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Steve Hixson
RINGGOLD, Ga. (March 21) - He may "FIND TROUBLE AGAIN" sometime, but for now the DIRTY WHITE BOY has found a home away from home at the new Boyd's Speedway dirt track in Chattanooga/Ringgold. To the roar of the crowd from driver introductions, Anthony White lead all 50 laps, pocketing the $3,000. winnings of the CABIN FEVER Super Late Model Championship Saturday night. Only fifth starting Joe Armes (sporting a new BLOOMQUIST chassis) could keep track of the DWB and as the checkers flew, with about a two cars length distance separating the leader from second place. Kentuckians Brandon Kinzer and Tommy Bailey followed Armes with Mike Weeks in fifth crossing the start/finish line. "This place is just real fast." stated White from JODY MILLARD PEST CONTROL Victory Lane. "I wanted the SLM victory real bad and neglected my Crate, cause I needed my crew to focus on that racecar more" explained the DWB. "I wish we'd been able to take both, but this one, is real good" concluded White. The CABIN FEVER was for many years the season opening event at the old ATOMIC SPEEDWAY in West Knoxville, and was brought back to life under the new ownership of BOYD's SPEEDWAY that sits on the Tennessee/Georgia state line near Chattanooga.
White ran runner-up in the Crate LM feature race prior to the Super LM 50 lapper. Crate winner Rick Hixson would see sixth in the SLM race. Saturday saw a full field of twenty-four (24) starters with many racers pulling Double Duty in either the Crate or Steel-Head Late Model $2,000. to-WIN events. In SLM qualifying it was THE SKIPPER Skip Arp setting the standard early donning a 14:898 second lap. He would be untouchable until the # 2x "White's Total Performance, Freddy White's Masonry, StonePlus, David's Auto Parts" DWB / Vic Hill powered machine took the field. White popped a 14:827 time, as the 22nd overall qualifier earning the pole for the "A" Main feature. At the Crate LM conclusion, White climbed from his blue DWB racecar and directly into the red one, for back to back, 50 lap features. At the start of the race White darted directly into the lead leaving outside pole-sitter Arp to fend off third fastest qualifier Brian Hickman and Bailey. Former Southern All-Star Champion Jamie Perry pitted quickly ending his run with a last place finish, as the field stayed green, mean and clean until lap 19. The X-MAN Shawn Chastain reared the yellow stalling in turn two, but it was Skip Arp pulling in that shocked and disappointed many racefans.
On the restart White went back to work with Armes and Kinzer following and the field went on another green flag tear that would see Robert Gant and Freddy Dutton leave the dance. Late in the going B. Hickman would pull into the pits ending his Top 10 run. Rick Hixson kept his machine going straight for back to back runs. After winning the Crate LM feature, Hixson mounted his Crate racecar tires onto his Super Late Model and raced to a solid sixth place finish. Other than that the HITMAN Johnny Chastain improved his position by five, finishing just outside the Top 10 in eleventh. Kevin Gibson, Shon Flanary, Ricky Arms and David Earl Gentry were in the mid-pack as White continued his high-speed chess match with Armes. Davy Davis corralled a 12th place finish after starting 19th, finishing just ahead of Robert Stutts and J.J. Nye. Kentucky's Brian Smith would finish 15th at the 50 lap conclusion. White collected his 1st win of 2009, in a place he's becoming more and more dominant with every race.
Super Late Model: Official Finish
1. Anthony White (# 2x) of Clinton, TN
2. Joe Armes (# 77) of Petros, TN
3. Brandon Kinzer (# 18) of Allen, KY
4. Tommy Bailey (# 11) of Corbin, KY
5. Mike Weeks (# 25) of Friendsville, TN
6. Rick Hixson (# 16) of Soddy Daisy, TN
7. Kevin Gibson (# M45) of Ringgold, GA
8. Shon Flanary (# 98) of Church Hill, TN
9. Ricky Arms (# 4) of Moss, TN
10. David Earl Gentry (# 56) of Shelbyville, TN
11. Johnny Chastain (# 00) of Murphy, NC
12. Davy Davis (# D11) of Tunnel Hill, GA
13. Robert Stutts (# 302) of Murfreesboro, TN
14. J.J. Nye (# 55) of Talking Rock, GA
15. Brian Smith (# 7) of Barbourville, KY
16. Brian Hickman (# 41) of Soddy Daisy, TN
17. Steve Smith (# 3) of Powell, TN
18. Freddy Dutton (# 7D) of Lenior City, TN
19. Robert Gant (# 22) of Flat Rock, AL
20. Skip Arp (# 31) of Georgetown, TN
21. Mike Tinker (# T22) of Ringgold, GA
22. Kayne Hickman (# H3) of Soddy Daisy, TN
23. Shawn Chastain (# X15) of Murphy, NC
24. Jamie Perry (# P16) of Ringgold, GA
Veteran racer Rick Hixson has done it all in his career, on Saturday night he added CABIN FEVER Champion to his resume, which garnered a $2,000. payday for the Soddy Daisy, Tennessee native. Starting from the pole, after winning his heat race Friday night, in the Crate Late Model 50 lap feature, Hixson led all laps and parked the # 16 "Austin Trucking, BJ's Flooring, Gene's Racing Parts" sponsored MasterSbilt / 604 GM powered - Race Engine Design machine in the Jody Millard Pest Control Victory Lane for one of the shortest interviews in history. With the motor still running, Hixson thanked his sponsors, friends and family before quickly climbing back in the racecar in returning to the pits to get into his Super Late Model for another 50 lap race.
"I gotta go put these (American Racers) tires on my Super Late Model" stated Hixson to the crowd, as he posed with Track Owner Richard Harvey and "Cabin Fever Queen" Danielle Dickson. On Friday twenty-six (26) Crate Late Models entered the two-nighter for heat races. Hixson waited til late in the 15 lap heat race to over take leader Brian Kinnersley for the feature pole start. Anthony White came from starting tenth to finish second behind Hixson with Kinnersley and Seth Wimpy following at the checkers. Rusty Hoge of Ooltewah, TN won heat race # 2 for the outside pole start. James Gamble (returning after a two-year hiatus of racing) finished second, with Scott Franks and David Payne following.
Crate Late Model: Official Finish
1. Rick Hixson (# 16) of Soddy Daisy, TN
2. Anthony White (# 2x) of Clinton, TN
3. David Payne (# 8) of Murphy, NC
4. James Gamble (# 27) of Rossville, GA
5. Craig Burrows (# 23) of Chickamagua, GA
6. Jerry Coffman (# 30) of Soddy Daisy, TN
7. Kayne Hickman (# 72) of Soddy Daisy, TN
8. Seth Wimpy (# 24) of Morganton, GA
9. Danny Pippen (# 76) of Red Bank, TN
10. Brian Kinnersley (# 27K) of Blairesville, GA
11. David Tindell (# 111) of Fort Oglethorpe, GA
12. Bobby Wilson (# 48) of Ringgold, GA
13. Reed Johnson (# 44) of Dalton, GA
14. Donald McIntosh (# 20) of Dawsonville, GA
15. Randy Hill (# 17) of Dalton, GA
16. Boonie Gulett (# 15) of Hixson, TN
17. Scott Franks (# 4) of Tunnel Hill, GA
18. Mike Franks (# F4) of Tunnel Hill, GA
19. Michael Combs (# 18) of Ooltewah, TN
20. Darel Ownbey (# 12) of Calhoun, GA
21. Robert Gant (# 22) of Flat Rock, AL
22. Rusty Hoge (# 21) of Ooltewah, TN
The WIZARD of ROZ Mark Rosner flew in from Maryville, Tennessee for the weekend of racing in Chattanooga/Ringgold and stole the CABIN FEVER Championship away from outside pole sitter/leader Greg Husky. The $2,000. payday came for Rosner when a long green flag run, ended in a yellow flag with just over 12 laps remaining. Rosner whom, faded as far back as five to ten car lengths during the race, came to life and stepped up on the outside groove to make the winning pass. Husky could only watch as Andy Miller chomped away in third, as the blue # 17 "Enloe Enterprises, JVE Property & Investments, ATTL Properties, Realty Executives: Chris Breeden, Rosner Drywall, White's Total Performance, Brian Ownby Concrete" sponsored DWB / Joe Metcalf powered car raced to the checkers. Miller edged Husky outta the runner-up spot by inches at the flag.
"I just decided to try the outside, up there and got a great start" said Rosner after climbing from the racecar in JODY MILLARD PEST CONTROL Victory Lane. "I'd like to thank my crew, family and friends, especially Freddy and Kim Kissinger, who bought our tires for us this weekend." Rosner stated that his DWB chassis and the one Anthony (White) drives, just handle so well at this track, "we're looking forward to returning soon for some great races." On Friday nineteen (19) Steel-Head Late Models entered the two-nighter for heat races. Stutts would beat Rosner in the first 15 lap heat race to take the feature pole position, while Husky would beat the FLYIN' WELSHAN Jason Welshan for the outside FRONT-ROW JOE status. Robert Stutts and Husky would collided on an initial start of the 50 Lap finale, when Rosner got an awesome inside jump on the leaders. Stutts packed it in and wouldn't get to complete a lap, scoring the Murfreesboro, TN racer dead-last.
Steel-Head Late Model: Official Finish
1. Mark Rosner (# 17) of Maryville, TN
2. Andy Miller (# 17M) of Dunlap, TN
3. Greg Husky (# 32) of Knoxville, TN
4. Mike Price (# 77) of Lenior City, TN
5. Jeff Franklin (# J12) of Ten Mile, TN
6. David Tinker (# T21) of Ringgold, GA
7. John Parker (# 19) of Chatsworth, GA
8. Andy Pickelsimer (# 1A) of Ooltewah, TN
9. Ruben Mayfield (# 00) of Lenior City, TN
10. Mark Wooten (# 12) of Dalton, GA
11. John Burger (# 71) of Harrison, TN
12. Rick Jennings (# 63) of Winston, GA
13. Jason Welshan (# 29) of Maryville, TN
14. Alan McMitchen (# 1M) of Chattanooga, TN
15. Jeff Jones (# J28) of Dalton, GA
16. Pat Castleberry (# P14) of Ringgold, GA
17. Robert Stutts (# 302) of Murfreesboro, TN
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