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Robert Walden
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (September 28) - After being postponed from Saturday night due to rain, the Advance Auto Parts Thunder Series $5,000-to-win "Tennessee Fall Brawl 50" was held Sunday at Volunteer Speedway. The 24-hour delay did little to slow Tommy Kerr of Maryville, as he sped past Vic Hill for the lead on lap 10 and never looked back en route to claiming his series-leading fifth feature win.
With 32 competitors present Chad Ogle of Sevierville earned the Powermaster Performance Pole Award after touring the high banks at 12.750-seconds. With the top-12 locked in from qualifying, two West Haven Speed Equipment B-mains would determine starting positions 16-20, with positions 21-22 series provisional berths and 23-24 fast times from time-trials that failed to transfer through the B-mains. Mark Vineyard grabbed the checkers in the first B-main, while Anthony White took the victory in the second last chance qualifier.
Vic Hill grabbed the lead over Ogle on the opening lap racing off turn two, with Kerr pulling alongside Ogle between turns three and four challenging for second, while fourth and fifth in the running order were Kerry Jones and Shanon Buckingham. Working the second lap, Rick Rogers passed Buckingham between turns three and four to move into fifth.
With Hill and Kerr setting a blistering pace, just seven laps in the duo had pulled out to almost a full-straightaway advantage over Ogle, Jones and Rogers. Looking under Hill for the lead on both ends of the track racing off the corners for a couple of laps, on the 10th circuit Kerr got around Hill for a lead he would never relinquish.
By lap 12 Kerr was working back-marker traffic, picking them off with precise moves. After starting in the tenth position, Randy Weaver was mounting a charge forward … passing Buckingham for sixth on lap 18 and then just one circuit later getting around Rogers for fifth. The event's first caution appeared on lap 21 when smoke erupted from under the hood of Mike Jackson's mount, as he slowed on the track.
Kerr was all alone out front on lap 21 for the Dixie Double File Restart, with Hill and Ogle side-by-side in the row behind him. Back under green in a wild pack of cars racing hard for position, before one lap could be completed Dale McDowell spun between turns three and four to bring the caution back out.
After another double-file restart it seemed "yellow fever" was breaking out. With the third successive caution occurring on lap 22 when the sixth-running Buckingham spun in turn two, forcing the hard-charging field behind him into evasive action, with only Michael Smith and Dan Tipton getting involved.
Yet another double-file restart had the field of cars jammed together, but Kerr had a clear view out front with Hill and Jones door-to-door behind him. Racing off turn two, Jones got past Hill for second place, with Weaver moving by Rogers for fourth.
Running several green flag laps, Kerr and Jones had put some distance between themselves Hill and Weaver. After battling side-by-side for five circuits, Weaver finally got past Hill for third on lap 34 only to see the caution wave again just two laps later when Mark Vineyard slowed with a flat.
Kerr was riding in style out front for the double-file restart, with Jones choosing the outside and leaving Weaver the inside. Before one lap was completed, Mark Douglas and Billy Ogle Jr. tangled in the third turn, with others also getting collected. But only Douglas and Ogle Jr. were forced out of the race due to damage incurred.
With attrition coming into play as only half the starting field remained on the track, back green for the final stretch run to the checkers, Kerr, driving the Turner Industrial Supply Inc./Explosive Specialists Inc./Stowers CAT/Insurance Partners/Ohlins Shocks/Storie Manifolds/Bearden Oil Co./Hoosier Racing Tires/Custom Race Engines/Rocket/Blount Motorsports/No. 4T Chevrolet Impala SS, pulled away to win over Weaver, Jones, Rogers and Jeff Maupin (started 12th).
Completing the top 10 finishers were Mike Weeks, Hill, Chad Ogle, Stacey Boles and Anthony White.
"Man, I'm telling you … we had a very good car," said Kerr with a smile on his face after climbing from his car in victory lane. "Sometimes you just never know how things will work for you at a day race, but I could drive this car anywhere on the track I needed to. But really, we had to race during both day and night conditions … with qualifying in the bright sun and then with the sun still out at the start of the feature.
"This Blount Motorsports team has really been on a good roll since back in the latter part of July when Gary Winger came onboard, right before we came here to 'The Gap' and won the Southern Nationals race. Besides Gary, I really want to thank Larry Garner, Steve Garner, B.J. Hillman, Will Bobo and Kevin Roulette for all they do."
Throughout the regular season Advance Auto Parts Thunder Series competitors accumulate points from running Sunoco Quick Six Dash events at each stop on the schedule. Drivers that finished in the top 12 in Sunoco Quick Six points were eligible to run in the 12-car, 12-lap, $1,200-to-win Sunoco Shoot-Out, which offered a $3,000 total purse for the event..
Knoxville's Rick Rogers led all 12 laps in winning the Sunoco Shoot-Out over Tommy Kerr, Anthony White, Billy Ogle Jr., Randy Weaver, with Vic Hill rounding out the top-six finishers. Completing the top 12 in the running order were Stacey Boles, Dan Tipton, Mike Weeks, David Payne, Chad Ogle and Dale McDowell.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS THUNDER SERIES "TENNESSEE FALL BRAWL 50"
Showing Finishing Position, Starting Position In Parentheses, Driver Name, Car Number, Hometown, Money Won
1. (3) Tommy Kerr #4T-Maryville, TN $5,000
2. (10) Randy Weaver #116-Crossville, TN $2,500
3. (5) Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN $1,500
4. (6) Rick Rogers #44-Knoxville, TN $1,200
5. (12) Jeff Maupin #0-Greeneville, TN $1,000
6. (16) Mike Weeks #22-Friendsville, TN $850
7. (2) Vic Hill #1-Morristown, TN $750
8. (1) Chad Ogle #10-Sevierville, TN $650
9. (15) Stacey Boles #11B-Claxton, TN $600
10. (14) Anthony White #2x-Clinton, TN $575
11. (18) Michael Smith #4s-Rogersville, TN $550
12. (23) Dan Tipton #12T-Kingston, TN $525
13. (21) April Farmer #14-Livingston, TN $500
14. (7) Mark Douglas #52D-Knoxville, TN $475
15. (11) Billy Ogle Jr. #201-Knoxville, TN $450
16. (13) Mark Vineyard #4-Powell, TN $425
17. (17) Roger Best #007-Louisville, TN $400
18. (8) Bryan Hendrix #5-Knoxville, TN $375
19. (22) Jeff Neubert #86-Knoxville, TN $350
20. (4) Shanon Buckingham #50-Morristown, TN $350
21. (9) Dale McDowell #1g-Chickamauga, GA $350
22. (19) Mike Jackson #Q-Greeneville, TN $350
23. (20) Tyler Landers #1-Shelbyville, TN $350
24. (24) David Crabtree #c5-Maryville, TN $350
Did Not Make Field: David Payne #8-Murphy, NC; Rex Richey #25-Ringgold, GA; John Tweed #5-Greeneville, TN; Jamie Perry #16-Ringgold, GA; Herman Goddard #22-Knoxville, TN; Anthony Adams #8-Whitesburg, KY; Brandon Fouts #81-Kite, KY; Brandon James #j1-Newport, TN
WEST HAVEN SPEED EQUIPMENT B-MAIN #1 (Top 4 Transfer): 1) Mark Vineyard #4; 2) Stacey Boles #11B; 3) Roger Best #007; 4) Mike Jackson #Q; 5) Rex Richey #25; 6) Dan Tipton #12T; 7) Anthony Adams #8; 8) Brandon James #j1 - Did Not Start: Jamie Perry #16; Herman Goddard #22
WEST HAVEN SPEED EQUIPMENT B-MAIN #2 (Top 4 Transfer): 1) Anthony White #2x; 2) Mike Weeks #22; 3) Michael Smith #4; 4) Tyler Landers #1; 5) David Payne #8; 6) John Tweed #5; 7) Jeff Neubert #86; 8) David Crabtree #c5; 9) April Farmer #14; 10) Brandon Fouts #81
SUNOCO SHOOT-OUT (12-laps) $1,200-to-win: 1) Rick Rogers #44; 2) Tommy Kerr #4T; 3) Anthony White #2x; 4) Billy Ogle Jr. #201; 5) Randy Weaver #116; 6) Vic Hill #1; 7) Stacey Boles #25; 8) Dan Tipton #12T; 9) Mike Weeks #22; 10) David Payne #8; 11) Chad Ogle #10; 12) Dale McDowell #1g
"COURTESY CHEVROLET" CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps)
1) Bobby Mays #19; 2) Tony Trent #18; 3) Greg Burchett #99c; 4) John Llewellyn #90; 5) Kelly Glass #01; 6) Dale Ball #2; 7) Todd Brooks #T1; 8) Jackie Hughes #27; 9) Anthony Arnwine #11; 10) Luke Laney #91; 11) Allen Champ #11c; 12) Tim Byrd #7; 13) Jerry Broyles #72; 14) Josh Henry #B00; 15) Ricky Moore #75; 16) Joe "Dirt" Good #911; 17) Heath Alvey #7; 18) Hunter Best #007; 19) Larry Rowe #R0; 20) Shanon Buckingham #50
"RUSTY WALLACE TOYOTA" HOBBY STOCK (15 laps)
1) Dustin Shaver #7; 2) Dale Reed #52; 3) Jamie Whitt #j1; 4) Jon Cook #0z; 5) Chuck Johnson #17; 6) Duke Bare #09; 7) Robbie Woods #16; 8) Charlie Bates #27; 9) Ray Jarnigan #31; 10) Bobby Reed #54; 11) Dennis Metcalf #55; 12) Darryl Mays #29; 13) Jesse Wilder #79; 14) Everett Cobb #13; 15) Mike Mays #30; 16) Mark Sturgill #4; 17) Scotty McMurray #37; 18) Patrick Flannery #38; 19) Eddie Adams #71
"CENTURY 21 MASENGILL-MCCRARY REALTORS" MINI STOCK (15 laps)
1) Kevin Atwell #95; 2) Joey Allen #A00; 3) Shawn Henry #B00; 4) Ernie Stubblefield #21; 5) Jamie James #j5; 6) Keith Helton #51; 7) Terry Dean #20r; 8) Chad Whitman #21w
IMCA OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED (15 laps)
1) Jimmy Dalton #2; 2) Jerry Broyles #72; 3) Wayne James #4; 4) Aaron Ogle #181; 5) Stanley Donahoo #00; 6) Josh Henry #B00; 7) Jerry Fobare #4f
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