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Robert Walden
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (May 22) - The Memorial Day holiday weekend is the traditional kick-off into summer. But more importantly, it's a time we all pause to remember and honor the men and women who lost their lives or are missing in action from defending our country during wartime, either in the past or present. We all know freedom is not free! And with the military conflict in the Middle East, Memorial Day has taken on an extra-special meaning for all United States citizens with loved ones and friends abroad.
Round three of "Friday Night Fights" at Volunteer Speedway presented by Rusty Wallace Toyota of Morristown, and which many people are calling the "most exciting weekly racing program in the United States," produced yet another stellar field of "TSC Cars" Super Late Models to battle for the $3,000 winner's purse, with competitors in the pits representing four states.
Vic "The Thrill" Hill of Morristown led flag-to-flag for his second consecutive Friday Night Fights Super Late Model win and the right to wear the champion's belt in victory lane.
Hill, a four-time track champion, blistered the high banks with a time of 12.443-seconds (115.730 mph) to earn the pole position for the 50-lap, $3,000-to-win main event.
Hill jumped into the early lead over Chad Ogle, Rick Rogers, Shon Flanary and David Crabtree. The event's first caution waved on the second lap when a traffic jam in fourth turn saw Roger Best, Herman Goddard and Brandon James tangle, with Goddard and James spinning.
Hill was riding on the point over Ogle, Rogers, Flanary and Crabtree going back green. Rocketing around the track, riding the high-line through the corners, by lap 10 Hill had stretched his advantage over Ogle to eight car lengths. Just outside the top-five, Randle Chupp and Mark Vineyard were battling for sixth in the running order, with Kerry Jones, Shannon Thornsberry and Dale Ball also close in the hunt.
Riding on Ball's rear bumper was the hard-charging Steve Smith, who had blasted his way forward from his 20th starting spot by rim-riding up high through the corners and overtaking competitors. But Smith's good run ended following a brush with the outside guardrail between turns one and two that resulted in right-front suspension (steering) damage. Vineyard raced hard into the first turn on the inside of Chupp on lap 23, and exiting turn two he powered his way into the sixth spot.
Meanwhile out front, Hill was putting real estate between himself, Ogle and Rogers, building up almost a full-straightaway lead by lap 30. Lap 37 between turns three and four, Vineyard made a bold move on the outside to overtake both Crabtree and Flanary, when Flanary got out of shape, to advance from sixth to fourth in the running order.
With 10 laps remaining, Hill was in command riding out front on the point. But the scenario changed with just seven laps (lap 43) left when Jones, running in eighth (last car on lead lap) spun in the fourth turn to bring out the final caution, erasing Hill's huge lead over Ogle and Rogers. Racing in tight quarters, with Flanary, Chupp and Jones directly in front of him, Hill had gotten into the rear of Jones.
Going back green for the sprint to the finish, Hill, who had made contact with the front of his nosepiece to the back of Jones for the previous caution, was dropping fluid on the track. With the field racing off into the first turn, Ogle, Rogers, Vineyard and Crabtree all got out of shape after getting into water coming from Hill's car. Rogers got sideways up high in the banking between turns one and two, with Vineyard and Crabtree overtaking Rogers for position.
But Hill, driving the Landair Transport Inc./Pilot Travel Centers/Miller Brothers Coal Inc./American Racing Tire South/VP Racing Fuel/Dan Estes Construction/Ohlins/Peterson Fluid Systems/Comp Cams/Edelbrock/CP Pistons/Gary Williams Fuel Systems/Lunati Cranks/CV Racing Products/Joe Gibbs Driven Performance Synthetic Racing Oil/Jesel/Manley/Simpson/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Fastlane Signs & Graphics/Real Wheels/Team GRT Race Cars/No. 1 Chevrolet Impala SS, survived over the closing laps with a powerplant beginning to run hot with no coolant (water), to capture his second straight $3,000 Friday Night Fights Super Late Model victory.
Hill was chased to the stripe by Ogle, Crabtree, Vineyard and Chupp. Completing the top 10 finishers were Flanary, Rogers, Jones, Thornsberry and Ball.
"We had an awful strong car tonight, but we were very fortunate to have survived there at the end to get this win," said a smiling Hill while shaking his head following the race in victory lane and holding the fan from his racing engine. "When I accidentally got into the back of Kerry (Jones), it (contact) shoved the radiator bracing back into the fan and bent the fins all up, also breaking the fan and front shaft off the water pump. The fan was actually laid up on the engine following the race when my guys (pit crew members) pulled the hood off the car.
"I'm definitely glad the race ended when it did, because the engine was running very hot and I was fixing to have to pull in. That would've been very disappointing after having run so well. Like I said, we had a really good car tonight. But we caught a lucky break there at the end to be able to finish and get the win, after having lost fluid and the engine running hot. I love these 'Friday Night Fights' and I want to thank track owner Joe Loven for putting these very good paying weekly shows on. Excellent fields of cars are showing up every week, and the crowd is much better tonight following a good day around the region with no rain in the forecast. I'm looking forward to getting back in action here at 'The Gap' in a couple of weeks to see if we can't win our third consecutive race, which will also win us the $1,000 bonus put up by Primetime Designs besides the $3,000 winner's purse."
"TSC CARS" SUPER LATE MODEL (50 laps)
(Showing Finish Position, Starting Position, Driver Name, Car Number, Hometown)
1. (1) Vic Hill #1-Morristown, TN
2. (2) Chad Ogle #10-Sevierville, TN
3. (6) David Crabtree #41-Maryville, TN
4. (10) Mark Vineyard #4v-Powell, TN
5. (4) Randle Chupp #114-Troutman, NC
6. (5) Shon Flanary #98-Mount Carmel, TN
7. (3) Rick Rogers #44-Knoxville, TN
8. (7) Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN
9. (12) Shannon Thornsberry #17-Martin, KY
10. (14) Dale Ball #7-Johnson City, TN
11. (18) Brandon James #j1-Newport, TN
12. (19) Tim Huddleston #24-Clinton, TN
13. (11) Michael Smith #4-Rogersville, TN
14. (21) Jeff Cooke #99-Spartanburg, SC
15. (16) Chris Chandler #8-Weaverville, NC
16. (20) Steve Smith #3-Powell, TN
17. (17) Chris Combs #47-Isom, KY
18. (9) Bobby Giffin #97-Maryville, TN
19. (13) Roger Best #007-Maryville, TN
20. (8) Jeff Maupin #0-Greeneville, TN
21. (15) Herman Goddard #22-Knoxville, TN
"COURTESY CHEVROLET" PRO LATE MODEL (25 laps)
1) Jerry Broyles #72; 2) Jensen Ford #83; 3) Josh Henry #B00; 4) Ricky Moore #75; 5) Vic Chandler #88; 6) Todd Brooks #T1; 7) Joe "Dirt" Good #911; 8) Ken Wilkerson #21; 9) Greg Estes #31; 10) Dale Ball #2; 11) James Cole #5; 12) Mark Vicars #7; 13) Jacob France #9; 14) Tony Trent #18; 15) James Goosie #44; 16) Tim Byrd #24 - Did Not Start: Heath Alvey #7
STEEL-HEAD LATE MODEL (25 laps)
1) Jason Cardwell #07; 2) Ross White #0; 3) Scott Gardner #21; 4) Mark Rosner #17; 5) Travis Fultz #T0; 6) Shane Bales #12; 7) Robby Moses #7; 8) Phillip Nichols #33; 9) Mark Dyer #18; 10) Adam Beeler #66; 11) Ernie Teaster #22; 12) Jason Welshan #29; 13) Shawn Henry #B00; 14) Johnny Lane #19
"MCDONALD'S" HOBBY STOCK (20 laps)
1) Mark Sturgill #4; 2) Chuck Johnson #17; 3) Ray Jarnigan #73; 4) R.J. Mayes #6m; 5) Tracey Wolfe #11; 6) Dennis Metcalf #55; 7) Mike Kelley #8; 8) Jamie Whitt #j1; 9) J.R. Potter #1; 10) Craig Schmalzried #6; 11) Chris Long #75; 12) Bobby Reed #54; 13) Jesse Wilder #79; 14) Charlie Bates #27; 15) Tony Reed #71; 16) Dustin Shaver #7; 17) Roger Hunter #7-11; 18) Patrick Flannery #88; 19) Eddie Adams #9; 20) Duke Bare #B4; 21) Jason Long #15 - Did Not Start: Darrell Mayes #92
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