Post by LMR on 05/26/12 at 12:26am
Ponderosa Speedway
May 25, 2012
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Victor Lee Lands in Victory Lane in Red Clay Bash at Ponderosa Speedway
by Michael Despain
Junction City, KY (May 25) - Ponderosa Speedway would kick off the 2012 Memorial Day holiday weekend with the Red Clay Bash event for Good Neighbor Pharmacy Late Models and Victor Lee of Danville, KY would find his way to victory lane in the race and pick up the $2,000 payday. Other feature winners included Elliott Despain of Campbellsville, KY in Clayton Homes Modifieds, Gerald Haynes, Jr. of Somerset, KY in Ken Towery’s Auto and Tire Care Sportsman, and Rusty Light of Nancy, KY in Bob Allen Motor Mall Front Wheel Drives.
Mike Jewell and Victor Lee would bring the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Late Model 35 lap, $2,000 to win Red Clay Bash to the green flag, with Jewell jumping to the top spot, with Victor Lee and Aaron Ridley giving chase. Jewell would pull away a bit from Lee as the process of lapping slower cars was set to begin on lap 10 before the caution flag waved for a multi-car incident in turn two involving Tommy Carlton, John Minon, Jr., and James Rice, with all drivers able to continue. The attempted restart would be thwarted as well as Wesley Brummett would spin exiting turn two, but would continue. Back underway, Lee would begin to challenge Jewell a bit for the race lead as the pair would start lapping slower traffic again on lap 18. Jewell and Lee would dice back and forth for the race lead before Lee would scoot beneath Jewell entering turn three on lap 27 to make what would be the winning pass. Lee would pull away the remaining eight laps of the event to take his first victory of the season in his Xtreme Style Signs and Graphics/Carrier’s Garage/Stebbins Motorsports/Barton Insulated Storage Buildings/Quality Automotive Group/French Homes/Four Seasons Pest Control sponsored #4 C.J. Rayburn Race Car powered by a CT525 Engine. Jewell and Todd Coffman would trade second place three times in the final two laps, with Coffman taking second, with Jewell finishing third, while Aaron Ridley and Michael Chilton completed the top five. The remainder of the top ten would be Jeremy Hines, Dustin Linville, Johnny Wheeler, Mike Strunk, and Skylar Marlar. Twenty-six entries would Ridley be the top qualifier at 14.009 seconds, while Country 100.9 MIKE FM heat race wins fell to Jewell, Lee, and Strunk.
Elliott Despain and Tommy Bailey would duel throughout the 20 lap Clayton Homes Modified feature event before Despain would hold Bailey on a pair of one lap shootout restarts at the conclusion of the feature event to claim his second straight win at Ponderosa Speedway aboard the Billy and Lisa Despain owned Knox Ford of Radcliff/Southern Indiana Rock Drilling/Lucas Oil Products/Chandler Electric/Campbellsville NAPA/Family Eyecare/SpeeDecals Vinyl Graphics/Swafford Signs/PRC/BSB Manufacturing/SEF by VP Fuels/Schoenfield Headers/Bilstein Shocks/K&N Filters sponsored #75E Bandit Race Cars, Dale Meers Race Engines powered mount. Bailey would finish second, with Jimmy Payne taking third. Dion Benningfield and Jeff Rawlings would round out the top five. Completing the top ten would be Kevin Nesselhauf, Billy Meredith, Jimmy Crabtree, Dustin Linville, and Stacey Decker. Fifteen entries would see Benji Lee be the top qualifier at 14.962 seconds, while Despain and Crabtree were Smith Automotive Machine Shop heat race winners.
Gerald Haynes, Jr. would take the race lead from Donnie Sullivan on lap 3 and never look back in picking up his third Ken Towery’s Auto and Tire Care Sportsman feature win of the season behind the wheel of his Cornett Racing Engines/BSB Manufacturing sponsored #27 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle entry. Glen Hounshell, Jr. would take runner-up honors, while Doodle Farris would nip Sullivan to claim third, with Derek Bottoms completing the top five. Eight entries would see Hounshell, Jr. be the top qualifier at 16.232 seconds, while Sullivan would be the winner of the Central Painting heat event.
Rusty Light would outdistance Brandon Lucas to win the Bob Allen Motor Mall Front Wheel Drive feature event in his unsponsored #2 Acura Integra machine, with Lucas finishing second, as Jeremy Strunk and Charles Burton did not start the feature event. Light would also pick up the win in the Airport Road Salvage Yard heat for the division.
SUMMARY-Ponderosa Speedway-Junction City, Kentucky-May 25, 2012
Good Neighbor Pharmacy Late Models (26 entries)
Top Qualifier- Aaron Ridley 14.009
Country 100.9 MIKE FM 1st Heat- Mike Jewell, Aaron Ridley, Jeremy Hines, Joey Daniel
Country 100.9 MIKE FM 2nd Heat- Victor Lee, Michael Chilton, Dustin Linville, Skylar Marlar
Country 100.9 MIKE FM 3rd Heat- Mike Strunk, Todd Coffman, Johnny Wheeler, Wesley Brummett
Red Clay Bash- Victor Lee, Todd Coffman, Mike Jewell, Aaron Ridley, Michael Chilton, Jeremy Hines, Dustin Linville, Johnny Wheeler, Mike Strunk, Skylar Marlar, Tyler Allen, Jim Beeman, Buzz Williams, Kevin Colston, James Rice, Clarence Belcher, Tommy Carlton, Wesley Brummett, Jerry Rice, John Minon, Jr., Dennis Barton, Mike Covington, Doug Smith, Danny Hatcher, Joey Daniel (DNS- Dylan Preston)
Clayton Homes Modifieds (15 entries)
Top Qualifier- Benji Lee 14.962
Smith Automotive Machine Shop 1st Heat- Elliott Despain, Tommy Bailey, Benji Lee, Jimmy Payne
Smith Automotive Machine Shop 2nd Heat- Jimmy Crabtree, Dion Benningfield, Dustin Linville, Cy Cundiff
Feature- Elliott Despain, Tommy Bailey, Jimmy Payne, Dion Benningfield, Jeff Rawlings, Kevin Nesselhauf, Billy Meredith, Jimmy Crabtree, Dustin Linville, Stacey Decker, A.J. Reams, Benji Lee, Cy Cundiff (DNS- Robbie Gullion, Michael England)
Ken Towery’s Auto and Tire Care Sportsman (8 entries)
Top Qualifier- Glen Hounshell, Jr. 16.232
Central Painting Heat- Donnie Sullivan, Doodle Farris, Gerald Haynes, Jr., Glen Hounshell
Feature- Gerald Haynes, Jr., Glen Hounshell, Jr., Doodle Farris, Donnie Sullivan, Derek Bottoms, Johnny King, Jawania Haycraft (DNS- Austin Taylor)
Bob Allen Motor Mall Front Wheel Drives (4 entries)
Airport Road Salvage Yard Heat- Rusty Light, Brandon Lucas, Charles Burton, Jeremy Strunk
Feature- Rusty Light, Brandon Lucas (DNS-Charles Burton, Jeremy Strunk)