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Robert Walden
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (May 3) - Arguably the best driver to ever strap-in a dirt late model, having won several national touring series championships and all the crown jewel events the sport has to offer, winning races at Volunteer Speedway never gets old to Mooresburg's Scott Bloomquist. Saturday night he added yet another victory to his legendary career totals by taking the checkers in the Advance Auto Parts Thunder Series "Thunder at The Gap 50" presented by Branch Banking & Trust Co. along with Goddard Guttering of Knoxville. Bloomquist led flag-to-flag en route to the $4,000 victory.
With 29 competitors signing-in for time trials, Bloomquist toured the high-banked track at 12.143-seconds to set fast-time earning the Powermaster Performance Pole Award, with fellow Bloomquist Race Cars chauffeur Shanon Buckingham second-fastest at 12.201.
With the top-12 drivers from qualifying locked into two Sunoco dashes to determine their starting positions, Vic "The Thrill" Hill won the first dash (which determined starting spots 1-6) with John Gill winning the second (which determined starting spots 7-12) six-lap event. Two West Haven Speed Equipment B-mains were won by Jeff Maupin and Tommy Kerr.
Hill and Bloomquist lined up in row one leading the stellar 24-car field to green. Racing side-by-side down the front straightaway into the first turn, Bloomquist, rim-riding up top around turns one and two powered into a lead he would never relinquish racing down the backstretch. Back around to the start-finish line to complete the opening lap Bloomquist was riding on the point followed by Hill, Buckingham, Rick Rogers and Billy Ogle Jr.
Skip Arp got under Ogle racing out the fourth turn on the second lap to move into fifth, and just two circuits later Buckingham passed Hill to take over the runner-up spot. The caution waved on lap 8 for a multi-car tangle in the fourth turn which blocked the racing groove involving Bobby Mays, Steve Smith, Michael Jackson, Dale Ball, Jeff Wolfenbarger, April Farmer, Shane Roberts and Mike Weeks.
Bloomquist led the field back up to speed on the restart with Buckingham, Hill, Rogers and Arp rounding out the top five. Buckingham looked to have a strong mount as he was glued to the rear bumper of Bloomquist, even sticking his nose underneath the leader for two straight circuits as they raced off the corners. But Buckingham and the lapped car of Mays made contact racing off turn two on lap 11, with Buckingham spinning down the backstretch without making contact with the outside or inside retaining walls, though he would be relegated to the rear of the field going back green.
Before one lap could be completed, Kerry Jones spun in turn two to bring the yellow quickly back out. Also, while under caution the fourth-running Arp pulled into the pits with mechanical problems ending his race.
The only thing slowing Bloomquist's ride out front were cautions, as the yellow waved yet again on lap 16 when Wolfenbarger spun between turns one and two.
With Bloomquist in command, followed by Hill and Rogers; running up high against the cushion around the corners Chad Ogle was making a hard charge up from his 11th starting position, as he passed Billy Ogle Jr. for fifth place on lap 19 racing off the fourth turn. The battle for position between Chad Ogle, Billy Ogle Jr., Tommy Kerr, Mark Douglas, and Anthony White was heating up.
Getting off into the first turn a little too hard on lap 26, Chad Ogle drifted up above the cushion bouncing off the outside guardrail around turns one and two, dropping from fifth back to eighth. While Bloomquist was strolling along unchallenged out front, Hill was being pressured by Rogers for second place. Getting a strong run to the inside of Hill racing off the fourth turn and carrying momentum down the front straightaway into the first turn on lap 27, Rogers completed the pass to take over second in the running order. Hill's night ended prematurely just one circuit later when his right-rear wheel broke between turns three and four and he slowed to a stop bringing the caution out.
Back green and up to speed, Rogers managed to stay within a couple of car lengths of Bloomquist for a lap and a half. But Bloomquist, driving the Miller Brothers Coal/Hawkeye Trucking/Allstar Performance/Sweet Mfg. Inc./Ohlins/Hoosier Racing Tire/VP Racing Fuel/Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars/No. 0 Chevrolet Impala SS, would began to distance himself from Rogers and Mike Smith, who was running a strong third.
Even while negotiating lapped traffic, with 10 laps remaining Bloomquist had pulled out to a little over a half-straightaway margin over Rogers. With the checkers in sight, Bloomquist cruised to the $4,000 Thunder at The Gap 50 victory over Rogers, Mike Smith, Gill and Billy Ogle Jr.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Kerr, Douglas, Buckingham (up from the rear following an early-race spin), White and Weeks. Weeks earned the Phoenix Conversions Hard Charger award by advancing from his 24th starting spot to a 10th-place finish.
"This is a good win for us," said Bloomquist in the pits following the race. "We've got some big races coming up on our schedule around the country over the next several weeks, and this is a brand-new car we ran tonight. With 'The Gap' being close to home we decided to debut this new car here to shake it down and see how well it ran, and most definitely it (car) passed with flying colors. We had a very good track tonight, and our 12.143 lap in qualifying showed just how fast this place can be. Joe Loven (track owner) has really worked on this place since we ran here back in March at the 'Spring Thaw,' and the top (groove) of the track is really starting to come back in kind of like it used to be. The top around turns one and two is real good, and it's getting better around (turns) three and four too.
"We really love any opportunity we get to run here local in East Tennessee, because we've got a lot of fans in the region who aren't able to get out and travel around the country to some of the touring series events we run. I'd like to give thanks to my longtime sponsor and also good friends Bob and Barb Miller, it was good having them present here tonight. I also want to thank the guys (Tommy Hicks, Jesse Kerns, Tony Wiggins and Danny Carroll) back at the shop for all the hard work they put in, and also for their effort at the track."
Out front in the lead was the wrong place to be in the 25-lap "Courtesy Chevrolet" Crate Late Model feature, unless your name happened to be Brad Hall of Knoxville. Jensen Ford set fast-time at 13.654-seconds (105.460 mph) to earn the pole position, with Hall timing-in second quickest to nail down the outside front row starting berth.
Ford launched into the lead at the drop of the green with Dale Ball, Hall, Steve Jones and Kelly Glass in tow. Catching the rear of the field to begin working lap-traffic on the ninth circuit, Ford got trapped behind cars stacked two-wide directly in front of him. Veteran chauffeur Ball saw the door open, and he seized the opportunity to drop below Ford racing off turn two to move into the lead.
Just behind the leaders, Vic Chandler passed Glass racing off the fourth turn on lap 12 to move into fifth in the running order. Ball's run out front ended on lap 15, when he got together with the slower car of Weston Gantte between turns one and two with both spinning down low.
Ford regained the lead for the restart, with Hall poised to strike should the leader falter. Ford appeared headed to his second consecutive victory after taking the white flag with a five car-length advantage over Hall. But danger loomed ahead as Ford tangled with the lapped car of Hugh "Wishbone" Scalf in turn two. Hall cruised past the spinning Ford and beat Jones, Chandler, Glass and Jerry Broyles back to the checkered flag.
"Hey, sometimes it's just better to be lucky than good," said a smiling Hall from victory lane. "Really, Jensen (Ford) and Dale (Ball) both were a little better than us tonight, but we caught the lucky breaks when they got tangled up with the slower cars and here we are with the win. I've lost races before due to lapped traffic, and maybe tonight was my time to get paid back and get a win I'd had slip out of my grasp in the past. I don't get the opportunity to race here at 'The Gap' all that often, but it's a blast getting to compete here against a really strong field of crate-engine cars. This is a very good class of racing."
With the "Rusty Wallace Toyota" Hobby Stock lineup determined by the current point standings, rivals Dustin Shaver (one feature win) and Mike Hodges (two feature wins), both from Morristown, led the 16-car field to green from the front row. Hodges jumped into the lead and had a rearview mirror full of Shaver all the way to the checkered flag, as he recorded his third feature win of the season. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Dale Reed, Chuck Johnson and Ray Jarnigan.
Relegated to the sixth-starting position in the "Century 21 Masengill-McCrary Realtors" Mini Stock feature due to having won three consecutive races, Cosby's Joey Allen worked his way past Shawn Henry for the lead on lap 17, three circuits from the checkers, and sprinted to his fourth straight victory. Chasing Allen across the stripe were Toby Jones, Henry, Stevie Wykle and Ernie Stubblefield.
Jerry Broyles of Jonesborough passed Wayne James for the lead on the sixth circuit of the 15-lap IMCA Open Wheel Modified feature, and once out front it was all clear sailing for Broyles as he recorded his second win of the season with James coming home in the runner-up position. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Stanley Donahoo, Jimmy Dalton and Jerry Fobare.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS THUNDER SERIES - "THUNDER AT THE GAP 50" - PRESENTED BY BRANCH BANKING & TRUST CO. AND GODDARD GUTTERING
1. Scott Bloomquist #0-Mooresburg, TN
2. Rick Rogers #44-Knoxville, TN
3. Mike Smith #4-Rogersville, TN
4. John Gill #1g-Mitchell, IN
5. Billy Ogle Jr. #201-Knoxville, TN
6. Tommy Kerr #4T-Maryville, TN
7. Mark Douglas #52D-Knoxville, TN
8. Shanon Buckingham #50-Morristown, TN
9. Anthony White #2x-Clinton, TN
10. Mike Weeks #22-Friendsville, TN
11. Chad Ogle #10-Sevierville, TN
12. Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN
13. Dan Tipton #12T-Kingston, TN
14. Shane Roberts #32w-Bristol, TN
15. Stacy Boles #11B-Claxton, TN
16. Michael Jackson #Q-Greeneville, TN
17. Vic Hill #1-Morristown, TN
18. Jeff Wolfenbarger #28-Clinton, TN
19. April Farmer #14-Livingston, TN
20. Dale Ball #7-Johnson City, TN
21. Skip Arp #31-Georgetown, TN
22. Bobby Mays #25-Jonesborogh, TN
23. Steve Smith #3-Powell, TN
24. Jeff Maupin #0-Greeneville, TN
Time Of Race: 31-minutes (10 p.m. - 10:31 p.m.)
Yellow Flags: 8
Red Flags: 0
Lap Leaders: 1 (Bloomquist … Lap 1-50)
Powermaster Fast Time: Scott Bloomquist #0 - 12.143
Phoenix Conversions Hard Charger: Mike Weeks #22 (24th to 10th)
FSR/Hans Safety Award: Scott Bloomquist
Racin' With Rex Racer of the Race: Rick Rogers
Tiger Rearends/DWB Race Cars Rookie of the Race: April Farmer
DID NOT START: Bobby Giffin #97-Maryville, TN; Brian Smith #7s-Barbourville, KY; Jeff Neubert #86-Knoxville, TN; Mark Vineyard #4v-Powell, TN; Herman Goddard #22-Knoxville, TN
SUNOCO DASH #1: 1) Vic Hill #1; 2) Scott Bloomquist #0; 3) Shanon Buckingham #50; 4) Billy Ogle Jr. #201; 5) Rick Rogers #44; 6) Skip Arp #31
SUNOCO DASH #2: 1) John Gill #1g; 2) Mike Smith #4; 3) Stacy Boles #11B; 4) Kerry Jones #6; 5) Chad Ogle #10; 6) Bobby Mays #25
WEST HAVEN SPEED EQUIPMENT B-MAIN #1: 1) Jeff Maupin #0 2) Steve Smith #3; 3) Michael Jackson #Q; 4) Dale Ball #7; 5) Shane Roberts #32w; 6) April Farmer #14 7) Jeff Neubert #86; 8) Bobby Giffin #97
WEST HAVEN SPEED EQUIPMENT B-MAIN #2: 1) Tommy Kerr #4T; 2) Mark Douglas #52D; 3) Anthony White #2x; 4) Jeff Wolfenbarger #28; 5) Brian Smith #7; 6) Mike Weeks #22; 7) Dan Tipton #12T
"COURTESY CHEVROLET" CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps)
1) Brad Hall #47; 2) Steve Jones #j1; 3) Vic Chandler #88; 4) Kelly Glass #01; 5) Jerry Broyles #72; 6) Todd Brooks #T1; 7) Josh Henry #B00; 8) Chuck Laney #91; 9) Larry Rowe #R0; 10) Weston Gantte #14; 11) Joe "Dirt" Good #911; 12) Hugh "Wishbone" Scalf #56; 13) Jensen Ford #83; 14) Allen Carrier #57; 15) Kenneth Wilkerson #21; 16) Mark Sant #79w; 17) James Cole #5; 18) Dale Ball #2; 19) Brent Hensley #70; 20) Ricky Moore #99 - Did Not Start: Jeff Maupin #0
"RUSTY WALLACE TOYOTA" HOBBY STOCK (20 laps)
1) Mike Hodges #m2; 2) Dustin Shaver #7; 3) Dale Reed #52; 4) Chuck Johnson #17; 5) Ray Jarnigan #31; 6) Roger Hunter #7-11; 7) Charlie Bates #27; 8) Craig Schalzried #6; 9) Chris Long #75; 10) Jesse Wilder #79; 11) Patrick Flannery #38; 12) David Shelton #7; 13) Bobby Reed #54; 14) Dennis Metcalf #55; 15) Les Bradley #34; 16) Tyler Smith #32
"CENTURY 21 MASENGILL-MCCRARY REALTORS" MINI STOCK
1) Joey Allen #A00; 2) Toby Jones #66; 3) Shawn Henry #B00; 4) Stevie Wykle #97; 5) Ernie Stubblefield #21; 6) Chad Whitman #21w; 7) Runah Henry #0; 8) Terry Dean #20r; 9) John Broce Jr. #44
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