Veteran short-track specialists Bubba Pollard and Augie Grill left with the titles and the trophies of the Rattler Weekends premier races, but 14-year-old Kyle Benjamin could make a case that he had the best car in both the Rattler 250 and the Rattler 100.
The double feature, forced when rain washed out the first two days of the season-opening weekend at South Alabama Speedway, started in bright sunshine and ended under the lights on a windy, cool Sunday at the 4/10th-mile asphalt track.
Pollard won the grueling Rattler 250 which was red-flagged twice and slowed further by eight cautions in the first 100 laps by several seconds, nearly half a straightaway, over T.J. Reaid. Casey Smith was third, one spot ahead of Johanna Long. Long worked her way through the field after starting 25th dead last.
Stephen Nasse finished fifth, followed by Clay Rogers, Austin Theriault, Mike Garvey, Donnie Wilson and Logan Boyett in 10th.
Boyett set a new track record in qualifying when he turned a lap in 15.056 seconds. That shattered Pollards track best of 15.092 set in July of 2010.
However, Pollard and Benjamin had the two dominant super late model cars in the first half of the race. The both pitted under caution on lap 188 of the 250-lap feature, their second and final stops, earlier than the other drivers.
We put on our second set of tires at lap 100 and we just didnt have the right heat cycle in them, Pollard said of the mandatory five-minute caution flag. We knew we couldnt finish on the tires we had and had to come in early enough to get by the guys in front of us.
Its all about luck in these races. We had a good race car.
After the second pit stop on lap 188, Benjamin restarted seventh and Pollard ninth. In just five laps, Benjamin had moved to fifth and was battling D.J. VanderLey for fourth place. Benjamin had the inside line and VanderLey was on the outside. They bumped coming out of Turn 4. VanderLey skidded into the outside wall in front of the main grandstand. Benjamins ride was more interesting. He went airborne, into the catch fencing, then crashed back to the track and barrel-rolled, stopping just past the start-finish line on his roof.
The race was red-flagged as crews cleaned the debris and removed the cars from the track. Neither driver was injured.
In the super race, we had a great car all day, Benjamin said. Im not really sure what happened. Theres two sides to the story.
Benjamins side in the heat of the moment was that VanderLey dumped him. The teenager calmed down after the race.
The final caution came out on lap 224. Smith was leading, followed by Reaid, Pollard and Mike Garvey, who pitted when he felt his car getting tight.
The race stayed green for the final 26 laps. Two laps after the restart, Smith checked up when Grill had a problem in front of him. Reaid bumped him and Pollard took advantage, flying around those drivers and into the lead. He cruised from there.
The second race was the 100-lap Rattler 100 for pro late model cars.
Grill, Pollard, Benjamin and Garvey all key players from the first race were back at it. Late in the race, the cars seemed to drive tighter, the drivers said. But no one was willing to give up track position.
Pollards car went away first, with 25 laps remaining. The order stayed Grill, Garvey, Benjamin and pole-sitter R.S. Senter.
But Grill ran off the track when he came up on lapped traffic and damaged his left front with about 10 laps remaining. Benjamin got around Grill with five laps remaining and set his sights on Garvey, whose car kept getting tighter.
On lap 98, with two to go, Garvey got wide between the first and second turns and Benjamin pounced Garvey said literally.
He got even as they got into Turn 3, dumping Benjamin into the wall.
When I got loose, Kyle got in there and blasted me in the door and door-slammed me, Garvey said. It made me mad. I wanted to go back into 3 and I just meant to move him. But I spun him out.
It was clearly my fault. We cost ourselves and our team the win. Basically, we gave one away. You shouldnt give races away.
Grill, despite his damaged left front, inherited the race the lead and held off Senter and Pollard for the victory.
Mason Massey was fourth, followed by Chris Davidson, Kyle Plott, Cole Powell, Brandon Jones, Brandon Odom and Anderson Bowen.
I ran up on some lapped cars and ran off the track and bent something there on the left front, Grill said of his late-race gaffe. It wasnt the same after that. I could maintain about four car lengths on Garvey, but after that he just closed right up on my bumper and got by me.
Luckily, my bonehead move was righted by his bonehead move. He just flat spun the 71 car out. He got loose off 2. I think he thought the 71 had gotten into him, but he didnt. Then he came into 3 and just spun him out.
For Benjamin, the 14-year-old from Easley, S.C., it was a day he will learn from. He finished, officially, 17th in the super late model race and 18th in the pro late model race.
We had a good car in both races, he said. I havent been upside down much like I was in the first race. Im glad cars still in one piece.
Im not sure what happened with Garvey right there. I got under him. Really, he was sideways and came down. He runs into the back of me. Hes a great driver. I dont understand why he did that.
Asked if he was tired, the 14-year-old said, It wasnt that tiring of a day, but I got tired of getting wrecked.
Unofficial Rattler 250 Finishing Order:
1 18 Bubba Pollard
2 41 TJ Reaid
3 99 Casey Smith
4 10 Johanna Long
5 51 Stephen Nasse
6 7 Clay Rogers
7 29 Austin Theriault
8 1 Mike Garvey
9 2 Donnie Wilson
10 11 Logan Boyett
11 71 Johnny Brazier
12 33 Ricky Brooks
13 29 Andy Antinoro
14 47 Allen Karnes
15 99 Dale Little
16 112 Augie Grill
17 71 Kyle Benjamin
18 4 DJ VanderLey
19 18 Johnny Henderson
20 84 Clay Alexander
21 41 Chris Davidson
22 77 Jeff Scofield
23 45 Dwayne Buggay
24 25 Ross Kenseth
25 16 Brandon Odom
updated by @stars-radio: 11/27/20 01:36:29PM