Tazewell Speedway Runs Final Points Race

Super Late Models

On the last night of points racing, the drivers were ready and willing to put on a great show. The night began with a wet track that was hard to pack in, but served as an equalizer. The point leader, Jason Trammell was ready to clinch the championship with Rick Rogers ready to steal it away. Row one consisted of last week’s winner Billy Ogle Jr. and Steve Smith with Jeff Treece and Jason Trammell making up row-two. Rick Rogers started in the eighth spot. As the race began, Ogle broke loose and let Smith take the lead; however, on lap three Ogle broke and slowed on the track. Trammell ripped around the track and had nowhere to go. The contact left him stopped on the track but only slightly damaged. Smith suffered a similar fate when his suspension broke on lap eight giving the lead to Trammell. Trammell assumed the lead and found himself in a dogfight with Anthony White. The dirty White boy began to battle Trammell for the lead on lap eleven and soon found the lead on lap nineteen. A caution flew on lap twenty for Rogers. His race machine had a flat and suffered damage to the rear quarter. The race restarted and White continued to lead until debris off Terry Wolfenbarger’s car brought out another caution. Jason Trammell was now involved in a battle with Wolfenbarger and contact between the two left Trammell with a flat and having to pit. He rejoined but on lap twenty-six he was off the pace. Trammell brought his machine in and was finished for the night with nothing to do but watch the second place point runner gunning for him. Terry Wolfenbarger left the race during lap thirty-two, as Rogers was ready to pass Jeff Wolfenbarger for fourth. A seemingly dejected Trammell watched as Rogers made the pass. Anthony White drove away to the victory with Bryan Hendrix charging into second and David Payne quietly securing the third spot. Trammell finished high enough to secure the championship over a hard working Rogers. White celebrated the win in victory lane, but Trammell’s machine was too damaged to drive into victory lane, so he celebrated his championship and accepted the trophy in his driving shoes. Tazewell Speedway congratulates Jason Trammell for winning the 2003 track championship.

Limited Late Models

The championship in this class was on the minds of two fierce competitors, Gary Blanken and Brian Smith. Blanken did what he had to do, he grabbed the pole and dominated the race. On the initial start, Blanken was surprised when an eager Jack Trammell left him in the dust. Unfortunately for Trammell, the start was too good and the caution flag quickly fell, an indication that Trammell had jumped the start. The cars were realigned and restarted. This time Blanken took the lead and began to run away. As quick as lap five, Blanken was driving through lap traffic. A caution on lap seven for Jason Gray slowed the pace and bunched up the field. On the restart it was Blanken in front followed by Trammell, Randall Self, Pug Hodges and Rex Coffey. Blanken jumped to the lead again with Trammell in pursuit. Battles raged for the fifth position between Coffey and Steve Rouse with Coffey being able to keep the spot. On lap twenty-two, third place thru sixth bunched up in a tight pack as they all battled to obtain control of the third position. Blanken won the race, Trammel finished second and a great run by Randall Self, secured third. Blanken won the battle but lost the war to Brian Smith who took the championship away by three points. Smith accepted his trophy in the victory lane and Tazewell Speedway congratulates him for winning the 2003 limited late model championship.

Modified Street

In the most highly watched championship battle, Tony Trent and Bubba Long traded the point lead back and forth for several weeks. Tonight, Bubba Long needed to be near perfect to capture the championship away from a hot Trent. Long’s night started out wrong when he discovered that his car was letting him down. Clutch problems kept him from running his machine; instead, he borrowed a ride from Tony Horton. Horton stepped aside to let Long go after the championship. Anthony Morgan, who had been battling mechanical problems grabbed the pole position and would be the spoiler in this class tonight. Morgan jumped to the lead as Long and Alan Noah got together leaving long with a flat tire. He fixed the tire and went back out to set his sights on Trent one more time. Anthony Frye began to pressure Morgan a little on lap eleven but could not get around. On lap twelve, Robbie Buchanan and Jason Long battled hard for the fourth position with no changes taking place. It was follow the leader for the remainder of the race, as Morgan went on to take the checkers. In the championship battle, Trent was able to finish higher than Bubba Long and secured the championship by a miniscule margin of one-half of a point. Tazewell Speedway congratulates Tony Trent for his 2003 modified street championship.

Pure Street

The surprise of the night happened in the pure street division when Kenneth Holt took the checkers for the first time ever. He was involved in a slugfest from the beginning. Jack England set on the pole with Larry Burke alongside him in the second position. Burke was able to lead the first lap with Jody Horton and Phillip Nichols following closely behind. On lap four, Mike Bright was pressuring Holt for the fifth position and the battle continued until lap seven. Jody Horton and the point leader Jessie Hoover both left the track at nearly the same time and neither would be able to rejoin. The big one occurred on lap nine when eight cars got involved in an altercation on the backstretch. It all began with Phillip Nichols trying to drive under Larry Burke coming out of turn two. The cars collided turning Burke around into the path of oncoming cars. When it was over Dean Jones, John Whitaker, Jack England, Johnny Miller, Randy Cabbage, Steve Wilder, Larry Burke and Phillip Nichols were all involved. Burke suffered flat tires and body damage but his crew was able to put him back out on the track for more racing. Holt was able to drive through the mess and into the second position. On lap sixteen, Burke while trying to get back to the front, encountered a problem on the front stretch with Dean Jones. Jones was sent into the wall nearly flipping but was able to pull off the track without assistance. Burke would also retire for the night. Nichols, who had the lead, pulled off the track and ready to assume the point was none other than Kenneth Holt. Holt and Mike Bright battled for the top spot with Holt winning in the end followed by Bright, Cabbage, Bobby Moore Jr., and Johnny Lay. Holt celebrated his victory in victory lane with his dad and his friends. Jessie Hoover took his machine to victory lane as the 2003 pure street champion. Tazewell Speedway congratulates Jessie Hoover for winning the pure street championship.

Four-Cylinders

Allen Holoway, was the pole sitter with Randy Helton starting alongside him in second. Helton jumped out to a comfortable lead with Holoway and Allen Wright in third. On lap four, Phillip Gerding began emitting out a shower of sparks from the rear of his machine. He later would drop out. A caution would come out for David Lovin on lap five when he spun his ride in turn four. Cheyenne Kite was able to get fourth during the restart. Helton had a few close calls as he navigated lap traffic but still dominated the race. Holloway and Wright finished second and third with Kite and Mike Simpson rounding out the top five. Helton drove into victory lane and accepted his victory in both the race and the points. Tazewell Speedway congratulates Randy Helton for winning the 2003 four-cylinder championship.
Do not forget the Mountain Music Festival coming up next at the Taz! Come watch local bands and superstar Aaron Tippin as the speedway goes musical on September 26th, 27th and 28th. For information call 423-626-2222 or call the Claiborne County Chamber of Commerce. Thanks race fans for making this year a success!

After a Few Weeks Off, Tazewell Speedway Roars Back to Life

After a few weeks off from racing at the Taz, the supers returned with a vengeance. Rick Rogers and Steve Smith started on the front row and began to run away from the competition. Rogers; however, would fall back and Ogle would assume the second position after a debris caution on lap two. Smith and Ogle began a competitive battle for the first spot, but after several laps chasing Smith, Ogle found Scott Sexton challenging for the second spot. On lap 13 John Llewellyn created a caution in turn two and Rogers stopped in turn four. Mark Brooks experienced mechanical problems and was unable to keep his car out on the track. Terry Wolfenbarger also fell out of the race before the restart, ending a promising night. The race restarted with smith leading and Ogle chasing. On laps 17 thru 20, Ogle began to fade and Sexton brushed the wall slightly coming out of two. Smith would begin to smoke on lap 22 and on lap 23 Ogle passed him for the lead. Scott Sexton followed and grabbed second. On lap 28, a lap car gave Ogle a scare, but he was able to get around quick enough to keep the lead. Sexton raced up to the rear of Ogles’ machine; however, Smith a few laps later drove by Sexton but mounted no real challenge for Ogle, who sealed the victory. Scott Sexton finished third. Jeff Treece and Jeff Wolfenbarger finished out the top five.

Limited Late Models

Stacy Boles grabbed the quick time for the limited class and simply drove away to take the checkers. Brian Smith, Pug Hodges, Gary Blanken and Jack Trammell could only battle themselves as they watched Boles set an awesome fast pace. J. Allan and Rex Coffee both had trouble and left the race on lap four. On lap eleven, Boles struggled to get around lap cars but was simply the class of the field and ended up lapping last weeks winner Steve Rouse on lap 20. Eric Pease and Eric Creech both had problems as the race was ending along with Danny Yoder, Randall Self and Pug Hodges. Brian Smith secured second over Gary Blanken, but no one could catch Boles. Jack Trammell and Danny Yoder finished out the top five. Tazewell Speedway has one more point race before the Mountain Music Festival, Featuring Aaron Tippin, and this race will decide the track champions.

Modified Street
Note: Fry was later declared illegal and the win given to Tony Horton.

As the orange moon began to rise, the modified street drivers began to line up. Last weeks winner Prentice Harvey looked like he would be a force to deal with this week as he grabbed the second quickest qualification time of 14.01 seconds. His time was bested by only one other driver, Mike Hodges. His 13.93 Second run secured him the first starting spot. Harvey took the lead away on lap one with Hodges and Anthony Morgan in pursuit. Leonard Bray drove into third on lap two and looked for more. Hodges battled back and on lap seven got alongside Bray and bumped, but could not take the spot. On lap ten, something broke in the front of Harvey’s ride causing him to slow. Before the lap was over he found the car of Bray trying to enter the drivers window of his ride. Bray’s car got hooked onto Harvey’s and they both stayed in the throttle. Soon the cars separated and had to leave the track for some pit attention. The restart had Anthony Morgan in the top spot, but he too had problems along with point leader, Tony Trent and Mike Hodges.
A great run turned in by Robbie Buchanan ended with disappointment when he came off the track and into the pits with mechanical problems. Second place James Lane also had problems in turn four and was finished. On the restart Anthony Frye had moved into first with Jason Long second and Tony Horton third. As the race concluded John Cook hit the turn-four wall and contacted Bubba Long as he attempted to drive around. The checkers flew for Anthony Frye, but his machine had a date with the cage. Track officials impounded engine parts for inspection and the results will be posted later. Unofficially
Fry is the winner. Jason Long grabbed second and Tony Horton third. Bubba Long left with the points lead over Tony Trent in a close battle.

Note: Fry was later declared illegal and the win given to Tony Horton.

Pure Street

Mike Bright and Phillip Nichols sat on the front row for the feature race with Mike Daniels and John Whitaker making up the second row. Bright took the early lead with Nichols falling behind for second. On lap two, Jody Horton drove around Daniels for fourth. Horton was declared last weeks’ winner after technical inspection found Eddie Younce to have an illegal intake, and looked like he had a shot of making it two in a row. Nichols and bright battled for the first spot for several laps, but no change in position was made. Glen Barks began to smoke heavily and pulled off track on lap seven. Shortly thereafter, Ken Holt, Bobby Moore Sr. and Eddie Younce were involved in an incident that saw Moore rolling over a few times and ending up on his top. Track officials also had to look at the point leader Jessie Hoover’s car that also had signs of damage. Hoover was able to continue. On the restart it was Bright, Nichols, Whitaker, Daniels, and Hoover the top five. As the race restarted so did the battle for the lead. Bright and Nichols battled each other and by lap thirteen, had drove out to a several car lengths lead along with Whitaker. On lap fourteen, Johnny Miller went hard into the turn two wall, ending his night. Only eight cars were able to restart. Up front Bright and Nichols battled with Whitaker following until lap seventeen. Whitaker lost a wheel at the rear of his ride and was finished for the night. Bright finished the night as the leader with Jody Horton sliding in with the second spot followed by Larry Burke. Rounding out the top five was Mr. Bad luck, Gary Harville with a great run and Phillip Nichols after a last lap collision falling to fifth. Points, leader Jessie Hoover finished sixth

4 Cylinders

The four-cylinder feature race would begin with last weeks’ winner Allen Wright on the pole with Brad Pressley along side. Wright jumped to a quick lead going into turn one. Danny Yoder drove hard into turn one and bumped Pressley taking away his second place position. Pressley slid way back in the pack and could not recover. Earl Ingram assumed the third position. Wright began to lap other cars on lap four as he once again looked like he would dominate. On lap seven, Cheyenne Kite encountered a problem and Wright got involved damaging his machine, but somehow managed to keep his lead. Kite brought his machine off the track and his night was over. Allen Holloway, Mike Sells Jr. and Allen Wright all left the track with problems as the race continued. Jack Courtney would also leave the track smoking on lap eleven. Ingram and Yoder battled for the top spot, but Ingram pulled away on the white flag lap and secured the victory. Yoder finished second, Randy Helton made it to third, and Ros Kingery and Ernie Stubblefield finished out the top five.

Steve Rouse Wins Tazewell Speedway Topless Event

Tazewell Speedway decided to run a topless event for the limited division. Steve Rouse had been to Tazewell Speedway several times before with dreams of victory in his and his head only to leave without the allusive victory. This night would be different. Rouse grabbed the pole as well as a hundred dollars from Billy Gordon Construction. Brian Smith started from the second position as the race began. An early caution flag was displayed when Randall Self and Donnie Lane looped their machines in turn one. Both cars suffered damage but restarted the race with the rest of the field. On the restart, Rouse once again jumped to the front with Smith and Gary Blanken chasing. Shelby Wilson began a long night when he suffered damage to his machine on lap four. Smith, who had began to smoke a couple of laps earlier pulled off the track. When asked what happened he replied, “ The valve cover bolts backed out.” On lap four, Rouse and Blanken traded the lead and Battled over the spot for several laps. Wilson encountered problems again on lap fourteen and brought out the caution. On the restart, Rouse, Blanken and Marty Calloway made up the top three. Smith rejoined the race as the action began. On lap sixteen, Blanken and Rouse got together exiting turn four. Rouse turned completely sideways but was corrected by another machine and he got back into the throttle and never lost the lead. On lap seventeen, Blanken and Bobby Giffin crash leaving both cars damaged. Blanken who is in a points battle with Smith brought his machine in the pits for attention and as the race restarted was going back on the track for more. The car looked like a topless open-wheeled late model at this point but was still a fast machine. When the race restarted, Rouse was still the leader with Calloway second and Merritt third. Merritt ran a steady race all night, but as the laps went away he could not keep J. Allan from overtaking his position. Rouse’s dreams come true in the form of a feature win at Tazewell Speedway to the delight of his supporting fans. Marty Calloway finished second behind the black machine of Rouse. Allan secured the third position. It was one of the more popular wins and many people joined Rouse in the victory lane celebration.

Open-Wheel Modified

Rodney Kiker was the pole sitter with Wayne James starting alongside in the front row. The field roared into the first turn with Kiker leading. Wayne Rader brought out the first caution when he spun his machine in turn four, stalled but continued. The caution brought out a complete restart and Kiker once again jumped to the lead. On lap two, another caution was displayed for an incident involving Shannon Greene. Both machines continued when the race resumed. Chad Ogle brought his machine up to challenge for the lead, on lap four with Wayne James tagging along. Tommy Bailey and Wayne Rader battled for the fourth position on lap nine with Bailey keeping his spot. A caution for debris slowed the pace on lap fifteen. On the restart, Kiker was the leader with Ogle, James, Bailey and Rader rounding out the top five. The top five would not change as the race ended giving Kiker the victory.

Modified Street

Prentice Harvey grabbed the pole for the feature with a time of 15.08 seconds over Anthony Frye with a time of 15.36 seconds. The race began with Harvey jumping to the lead but before the lap was over, Ben Harris encountered problems in turn four and brought out a complete restart. As the cars came up to speed, Anthony Frye drove hard into the inside wall and had to leave the racing surface on the hook. On the restart, Harvey once again jumped into the top spot with Tony Trent and Bubba Long chasing. Mike Hodges looked like he would be a factor when he drove around Joey Allen for fifth. Anthony Morgan left the track on lap six as Leonard Bray and Long battle for third. On the next lap, Bray took the spot away and went after Trent. On lap eleven, fans of Harvey began to hold their breaths a little when smoke began to show off the nineteen. On lap thirteen, Bubba Long had to leave the track due to overheating and also giving up his points lead to Tony Trent. Harvey cruised to the victory with Trent and Bray rounding out the top three. Hodges finished forth and Tony Horton fifth. A large number of fans joined Harvey in the victory lane celebration.

Pure Street

Eddie Younce was the pole sitter with a time of 17.14 seconds with John Whitaker completing the front row. Younce jumped to the lead early with Jonathan Miracle second and Whitaker third. On lap three, Whitaker broke loose in turn two and nearly collected the water truck. He was able to restart his truck and join the race at the end of the field. On the restart, Younce stayed out front with Miracle, Jody Horton, Jessie Hoover and Mike Bright rounding out the top five. David Mills had problems on lap four, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Younce jumped out front until Miracle had an encounter with several cars but ended up finishing the race in the fifteenth position. Horton and Bright battled each other and the leader but were not able to get around Younce. Horton finished second and Bright third. Protest money was given to track officials and the Younce car impounded. The official finishing order will be given later after technical inquiry is completed.

Four-Cylinders

Kurt Owens grabbed the pole for the four-cylinder class and was awarded a pole award of fifty-dollars by Allen Earl Photography. The track inverted the top six qualifiers; therefore, Owens began the race in the sixth position. After the inversion, Scottie Thorton and Lynn Phillips made up the front row with Mike Tidwell starting out of the third position. Thorton grabbed the lead on the first lap but after they crossed the stripe, Phillips charged by and secured the top spot. Phillips and Tidwell got together on lap three leaving Tidwell stranded on the track. He was able to rejoin the race and would be a factor all night long. Thorton was sent to the rear of the field, but would not stay there. On the restart, Phillips was the leader with Tidwell and an awesome fast Kurt Owens rounding out the top three. A caution flag was thrown on lap four when four cars got together in turn four. Allen Wright was involved with Owens, Earl Ingram and John Cobb in the incident. After sorting out the incident, Tidwill was the leader with Phillips and Wright rounding out the top three. Wright made it into second on lap six and set his sights on the leader. The caution waved once again on lap six for Joel Shelton’s spin in turn four and bunched up the machines once again. As the race resumed, a charging Owens brushed another car and spun in turn four but quickly gathered it up and continued. On this restart, Wright got together with Tidwill leaving Phillips spun out on the front-stretch. Wright was placed at the front of the pack and Tidwill was surprisingly placed at the rear of the lead lap. The race resumed and on lap eleven, Allen Holloway who was running in forth, made contact with Les Cox and both would collide with the wall. Wright, Phillips and Cheyenne Kite made up the top three as the race restarted and on lap thirteen, five cars were involved in an incident leaving Shelton’s machine crashing hard into the front-stretch wall. Shelton was able to walk away from the accident but would leave the racetrack later to be transported to Claiborne Hospital for further evaluation. On this restart, the top three consisted of Wright, Tidwill and Bo Johnson. Owens who passed more cars than anyone else during the race, once again found problems in the form of contact with Scottie Thorton leaving him with a flat and having to start from the rear again. Wright would not be denied the thousand-dollar check and came across the line first with Thorton and Phillips rounding out the top three. Cheyenne Kite finished forth and Owens charged back into fifth. A happy crew celebrated the Wright victory in victory lane after passing technical inspection. It was a race with many cautions, but left the race fans cheering in the end.

Do not forget the Mountain Music Festival, featuring Aaron Tippin on September 26, 27 and 28th. Aaron Tippin will be performing on the 27th. Bluegrass will be featured on the 26th and Gospel on the 27th after church on Sunday. For more information contact the Chamber of Commerce or call the speedway at 423-626-2222. See you there!

Jeff Treece Wins Super Late Model Race at Tazewell Speedway

Jeff Treece won the pole for the super late model feature with a time of 11.59 seconds. Rick Rogers started alongside him with Jeff Wolfenbarger and Jason Trammell making up the second row. The race began with Treece charging into the lead and Rogers securing second. Rogers drove hard trying to catch Treece early in the race but was only able to put a little pressure for the first spot. Billy Ogle Jr. and Jason Trammell began contesting the forth position and on lap ten the two got together but did not suffer any damages until lap sixteen. The two once again got together but this time Trammell was sent sliding down the track and smacked the inside wall. The caution flag was displayed, but Trammell was able to continue. To the shock of his crew, Jason was then sent to the rear of the lead lap for the restart. Treece rocketed to the lead again with Rogers trying to run him down. Jeff Wolfenbarger tried to keep third locked up and did so until lap nineteen. Ogle three-wheeled around him and set out after the lead. Jason Trammell and Anthony Arnwine engaged in a furious battle for several laps with Arnwine staying in front until a lap twenty-nine incident left Arnwine without half of his nosepiece. A banged up Arnwine struggled on. On lap thirty-one, Arnwine found himself in the middle of another collision when the leader drove up to lap him. Treece made contact with Arnwine, deflected into the air and kept on going. Arnwine however, was damaged too much to continue. The race resumed on lap thirty-one with Treece, Rogers, Ogle, Wolfenbarger and Greg Burchett making up the top five. As the race ended, Treece found himself in a three-way battle for the lead but was able to hold his position and take the checkers. Rogers finished second with Ogle rounding out the top three. After the race emotions ran high and the crews of Trammell and Arnwine engaged in a little scuffle, which was quickly ended by track officials and security. On Saturday night, the 30th, Tazewell Speedway will be closed but will reopen on September the sixth and feature the limited late models and the four-cylinders both battling for a thousand dollar check. The super late models will not run on this date but will be back the following week.

Limited Late Models

Brian Smith took the pole with a time of 12.46 seconds with Gary Blanken behind him with a time of 12.52 seconds. The second row consisted of Jason Trammell and Stacy Boles. After one attempt to start the race, the action was underway. Boles drove his machine hard and made contact with the outside wall but was able to continue to chase Smith and Blanken. On lap two, Blanken saw his chances of winning blown away as his machine experienced mechanical problems forcing him to leave the racing surface. Smith, Boles and Trammell were at the front of the field all race long. Boles got several runs on Smith coming out of the turns but could not get around Smith. Rex Coffey, Randall Self, Jason Gray and Eric Creech all run well but experienced problems. Brian Smith would not be passed and took the checkers for the second week in a row. By doing so also took over the points- race leaving Blanken in second place. On September 6th, Smith will try to win his third in a row and claim the thousand-dollar check.

Modified Street

Tony Trent grabbed the pole with a time of 14.39 seconds over Prentice Harvey’s 14.56. The two raced hard in the opening laps with Trent securing first. On lap three, Leonard Bray lost fluids out of his car and brought out a caution flag. Bray would not be able to rejoin the race. Several cars including Tony Horton drove through the fluids and nearly crashed. Horton completed a 360-degree spin and rejoined the field without any damages. Jessee Atkins and Craig Moore battled door to door on lap four as they tried to move to the front. Trent moved around the Taz without a challenge until lap thirteen. While moving around lap cars, Trent found that the second and third place machines were on his rear bumper. He was able to keep them behind him for the remainder of the race and he went on to win again at the Taz. Prentice Harvey and Mike Hodges rounded out the top three.

Pure Street

A great number of cars forced the track to run a consolation race. Jerry Hurst won the race and was allowed to transfer into the feature along with seven others. As the feature race began John Whitaker went to the lead with Jody Horton behind him. Whitaker drove high allowing Horton to take the first spot. Jonathan Miracle was also able to clear Whitaker pushing him back to the third position. On lap seven, three cars were in a battle for the forth position with Eddie Younce taking the spot. The action was spread over the entire track as Jessie Hoover and Jack England battled for the sixth position. The leaders hit lap traffic on lap thirteen but navigated around them without many problems. Jody Horton kept the pedal down and stayed out in front of Miracle and Whitaker. Horton took the checkers and celebrated the win with many fans in the victory lane. Eddie Younce and Mike Bright rounded out the top five.

Four-Cylinders

Bo Johnson jumped to the lead early but was unable to keep Randy Helton in bay. On lap two, five cars battled for the fifth spot. Suddenly, a car turned sideways and Phillip Gerding had nowhere to go except into the side of Shelton’s car. Les Cox looked like he was a contender but faltered as the race was in the later stages. Allen Holloway became the meat in the sandwich several times during the race but continued to battle. The battle proven, tough as nails car of Gerding reentered the race on lap four. By lap ten, Curt Owens had made his way to the front and around Helton to get the first position. Helton and Allen Wright stayed in the front of the pack but were unable to catch Owens who went on to the victory. Randy Helton and Allen Wright finished behind Owens in second and third. William Knight and Bo Johnson rounded out the top five. The drivers will now begin their preparations for the September 6th , one thousand-dollar to win four-cylinder feature race.

Tazewell Speedway "Soaked" by Mother Nature

Race fans, race machines and drivers poured into Tazewell Speedway Saturday night; however, Mother Nature did not allow the program to begin. After a shower soaked the track early in the evening, track officials and workers began an effort to prepare the track for racing. The track was soon ready for action and the drivers had just attended the weekly drivers meeting when the rain fell once again. This time the pit area took on too much water thus canceling the night’s activities.
Bill and Karen Webb, would like to take this time to thank the employees, drivers, crew members and especially the racing fans who come out each week making Tazewell Speedway the most exciting ticket in dirt-track racing.
Tazewell Speedway would also like to remind the race fans and music fans of the upcoming Mountain Music Festival on September 26th thru the 28th. Country music superstar, Aaron Tippin will be featured on the 27th and will take the stage late in the evening. There will be crafts of all kinds and games for the kids on all three days so plan on bringing the entire family. For any additional information please contact the Claiborne County Chamber of Commerce or leave a message at 423-626-2222.
During the week of the Claiborne County fair, Tazewell Speedway will not race it’s scheduled event (August 30th), featuring the one-thousand to win limited late model event, instead it will be rescheduled for the following Saturday night. Come on out and enjoy dirt racing at it’s finest.

Steve Smith Wins the OSAS Series Race at Tazewell Speedway

Twenty-two cars showed up to run seventy-five laps all with hopes of achieving one goal. There could be only one; however, to drive off with the five thousand dollar check. The Southern All Stars racing series came to town and brought with them some of the nation’s best dirt drivers. Jimmy Owens was the fast-qualifier with a time of 11.42 seconds. Local driver, Steve Smith followed closely with a time of 11.45 seconds. Billy Ogle Jr. and Scott Sexton made up the second row as the racing action began. Steve Smith got the jump on the field and kept it up front for the opening laps. Jimmy Owens and Scott sexton began to battle for the third position. On lap four a struggling Duayne Hommel crossed up on the track in turn two but was able to correct and continue. The leaders began to hit lap traffic on lap six and the action began to heat up as they navigated through the maze of race machines. Owens soon would find the lap car of Rodney Martin a perfect pick and use the situation to drive by Smith on lap eight. Sexton drove into the action on lap ten and began to challenge Smith for the second position. On lap eleven, Steve Rouse had an engine let go but fortunately he was able to get off the racing surface without creating a caution. During lap twelve through lap fifteen, the racing for position was spread over the entire track and the battles too busy to keep up with. Hommel began to show some signs of weakness on lap fourteen and Rick Rogers took advantage and ripped by him in his pursuit of the leaders. Up front, Sexton and Smith wowed the crowd when they engaged in furious battle over the second position. Sexton finished the pass on lap sixteen and set out to reel in Owens. On lap seventeen, Hommel pulled his machine to a stop below the flag stand and created a caution. During this caution John Thompson pulled his machine off the racing surface and retired for the night with damage on the right rear. Owens, Sexton, Smith, Ogle Jr. and Gusty Christenberry made up the top five on the lap seventeen restart. As the race resumed, Owens went to the lead again with Christenberry charging around Ogle Jr. and Smith. Smith battled back and retained his second position as Bryan Hendrix eyed the top five. Sexton dove to the inside of Owens in turn two and made slight contact with the leader who then slipped in turn four. Sexton took over the top spot and Owens stopped in turn four with a flat tire, a victim of the earlier contact with Sexton. On the restart, Sexton was the leader with Smith and Christenberry finishing out the top three. Smith suffered a setback when he slipped in turn four on lap twenty-six and let Christenberry take over second. Owens began a mad dash through the field as he attempted to make it back to the front. On lap thirty-two, Vic Hill took over the fifth position when he drove around Ogle. The race would change dramatically three laps later when the leader once again hit lap traffic. While trying to go around a lap car, Sexton brushed the wall but was able to continue. Smith, a few laps later was able to grab the second position back from Christenberry. A couple laps later, Sexton had a problem with the front suspension and it shot him into the wall in turn four, ending his night. On the restart, Smith and Christenberry would begin to worry about Hendrix and Hill who were now running in third and forth. Clint Smith quietly made it up into the top five and quickly grabbed the fans attention with some aggressive driving. Steve Smith and Christenberry battled back and forth, side by side for several laps as the race was winding down. By lap sixty, Owens was in the seventh position and gunning for more, but would run out of laps. Steve Smith could not be caught on the remaining laps and Christenberry would settle for the second position. An entertaining drive by Clint Smith secured him the third position. Local driver Steve Smith defended his home turf and pocketed five thousand for his efforts. A nearly standing room only crowd witnessed dirt track racing at its finest.

Limited Late Models

Todd Hunt came back to Tazewell Speedway to defend last week’s win. Hunt began his defense alongside poll sitter, Brian Smith. Row two consisted of Gary Blanken and Pug Hodges. The race was only into its forth lap when the car of Rick Robinson broke loose and perched itself upon the inside wall exiting turn four. On the restart, Hunt took to the lead with Smith and Blanken in pursuit; however, a caution flag was flown when the car of Ernest Gray came to a rest on the front-stretch with a small fire underneath. The blaze was quickly extinguished and the race restarted. Hunt went into turn one first again and assumed the top spot with Smith and Blanken still chasing. Mitch Houston and Eric Creech both had problems around lap fourteen but both would be able to rejoin the race. A caution would be displayed on lap seventeen when Josh Chesney spun in turn two. He was able to bring his ride back to the rear on his own to restart. Two laps later Chesney left the racing surface with mechanical problems. Hunt went on to take the checkers; however, as he crossed the scales protest money was being handed to track officials. Gary Blanken, his owner and crew wanted to see if the two-car of Hunt was legal for competition at the Taz. Hunt went on to victory lane but the cage awaited. After the racing program was over, the disassembly began. During this process, the stroke on the Hunt engine was measured several times and did not meet the track specification. Hunt was forced to hand over the win to Mr. Second-place, Brian Smith. Gary Blanken finished second and Jason Trammell steadily secured the third spot. A great run by Rex Coffey was also negated when he arrived on the scales after the race and did not meet the required weight.

Modified Street

Craig Moore returned to the Taz this weekend and took the pole with a time of 14.06 seconds over Alan Holt’s 14.10 seconds. Row two featured Tony Trent and Mike Hodges. As the race began, Moore quickly jumped into turn one first and left Holt and Trent battling for second. For several laps the two engaged in battle over the second position until lap ten. Morgan tried to dive under Trent in turn two and contact was made. Trent, before the lap was over had to leave the track due to a flat that was created when Morgan tried his move. The top three were Moore, Holt and an aggressive Morgan when the race resumed. Trent rejoined at the end of the lead lap. Morgan got by Holt on lap twelve but the pass was negated when Alan Noah lost grip with the track and spun. After the restart, Moore once again took off with the field in pursuit. On lap fifteen, Trent was battling Anthony Frye for the fifth position but could not acquire it. Morgan, while driving through turn one, lost a wheel and had to retire for the night. On the lap eighteen restart, Moore was the leader with Holt in second. Mike Hodges, Anthony Frye and Tony Trent rounded out the top five. Holt took over the lead and never looked back. Another great run by Mike Hodges left him with a second place finish and Tony Trent coming from the rear finished third, but more importantly kept the pressure on Bubba Long for the top position in the points chase.

Pure Street

Mike Bright continued his domination of the pure street division when he started on the front row and never looked back. On lap one Bright zoomed to the lead with Larry Burke and Jody Horton battling for second. The twenty-eight of Richard Ely suffered damages during the start and created the first caution. At the same time, Johnnie Lay spun in turn four but was able to continue. On lap three, Lynn barks got crossed up on the racetrack in front of the leaders. Every car amazingly missed the machine as they drove above and below. Jerry Hurst during this caution stopped on the backstretch and was not able to continue. Bright drove to the lead again but on lap nine, encountered problems with a lap car of Bill Haynes. Haynes slowed Bright down a little, but it was not enough for someone to mount a challenge. A caution came out on lap eleven when Johnny Lane stopped on the backstretch. The top five during the restart was Bright, Horton, Burke, Nichols and Eddie Younce. Nichols got by Burke on lap fourteen but ran out of laps. Bright took the checkered flag with Nichols second and Jody Horton third. Larry Burke finished fourth and Eddie Younce rounded out the top five.

Four-Cylinder

Curt Owens grabbed the pole for the feature race with William Knight alongside in the second starting spot. Row two consisted of Allen Wright and Allen Holloway. Owens looked like he was the man to beat until lap seven. Owens drove off the racing surface giving the lead to Allen Wright; however, Owens would rejoin the race later and charge hard to the front but would drop fluids in the closing laps and have to retire from the race. Wright went on to victory with Randy Helton and Allen Holloway finishing second and third. Fourth went to Travis Lemons and Brad Pressley returning from injury finished fifth.

Jimmy Owens Cruises to Super Late Model Victory at Tazewell

Jimmy Owens was the pole sitter for the super late model feature race with a time of 11.22 seconds. Gusty Christenberry was alongside him in the second starting spot. As the green flag fell, Owens jumped to the lead going into turn one. Christenberry trailed him in the second position with Steve Smith assuming the third position. Owens began to pull away from the field as Christenberry and Smith began to battle for second. The battle continued until a caution flag was displayed on lap six for Jeff Wolfenbarger. Wolfenbarger got into the backstretch wall and suffered heavy damages. Smith and Christenberry both took the opportunity to have sheet metal pulled. The bent metal was the result of the earlier, door- to-door battle between the two. Immediately on the restart, Owens powered away from the rest of the field. The battle for second, once again began to heat up. On lap eleven, Smith took over second and set his sights on Owens. Owens began to enter lap traffic on lap thirteen. On lap fifteen, a three-way battle began for fifth position included, Vic Hill, Rick Rogers and John Lewellyn. The three battled until lap seventeen when Rogers made contact with Hill in turn two and Hill spun his machine down the backstretch. Track officials sent a surprised Hill to the rear of the lead lap. Owens pulled away on this restart also; however, Jeff treece would bring out another caution flag when his machine got loose coming out of turn two. Rogers would not be able to slow down in time and touch Treece’s machine. Treece went into the outside wall at the end of the backstretch and took out two of the track’s billboards. The signs acted as a guardrail and placed the car back onto the track. It was then tagged by Jason Trammell’s machine. Jason suffered slight damage, but was able to continue. The race resumed with Owens jumping out to a large lead. Rogers and Lewellyn were locked in on the battle for forth as Owens began to catch them. Owens chose not to force the issue and with such a large lead, decided not to risk charging through the lap cars. He cruised to the checkers with Steve Smith and Gusty Christenberry finishing second and third. Jimmy Owens is ready to take on the drivers of the Southern All Stars, next Saturday night as the series pulls into the Taz for the first of two scheduled events.

Limited late Model

Todd Hunt surprised a lot of fans and drivers as he navigated the track like a veteran. The eighteen year old started in the fifth position but quickly moved into a position to win. On lap one, Jason Trammell shot out into the lead with Gary Blanken following closely. Fred England, Blanken and Hunt battled for the second position until Keith Chapman spun and brought out a caution on lap two. Trammell charged into turn one on the restart leaving Blanken and England to battle for second. Blanken caught Trammell as he navigated through lap traffic and passed him for the lead on lap nine. On lap ten, Randall Self, Mitch Houston and Jason Gray encountered trouble when Trammell spun his machine. Self and Gray tried to avoid the machine but could not. After the contact, Gray pulled off the track, his night was over. On lap thirteen, Marlin Bull and Eric Creech began to battle for the forth spot. Shelby Wilson got a little too loose and made contact with the wall. A caution for debris was quickly displayed. On lap fourteen, Hunt went around England for the second spot. He set his sights on Blanken. Hunt caught Blanken on lap twenty-four and passed him cleanly for the lead. Todd Hunt went on to victory for the first time ever at the Taz! Gary Blanken finished second and Eric Creech came across the line in third. Blanken was asked about the pass Hunt put on him and he stated, “ There are no complaints on how he passed! We lost a cylinder with three laps to go!” A happy Todd Hunt celebrated his win in victory lane!

Open Wheel Modified

Danny James was on the pole with Stanley Donahue completing the front row. Donahue jumped to the front; however, Wayne James spun his machine in turn two and slowed the pace down. The machine of John Harrell encountered mechanical problems and left the race during this caution. On the restart, Donahue, Ray Wilmoth and Danny James made up the top three. On lap three, Wayne James slid up the track and hit the wall coming to a rest at the exit of turn four. The race restarted and on lap eight, Shannon Emery tried to get around Wilmoth for the third position. He completed the pass on lap twelve. Nobody however, would challenge Donahue who pulled away and won by nearly half a lap. James finished second and Emery third.

Modified Street

Anthony Morgan grabbed the pole with a time of 14.29 seconds. Alongside him was Prentice Harvey. Tony Trent and Leonard Bray made up the second row. As the race began, Morgan went into turn one as the leader. Jessee Adkins brought out a caution flag when he slowed in turn three. The race underwent a complete restart. Again, Morgan went into turn one as the leader. Bray drove around Harvey in turn one but Harvey would charge back. Trent made it three wide out of turn two. The three cars touched; consequently, Trent and Harvey both suffered damages. Trent broke part of his right front suspension and pulled into the pits for repairs. On the restart it was Morgan, Bray and Allen Holt the top three. On lap three, Gerald Ayers spun his machine and brought out a caution. During this caution Alan Noah and Anthony Frye pulled off the track. Noah would not restart. Morgan jumped to the lead once again until Tony Horton spun in turn one. Bubba Long also left the field and drove into the pits with a right rear flat. Long and Frye both made it back out in time for the restart. After the restart, Bray would begin to smoke and pull off the track. He would not continue. Holt also encountered problems with a flat right front tire and had to pit to replace the airless tire. Morgan jumped to the lead on the restart. Mike Hodges, running in third began to challenge Jason Long for his second spot on lap eight. On lap nine, Bubba Long and Tony Horton tried to miss a spinning car and made contact with each other. Holt brought his machine back out during the caution and rejoined the field. Harvey, having started at the rear of the field due to an earlier caution, was now in the forth position. After the restart, Hodges and long battled side by side for several laps until the left front tire fell off Long’s machine. On the restart it was Morgan, Hodges and Harvey the top three. Johnny Bales watched the restart from the forth position. Horton drove by Bales as the race resumed and set his sights on Harvey. Up front, Hodges caught Morgan and the two battled side-by-side, nose to tail until a caution stopped the action on lap fifteen. Horton, Harvey and Bales had tangled while battling for the third position. Harvey brought his machine to the attention of the track officials who tore off the bumper cover that was flapping in the wind due to the contact. On the restart it was Morgan, Hodges and Harvey the top three. Morgan and Hodges battled for the top spot but the laps ran out for Hodges and Morgan was able to take the checkers. Hodges, with a great run finished second and Harvey secured the third spot. Tony Trent remarked after the race, “We beat who we had to in the points deal. We did not give up!” Morgan acknowledged the cheers of the fans during his stop in victory lane.

Pure Street

Mike Bright grabbed yet another pole for the pure street feature. Jessie Hoover started alongside him to complete the front row. Gilbert Atkins had to leave the race while being lined up for the start due to fluids leaking from his machine. On the start, Hoover got pushed into the lead by Jody Horton. A caution flag would be displayed when Richard Ely and Johnny Miller got tangled up and Jerry Hurst broadsided Ely. Ely would not restart. Hoover jumped to the lead again with Horton and Bright following; however, Tony Knuckles brought out another caution when he encountered problems in turn four. Hoover jumped out again on this restart with Bright challenging Horton for second. The top four break away from the fifth place John Whitaker. Bobby Moore and Steve Smith pull off the track on lap nine. Horton, riding in second place blew a tire coming out of turn two and brought out a caution when he stopped in turn four. On the restart it was Hoover, Bright, Phillip Nichols, Whitaker and Jonathan Miracle the top five. Bright would try a move on Hoover during lap eleven but could not get around. John Whitaker however, had no problem getting around when his new Hoosiers lost traction. He looped his truck in turn two but was able to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. He brought his truck to the rear of the lead lap and restarted with the rest of the field. On lap fourteen, Bright made it around Hoover for the first position. On lap nineteen, Whitaker and Bobby Moore Jr. touched and got connected at the bumpers. Johnny Lay and Gary Harville tangled to avoid the connected machines and crash themselves in turn two. Jerry Knuckles and Phillip Nichols both came to a rest in turn four. Rescue squad workers extinguished a fire in the Nichol’s machine as altercations broke out at different ends of the track. All tempers would cool down and the race did restart. Bright, Hoover and Miracle restarted in the top three positions. The order did not change and Mike Bright went on to victory.

Four-Cylinder

Seventeen race machines started the feature race with Bobby Idles and Scotty Hicks making up row one. Row two consisted of Robert McIntosh and Richard McIntosh. On the first attempt to start the race, Hicks went to the front. As the lap was ending Scotty Thorton slowed in turn four and tried to make the exit to the pit in the same turn. His machine rode the inside wall bringing out the caution flag. The race machines lined up for a complete restart. Thorton repaired his machine and rejoined the race for the start; however, another caution flag would fly when David Lovin, Cheyenne Kite, Phillip Gerding and Richard McMahan all got together coming off turn four and drove into the inside wall on the front-stretch. The second caution would bring out another complete restart. The race restarted and Hicks drove to the lead. Idles was second and McIntosh rode in third. A caution came out once again when several cars encountered problems. Cheyenne Kite stopped with a flat. Robert McIntosh had a problem and Bo Johnson ended up nearly collecting the wall. The most serious incident was involved Randy Helton. He was tagged and the contact removed one of his wheels, sending him backwards into the outside wall. Helton stated after the crash, “I saw the yellow flag but someone else didn’t!” The race resumed with Hicks leading, Idles in second and Derrick Elder sneaking up taking third. Alan Wright ended up in the wall in turn two. He dropped fluids on the track due to a busted radiator and would have to retire. The race resumed with Hicks once again taking the lead. Alan Holloway hit the wall in turn four but was able to continue. Elder and Idles swapped positions on lap seven. A few laps later, McMahan and Idles battled for the third spot. Elder, on lap twelve looped his machine as he tried to run down Hicks. He did not make contact with anything and was able to continue, but he was made to start at the rear of the lead lap. Hicks drove into turn one first and began to pull away. As the laps ended, Idles broke loose and McMahan drove around to take second away. Hicks finished first with McMahan second and Derrick Elder brought his machine all the way back to the front of the pack to take the third position.

"Smith Makes it THREE IN-A-ROW"

TAZEWELL,TN (7-26-03) -Steve Smith quickly jumped into the lead on the first lap with Jimmy Owens following closely in the second position. Rick Rogers hit the outside wall coming out of turn four and the contact would end his night. Shortly thereafter, Mark Brooks would accelerate hard out of the same turn, loose grip and hit the outside wall sending his machine rolling over on the front stretch. A disappointed Brooks was able to climb from his machine to the cheers of the crowd. On the restart it was Smith, Owens and Jeff Treece the top three. Smith got the jump again and began to pull away. John Llewelyn, Jason Trammel, Jeff Wolfenbarger and Rod Carter Jr. were involved in battles for the fifth thru the eighth positions as Owens began to reel in Smith. Treece and John Thompson were barely able to keep up the pace that the two in front were setting. On lap fifteen, Carter Jr. would leave the race and the leaders began to see lap traffic. On lap seventeen the front two found themselves fighting with the lap cars as well as each other. Owens would loose grip on the racetrack when he tried a daring move underneath Smith while driving through lap traffic. Owens would spin his machine, bring out a caution and resume the race from the end of the lead lap. On lap twenty-nine, Trammell left the racing surface due to overheating and Owens would soon find his machine at the rear of Smith once again. From lap thirty-three to lap thirty-seven, Owens tried to get around Smith but a slip would let Smith's gap widen and he would drive to another Tazewell Speedway victory. Owens finished second and Thompson third.

Official Finish

Super Late Models (40 Laps)

1. #3 Steve Smith
2. #20 Jimmy Owens
3. #38 John Thompson
4. #25 John Llewellyn
5. #28 Jeff Wolfenbarger
6. #90J Jason Trammell
7. #131 Jeff Treece
8. #21 Rod Carter, Jr.
9. #144 Rick Rogers
10. #25 Mark Brooks
11. #17 Daniel Sauceman

Limited Late Models (40 Laps)

Everyone in attendance was glad to see Ritchie Carey back at the Taz this Saturday. Last week Carey was involved in a spectacular incident but received only slight injuries. He was in attendance but was only a spectator. Jason Trammel, fresh off a victory last week began the race on the front row with Brian Smith alongside. Behind him in the second row Marlin Bull and Gary Blanken was ready to race. Trammel shot to the front with Smith behind. A three- way battle between Shelby Wilson, Randall Self and Jimmy Calloway turned ugly when Calloway dived under the other two coming out of turn four. After contact the cars of Self and Calloway set idle on the front stretch. Self had to leave the race due to the damages, but Calloway would rejoin. During the caution, Gary Blanken suffered a flat tire and had to pit. He rejoined the race at the rear. Trammell lead Smith and Bull on the restart as Blanken began to move back to the front. By lap six, Blanken was in the seventh spot. Jason Gray left the racing surface on lap seven as Trammell continued to lead. One more caution would be displayed for debris. Blanken passed another car for the sixth position but would not be able to run down the top five. The top three were Trammell, Smith and Bull. After the inspection of these machines, all were found to be legal and the finishing order stood. Jason Trammell won his second in a row. Great runs by Pug Hodges and Fred England left them in the fourth and fifth positions.

1. #91 Jason Trammell
2. #7 Brian Smith
3. #8 Marlin Bull
4. #2 Pug Hodges
5. #1 Fred England
6. #G7 Gary Blanken
7. #89 Keith Chapman
8. #77 Jimmy Calloway
9. #515 Scott Stanifer
10.#2 Jason Gray
11.#4W Shelby Wilson
12.#91 Randall Self
13. #N30 Eric Creech

Modified Street (20 Laps)

An awesome number of fans came out to watch Tazewell Speedway's regular racing program. The program began with the modified street division. The front row consisted of Craig Moore and Tony Trent. Behind them in the second row was last week's winner, Anthony Morgan and Bubba Long. Moore went to the front with Trent and Morgan in pursuit; however, the race would soon be slowed when Tim Hatfield encountered problems with the front left wheel of his machine. When the race resumed, Morgan tried several times to get around Trent, but was unsuccessful. Back in the pack hard racing between Anthony Frye, Prentice Harvey and Tony Horton was taking place for the eighth position. Jimmy Mullins brought out another caution when he looped his machine in turn four. On this restart, Morgan kept the pressure on Trent but could not make a pass attempt stick. On lap six another caution flag flew for fluids on the track that almost sent Bill Morgan into the outside wall. He was able to miss hitting the wall and would resume. Battles continued in the front and the rear of the pack until lap ten. Jason Long would bring out another caution when his ride dropped fluids on the racing surface. His night would be over. On the restart, Morgan pressured Trent but the smoke coming from Morgan's car would be the beginning of the end for him. As the race was ending, Morgan fell out and Tony Horton endured a flat that sent him to the rear. On lap fifteen, Leonard Bray was engaged in a hard battle for the fifth position with Harvey and Bubba Long when he found his car sliding sideways due to contact. He slid up into the turn two wall and nearly found himself upside down but somehow the car landed on all four wheels. An upset Bray would not be able to continue. At the end of the race, Harvey made it around Bubba Long but Moore finished strong and Trent could only take second. After the cars rolled across the scales a surprise inspection was called for and the top three was checked. Craig Moore was deemed to have an illegal carburetor thus forfeiting his victory. A legal Trent moved into the first spot with Harvey and Long rounding out the top three.

1. #18 Tony Trent
2. #19 Prentice Harvey
3. #10 Bubba Long
4. #14 Anthony Frye
5. #21 Jimmy Mullins
6. #43 Jason Brooks
7. #26 Anthony Morgan
8. #17 Leanord Bray
9. #56 Tony Horton
10. #15 Jason Long
11. #2 Mike Hodges
12. #3 Tim Hatfield
13. #88 Brad Davis
14. #9 Bill Morgan
15. #43 Ben Petry
16. #90 Craigg Moore (Dq'ed)

Pure Street (20 Laps)

Mike Bright took control early out of his front row starting position and went on to dominate the event. He raced into the lead and on lap three Phillip Nichols slowed and Jody Horton drove around him for the position. Dwight Creech slowed the pace down on lap five when he stopped on the track with a flat. Bright restarted first with Jessie Hoover second and Horton third. Hoover and Horton battled for the second position until a caution flag flew on lap twelve for a flat tire on the Gary Dobbs machine. The race resumed and Horton got by Hoover on lap seventeen, but the pass was disallowed due to a runaway wheel on the Greg Hoskins machine. Bright went on to take the checkers with Hoover and Horton finishing out the top three. After the race the top three were inspected and all were found to be legal. Twenty- three vehicles started the event.

1. #7 Mike Bright
2. #3 Jesse Hoover
3. #56j Jody Horton
4. #M33 Bobby Moore. Jr.
5. #81 Eddie Younce
6. #7 Tony Knuckles
7. #55 Jack England
8. #28 Richard Ely
9. #13 Everett Cobb
10. #1 Jerry Hurst
11. #21 Johnny Lay
12. #27 Gary Harville
13. #D2 Gary Dobbs
14. #N30 Dwight Creech
15. #20 Scott Branham
16. #52 Maxwell Daniels
17. #53 Mike Nichols
18. #19 Greg Hoskins
19. #33 Phillip Nichols
20. #26 Wade Dearing
21. #39 Johnny Miller
22. #83 Glen Barks
23. #54 Larry Burke

Open Wheel Modifieds (20 Laps)

The front row consisted of Bobby Edens and Shannon Greene. Edens Stumbled on the start and the machines of Shannon Emery and Shannon Greene got together and created a caution before the first lap was over, thus creating a complete restart. Greene was unable to restart. The race began and it did not take long for another caution flag to fly. John Harrell and Dennis Barton raced back and forth for position until Harrell would spin his ride. Both were able to continue racing. On lap twelve, Tommy Bailey had an incident when his car was pushed into the inside wall on the front stretch. The contact broke the front left suspension, retiring him for the night. When the machines crossed the finish line, Bobby Edens was in front with Wayne Radar following in second and Dennis Barton rounded out the top three.

1. #71 Bobby Edens
2. #8 Wayne Radar
3. #35 Dennis Barton
4. #H19 John Harrell
5. #11 Sam Herd
6. #J4 Wayne James
7. #A71 Wayne Abner
8. #11 Tommy Bailey
9. #27 Shannon Greene
10. #95 Shannon Emery
11. DNS-#13 Don Scalf
12. DNS-#72 Jerry Broyles

4-Cylinders (15 Laps)

Randy Helton and Allen Wright began the race on the front row. Wright jumped to the lead with Helton and Allen Holoway in pursuit. Cheyenne Kite drove around Holoway on lap two as the field began to follow the leader. David Lovin slowed the pace on lap ten when he looped his ride in turn four. Wright jumped on the restart and took the lead again. Phillip Gerding passed Mike Simpson on lap thirteen for the fourth position but could not advance any further. At the finish it was Wright, Helton and Holoway the top three.

1. #27 Alan Wright
2. #2 Randy Helton
3. #A27 Allen Holoway
4. #6 Phillip Gerding
5. #5 David Lovin
6. #9 Cheyenne Kite
7. #M7 Mike Simpson
8. #J59 Bo Johnson
9. DNS #7 Mikey Sells Jr.

Mod Madness & Regular Points Racing!!

Limited Late Models

The action continued with Jason Trammell and Pug Hodges making up row one during the limited feature with Shelby Wilson and Rex Coffey behind them in row two. Pug Hodges took the lead, but it would seem insignificant when Ritchie Carey and Fred England touched their racing machines together on the backstretch. The seventeen of Carey turned sideways and began a violent roll down into turn four and came to a rest on it's top. The incident was one of the most spectacular ever seen at the Speedway. Carey's machine rolled several times and was touched by at least two other cars before coming to a rest. Worried onlookers watched silently as the rescue squad members attended to Carey. A stunned Carey was brought out of his mangled car and to his feet on the track to the delight of the crowd. Immediately Carey stated, " I am Ok!" He was then asked what hurt, he clearly stated, " My neck!" He was then sent to Claiborne Hospital for further examination. The incident left his Corvette bodied limited late model mangled and twisted, but the driver's cockpit stayed reasonably intact. It was a testament to the built in safety of these racing machines. It took five attempts to start the race and several machines suffered damage including Trammell, Randall Self and Pug Hodges. Trammell however, would assume the lead and begin to run away from the field. Rex Coffey, Shelby Wilson, Gary Blanken and Brian Smith battled for second with Blanken finally securing the spot on lap eleven. Blanken made a clean pass for second in turn one and set his sights on Trammell. On lap fourteen the H1 of Terry Harris slowed and left the racing surface. Blanken tried to catch Trammel, but was not making up the distance. He would get a free pass up to the rear of Trammel's machine when Keith Chapman spun in turn two. On the restart it was Trammell and Blanken, followed by Coffey. Trammell went on to the victory, but had to quickly leave victory lane to jump into his super late model. Blanken finished second and Coffey finished the race in the third spot. All of the race fans and track workers send their best wishes to Ritchie Carey and hope he is able to race again soon.

1. (1)Jason Trammell #91
2. (5)Gary Blanken #G7
3. (4)Rex Coffey #0
4. (6)Brian Smith #7
5. (3)Shelby Wilson #4W
6. (7)Randall Self #91
7. (9)Fred England #1
8. (8)Keith Chapman #89
9. (13)Josh Chesney #05
10.(14)Scott Stanifer #515
11.(15)Terry Harris #H1
12.(2)Pug Hodges #2
13.(10)Eric Creech #N30
14.(11)David Gamble #2
15.(12)Richie Carey #17

Super Late Models

Row one was made up of Jeff Treece and Rick Rogers with Mark Brooks and Steve Smith behind them in row two. Treece drove quickly to the lead with Rogers and Smith battling for second. As lap two began, Smith grabbed second away from Rogers and set his sights on the leader. John Thompson, Back at the "Taz" for the first time this season began his charge from the rear of the field and on lap five, took a position away from the colorful machine of Rod Carter Jr. On lap six, Last week's winner, Jeff Wolfenbarger took the forth position away from Mark Brooks. A lap later, Smith would be in position to challenge Treece for the top spot. The two engaged each other several times with Treece holding off Smith. Thompson would clear Jason Trammell on lap ten and continue a mad dash through the field on the low side. Treece and Smith continued battling for the top spot through lap fourteen as Thompson cleared Brooks and moved into the fifth position on lap sixteen. Smith tried Treece several more times, but the action was slowed when Trammell and Brooks brush against each other causing Brooks to spin as the two battled for sixth. Treece jumped to the lead on the restart; however, by lap thirty he had Smith once again beside him. On lap thirty-four, Smith finally took over the first position. Thompson and Wolfenbarger battled hard for the forth spot with Thompson finally securing it on lap thirty-nine. Steve Smith took his Bonanza Produce sponsored Rayburn machine to victory and a fourteen hundred dollar payday! Jeff Treece finished second, Rick Rogers third and John Thompson finished strong on his first night back, capturing the forth position. On August 9th, the Southern All Stars will bring some of the nation's best drivers and machines to battle our regulars in the first of two scheduled events. The SAS always provides awesome racing when they visit " The Bristol of dirt!" For ticket information call 423-626-2222!

1. (4)Steve Smith #3
2. (1)Jeff Treece #131
3. (2)Rick Rogers #144
4. (8)John Thompson #38
5. (5)Jeff Wolfenbarger #28
6. (6)Jason Trammell #90j
7. (7)Rod Carter Jr. #21
8. (3)Mark Brooks #25

" Mod-Madness "

A large number of race fans came to the "Taz" to see modified street racing at it's finest. Tazewell Speedway presented the " Mod-Madness," dedicated to the modified street class, it's drivers and machines. The fast qualifier of the night was Craig Moore, but due to the inversion of the top six, he would start in the sixth position for the feature. Before the race began, Tony Trent won the fan's approval and captured the money and an 8x10 photo for winning the best of show. He would line up on row two as the racing began. The front row of Mike Hodges and Tony Horton charged into turn one side by side, at the same time Rick Welch broke loose and dropped several positions and would begin his charge to the front out of the eighth spot. On lap four, Hodges smoking car would have to leave the track, but would rejoin the race at the end of the field. Jimmy Mullins also spun his machine on this lap but would also continue. The car of Ben Harris experienced mechanical problems and left the racing surface before the restart. Tony Horton would assume the first spot with Anthony Morgan second, followed by Tony Trent. On lap six, Dixon Greenwood's night would end when he too experienced a mechanical gremlin. Last week's winner Craig Moore had been battling for the fifth position but as he passed, contact with Leonard Bray would leave Bray needing to pit for a flat left rear tire. During this caution, the smoke off of the Hodges car as well as fluids on the racing surface would cause the officials to make the decision to park the Hodges machine. The race restarted with Horton, Morgan and Trent the top three. Moore began to challenge Trent for the third spot on lap thirteen as Morgan pressured Horton for the top spot. On lap fourteen, Morgan drove around Horton in turn four. Moore would soon be on Horton's bumper and went around him on lap twenty as Welch drove around Prentice Harvey; however, Harvey got the chance to take back the position when Welch slipped driving hard into turn two. Welch encountered problems when Bubba Long made slight contact and sent Welch on a slow roll in turn four. Welch was finished for the night, but the crew and friends of Long, put all of their resources into getting the car back on the track. Before the race restarted, Long rejoined the field at the rear. The race restarted and a battle for the third spot began but ended with no change of position until lap twenty-six. Trent drove around Horton and took his third position away. He set his sights on the second place Moore, but would not be able to catch him as the laps wound down. Anthony took the checkers and drove his car over the scales and directly into the cage. After the tech process was completed, Morgan was declared legal and took home the thousand-dollar check. Moore also was deemed legal and finished second. Trent took the third spot. Horton was one inch too tall on the rear spoiler and dropped to the end of the finishing order. Anthony Morgan invited all of his crew into victory lane and told them, " We deserve this one!"

1. (5)Anthony Morgan #26
2. (6)Craig Moore #90
3. (3)Tony Trent #18
4. (8)Prentice Harvey #19
5. (10)Jason Long #15
6. (7)Leonard Bray #17
7. (9)Bubba Long #10
8. (14)Tim Hatfield #3
9. (11)James Lane #77
10. (4)Rick Welch #18
11. (19)Anthony Frye #14
12. (13)Jimmy Mullins #21
13. (18)Jr. Keck #10
14. (1)Mike Hodges #2
15. (8)Jonathan Miracle #43
16. (12)Ben Harris #42
17. (16)Dixon Greenwood #7

Pure Street

The front row was made up of Mike Bright and Phillip Nichols with Jody Horton and Jessie Hoover starting in row two. Several attempted starts occurred and Bright suffered a mechanical problem, seemingly ending his night. Gary Harville and Chris Evans encountered problems and ended their nights. Nichols finally jumped to the lead with Horton in tow. Mike Bright finished repairs and rejoined the race on the lap four restart. Bright began a mad charge through the field. On lap nine, Larry Burke began to smoke and put fluids down on the racing surface. His night would also come to an end. Bright continued passing cars until lap thirteen. His repaired wheel from earlier in the night came off in turn two and ended his hopes of making it back to the front. Hoover fell out on lap thirteen during the caution. Creech came off the track, but was able to rejoin on lap sixteen. On lap seventeen, Jerry Hurst dropped off the racing surface and Nichols went on to win with Horton and Bobby Moore Jr. in third.

1. (1)Phillip Nichols #33
2. (3)Jody Horton #56
3. (5)Bobby Moore Jr. #M33
4. (7)Jonathon Miracle #11
5. (17)Richard Ely #28
6. (15)Mike Nichols #53
7. (20)Derrick Creech #N30
8. (10)Jerry Hurst #1
9. (4)Jessie Hoover #3
10. (19)Scott Branham #20
11. (6)Larry Burke #54
12. (2)Mike Bright #7
13. (12)Jack England #55
14. (11)Bobby Moore Sr. #M4
15. (16)Johnny Lay #21
16. (7)Tony Knuckles #7
17. (13)Chris Evans #41
18. (8)Eddie Younce #81
19. (9)Gary Harville #27
20. (14)Dean Jones #02

Four-Cylinder

Row one consisted of Randy Helton and Allen Wright. The second row was made up of Cheyenne Kite and Richard McMann. As the race began, Helton took the lead but the action was slowed when Phillip Gerding tagged the wall hard and brought out a caution. His night would be over after the hard contact. The race continued with Wright following Helton and Kite challenging from the third spot. Kite would be challenged several times by McMann. Mikey Sells Jr. would experience an anxious moment when he lost control of his ride in turn two and rode up the inside wall. His car fell off the wall and onto its side. Rescue squad members were on the scene quickly to get him out of the car. Moments later, the car burst into flames. The fire was quickly extinguished and the racing resumed. Helton and Wright battled until the final lap. The two cars finished the race side by side with Helton winning by less than a foot. Third place went to David Lovin.

1. (2)Randy Helton #2
2. (1)Alan Wright #27
3. (7)David Lovin #5
4. (5)Allen Holoway #A27
5. (9)Mike Simpson #M7
6. (3)Cheyenne Kite #9
7. (12)Bo Johnson #J59
8. (8)Mikey Sells Jr. #7
9. (11)Scott LItton #28
10. (10)Joe Harris #2
11. (6)Philip Gerding #6

Next week, the open wheels come back to tackle the high banks. Come watch the action

Jeff Wolfenbarger Celabrates Victory in Tazewell Speedway Super Late Model Race

Super Late Model
The super late model class began with Jeff Wolfenbarger and Anthony Arnwine sharing row one with Mark Brooks and Steve Rouse making up the second row. On a night with a full moon, it was only appropriate that the night would belong to "Wolf." Wolfenbarger would take the lead and never look back. Mark Brooks tried to use the low side of the track and was soon found slipping toward the back. His aggressive move resulted in him losing two positions. On lap three, Jason Trammell doing double duty for the night, made a pass around Steve Rouse to assume the third spot. Brooks would try to get around Rouse on lap five, but could not clear the machine and take away the spot. On lap eleven, Wolfenbarger would get a scare when he almost lost control of his machine exiting turn two but was able to gather up the car and his emotions to continue his domination. On lap twenty-two, Brooks would bring his ride up to the rear of Rouse but would not be able to make the pass until lap twenty-four. His pass would bring him up into the fourth position. Anthony Arnwine and Jason Trammell battled for the second spot as the laps ended with Arnwine securing the second spot and Trammell finishing third. Wolfenbarger stood in the window of his car with arms outstretched as he celebrated his victory!

1. (1) Jeff Wolfenbarger #28
2. (2) Anthony Arwine #11
3. (5) Jason Trammell #90j
4. (3) Mark Brooks #25
5. (4) Steve Rouse #19

Limited Late Model
The limited class picked up where they left off last week with an exciting race and also hot tempers! After Gary Blanken held off four others to win the dash, he went on to secure another victory at the Taz! Blanken started on row one with Brian Smith alongside. Row two was made up of last week's winner, Pug Hodges and Jason Trammell. As the race began, the front row circled the track side by side until they exited turn four. Smith was able to drive his car to the front for a brief moment until Blanken returned the favor and recaptured the lead. Jason Trammell charged into the second position and set his sights on Blanken. A fierce battle began at the rear of the pack between the cars of Josh Chesney and Scott Stanifer on lap five and continued for several laps. Fred England would drive around Randall Self on lap eight to assume the eight spot. A caution would slow the action on lap nine. Richie Carey began to smoke on lap seven and during this lap, find his car in need of assistance. Also during this caution, Jimmy Calloway and Casey Huffman would get the chance to pull bent sheet metal away from the tires, signs of earlier battles and close contact as they tried to come up through the field. Blanken would lead on the restart as Trammell and Smith battled to catch up. Richie Carey began to charge up through the field and on lap ten, picked up a position on his way back towards the front. On lap twelve, Chesney would encounter a problem in turn two. His scrape with the turn-two wall would bring out another caution. He was unable to continue due to broke suspension parts on the right front of his machine. Carey would soon drive his machine up to challenge Trammell on the restart, but soon after, contact between Randall Self and Trammell would leave Self parked on the front-stretch and through for the night. Ten cars would remain to finish the race. An accident on lap eighteen involved the cars of Huffman, Carey, Shelby Wilson and Jimmy Calloway and would bring out another caution. During this caution, Trammell drove his machine off the track and into the upper pits, ending his night and chances for victory. Casey Huffman after fixing a flat tire would rejoin the field at the end of the lead lap. The race restarted with Blanken still leading. Fred England would take away fifth position from a struggling Wilson who on the following lap would also have to battle Huffman for the sixth spot, until Huffman spun his machine as he tried to clear Wilson. On lap twenty-two Carey would make a pass on the sixth place car, but would not be able to gain any more positions. Blanken won the race followed by Brian Smith and Pug Hodges. However, the action was not over. As Blanken crossed the scales, a scuffle occurred between crew- members of Rex Coffey and Gary Blanken and was quickly ended by track personnel and security. In victory lane, a confused Blanken stated, " I do not know what the scuffle was all about. Rex didn't even have his car here tonight!" Emotions are high between the competitors in this class and the action really shows the love they all have for the sport.

1. (3) Gary Blanken #G7
2. (4) Brian Smith #7
3. (2) Pug Hodges #2
4. (6) Jimmy Calloway #77
5. (10)Fred England #1
6. (5) Casey Huffman #7
7. (7) Shelby Wilson #4W
8. (8) Richie Carey #17
9. (13)Scott Stanifer #515
10. (1) Jason Trammell #91
11. (9) Randall Self #91
12. (12)Josh Chesney #05
(11) Eric Creech #N30 D.N.S
(14) Keith Chapman #89 D.N.S.

Modified Street
Craig Moore and Anthony Morgan started on the front row with Prentice Harvey and Tony Trent making up the second row. Moore jumped into the lead while Trent began to work on Morgan for second. Anthony Frye and Rick Welch battled for the fifth spot on lap seven. On lap nine, James lane looped his ride and brought out a caution. On the restart it was Moore, Morgan and Trent the first three. Trent would get alongside Morgan on lap eleven, but could not take second away. Trent would get a challenge from Harvey on lap fourteen but was able to keep his third spot. A lap later, Morgan would slow giving his spot to Trent. Moore would not get a challenge for the remainder of the race and go on to take the checkered flag followed by Trent and Harvey.
Next weekend Tazewell Speedway presents, " Mod-Madness" for the modified class. The special race is a one thousand to win race and is sure to provide some great racing action. Ticket prices will be eight dollars for stands, twenty for the pits and a twenty-five dollar entry fee for the modified drivers. Come on and join us at the Taz this Saturday and bring a friend.

1. (1) Craig Moore #90
2. (4) Tony Trent #18
3. (3) Prentice Harvey #19
4. (5) Rick Welch #18
5. (7) Anthony Frye #14
6. (6) Tony Horton #56
7. (13)Jason Long #15
8. (9) Tim Hatfield #3
9. (10)James Lane #77
10. (11)Bubba Long #10
11. (2) Anthony Morgan #26
12. (16)Dixon Greenwood #7
13. (15)Jonathan Miracle #43
14. (12)Leonard Bray #17
15. (14)Larry Hurst #3
16. (8) Jessie Atkins #38

Pure Street
During qualifications, the green machine of Johnny Lay got a little high in turn three and climbed the wall resulting in his car exiting turn four the hard way. His machine would tumble over the wall and into the field on the other side. After a few moments of worry he popped up unhurt to the cheers of the crowd. The race began with last week's winner, Mike Bright on the pole with Phillip Nichols starting alongside. Row two consisted of Larry Burke and Gary Harville. As the race started, Dwight Creech and Jerry Hurst got tangled and forced a complete restart. On lap two the crowd was astonished when the green car made an appearance back on the racing surface. Lay would only make one lap, but was appreciated by the fans in attendance. On lap six, Nichols would get alongside Bright and take his position away on lap seven. Bright would leave the racing surface one lap later due to a flat right rear. Eddie Younce would also leave the race with mechanical problems. On the lap nine restart, Phillips was still in the lead with Larry Burke second and Jessie Hoover in the third spot. Mike Nichols would also encounter problems and have to leave for the night. While battling for sixth place, Dwight Creech and Richard Ely collided in turn two. Bright would take over the forth position on lap eleven but would not have enough time to challenge Hoover for third. Nichols went on to take the checkers with Larry burke securing second.

1. (2) Phillip Nichols #33
2. (3) Larry Burke #54
3. (6) Jessie Hoover #3
4. (1) Mike (Mario) Bright #7
5. (4) Gary Harville #27
6. (8) Richard Ely #28
7. (9) Jerry Hurst #1
8. (7) Eddie Younce #81
9. (10)Mike Nichols #53
10. (12)Jody Horton #56j
(5) Dwight Creech #N30 D.N.S
(14)Johnny Lay #11 D.N.S
(13)Scott Branham #20 D.N.S
(11)Wade Dearing #26 D.N.S

Four-Cylinder
Richard McMahan quickly grabbed the lead and began to pull away from the field. Battles between pole-sitter Cheyenne Kite and Alan Holloway went on for the biggest part of the race with Randy Helton at times joining the fray. On lap seven, Allen Wright grabbed third and kept charging toward the front. By lap ten, Wright was challenging Holoway for his second spot. He took it away on lap eleven but was not even close enough to make a challenge for first; however, the first place car of McMahan began to show smoke on lap twelve. Helton would create a caution on lap thirteen when he looped his ride in turn two. The caution would not be a blessing to McMahan. His hopes of winning would be forgotten when the officials determined that the fluids dropping from his car on the racing surface was too much to be allowed in the interest of safety. He took his machine to the pits and Wright assumed the first spot. Wright went on to win the race with Helton grabbing second and David Lovin third. Cheyenne Kite in the closing laps made contact with Holoway and dropped back to the forth spot.

1. (3) Alan Wright #27
2. (2) Randy Helton #2
3. (6) David Lovin #5
4. (1) Cheyenne Kite #9
5. (8) Phillip Gerding #6
6. (4) Allen Holoway #A27
7. (7) Mikey Sells Jr. #7
8. (5) Richard McMahan #G12
9. (9) Mike Simpson #M7

On July 19, 2003, Tazewell Speedway will present "Mod-Madness," for the modified-street division. A thousand-dollar check will be up for grabs as the drivers battle each other and the tracks’ bad- fast high-banks! For technical information log on to www.tazspeedway.com or call 423-626-2222!

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