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Robert Walden
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (June 5) - Jeff Maupin of Greeneville, Jonesborough's Jerry Broyles and Dale Ball of Johnson City, each have several feature wins and also track championships to their credit. But Dennis Metcalf of Marshall, N.C., had never visited victory lane until Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway when he came on strong late in the 35-lap Hobby Stock "Havoc" to capture the special event win.
Maupin set fast-time at 12.409 seconds to earn the pole position for 35-lap Super Late Model feature, but at the drop of the green flag Vic Hill stood on the gas and launched into the lead. But the ride out front was short-lived for Hill as on the opening circuit the gas pedal broke on his mount and sent him into the infield pits for the night, thus moving Maupin to the point.
Chasing Maupin were Tommy Kerr, Kerry Jones, Mike Smith and Rodney Kiker. Mark Vineyard got around Kiker racing off turn two on lap 2 to take over the fifth spot. The caution waved on lap 9 when Don Scalf spun between turns one and two.
Only four laps back under green the yellow appeared once again for a slowing Kerr with a flat right-rear tire, dropping him from second in the running order. After quick work in pits from his crew, Kerr tagged on at rear of the field for restart.
With Maupin leading Jones, Smith, Vineyard and Kiker back to green on lap 13, Kiker made an aggressive move to get inside both Smith and Vineyard racing off into the corner. With Kiker and Smith getting together, Vineyard pulled into third with Kiker settling into the fourth spot, while Smith began to fade following contact from Kiker, relinquishing fifth place to Chad Ogle.
Maupin was setting a blistering pace around the high banks, steadily pulling away from Jones and Vineyard. Following his journey into the pits to change the flat tire, back on track Kerr was rocketing his way back inside the top five, getting past Ogle for fifth on lap 19 and one circuit later maneuvering his way around Kiker to move into fourth place.
Meanwhile, Maupin continued adding to his advantage over Jones, stretching his lead to a full-straightaway with only five laps remaining. Driving the Creative Concrete/Tolliver Heating & Cooling/TEG Enterprises/G&W Hauling & Rigging/Keizer Aluminum Wheels Inc./O'Reilly Auto Parts/Simpson/Primetime Designs - "Get Wrapped!" Race Car Body Wraps/American Race Tires/GRT Race Cars/Vic Hill Racing Engines/No. 0 Chevrolet Impala, Maupin cruised to his second Super Late Model feature win of the season in convincing fashion, with Jones, Vineyard, Kerr and Kiker rounding out the top five finishers.
Twin 20-lap Fastrak Racing Series-sanctioned Pro Late Model features were contested, with Broyles winning the first race and Ball getting the victory in the second event.
Broyles jumped into the lead over Ball and Jensen Ford at drop of the green in the first feature, and while both Ball and Ford stayed within striking distance the full 20 laps, neither could mount a serious charge to overtake Broyles, the defending Pro Late Model track champion. Broyles captured his first victory of the season over Ball and Ford, with both Todd Brooks and Weston Gantte having strong runs to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the second 20-lapper, Broyles and Ball led the field to green from the front row. The duo raced door-to-door off into the first turn, but Ball powered into the lead racing off turn two down the backstretch and never looked back en route to recording his first feature win in 2010.
Broyles had his sights set on Ball, hoping he would make a mistake to open the door for him to get past and take the lead. While Ford envisioned both Ball and Broyles getting caught up in battle to allow him to vault by both.
The red flag was displayed on lap 9 following an incident involving Gantte and John King II at end of the front straightaway. With Gantte holding the advantage over King as the duo had battled for position for a couple of laps, contact just past the flagstand between the pair resulted in Gantte slamming hard into outside turn one guardrail, with King also collected.
Back under green for the final 10 laps, Ball wouldn't be denied the victory as he held Broyles off to take the checkers. With Ford dropping from third late in the race with a flat tire, Brooks, Ricky Moore and Jackie Hughes finished third through fifth, respectively.
Following pre-race introductions with drivers' stepping into the spotlight standing beside their race cars on the front straightaway and being interviewed by the track announcer, Hobby Stock competitors engaged in battle to determine who would win the first annual Hobby Stock "Havoc."
Jesse Helton grabbed the lead over Blake Kelley, Dustin Shaver, Jon Cook and Tracy Wolfe on the opening lap, and the race went green until the fifth lap when caution waved due to fluid being dropped on the track by Charlie Bates.
Back up to speed it looked like Helton, the 2007 Hobby Stock track champion would be the man to beat, as he never missed a beat while riding in style out front over Kelley and Shaver. Cook, Wolfe, Metcalf, the Reed brothers Bobby and Dale, along with Robbie Woods all were having good runs during first half of the 35-lapper.
Besides the strong-running trio up front of Helton, Kelley and Shaver, eyes were also focused on two-time feature winner this season, Jamie Whitt, who was relegated to starting from the back of field after getting into the turn four wall during hotlaps and being forced to miss qualifying to fix damage to his car. The veteran Whitt carefully maneuvered his way forward, methodically picking off cars one-by-one and moving into the top five on lap 20.
With Helton holding the lead over Kelley and Shaver, on lap 23 Kelley spun exiting the fourth turn to bring out the caution, forcing him to go rear of the field for restart.
It looked to be clear sailing out front to the checkers for Helton, as he led Shaver, Whitt and Metcalf. With his car working the high-side to perfection, Metcalf first overtook Whitt for position to move into third in the running order. Seeing a clear lane open up top, Metcalf rode the cushion on both ends of the track to pull alongside Shaver to battle for the runner-up spot.
With race-long leader Helton seemingly in command out front, suddenly his race became a nightmare when he experienced engine trouble with just a few laps remaining and was forced into the pits. Who would win, Shaver or Metcalf?
Shaver and Metcalf ran side-by-side before Metcalf gained the advantage over Shaver (2006 and '08 Hobby Stock track champion), and once out front the "Tarheel Terror" Metcalf would not be denied his first career victory -- coming in the division's biggest-ever event -- the first annual Hobby Stock "Havoc."
With Metcalf and Shaver battling it out for the feature win, rounding out the top five finishers were Whitt, Bobby Reed and Kelley, who worked his way back to a solid finish following his spin.
SUPER LATE MODEL (35 laps)
1) Jeff Maupin #0; 2) Kerry Jones #6; 3) Mark Vineyard #4v; 4) Tommy Kerr #4T; 5) Rodney Kiker #25; 6) Chad Ogle #10; 7) Ray Jarnigan #73; 8) Don Scalf #B4; 9) Mike Smith #4; 10) Dempsey Harold Jr. #9; 11) Vic Hill #1
PRO LATE MODEL #1 (20 laps)
1) Jerry Broyles #72; 2) Dale Ball #2; 3) Jensen Ford #83; 4) Todd Brooks #T1; 5) Weston Gantte #14; 6) Eddie Morris #m14; 7) Richard Adkins #73; 8) Jackie Hughes #27; 9) Tim Byrd #24; 10) Ricky Moore #75; 11) Donnie Moore #5m; 12) Vic Chandler #88; 13) Keith Helton #5; 14) Jamison Settlemyre #15 - Did Not Start: John King II #21
PRO LATE MODEL #2 (20 laps)
1) Dale Ball #2; 2) Jerry Broyles #72; 3) Todd Brooks #T1; 4) Ricky Moore #75; 5) Jackie Hughes #27; 6) Eddie Morris #m14; 7) Tim Byrd #24; 8) Richard Adkins #73; 9) Jamison Settlemyre #15; 10) Weston Gantte #14; 11) Jensen Ford #83; 12) John King II #21; 13) Donnie Moore #5m - Did Not Start: Vic Chandler #88; Keith Helton #5
HOBBY STOCK "HAVOC" (35 laps)
1) Dennis Metcalf #55; 2) Dustin Shaver #7; 3) Jamie Whitt #1; 4) Bobby Reed #54; 5) Blake Kelley #K5; 6) Jesse Wilder #79; 7) Devin Helton #17H; 8) Chuck Killian #96; 9) Robbie Woods #2; 10) Patrick Flannery #38; 11) Rick Fillers #21; 12) Jesse Helton #28; 13) Jon Cook #0z; 14) Roger Hunter #7-11; 15) Eddie Adams #9; 16) Dale Reed #50; 17) Tim Brewer #77; 18) Bud Kelly #B21; 19) Tracy Wolfe #11; 20) Shannon Emery #m2; 21) Charlie Bates #27; 22) Dustin Heinz #57; 23) Terry Dean #47 - Did Not Start: Chuck Johnson #17
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