KINGSPORT, TN Kingsport Speedway finally got cooperation from Mother Nature following the past two weeks racing programs being rained-out. The biggest overall car-count of the season treated fans who braved the cool springtime evening temperatures at the 375-mile banked concrete oval to an action-packed USG Sheetrock Night at the Races.
Twin NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock features were contested, with Lee Tissot of Asheville, N.C., and Nate Monteith of Blountville each visiting victory lane.
In the first 30-lap event Daniel Pope II and Brad Housewright led the strong 18-car field to green. Completing the opening lap Pope and Housewright were side-by-side at the start-finish line, and working lap 2 racing off turn two, Tissot moved into third in the running order with Monteith right on his rear bumper in fourth. The events first caution waved on lap 3 when rookie David Wright, making his first-ever Late Model Stock start, slowed down the backstretch when the engine (let go) in his ride and he slowly coasted around turns three and four into the pits, where he quickly emerged from inside the smoking drivers cockpit as track fire and safety crews converged around the car.
With Housewright scored the leader, he rode out front on the restart trailed by Pope, Tissot, Monteith and Wayne Hale. Ten laps completed the top four were running nose-to-tail, and on lap 11 racing off turn two Tissot got under Pope to move into second, also opening the door for Monteith to take over third and drop Pope back to fourth.
Making a hard charge up through the field after starting at the rear, Zeke Shell got around Nick Cole to move into tenth on lap 12, setting his sights directly ahead on Paul Nogradi and Dakota Slagle.
With Housewright trying his best to hold off advances from Tissot for the lead, Tissot finally pulled the trigger racing off turn two on lap 16 to take a lead he would never relinquish. Lance Gatlin had been working on Hale for several circuits before getting around on lap 22 racing off turn two moving into fifth place.
With Tissot in control riding on the point, Monteith was working on Housewright for second, while Pope was occupying Monteiths rearview mirror. With six laps remaining Housewright spun between turns three and four, with Popes car also sustaining right-front nose and fender damage following contact.
Ready to go back green for a dash to the checkers, Tissot, driving the Madison Pharmacy & Gifts of Marshall, N.C./Northside Propane of Tampa, Fla./Skyland Prosthetics/Suds in the Bucket Laundromat of Marshall, N.C./Copeland Creek Cabins of Gatlinburg, Tenn./Rooter King of Weaverville, N.C./Andy Oxy Co. Inc./ Primetime Designs Race Decals/Charlie Long Motors/LTO Race Cars/No. 27 Ford Fusion, would not be denied his first victory of the season as he won over Monteith, Pope, Gatlin and Royce Peters.
The top-four finishers from the first 30-lap Late Model Stock feature were inverted, putting Gatlin and Pope on the front row. At the drop of the green with Gatlin on the bottom getting into the first turn a little hot, pushing up the track taking Pope high, Monteith shot low of Pope to move into second place racing off turn two behind Gatlin, with Pope, Tissot and Hale in tow.
Racing down the front straightaway into turn one on lap 3 Monteith got to inside of Gatlin, and racing off turn two he powered into the lead and set sail. Pope began pressuring Gatlin for the runner-up spot, getting around him racing off turn two on lap 5. Just one circuit later, between turns three and four Tissot passed Gatlin to move into third.
Picking up where he left off in the first feature having a strong run, Shell cracked the top-five on lap 7 when he got around Hale to move into fifth in the running order, directly behind Gatlin. But out front Monteith was in command, steadily pulling away from Pope and Tissot as the race ran caution-free.
With two laps remaining, Tissot was all over rear bumper of Pope for second when directly ahead of them the lapped cars of Cole and Nogradi were battling side-by-side for ninth place. Racing off turn two down the backstretch into third turn, Pope and Tissot decided to split the cars (Cole and Nogradi) with Tissot taking the high route, which proved to be the right line as he made it three-wide racing off fourth turn to move into second place as Pope was pinched down low on the apron exiting (turn) four.
While the battle for second was taking place well behind him, Monteith, driving the True Line Construction Company/KBM Commercial Properties/Pizza Plus/BSA Security Company/TAB Performance/Prices Body Shop/Clark's Automotive Race Engines/Griffin Radiators/Amsoil/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Five Star Race Car Bodies/ProParts Engineering Performance/Sherwin-Williams/Primetime Designs Race Decals/Townsend/LTO Race Cars/WD Performance/eXlander Designs/No. 44 Chevrolet Impala, cruised to his third win of the season and his 50th career Late Model Stock victory. Monteiths feature win also vaults him past Pope into the track point lead by two points.
Jeff Counts of Castlewood, Va., who had not visited victory lane since winning a special event for Street Stock at Bristol Motor Speedway a couple of years ago, jumped into the lead over Paul Shull and proceeded to lead flag-to-flag en route to capturing his first-ever Kingsport Speedway Street Stock victory.
With Counts leading the pack out front, just behind him Chris Tunnell got around Shull for the runner-up position on lap 2 as they raced off second corner. James Mills got into the rear of Chuck Crigger between turns one and two on lap 4, with Crigger spinning to bring out the events first caution.
Back under green both Counts and Tunnell were riding strong mounts, as each lap they began to put distance between themselves and those in pursuit Shull, Roger Neece, Tony Vance and Rob Austin. Just past halfway on lap 17, caution waved when Scott Robinson erupted an engine at end of the front straightaway sending up thick smoke cloud, obscuring the visibility of Mark Christian which led to him spinning between turns one and two.
Poised for a run to the checkers, Counts, driving the Trevor Supply/TruPoint Bank/Stop-N-Shop/S&G Machine Shop/Gillenwater Chiropractic/Stone Racing/Pro Image Graphics/84EXPO/Taylor Race Cars/No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro, would not be denied the feature win as he held off Tunnell, Shull, Vance and Austin for the victory.
Keith Helton of Kingsport grabbed the lead over Chris Neeley at start of the 25-lap Pure 4 feature. Just behind them action was heated in battle for position among John Ketron, James Mills and Mark McCray. McCray lost fifth in the running order to Dean Slagle on lap 3, when Ketron, Mills and McCray attempted to go three-wide racing off turn two, with Slagle getting past McCray on the bottom. Caution waved on lap 12 when third-running Ketron slowed to a stop high in turn four.
With Helton, Neeley and Mills leading the field back up to speed, immediately cars fanned out two and three-wide on the front straightaway. Luke Fox, Linton Perry and Lewis Slagle tangled just under the flagstand, with both Fox and Perry slamming hard head-on into outside concrete wall destroying their cars and bringing out the red flag.
Back under green, Helton, driving the Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union/Citizens Savings & Loan/Jerrys 24 Hour Locksmith Service/Direct Paintless Dent Repair/Catch 22/Signs & Designs Dunn Right/Putt-Putt of Kingsport & Bristol/Team Action Motorsports/No. 9 Saturn, and Neeley pulled away from their closest challengers with Helton getting the victory over Neeley. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Mills, Dean Slagle and McCray.
Fifteen-year-old Hayden Woods of Piney Flats, driving the Acorn Electric/Tuell Motorsports/No. 87, got around Greg Turner for the lead on lap 3 of the Legends feature and once out front cruised to his second victory of the season. Chasing Woods to the checkers were Turner, Cody Johnson, Drew Shortridge and Jacob Owens.
Another exciting racing program is scheduled Friday, May 6 featuring action in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock, Street Stock, Pure 4 and Legends. Kingsport Speedway is located at 2961 North John B. Dennis Highway. For more information, call the office at (423) 288-5992 or visit the Web site at www.NewKingsportSpeedway.com
updated by @stars-radio: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM