wheel heat took a couple of restarts to get the action on track. Gerald Hodge (10) took the lead and brought Mike Neighbors (711N) along with him. It would take Neighbors into the third lap to get past Hodge and grab the lead, when a caution stopped the action. Restart, and more cautions, Scott Boley (16) moved up to take second place and Murry Burns (9B) settled into third. Gil Smith (7X) got the second Open Wheel heat going in the lead with Kenneth Gay
(01) hanging on for a challenge. A slip would move Gay back and allow Ricky Knight (43) to take over the second spot followed by Darrell Brown (36), Smith winning the race. By the time the first lap of the Late Model Dash was complete Randle Sweeney had a few car lengths between his #33 and the other five cars, with only "The Milkman" Clay Baumann (77) hanging on. When the crossed flags dropped, Gary Frost (F14) and Tony Albright (1) had moved ahead of Baumann and stayed in those places to the end, Sweeney taking the win again. In contrast, when the first lap of the Late Model heat was finished, the racers were under caution, but the only caution. Ronnie Frost
(8) took his poll position start all the way to the end while the other contenders shifted a few spots here or there. Gary Johnson (20) moving up from his second row start to finish the race behind Frost in second, while Jimmy Grant, driving for Wendell Bratton, up from the last row, took third.
The front row starters of the Pro Street Dash didn't want to separate on their first lap, but starting into the second, Don Young (41) edged past Caudle for the lead and held it straight through to the checkered - no cautions. The Pro Street seemed to take after the Late Model heat, getting into yellow flags just after the first lap. But Skip Wilson (13) crept out far enough to take over the lead; led on the restart, and took the checkered a well.
To make room on the schedule for the visiting Sprint cars, the both Mini Stock classes ran their feature races from the pill number draw. Pure Minis ran just before intermission. Craig Woldt (99) found the luck as he started on the poll of the race with Stan Ferry (1) on the outside. Over-eager racers stopped the green flag for a restart. When the green did drop, the small cars went down the front stretch nearly four wide with Christopher Perrigo (12) driving low and taking over the lead quickly. In a few more laps, Tim Hunter (77) and Stan Ferry (1) would slip past Woldt and Ferry would try to move past Hunter later on to no avail. Perrigo takes the checkered again with Hunter and Ferry in tow. UMSA Sprint Cars saluted the fans of Clarksville with a Meet & Greet on the track just before their feature, and as the cars got warmed up idling four-wide around the track.
The high attrition feature race finished with Jimmy McClain Jr. (81M) taking the top prize. The Open Wheel feature race suffered a couple cautions before the half-way mark, but nothing but thrills after that restart. While Michael Lee (55) led three quarters of the race and Miller (X15) staying just on the inside of him, the final restart had Sweeney (182) take up position on the outside of Lee. A wedge of these three cars circled the track for nearly four laps until Miller edged ahead of Lee and Sweeney not quite getting past. Don Young (41) used the poll sitters privilege to start the Pro Street feature on the outside of row one. It helped for the first few laps, but on a restart after a caution, Matt Potter (64) and The R-C Man (RC1) kept up with Caudle passing a few laps later. And Potter ended up giving the show spot to Larry Hamm (11L). Randle Sweeney (33) and Gary Frost (F14) began the Late Model feature on the front row and got the race off to a spectacular start. Sweeney took the 33 off ahead of Tony Albright (1) and Gary Frost for a few car lengths but a caution before the half way mark slowed them all down. On the restart, Albright edged ahead of Sweeney for a little more than a lap before Sweeney took the lead back over. Richard (15) had a slight lead on Gary Frost that was somewhat short-lived as Gary pulled ahead into third.
When Randle hit lap traffic, Albright was moving back up to stay with Sweeney and closed some distance. With just two laps to go, Gary suffered mechanical failure leave Richard to take third behind Albright and Sweeney picks up another win after Tony's upset last week. Then the Street Stocks took the stage. With Everett (9) and Hedgepath (H55) in the front row at the start, the other track champions, Dorris McCord (45) and Dale Phillips (87), made there way up from the second row past Everett and tried to get a position on Hedgepath. With one lap to go, track officials made a major unintended mistake by calling a caution and restarting the field. Phillips had a solid hold on second place until the restart when his car suffered mechanical failure causing him to lose the spot to McCord which otherwise may not have happened. And to close up the night, Mini Modifieds got their feature race off with a crash. But Charles Newberry (23) held the lead throughout after starting on the outside of the front row. Most of the racing was for second place. Dial (Z2), Clinard (065) and Dale McCord (31) would spend the race often side-by-side in a bid to grad second place.
McCord stayed clear of the bumping and banging that put drivers to the rear on a couple occasions and Newberry took the checkered first to wrap up the night of racing.
Setting fast time for the track tonight was Randle Sweeney in the Burr 33 Late Model who drove each of his two laps in nearly twelve and a half seconds, the fastest 12.507. Clayton Miller (X15) shot his Open Wheel Modified car around the track in 14.061 seconds to rate fastest in that class. And The R-C Man, Brian M. Caudle (RC1) put his big Pro Street car at the top with a 14.360 fast lap.
With Don Everett (9) starting the first Street Stock heat race on the pole, Sam Morgan (D4) made a tight race sticking to Everett's side until suffering mechanical failure with only two laps to go leaving Dale Phillips (87) to take an easy second place, Everett taking the win. Mike "Smokey" Kondwros
(7X) drew the poll position for the second Street heat and was quickly looking at the rear bumpers of Ronnie Hedgepath's H55 and Dorris McCord's number 45 as the two point leaders passed him on the first lap. McCord would keep a comfortable distance from Hedgepath as the H55 led the entire race without caution to the finish. Sprinters ran their course in two heats only to have a dice roll invert the first and third rows. In the Open Wheel Dash, Michael Lee (55) got an edge over Clayton Miller (X15) and held the lead to the checkered flag. Miller would have to deal with pressure from Randle Sweeney (182) until a caution slowed the field. When the pace picked back up, Sweeney put himself in a solid second place finish while David Flowers
(99) and Lucas Lee (12) left the track for repairs. The first Open Wheel heat took a couple of restarts to get the action on track. Gerald Hodge (10) took the lead and brought Mike Neighbors (711N) along with him. It would take Neighbors into the third lap to get past Hodge and grab the lead, when a caution stopped the action. Restart, and more cautions, Scott Boley (16) moved up to take second place and Murry Burns (9B) settled into third. Gil Smith (7X) got the second Open Wheel heat going in the lead with Kenneth Gay
(01) hanging on for a challenge. A slip would move Gay back and allow Ricky Knight (43) to take over the second spot followed by Darrell Brown (36), Smith winning the race. By the time the first lap of the Late Model Dash was complete Randle Sweeney had a few car lengths between his #33 and the other five cars, with only "The Milkman" Clay Baumann (77) hanging on. When the crossed flags dropped, Gary Frost (F14) and Tony Albright (1) had moved ahead of Baumann and stayed in those places to the end, Sweeney taking the win again. In contrast, when the first lap of the Late Model heat was finished, the racers were under caution, but the only caution. Ronnie Frost
(8) took his poll position start all the way to the end while the other contenders shifted a few spots here or there. Gary Johnson (20) moving up from his second row start to finish the race behind Frost in second, while Jimmy Grant, driving for Wendell Bratton, up from the last row, took third.
The front row starters of the Pro Street Dash didn't want to separate on their first lap, but starting into the second, Don Young (41) edged past Caudle for the lead and held it straight through to the checkered - no cautions. The Pro Street seemed to take after the Late Model heat, getting into yellow flags just after the first lap. But Skip Wilson (13) crept out far enough to take over the lead; led on the restart, and took the checkered a well.
To make room on the schedule for the visiting Sprint cars, the both Mini Stock classes ran their feature races from the pill number draw. Pure Minis ran just before intermission. Craig Woldt (99) found the luck as he started on the poll of the race with Stan Ferry (1) on the outside. Over-eager racers stopped the green flag for a restart. When the green did drop, the small cars went down the front stretch nearly four wide with Christopher Perrigo (12) driving low and taking over the lead quickly. In a few more laps, Tim Hunter (77) and Stan Ferry (1) would slip past Woldt and Ferry would try to move past Hunter later on to no avail. Perrigo takes the checkered again with Hunter and Ferry in tow. UMSA Sprint Cars saluted the fans of Clarksville with a Meet & Greet on the track just before their feature, and as the cars got warmed up idling four-wide around the track.
The high attrition feature race finished with Jimmy McClain Jr. (81M) taking the top prize. The Open Wheel feature race suffered a couple cautions before the half-way mark, but nothing but thrills after that restart. While Michael Lee (55) led three quarters of the race and Miller (X15) staying just on the inside of him, the final restart had Sweeney (182) take up position on the outside of Lee. A wedge of these three cars circled the track for nearly four laps until Miller edged ahead of Lee and Sweeney not quite getting past. Don Young (41) used the poll sitters privilege to start the Pro Street feature on the outside of row one. It helped for the first few laps, but on a restart after a caution, Matt Potter (64) and The R-C Man (RC1) kept up with Caudle passing a few laps later. And Potter ended up giving the show spot to Larry Hamm (11L). Randle Sweeney (33) and Gary Frost (F14) began the Late Model feature on the front row and got the race off to a spectacular start. Sweeney took the 33 off ahead of Tony Albright (1) and Gary Frost for a few car lengths but a caution before the half way mark slowed them all down. On the restart, Albright edged ahead of Sweeney for a little more than a lap before Sweeney took the lead back over. Richard (15) had a slight lead on Gary Frost that was somewhat short-lived as Gary pulled ahead into third.
When Randle hit lap traffic, Albright was moving back up to stay with Sweeney and closed some distance. With just two laps to go, Gary suffered mechanical failure leave Richard to take third behind Albright and Sweeney picks up another win after Tony's upset last week. Then the Street Stocks took the stage. With Everett (9) and Hedgepath (H55) in the front row at the start, the other track champions, Dorris McCord (45) and Dale Phillips (87), made there way up from the second row past Everett and tried to get a position on Hedgepath. With one lap to go, track officials made a major unintended mistake by calling a caution and restarting the field. Phillips had a solid hold on second place until the restart when his car suffered mechanical failure causing him to lose the spot to McCord which otherwise may not have happened. And to close up the night, Mini Modifieds got their feature race off with a crash. But Charles Newberry (23) held the lead throughout after starting on the outside of the front row. Most of the racing was for second place. Dial (Z2), Clinard (065) and Dale McCord (31) would spend the race often side-by-side in a bid to grad second place.
McCord stayed clear of the bumping and banging that put drivers to the rear on a couple occasions and Newberry took the checkered first to wrap up the night of racing.
