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J.M. Hallas
FORT WORTH, Tex. (March 5) - Texas Motor Speedway's Dirt Track capped off this years Texas World Dirt Track Championship, with the SUPR Late Models highlighting the show that included final events for the Modifieds and Limited Modifieds. Drivers competing in the Late Model portion of the show from Colorado, Alabama and Iowa raised the state total to ten for the weekend.
The Late Models would run a complete program for the $3000 to win payday, while the Modifieds an Limited Modified finished qualifying with Last Chance Qualifiers, and two Lucky Dog draws from pre-registered drivers to fill their fields for the $3000 and $2000 to win features, respectively.
Vaught Victorious in SUPR Late Model Main
They call Missouri the "Show Me" state and that's exactly what the Crane, Mo. native, Will Vaught, did to the Late Model field. After surrendering the early lead to Chris Brown, Vaught retook the top spot and proceeded to run away from the competition. A late caution was as close as anyone got as Vaught easily rebuilt his margin in the remaining laps.
After the four-wide, flag bearing salute to the crowd, Vaught beat the pack into turn 1 as green waved on the 40-lap, 22-car main event. Doug Begnaud and Brown trailed, but not for long as Brown swept by both for the point on lap 2. Last years champion, Jack Sullivan brought out the yellow on lap 3 when rolled to a stop in turn 3. Brown got a big jump on green with Morgan Bagley making a charge on the top side to crack the top five.
Jeff Chandler looped it in turn 4 to bring out another caution on lap 4. On the restart, Brown again got away while Bagley began pressuring Bill Moyer jr. for third. A past two-time winner, Kelly Boen got by Begnaud on lap 7 for fifth. Vaught then put the heat on Brown getting along side on the back stretch. Vaught beat Brown back to the line to lead lap 10.
Moyer ducked inside Brown for second then got beside Vaught, but Vaught was able to fend off the challenge. Boen got third from Bagley on lap 14. By lap 15 Vaught had begun to inch away from Moyer. At the crossed flags Vaught had a full straightaway on Moyer, with Brown, Boen and Bagley rounding out the top five.
With the leader easily dicing through traffic, Brown, Boen and Bagley were scrapping it out as they cut in and out of slower cars. Bagley got by Boen in that fight, while Ronny Hollingsworth closed on that trio. Hollingsworth grabbed fifth from Boen on lap 30. Gary Christian stopped in turn 3 with a flat right front to bring out the final caution on lap 32 and erase Vaught's big lead.
Vaught had an 8-car buffer on second place Moyer as green waved again, easily gapping the field. Brown got under Moyer for second on lap 34 with Moyer fading to Bagley and Hollingsworth who took third and fourth. With two to go, Vaught had rebuilt his margin to a full straight and ran unchallenged to the checkers in the Mark Martin Chevrolet, Circle M Auto Sales, Big Dog Motorsports, DW Performance, Port City Racing, Clements Race Engine, Warrior Chassis.
"It was a lot of patience," said the young Vaught. "Chris Brown got past me and I didn't know the outside was the place to be. When you're leading it hard to tell without radios where the track is working. I finally moved on the outside and the car felt good. I kept the tires underneath me and got back around him."
"We were actually going to Tennessee to race this weekend. I've always wanted to come down here and race and we got the chance. I've had friends win the cowboy hat before, so I wanted to give it a try."
"This track drives a lot like our local tracks, so the guys from Missouri can come down here and feel comfortable. This is a new car that we ran in Volusia then took home and changed some stuff. We've got a good baseline set up we go everywhere with. If you choose the right tire and spring combination you're usually pretty good."
"I grew up around the MARS series and local Late Model at Monett and Lebanon. The last couple years we've branched out and run some World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Series Late Model shows. We run all the big shows."
SUPR Late Models
1 Will Vaught, Crane, Mo
21 Chris Brown, Cleveland
14M Morgan Bagley, Longview
18 Ronny Hollingsworth, North Port, Ala
33x Kelly Boen, Henderson, Colo
21jr Billy Moyer jr., Batesville, Ark
20 Kevin Sitton, Baytown
1B Doug Begnaud, Cypress
1S Jack Sullivan, Greenbriar, Ark
88T Wendall Wallace, Batesville, Ark
11c Jeff Chandler, Minden, La
28 Chris Holley, Martin
C8 Timothy Culp, West Monroe, La
77E Robbie Starnes, Magnolia
93 Ray Moore, Haughton, La
8 Skip Oneal, Midlothian
5J Matt Johnson, Arbie, Mo
2 Allen Murray, San Antonio
28B Wendall Bolden, Greenville
71A Allen Tippen, Minden, La
58x Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla
F5 Josh Danzy, Heflin, La
SUPR LCQ's(Top 2 to A-main)
LCQ 1
8 Skip Oneal
28B Wendall Bolden
18 Bryan Sugg
17 Howard Willis
F5 Josh Danzy
69 Todd Hormel
174 John Sliney
98 Trom Tindall
99 Jeff Crane
88 Bobby Malchus
05 Cameron Wilson
10 Mike Balcaen---DNS
LCQ 2
C8 Timothy Culp
71A Allen Tippen
77E Robbie Starnes
R5 BJ Robinson
84 Tom Lorenz
17M Phil Miller
97 Eric Neal
84B Nicholas Brown
49 Scott Baxter
77B Marcus Baxter---DNS
SUPR heats(Top 16 in passing points to A-main)
Heat 1
1 Will Vaught
1B Doug Begnaud
2 Allen Murray
8 Skip Oneal
28 Chris Holly
17m Phil Miller
17 Howard Willis
69 Todd Hormel
98 Trom Tindall
10 Mike Balcaen
Heat 2
18 Ronny Hollingsworth
93 Ray Moore
21jr Billy Moyer jr
14m Morgan Bagley
88t Wendall Wallace
F5 Josh Danzy
71A Allen Tippen
49 Scott Brewer
84B Nicholas Brown
Heat 3
21 Chris Brown
33x Kelly Boen
1s Jack Sullivan
C8 Timothy Culp
84 Tom Lorenz
28B Wendall Bolden
88 Bobby Malchus
99 Jeff Crane
174 John Sliney
05 Cameron Wilson
Heat 4
11c Jeff Chandler
20 Kevin Sitton
58x Gary Christian
5J Matt Johnson
18 Bryan Sugg
97 Eric Neal
75 Patrik Daniel
77E Robbie Starnes
77B Marcus Baxter
R5 BJ Robinson
Phillips Flies to Another Big Payday and TWDTC Win
A second Missouri driver took his second TWDTC title as Terry Phillips(Springfield) led all but the first couple laps. Phillips, coming off a huge payday at the Winter Meltdown in Las Cruces, got by early leader and USMTS Southern Series points leader, John Whittington. >From there it was Phillips flying through the field lapping up to ninth place on his way to backing up his 2010 win and pocketing a cool $3000.
The front row of Whittington and Clyde Dunn jr. stayed side by side into turn 1, with Whittington coming off turn 2 with the lead. Dunn, Phillips, Cody Smith and Chase Allen fell in line behind the leader. Phillips went to the top on lap 1 to get around Dunn for second and close on Whittington. Phillips and Whittington had a brief wheel to wheel battle as Phillips grabbed the point on lap 3.
Allen followed Phillips tracks on the high side getting by Smith on lap 3 for fourth, then Dunn on lap 4 for third. Smith used the low grove to get fourth from Dunn on lap 6. Behind the top five, Jason Teague and Brad Doherty were running side by side for sixth. Phillips caught lapped traffic on lap 12 with a big lead and was easily making his way when Ryan Whitworth spun on lap 17 to bring out the races only caution.
Phillips got away clean or the restart, while Allen got by Whittington for second. At the halfway mark it was Phillips edging ahead, Allen, Whittington, Dunn and Chris Henigan getting by Smith for fifth. Whittington got second back from Allen as Phillips checked out. Dunn put a slide job on Allen to take over third on lap 22. Allen continued to fall back giving up spots to Henigan, Dunn and Rodney Sanders.
Phillips was back into traffic and lapping his way through the field. In the meantime, Dunn, Smith, Sanders and Allen continued to slug it out. With five to go Phillips had nearly a half track advantage on Whittington who had a gap back to Henigan. Phillips easily ran to the victory in the Andys Frozen Custard, Don Babb Motorsports, Port City Racing, Integra Shocks, Hatfield Racing Engines, GRT Chassis.
"We got the bugs worked out of this new car," commented Phillips. "It turned out to be pretty fast. It was a good car with a good motor. We haven't made any big changes to our cars in several years. We just do little stuff. Once we found a good combination we haven't messed with it much."
"We come down to race while it's cold up north, it just worked out that we've picked up two big wins on back to back weekends. I'm ready for it to warm up so we can stick around home a little bit. We've got big Late Model and Modified races coming up. Now we're ready to rock and roll."
"I'm mainly going to run Late Model stuff. We'll be getting geared up for our MARS Series and run the Modified when we can. The ones that pay more we'll make time for. Our Modified program is real good, we'll get the Late Model program going and have a good year."
Modifieds
A-Main
75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo
5w John Whittington, Vidor
16 Chris Henigan, Marshall
88xxx Clyde Dunn jr., Sunnyville
18s Cody Smith, Kaufman
20 Rodney Sanders, Happy
30 Chase Allen, Midlothian
117 Jason Teague, Tahlequah, Okla
410 Brad Doherty, Ennis
12x Corey Babbitt, Channelview
707 PJ Egbert, Copperas Cove
121x Bobby Ruffin, Crandall
88xx Bobby Malchus, Red Oak
89 Steve Whiteaker jr., Corpus Christi
32 Shane Clement, Bonham
98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan
25 Craig Moss, Kennedale
1 Dee Gossett, Amarillo
8 Dennie Gieber, Jacksonville
14T Tristan Dycus, Alvarado
15j Jared Webb, McKinney
2G Kenny Gaddis, Hallsville
63 Ryan Whitworth, Humbolt, Kan
9H Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La
Modified Pole Dash
5w John Whittington
88xxx Clyde Dunn jr
75 Terry Phillips
30 Chase Allen
18s Cody Smith
117 Jason Teague
8 Dennie Gieber
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