Volunteer Speedways ‘Night of Champions’ banquet held in Gatlinburg honoring 2003 track champions
By Robert Walden

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (Jan. 10) – Wintertime in the snow-covered Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee provided a picturesque setting for the Volunteer Speedway “Night of Champions” banquet Saturday night at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg. With over 400 in attendance, track owners Joe and Phyllis Loven distributed close to $40,000 in season-ending point fund monies and contingency awards to champions and other competitors in points-paying positions in six divisions.

By all accounts the 2003 racing season at “The Gap” was the most successful in the track’s history – witnessed by packed grandstands and stellar car counts for the weekly racing programs.

Drivers’ winning track championships were Mark Douglas of Knoxville in “Don Smith Ford” Super Late Model, Maryville’s Rusty Goddard in “Ramey Ford” Limited Late Model, Wayne James of Newport in “Lawson Chevrolet” UMP (Open-Wheel) Modified, Jonesborough’s Bobby Mays in “Bachman Bernard” Sportsman, Scottie Hicks of Newport in 4-Cylinder, and Bulls Gap’s Troy Thompson in Hobby Stock.

In earning his second consecutive “Don Smith Ford” Super Late Model championship worth $5,000, Mark Douglas, driving the Quality Heat & Aire-Sonny Brown/Odom Construction/Norman Sheet Metal/Dent-Ologist/Loby Blox/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Roger & Cindy Kerr’s Competition Racing Equipment/United Rentals/Hoosier by Connie/Fullmoon Graphics/Wilwood Brake Calipers/AFCO Racing Shocks/Bert Transmission/Richmond Rear Ends/Weld Racing Wheels/Comp Cams/Edlebrock/Longacre Gauges/Demon Carburetors/GRT Race Cars/No. 52 Grand Prix – captured five feature wins to go along with four runner-up finishes, three third-place runs and one fifth. A model of consistency, Douglas only had two finishes outside the top-five all season. He also captured three pole awards.

Finishing second through fifth in Super Late Model points were Gusty Christenberry of Seymour, Lloyd Osborne of Johnson City, Kingsport’s Rick Norris and Kerry Jones of Bristol.

Rusty Goddard, driving the Matco Tools-Ronnie and Dustin Dunlap Dealers/Goddard Industrial/Frankie Tipton Race Engines/Goddard Performance Parts/Warrior Race Cars/No. 42 Monte Carlo, only visited victory lane two times en route to winning the “Ramey Ford” Limited Late Model championship. But seven runner-up finishes, two third-place runs, a fourth and a fifth, helped him win the title. Goddard set fast-time to earn four pole awards.

Finishing second through fifth in Limited Late Model points were Clint Solomon of Mosheim, Shane Roberts of Bluff City, Morristown’s Vic “The Thrill” Hill and Kip Pearson of Rogersville.

In what many say is the most competitive division at “The Gap,” Wayne James had a phenomenal season in capturing the “Lawson Chevrolet” UMP Modified championship. James drove the Discount Carpet/RE-MAX/Banks Auto Sales/West Haven Speed Equipment/Lane’s Market/Hopson Racing & Fabrication/Danny’s Auto Sales/No. 4 open wheel, to five feature wins and five runner-up finishes. He also had two outings to finish in third, three fourth-place runs and one fifth, plus two pole awards.

Finishing second through fifth in UMP Modified points were Skimp Henry of Newport, Wayne Rader, also from Newport, Greeneville’s Rodney Kiker and Shannon Emery of Morristown.

Bobby Mays was a dominant force in capturing the “Bachman Bernard” Sportsman championship. Driving the Waycaster Concrete/Masterline Specialties/Mike McCroskey Trucking/Roger Clendenin Racing Supplies/Cruz Graphics/McMurray Construction/S & S Used Parts/S & S Paint & Body Shop/Roger Day Attorney/Eddie Fuller Enterprises/Triangle Construction/Express Title Loans/No. 19 Monte Carlo, Mays recorded 11 feature wins, two second-place finishes and two runs of fourth, along with six pole awards.

Finishing second through fifth in Sportsman points were Tim Grindstaff of Jonesborough, Shannon Emery of Morristown, Bean Station’s Tracy Wolfe and Joe “Dirt” Good of Rogersville.

Scottie Hicks was the man to beat in the 4-Cylinder division, capturing 11 feature wins driving the Mitch Turner’s Body Shop/Hopson Racing & Fabrication/Ott’s Speed Shop/Laws Used Cars/Ball Construction/Bryant & Pack Lumber Co./No. H14 Mustang. He also had two runner-up finishes and one fifth-place run, plus 11 fast-time pole awards.

Finishing second through fifth in 4-Cylinder points were Kevin Atwell of Rural Retreat, Va., Les Cox of Church Hill, Newport’s Scott Thornton and Tom Trivett of Bristol.

Troy Thompson, driving the Performance Transmissions/Valley Creek Farm/Dickerson Tractor Parts/No. T12 Olds Cutlass, parlayed two feature wins, one runner-up finish, seven third-place runs, two finishes in fourth, and three fifth-place outings to capture the Hobby Stock championship.

Finishing second through fifth in Hobby Stock points were Robert Corbett of Johnson City, R.J. Mayes of Rogersville, Newport’s Blake Kelley and Sonny Leatherwood of Hartford.

Awards for “Most Victories” were handed out to Mark Douglas in Super Late Model, 5 wins; Vic Hill in Limited Late Model, 10 wins; Wayne James in UMP Modified, 4 wins; Bobby Mays in Sportsman, 11 wins; Scottie Hicks in 4-Cylinder, 11 wins; and Sonny Leatherwood with 4 Hobby Stock wins.

“Best Appearing” car awards were handed out to Lloyd Osborne in Super Late Model, Ricky Moore in Limited Late Model, Jerry Broyles in UMP Modified, Jeff Fox in Sportsman, Toby Jones in 4-Cylinder, and Brad Kenyon in Hobby Stock.

“Favorite Driver” awards were doled out to Gusty Christenberry in Super Late Model, Vic “The Thrill” Hill in Limited Late Model, Wayne James in UMP Modified, Shannon Emery in Sportsman, Scott Thornton in 4-Cylinder, and Sonny Leatherwood in Hobby Stock.

Shane Roberts in Limited Late Model, Danny James in UMP Modified, Joe “Dirt” Good in Sportsman, Toby Jones in 4-Cylinder, and Troy Thompson in Hobby Stock each were awarded “Rookie-of-the-Year” honors.

“Most Poles” were captured by Mark Douglas in Super Late Model, Vic Hill in Limited Late Model, Rodney Kiker in UMP Modified, Bobby Mays in Sportsman, Scottie Hicks in 4-Cylinder, and Sonny Leatherwood in Hobby Stock.

The Pioneer Award, recognizing individuals that have shown a “pioneering passion” as competitors or through behind the scenes activities at the track, thus making their contribution a precious part of Volunteer Speedway history … were presented by Primetime Designs’ Dean Jones to longtime racer Louis Hickey of Whitesburg, and to Morristown’s Buddy Hopson, owner of Hopson Racing & Fabrication.

Chris Kenyon of Baileyton, a competitor in the Hobby Stock division, was the recipient of the track’s “Sportsmanship Award” for the 2003 race season.

Rogersville’s Joe “Dirt” Good, a rookie Sportsman competitor, was the recipient of the “Most Improved Driver” award.

Jerry Broyles of Jonesborough, who fielded a Super Late Model and UMP Modified, had many strong runs this season … and he also got caught up in some accidents not of his own doing. Thus he was the recipient of the “Hard Luck” award.

Troy Thompson, the Hobby Stock champion, as well as the division’s Rookie of the Year, was the recipient of the “Contingency Connection Hurst Cup” award.

The 2004 racing season at Volunteer Speedway will kick off the last weekend in March. For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

Volunteer Speedway cancels racing for Saturday, Sept. 27
By Robert Walden

BULLS GAP, Tenn. – With Volunteer Speedway owner Joe Loven and all the staff, fans, and drivers at the track having their thoughts and prayers and “get well” wishes extended to Duayne Hommel and his family, along with Michael Jackson and his family, the final points race of the 2003 season, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, has been canceled and rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4.

The 25-year-old Hommel, of Newport, was seriously injured on Tuesday, Sept. 23 in a highway accident after leaving his race shop. He was picked up by LifeStar helicopter and flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he is hospitalized in critical condition. His family and many friends from the local, as well as national, racing community are keeping a vigil.

Volunteer Speedway Super Late Model racer Jackson, 48, currently sixth in the track point standings and also the president and chief executive officer of EcoQuest International, located in Greeneville, was injured this past Sunday night in an automobile accident. He also was flown by medical-evacuation helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. After being hospitalized for two days, Jackson was released and is now back home recovering from his injuries.

“I consider Volunteer Speedway’s employees and drivers and fans as being one big family, and this week has been a tough one for all of us,” said track owner Loven Thursday night when making the decision to cancel this week’s racing program. “We all love our racing, but right now we have our injured racers and their families’ on our minds and I just feel it’s best we cancel Saturday’s racing program until the following week. First things come first, and when part of our ‘racing family’ is in need, racing will have to take a backseat.”

Hommel, who got his start in racing at “The Gap,” is a former track open-wheel modified champion. He took his act on the road after moving into the Super Late Model ranks to rise and become the 2002 O’Reilly Southern All Star Racing Series champion. Hommel was regarded as one of the country’s “superstar-to-be” in the dirt Late Model ranks.

At the time of his accident, Hommel was atop the Southern All Star point standings in his quest to repeat as champion. He had captured eight victories this year traveling with the Huntsville, Ala.-based tour, having a remarkable stretch where he won six events in a row, including the SAS stop at Volunteer back on July 12, when he dominated the $5,000-to-win event by leading all 50 laps.

The rescheduled final points race on Saturday, Oct. 4, will see track champions crowned in six divisions – Super Late Model, Limited Late Model, UMP (Open-Wheel) Modified, Sportsman, 4-Cylinder and Hobby Stock.

For more information, contact Volunteer Speedway at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

Crutchfield beats stellar field for ‘Final Lap’ Superstar Mod Lite Nationals victory at Volunteer Speedway
By Robert Walden
Photo By RPMPhotos.net

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Sept. 20) – Volunteer Speedway hosted the biggest Mod Lite event in history Friday and Saturday, with 65 of the country’s top scale-car racers, representing 14 states, invading East Tennessee to take on the high banks of “The Gap.” When the checkered flag waved Saturday night on the “Final Lap” Superstar Mod Lite Nationals A-main feature, Jamie Crutchfield of Flintstone, Ga., was parked in victory lane celebrating the sweetest win of his career over the stellar field of entrants.

In Friday’s preliminary program, Kelly Glass of Jonesborough, Tenn., set fast-time (14.798-second … 97.310 mph) in qualifying, then sped to victory in the first of six heat races to earn the pole position for the A-main. He led flag-to-flag in winning over Michael Hay, Shannon Buckingham, Tracy Fritter, Jamie Crutchfield and Bryan Henry.

The top-six finishers from Friday ran a 6-lap Dash to determine the top six starting positions for Saturday night’s A-main, with Glass holding off Fritter to claim the pole. Finishing third through sixth, respectively, were Crutchfield, Buckingham, Hay and Henry.

At the drop of the green flag over the 25-lap A-main, Fritter and Glass ran side-by-side into the first turn, and off turn two down the backstretch. Riding up high in the banking and using the momentum up top, Fritter grabbed the lead racing off the fourth turn to lead Glass, Crutchfield, Buckingham and Hay back to the stripe to complete the opening lap.

While Fritter was in command out front, Crutchfield was applying pressure on Glass for the runner up spot. Between turns three and four on lap 5, Crutchfield drove under Glass to take over second. Crutchfield quickly closed in on the race leader Fritter, and he would continually stick the nose of his Crutchfield Racing Products/Bartel Motorsports/Allstar Performance/Falcon Racing Wheels/Adams Graphics/Leader Race Cars No. 18 Mod Lite under Fritter challenging for the point.

Getting a strong run off the second turn on lap 13, Crutchfield pulled alongside Fritter down the backstretch racing into turn three. Driving it in a little deeper than Fritter, Crutchfield grabbed a lead he would never relinquish.

The battle for positions three back to eight between Glass, Buckingham, Hay, Dan Sikes, Bruce Walkup and Rick Buttle was intense. Walkup, a former Indianapolis 500 qualifier, had charged up through the field and into the top 10 from the 19th-starting position after winning the B-main. Buckingham’s race ended with significant front-end damage to his mount on lap 15 after slamming into the turn one outside guardrail.

Going back green for the final 10 laps Crutchfield had Fritter and Glass in tow. But Crutchfield would quickly open up some distance between himself and his fellow competitors, leaving no doubt his intentions – taking the checkers and winning the prestigious Final Lap Superstar Mod Lite Nationals title.

While Crutchfield was setting a blistering pace around the high-banked, 4/10-mile oval, the action behind him saw positions changing almost every lap back through the top 10 in the running order. Crutchfield captured the victory over Fritter, Sikes, Glass and Hay.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Walkup, Buttle, Kevin Battarbee, Kenny Battarbee and Henry.

“Please, just tell me this isn’t a dream,” said Crutchfield after climbing from his car in victory lane with a huge smile on his face. “Man, it’s hard to put into words just what a great feeling it is to be able to come in here to this fantastic racetrack and win this event. Just look at the names back through the 24-car starting field and you quickly see this is probably the best field of racers ever assembled. And overall, just look at all the racers who showed up for this event. It was a great starting lineup, and just look at all the very talented drivers who didn’t even make it into the A-main field.

“Wow! I’ve raced on some tracks before with some banking, but nothing to equal this place. I love to go fast, and you sure can really get around this place in a hurry. Having never even seen the track before this weekend, we were able to quickly dial our car in during Friday’s preliminary program to have a god run. We were pretty good tonight in the Dash, and only made a couple minor changes on the car before the A-main. I’ve had a blast (racing) here the past couple of days, and I sure hope Volunteer Speedway hosts this event again next year.”

Gusty Christenberry of Seymour served notice in “Don Smith Ford” Super Late Model qualifying over the 21 cars timing-in that he was on a mission – a mission to win. He set fast-time (13.636-seconds … 105.604 mph) to earn the pole position for the 35-lap feature, with John Llewellyn second-quickest to grab the outside front row starting spot.

Christenberry launched into turn one grabbing the lead over Llewellyn, Kerry Jones, Mark Douglas and Vic Hill. The caution waved quickly for a spinning Hill in turn four on lap 3, while he was battling Jones for the fourth.

Douglas wasted no time in getting by Llewellyn for the runner up spot, sliding to the inside between turns three and four on lap 4 to move into second. Jones’ top five run ended quickly on lap 5 with mechanical problems, sending him coasting slowly into the pits. Rick Norris, after starting in eighth, was on the move, passing Lloyd Osborne on lap 6 to take over the fourth spot.

By lap 12, Christenberry and Douglas had pulled out to a full-straightaway advantage over Llewelly, Norris and Osborne. After knocking on the door for several laps, Norris stuck his nose under Llewellyn racing off the second turn on lap 16 to move into third. Just out of the top five, Randy Davidson, Jerry Broyles, Jeff Maupin, Greg Burchett, Herman Goddard and Hill were battling for positions six back to eleven. A strong run for Broyles ended on lap 20 with a wild ride down the front straightaway after getting up on the outside concrete retaining wall, with Goddard also involved.

But over the final laps, there would be no denying Christenberry, driving the Armstrong Refrigeration – Jim & JoAnn Armstrong/Matco Tools – Ronnie & Dustin Dunlap/Roger & Cindy Kerr’s Competition Racing Equipment/Christenberry Trucking & Farms/Pro Shocks/Custom Race Engines/Hoosier Racing Tires/Landrum Springs/Exide Batteries/GRT Race Cars/No. c3 Grand Prix, as he rolled to his third victory of the season with Douglas coming home in second. Rounding out the top five at the checkers were Norris, Llewellyn and Osborne.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Hill, Burchett, Michael Jackson, Maupin and Davidson.

Maryville’s Rusty Goddard, driving the Matco Tools – Ronnie and Dustin Dunlap Dealers/Goddard Industrial/Frankie Tipton Race Engines/Goddard Performance Parts/Warrior Race Cars/No. 42 Monte Carlo, recorded his second “Ramey Ford” Limited Late Model victory by leading flag-to-flag to win the 25-lap feature. Brad Hall, Corey Norman, Clint Solomon and Kip Pearson completed the top five behind Goddard at the checkers.

Stanley Donahoo rode out front for the first eight laps of the “Lawson Chevrolet” UMP Modified feature before mechanical problems sent him coasting into the pits ending his race. Wayne James of Newport moved into the lead and rolled to his fifth victory of the season, with Jerry Broyles, Wayne Rader, Louis Hickey and Shannon Emery rounding out the top five finishers.

Limestone’s Tim Grindstaff captured his second 25-lap “Bachman Bernard” Sportsman feature win of the season over Danny Holt, Joey Allen, Bobby Mays and Shannon Emery.

Scottie Hicks of Newport held off a hard-charging Kurt Owens at the checkers to record his division-leading 12th 4-Cylinder feature win. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Scott Thornton, Shawn Henry and Kevin Atwell.

Bulls Gap’s Troy Thompson and Thomas Hutson of Surgoinsville each visited victory lane following Hobby Stock feature wins. In the first 15-lap race, finishing behind Thompson, who won for the second time this season, were R.J. Mayes, Jon Cook, Blake Kelley and Dale Reed. Hutson, in recording his second victory of the season, was chased to the checkers in the second 15-lap event by Wayne Busler, Dan Harold, Richard Hicks and Mike Hayes.

The final 2003 points event at Volunteer Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27 to decide champions in all divisions. For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

“FINAL LAP” SUPERSTAR MOD LITE NATIONALS (25-laps)

1. Jamie Crutchfield #18-Flintstone, GA

2. Tracy Fritter #59-Zanesville, OH

3. Dan Sikes #54-Crosby, TX

4. Kelly Glass #01-Jonesborough, TN

5. Michael Hay #22-Somerset, PA

6. Bruce Walkup #29-Sullivan, IN

7. Rick Buttle #11-Canfield, OH

8. Kevin Battarbee #1-Houston, TX

9. Kenny Battarbee #10-Houstoon, TX

10. Bryan Henry #15-Huntington, TX

11. Tony Courtney #72-Indianapolis, IN

12. Keith Swartzlander #72x-Clarion, PA

13. T.J. Farrar #2-Indianapolis, IN

14. Tony Madlem #61-Oblong, IL

15. Eric Hay #69eh-Somerset, PA

16. Freddy “Peanut” Bridwell #14x-Travelers Rest, SC

17. Ron Wick #69-Marine, IL

18. Rusty Hoge #21-Ooltewah, TN

19. Shannon Buckingham #44-Morristown, TN

20. Kyle Anderson #55-Houston, TX

21. Sherman Baumann #36-Moodus, CT

22. Herschel Cronin #27-Pearland, TX

23. Larry Drake #97-Terre Haute, IN

24. Brian Woodhall #28-Apollo, PA

MOD LITE B-main (10-laps) Top-6 Transfer to A-main

1. Bruce Walkup #29-Sullivan, IN

2. Tony Madlem #61-Oblong, IL

3. Kenny Battarbee #10-Houston, TX

4. Kyle Anderson #55-Houston, TX

5. Kevin Battarbee #1-Houston, TX

6. Keith Swartzlander #72x-Clarion, PA

7. Jimmy McDonald #77m-Union Springs, AL

8. Danny Sweere #1s-Conway, AR

9. Steve Duty #77a-Galloway, OH

10. Tom Buckingham #22-Morristown, TN

11. Dale Bright #96-Woodruff, SC

12. Randy English #02-Kingsport, TN

13. Mike Harris #16-Troup, TX

14. Mike Hickman #1wv-Washington, WV

15. Ken Osteen #29x-Jacksonville, AR

16. Troy Jacobs #28x-Oblong, IL

17. Tommy Temple #88-Hillsboro, TX

18. Bryan Day #91-West Tawakoni, TX

19. Greg White #99-Hot Springs, AR

20. Jim Jarvis #98-Crawfordsville, IN

21. Dave Starchel #wv2-Sistersville, WV

22. Rusty Harris #81-Shreveport, LA

23. Scott Spink #20-Davenport, IA

24. Phil Asseff #5-S. Charleston, WV

25. Kevin McCarson #14-Marietta, SC

26. James Ham #j18-Auburn, AL

27. Jarod Struss #70-Bettendorf, IA

28. James McDonald #77-Union Springs, AL

29. Jeremy Lybarger #3D-West Liberty, IL

30. Chad Mallett #3-Conway, AR

MOD LITE C-main (10-laps) Top-6 Transfer To B-main

1. Jim Jarvis #98-Crawfordsville, IN

2. James McDonald #77-Union Springs, AL

3. Bryan Day #91-West Tawakoni, TX

4. Tom Buckingham #22-Morristown, TN

5. Ken Osteen #29x-Jacksonville, AR

6. Randy English #02-Kingsport, TN

7. Chris Manning #03-Blountville, TN

8. Kevin Robb #14r-Mohnton, PA

9. Brent Day #54x-Lone Oak, TX

10. William Robb #$-Parkersburg, PA

11. Wayne Carroll #27c-White Pine, TN

12. Wendy Russell #24-Muscatine, IA

13. Randall Klepper #18Chesnee, SC

14. Daniel Wagoner #1x-Travelers Rest, SC

15. Ken Smith #00-Haughton, LA

16. Greg Craft #17-Crosby, TX

17. Benny Tufts #38-Hillsboro, TX

18. Ron Abblett #7x-Canfield, OH

DNS: Todd Miner #48-Murfreesboro, TN; Robert Ham #118-Auburn, AL; Chuck Coomer #62-Kingsport, TN; Don Cunningham #26-Houston, TX

“DON SMITH FORD” SUPER LATE MODEL (35-laps)

1) Gusty Christenberry #c3; 2) Mark Douglas #52; 3) Rick Norris #15; 4) John Llewellyn #25; 5) Lloyd Osborne #11; 6) Vic Hill #1; 7) Greg Burchett #17; 8) Michael Jackson #Q3; 9) Jeff Maupin #32w; 10) Randy Davidson #28; 11) Jackie Hughes #27; 12) Vic Chandler #88; 13) Terry Costner #16; 14) Troy Eads #52; 15) Dennis Alverson #71; 16) John Tweed #1x; 17) Steve Smith #555; 18) Jerry Broyles #72; 19) Herman Goddard #22; 20) Scottie Hicks #H14; 21) Kerry Jones #6

“RAMEY FORD” LIMITED LATE MODEL (25-laps)

1) Rusty Goddard #42; 2) Brad Hall #31; 3) Corey Norman #42n; 4) Clint Solomon #30; 5) Kip Pearson #00; 6) J. Allan #111; 7) Jeff Neubert #86; 8) Ricky Moore #75; 9) Stanley Webb #32; 10) Richard Adkins #A18; 11) Dale Ball #2; 12) Greg Burchett #17; 13) Pug Hodges #2; 14) John Tweed #1x; 15) Vic Hill #1 – DNS: Shane Roberts #17s, Curt Taylor #T31, Michael Smith #32

“LAWSON CHEVROLET” UMP MODIFIED (25-laps)

1) Wayne James #4; 2) Jerry Broyles #72; 3) Wayne Rader #8; 4) Louis Hickey #74; 5) Shannon Emery #95; 6) Jerry Williams Jr. #3; 7) Pete Hickey #26; 8) Ron Foshie #55; 9) Jim Van Den Heede #02; 10) Mike Lewis #15; 11) Chris Brady #13; 12) Stanley Donahoo #00; 13) Rodney Kiker #7; 14) Danny James #J4; 15) Chad Ogle #10; 16) Shannon Greene #27 – DNS: Chris Pendleton #15, Skimp Henry #25, Chap Slaughter #22

“BACHMAN BERNARD” SPORTSMAN (25-laps)

1) Tim Grindstaff #33; 2) Danny Holt #05; 3) Joey Allen #49; 4) Bobby Mays #19; 5) Shannon Emery #91; 6) Larry Hurst Jr. #24; 7) Ken Smelcer #8; 8) Eddie Britt #31; 9) Jeff Fox #11; 10) Steve Canter #5; 11) Mike Hodges #2; 12) Tony Horton #56; 13) Craigg Moore #19; 14) Larry Hurst #3; 15) Jon Cook #0z

Did Not Pass Post Race Inspection: Tracy Wolfe #12 – DNS: Jonathan Miracle #50

4-CYLINDER (20-laps)

1) Scottie Hicks #H14; 2) Kurt Owens #7up; 3) Scott Thornton #15; 4) Shawn Henry #25; 5) Kevin Atwell #95; 6) Tom Trivett #5; 7) Ernie Stubblefield #21; 8) Les Cox #7; 9) Jerry Hill #04; 10) Frank Dice #41; 11) Toby Jones #66; 12) Tommy Easely #3; 13) James Feathers #27; 14) Brent Hensley #04h; 15) Kenny Absher #11; 16) Jamie Wines #17; 17) Allen Carrier #22

HOBBY STOCK #1 (15-laps)

1) Troy Thompson #T12; 2) R.J. Mayes #6m; 3) Jon Cook #0z; 4) Blake Kelley #K5; 5) Dale Reed #52; 6) Johnny Lane #41L; 7) Robert Corbett #94; 8) Dana Ferrell #8; 9) Todd Brooks #1; 10) Brad Kenyon #17; 11) Chris Kenyon #71; 12) Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf #56; 13) Dempsey Harold Jr. #09; 14) Chris Gregg #73; 15) Lynn Phillips #41; 16) Sonny Leatherwood #20

HOBBY STOCK #2 (15-laps)

1) Thomas Hutson #4; 2) Wayne Busler #B00; 3) Dan Harold #8; 4) Richard Hicks #64; 5) Mike Hayes #14; 6) Adam Kelley #8; 7) Jimmy Ricker #7; 8) David Berry #74; 9) Roy Holder #21; 10) Valerie Swartz #33; 11) Mike Phillips #73; 12) Arron Guinn #87; 13) Wade Dearing #26; 14) Clifford Adkins #93; 15) Terry Cobb #31 – Did Not Pass Post Race Inspection: Bryan Winstead #3

Volunteer Speedway: (423) 235-5020 www.volunteerspeedway.com

Doug Gillenwater-General Manager: (423) 817-0925

Robert Walden-Public Relations Director: (423) 928-9644 robwald@prodigy.net

Volunteer Speedway to host ‘Final Lap’ Superstar Mod Lite Nationals Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20

BULLS GAP, Tenn. – Volunteer Speedway will host the “Final Lap” Superstar Mod Lite Nationals on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20, featuring the top scale-car racers from all around the country. With $25,000 in total purse money plus contingencies from all the top chassis manufacturers and product lines up for grabs, this will be the biggest event ever held for the Mod Lite competitors and promises to attract a stellar field of entrants.

A partial list of drivers “expected” include two-time TUSA national champion and four-time Florida “Speedweeks” champion, Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn., Kelly Glass of Jonesborough, Tenn., a former asphalt national champion and builder of Raptor Race Cars, Bruce Walkup of Sullivan, Ind., a seven-time USAC champion and former Indianapolis 500 qualifier, Rusty Hoge of Chattanooga, Tenn., a former TUSA dirt national champion, Kenny and Kevin Battarbee of Houston, Texas, track champions at Houston Raceway Park, Sherman Baumann of Moodus, Conn., Tracy Fritter of Zanesville, Ohio, Steve White of Laurel, Del., Larry Drake of Terre Haute, Ind., Herschel Cronin of Pearland, Texas, Leroy Clair of Des Moines, Iowa, Jamie Crutchfield of Chattsworth, Ga., T.J. Farrar of Indianapolis, Ind., Randall Klepper of Chesnee, S.C., Brian Henry (Texas State Trooper) of Lufkin, Texas, and Brian Woodhall of Apollo, Pa..

Others who will take to the high banks at “The Gap” include Rusty Hoge of Chattanooga, Tenn., a former dirt national champion, Dan Sikes of Crosby, Texas, Dale Bright of Woodruff, S.C., Nick Hendricks of Georgetown, Del, Freddy “Peanut” Bridwell of Travelers Rest, S.C., James and Jimmy McDonald of Union Springs, Ala., Tom Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn., Don Cunningham of Houston, Texas, Tony Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind., Kevin McCarson of Marietta, S.C., Kyle Anderson of Houston, Texas, Hank Hall of Kingsport, Tenn., Allen Champ of Morristown, Tenn., Bryan Day of West Tawakanee, Texas (Rhyno Chassis builder), plus many more.

Friday, Sept. 19 will feature a full Mod Lite preliminary racing program including heat races, fast car dash, C, B and A-mains, plus Limited Late Model and Sportsman features.

Saturday, Sept. 20 will see the Mod Lites highlight the evening of racing with another full program of heat races, fast car dash, C and B-mains leading up to the 25-lap national dirt championship event, along with Super Late Model, UMP Modified, 4-Cylinder and Hobby Stock action.

The pit gate for all Mod Lite competitors will open at 2 p.m. both days and at 4 p.m. for the Volunteer Speedway regulars. The grandstand gate will open at 5 p.m. daily.

Adult grandstand admission each day is only $6, children 6-12 $1, 5 and under admitted free. Backside tier-parking and pit passes $20 daily, regardless of age.

For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, Jim Bruner with Final Lap Magazine at (615) 217-9799, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

Hill leads flag to flag for $5,000 Limited Late Model victory at Volunteer Speedway
By Robert Walden

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Sept. 1) – What better way to bring the Labor Day holiday weekend to a close than a night of racing at Volunteer Speedway? With a tremendous turnout of racers (148 competitors) packing the pits Monday night for the racing program, the night belonged to Vic “The Thrill” Hill of Morristown. Hill led the 60-lap “Ramey Ford” Limited Late Model feature flag-to-flag to record the $5,000 victory over Corey Norman, Rusty Goddard, Kevin Coffey and Tommy Kerr.

With $100 from Estes Construction/Putt Putt for leading on lap 25, $100 for leading on lap 35 from Bigfoot Enterprises, and another $100 from Volunteer Tire Inc. for leading on lap 45, Hill’s total haul to the bank for his division-leading 11th Limited victory was $5,300.

With the top-16 locked in from qualifying, and two consolations filling out the remaining eight starting spots, Hill and Norman led the stellar 24-car field to the start. Racing off turn two on the opening lap Hill grabbed the lead over Norman, Coffey, Goddard and Kip Pearson. The event’s first caution waved at the conclusion of the first lap when Terry Wolfenbarger spun in turn two.

Just out of the top-five, Shane Roberts was feeling pressure from Kerr for sixth. Kerr moved into the spot on lap 2, but two circuits later Roberts reclaimed the position. Early on the battle for positions eight back to twelve was heated between Bobby Giffin, Ronnie Johnson, Clint Solomon, Brad Coffey and Todd Hunt.

Meanwhile, out front Hill was setting a blistering pace, but Norman never let the leader get out of sight. Kevin Coffey had a strong run going holding down third, but he had a rear view mirror full of the hard-charging Goddard, who wanted the position. Roberts’ race ended in smoke on lap 11, when he slowed to a stop on the high side of the fourth turn to bring out the caution.

Going back green the top five were Hill, Norman, Kevin Coffey, Goddard and Pearson. Hill quickly flexed his muscle to pull out to a little over a half-straightaway advantage over Norman, but lapped traffic would come into play to allow Norman to cut into Hill’s lead. Pearson’s run in the top five came to an end when Kerr dropped him back to sixth on lap 14 in turn two. His backward slide would continue as Johnson, Solomon and Giffin all worked past to put Pearson in the ninth spot by lap 20.

The caution waved on lap 28 when Jason Welshan got into the turn three wall, and the field was red-flagged for the halfway 10-minute break to allow all competitors’ pit crews the opportunity to make adjustments to their cars on the front straightaway.

With Hill leading Norman, Kevin Coffey, Goddard and Kerr back up to speed for the final 32-lap run to the checkers and the $5,000 payday, Norman looked like he had something for Hill. But in a few laps when his tires heated back up, Hill once again began to put some distance between his EcoQuest Intl./Landair Trucking/Kia of Blueridge, Ga. & Murphy, N.C./Lowe Trucking/Four Seasons Realty/Vic Hill Race Engines & Supplies/Storie Manifolds/GRT Race Cars/No. 1 Monte Carlo and Norman.

Behind Hill and Norman, the action was heating up between Kevin Coffey, Goddard and Kerr for positions three through five. And right on Kerr’s tail was Johnson, Solomon, Giffin and Hunt. Johnson’s good run ended on lap 42 when he slowed and coasted into the pits with a steam coming out from under the hood of his mount. After a race-long battle for third, Goddard finally passed Kevin Coffey for the spot racing off (turn) two on lap 45.

As the laps began to wind down, and with the race leader Hill having to cautiously work his way through the lapped traffic, Norman once again began to close in on Hill. But as Hill would clear the lapped cars, Norman also had his difficulties working past them as well.

At the finish, Hill had stretched his lead to a half-straightaway over Norman, who had Goddard glued to his rear bumper at the checkers, with Kevin Coffey and Kerr rounding out the top five. Completing the top-10 finishers were Solomon, Giffin, Hunt, David Crabtree, who started 18th, and from his 22nd starting spot to tenth was Dale Ball.

“We had a really good car tonight, and I needed it because the lapped traffic was something else,” said Hill after climbing from his car in victory lane. “I knew at the start of the race I’d better get the lead, because Corey (Norman) is a talented young racer and I knew he’d be tough. I don’t use radios so I had no clue how close Corey was to me, so I was running hard the whole race. It was exciting to say the least a few times in working past the slower cars, and late in the race I made some contact with one of them and I was just hoping it wouldn’t be enough to cut a tire down.

“I want to thank David ‘Fatboy’ Bryant, Jason Lawson, Dennis Lowe, Tad Wynn, Tracy Ogle and Mackey ‘Mac Daddy’ Garrett for all their help preparing both my Limited and Super Late Model. And I’d also like to mention Michael Jackson, my business partner. It was a good night for Vic Hill Race Engines, with my win and Corey finishing second.”

After setting fast-time two weeks ago for the “2 Fast 2 Furious” Super Late Model event, Norman dropped a Limited motor in his No. 42 Norman Sheet Metal-sponsored Warrior Race Cars Monte Carlo for the $5,000 to win Limited show. “Man, I thought we had something for Vic (Hill) tonight, but he was just a little bit stronger than we were. I could close in on him in lapped traffic, but once he’d get by them I’d have trouble myself.

“He (Vic) knew I had a good car tonight, and after the halfway break and a couple changes we made, I really thought I was going to be able to challenge him for the lead. We did for a few laps, and he knew I was there and was running strong. You never hope to see a fellow competitor have trouble, but there at the end I knew Vic had better watch it getting by some of the lapped cars. It’s easy to get yourself in trouble, and I was right there ready to make my move if he had trouble with the slower cars. We got us a couple Limited wins up here last fall, and I believe we’ll get us a win here before the season ends.”

Steve Smith, after setting fast-time at 13.160-seconds (109.420 mph) to earn the pole position for the 35-lap “Don Smith Ford” Super Late Model feature, and Vic Hill led the 24-car field to the green from row one. Smith jumped into the lead in turn one over Hill, Ronnie Johnson, Mark Douglas and Jimmy Owens. With Smith having one of his strongest runs at “The Gap” in quite awhile, Hill and the “Chattanooga Flash” Johnson had a good battle going on for the runner up spot, while Douglas had his hands full trying to fend off Owens.

Johnson was running the bottom and sneaking peeks under Hill racing off the corners, and getting a strong run off the fourth turn Johnson pulled alongside Hill at the stripe to begin lap 9. Johnson powered his mount past Hill in turn two to take over second, and one lap later Hill slowed and headed to the pits after losing the power steering on his ride.

With Hill falling to the wayside, Brad Hall moved into the fifth spot. Just out of the top five, Herman Goddard had Rick Norris on his tail trying to move past into sixth. But up front, Smith now had a rear view mirror full of Johnson.

While Smith worked his way through the lapped traffic as the laps wound down, Johnson used the slower car of Kerry Jones at the stripe to begin lap 31 to trap Smith on the outside and move into the lead. And that was all Johnson, driving the Goddard Performance Parts/Miller Brothers Coal Inc./AFCO Racing Products/Hoosier Tires by Pup/Brinn Transmissions/Oval Craft/Dynatech Headers/REAL Racing Wheels/Appleton Power Rack & Pinion/Warrior Race Cars/No. 5 Pontiac Grand Prix needed, as he would hold Smith off for the $1,000 victory. Douglas, Owens and Hall rounded out the top five.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Goddard, Norris, Michael Jackson, John Llewellyn and Lloyd Osborne.

Louis Hickey of Whitesburg grabbed the lead on lap 2 from pole-sitter Chad Ogle in the 20-lap “Lawson Chevrolet” UMP Modified feature and once out front, the veteran racer never looked back en route to capturing his first win of the season. Following Hickey at the checkers were Ricky Arms, Ogle, Tommy Bailey and Skimp Henry.

With fast-timer in qualifying, Bobby Mays, relegated to the sixth-starting spot due to three consecutive wins, Tim Grindstaff and Chris Carver led the 19-car “Bachman Bernard” Sportsman field to the green from the front row. Grindstaff showed the way out front until lap 11 when Morristown’s Shannon Emery moved into the lead. Emery went on to record his third feature win over Grindstaff, Mike Hodges, Tracy Wolfe and Rick Stroud.

Scottie Hicks of Newport jumped into the lead over Kurt Owens at the drop of the green in the 4-Cylinder feature and led the 15-lap event wire-to-wire for his division-leading 11th victory of the season. Rounding out the top five finishers behind Hicks were Scott Thornton, Owens, Kevin Atwell and Tom Trivett.

Newport’s Lynn Phillips and Robert Corbett of Johnson City each captured Hobby Stock feature wins. Phillips earned his fourth trip to victory lane while Corbett’s win was his first-ever at “The Gap.” Finishing behind Phillips in the first race were Sonny Leatherwood, Troy Thompson, Everett Cobb and Steve Smith. Corbett held off Wayne Busler, Chris Gregg, Clifford Atkins and Aaron Guinn.

The next event at Volunteer Speedway will be on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20, when the track hosts the “Final Lap” Superstar Mod Lite Nationals, featuring the top scale-car racers from all around the country. Friday will feature a full Mod Lite preliminary racing program, plus Limited Late Model and Sportsman features. Saturday will see the Mod Lites highlight the evening of racing with the national dirt championship event, along with Super Late Model, UMP Modified, 4-Cylinder and Hobby Stock action. For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

“RAMEY FORD” LIMITED LATE MODEL (60-laps) … $5,000-to-win

1) Vic Hill #1; 2) Corey Norman #42; 3) Rusty Goddard #42g; 4) Kevin Coffey #89; 5) Tommy Kerr #4T; 6) Clint Solomon #30; 7) Bobby Giffin #97; 8) Todd Hunt #2; 9) David Crabtree #69; 10) Dale Ball #2b; 11) Brad Coffey #88; 12) Kip Pearson #00; 13) Tony Schrimsher #12; 14) J. Allan #111; 15) Ronnie Johnson #06; 16) Chris Combs #47; 17) Gary Blanken #g7; 18) Evan Harrell #28; 19) Jeff Treece #131; 20) Jason Welshan #29; 21) Kurt Owens #11; 22) Shane Roberts #17s; 23) Terry Wolfenbarger #14; 24) Scott Gardner #25

Cars Failing To Make The Starting Lineup: Tommy Newton #T2, Phillip Anderson #9a, Brian Burke #B39, Steve Carr #77, Richard Adkins #A18, Curt Taylor #T31, Steve Jones #83, Greg Burchett #32, Chris Chandler #8, Brandon Mason #15, Frank Merritt #c8, D.J. Wells #11, Rodney Davis #6, Terry Harris #H1, Jip Howard #35, Chris Pendleton #34

“DON SMITH FORD” SUPER LATE MODEL (35-laps)

1) Ronnie Johnson #5; 2) Steve Smith #3; 3) Mark Douglas #52; 4) Jimmy Owens #20; 5) Brad Hall #47; 6) Herman Goddard #22; 7) Rick Norris #15; 8) Michael Jackson #Q3; 9) John Llewellyn #25; 10) Lloyd Osborne #11; 11) Bryan Hendrix #5h; 12) Gusty Christenberry #c3; 13) Kerry Jones #6; 14) Randy Davidson #28; 15) Jeff Neubert #86; 16) Jeff Maupin #11m; 17) Dennis Alverson #71; 18) Chuck Smith #1s; 19) Greg Burchett #17; 20) Daniel Sauceman #17x; 21) Vic Hill #1; 22) Scottie Hicks #H14; 23) Travis Greer #11g; 24) Jerry Broyles #72 – DNS: Ricky Moore #75, Stanley Webb #32

“LAWSON CHEVROLET” UMP MODIFIED (20-laps)

1) Louis Hickey #74; 2) Ricky Arms #5; 3) Chad Ogle #10; 4) Tommy Bailey #11; 5) Skimp Henry #25; 6) Wade Ramsey #1w; 7) Wayne Rader #8; 8) Dean Lewis #L2; 9) Chris Brady #77; 10) Jim Van Den Heede #02; 11) Shannon Greene #27; 12) Chris Pendleton #15; 13) Shannon Emery #95; 14) Kurt Hall #H14; 15) John Harrell #H19; 16) Wayne James #4; 17) Don Scalf #13; 18) Jerry Broyles #72; 19) Danny James #J4; 20) Jerry Williams Jr. #3 – DNS: Jack Price #93

“BACHMAN BERNARD” SPORTSMAN (20-laps)

1) Shannon Emery #91; 2) Tim Grindstaff #33; 3) Mike Hodges #2; 4) Tracy Wolfe #12; 5) Rick Stroud #32; 6) Jeff Fox #11; 7) Johnny Bales #1; 8) Tony Horton #56; 9) Jody Horton #56j; 10) Bobby Mays #19; 11) Joey Allen #49; 12) Joe “Dirt” Good #911; 13) Anthony Morgan #33m; 14) Dwight Creech #n30; 15) James Lane #77; 16) Chris Carver #71; 17) Larry Hurst #3; 18) Duke Bare #8; 19) Larry Hurst Jr. #24

4-CYLINDER (15-laps)

1) Scottie Hicks #H14; 2) Scott Thornton #15; 3) Kurt Owens #7up; 4) Kevin Atwell #95; 5) Tom Trivett #5; 6) Kenny Absher #11; 7) Ernie Stubblefield #21; 8) Shawn Henry #25; 9) Runah Henry #39; 10) Richard McMahan #g12; 11) Toby Jones #66; 12) James Feathers #27; 13) Les Cox #6; 14) William Knight #12 – DNS: David Lovin #5

HOBBY STOCK #1 (10-laps)

1) Lynn Phillips #73; 2) Sonny Leatherwood #20; 3) Troy Thompson #T12; 4) Everett Cobb #13; 5) Steve Smith #27; 6) Blake Kelley #K5; 7) Johnny Lane #41L; 8) Brad Kenyon #17; 9) Jon Cook #0z; 10) Todd Brooks #1; 11) Dale Reed #52; 12) Robert “Monk” Ledford #41; 13) Eddie Morris #22; 14) R.J. Mayes #6m

HOBBY STOCK #2 (10-laps)

1) Robert Corbett #94; 2) Wayne Busler #B00; 3) Chris Gregg #73; 4) Clifford Atkins #93; 5) Aaron Guinn #87; 6) Adam Kelley #8k; 7) Chris Kenyon #71; 8) Ronnie Dugger #74; 9) Ken Orton #33; 10) Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf #56; 11) Royce Holtsclaw #8h; 12) Dempsey Harold Jr. #09 – DNS: Terry Cobb #31

Volunteer Speedway: (423) 235-5020 www.volunteerspeedway.com
Doug Gillenwater-General Manager: (423) 817-0925
Robert Walden-Public Relations Director: (423) 928-9644 robwald@prodigy.net

Limited Late Model $5,000 to win special scheduled ‘Labor Day’ at Volunteer Speedway
By Robert Walden

BULLS GAP, Tenn. – There will not be any racing Saturday, Aug. 30 at Volunteer Speedway, instead a special Labor Day racing program is scheduled on Monday, Sept. 1. The Labor Day weekend typically means the end of summer, and what better way to bring summer to a close than an exciting evening of racing at “The Gap?”

Stepping forward to highlight the racing program will be the Limited Late Model division, competing in a 60-lap … $5,000-to-win event, which will feature a halfway 10-minute break on lap 30 to allow the racers to fine-tune their cars for the final run to the checkers and the $5,000 payday. Going back green for the final 30-lap segment, there will be a double-file restart.

The driver leading on lap 25 will receive $100 from Estes Construction/Putt Putt, $100 from Bigfoot Enterprises on lap 35, and $100 from Volunteer Tire Inc. on lap 45. There will be a $50 entry fee for the Limited Late Model event, payable at the pit gate on sign-in.

Also in action will be the Super Late Model, UMP (Open-Wheel) Modified, Sportsman, 4-Cylinder and Hobby Stocks. Double points will be awarded in all classes except the Limited Late Models!

Mark Douglas of Knoxville, a five-time feature winner this season, is the “Don Smith Ford” Super Late Model point leader with 634, while Gusty Christenberry is second with 606 points. Lloyd Osborne (526), Kerry Jones (520) and Rick Norris (480) round out the top five in the standings.

Knoxville’s Rusty Goddard, with only one visit to victory lane but with nine top-five finishes, has a 34-point advantage over Shane Roberts (702) in the “Ramey Ford” Limited Late Model division. Third through fifth, respectively, are Clint Solomon (662), Vic Hill (648) and Dale Ball (466). Hill has captured a division-leading 11 feature wins.

Wayne James of Newport, a four-time “Lawson Chevrolet” UMP (Open-Wheel) Modified feature winner, with 866 points holds a commanding lead over Skimp Henry (740), Rodney Kiker (682), Wayne Rader (622) and Shannon Emery (592).

Bobby Mays of Jonesborough, with a division-leading 12 “Bachman Bernard” Sportsman feature wins and 872 points, holds a comfortable advantage over Tim Grindstaff (772), Shannon Emery (710), Tracy Wolfe (708) and Joe “Dirt” Good (682).

Newport’s Scottie Hicks, with 10 feature wins and 726 points, holds a slim four-point margin over Les Cox (722) in the 4-Cylinder standings. Third through fifth, respectively, are Kevin Atwell (698), Lee Sauceman (642) and Scott Thornton (612).

Troy “T-Roy” Thompson of Bulls Gap, with one Hobby Stock feature win and 776 points, holds a 60-point advantage over R.J. Mayes (716). Robert Corbett (714), Robert “Monk” Ledford (688) and Sonny Leatherwood (678) round out the top five in the standings.

Adult grandstand admission will be $10, with backside tier-parking and pit passes $25.

The pit gate will open Monday, Sept 1 (Labor Day) at 4 p.m., and the grandstand gate at 5. Hotlaps are scheduled at 6:30 p.m., with qualifying at 7:30, and feature racing getting the green flag at 8:30.

For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

Hill, Arp ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ in $10,000 Volunteer Late Model victories
By Robert Walden

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Aug. 21) – Before a packed house Thursday night for “2 Fast 2 Furious” at Volunteer Speedway, presented by EcoQuest International, Landair Transport Inc. and Loven Ready Mix … Vic “The Thrill” Hill of Morristown, Tenn., blasted into the lead at the drop of the green in the 35-lap Run What Ya Brung feature and never looked back in collecting $10,000 for his victory. Skip Arp of Georgetown, Tenn., led the final 53 circuits of the 100-lap Super Late Model feature to also pocket $10,000.

Hill wowed the crowd by flat-footing his way around the high-banked, 4/10-mile oval to record a fast lap of 12.122-seconds (118.790 mph) to earn the pole for the “outlaw” event. With the crowd wide-eyed anticipating the start due to the unique designs of the Run What Ya Brung wedge cars, featuring huge lexan sideboards and wings, Hill and Gusty Christenberry led the 14-car field to the green from the front row.

Hill launched into the first turn holding the lead over Christenberry, Ronnie Johnson, Brandon Kinzer and Brett Miller. With Hill hooked-up and setting a blistering pace out front, Johnson was all over Christenberry for the runner-up spot. Christenberry drifted up the track between turns one and two on lap 6 to open the door for Johnson to slip by into second.

Anthony White was all over the rear of Miller trying to move into the top five, and on lap 8 down the front straightaway he pulled alongside to challenge for the spot. They tangled and almost crashed entering the first turn, before both reeled their mounts in. Jeff Silvers got out of shape after tangling with a lapped car in turn one on lap 15 and spun, also collecting Kurt Owens and Kinzer to bring out the caution.

Going back green, Hill had “The Chattanooga Flash” Johnson sitting on his tail, with Christenberry, White and Greg Burchett in tow. Johnson managed to run with Hill for a lap and a half, but with Hill carrying more speed through the corners he quickly began to put distance between his Rocky’s Pizza/Door Service Installation & Service/Porky’s Custom Fabrication/L & L Steam Cleaning/Vic Hill Racing Engines & Supplies/Mitch Turner's Body Shop/Peg-Leg Motorsports/Hoosier Tires/No. 25 Monte Carlo and Johnson.

White dropped to the inside of Christenberry between turns three and four on lap 16, and after running side-by-side for two laps he completed the pass to drop Christenberry back to fourth. But the slide backwards continued for Christenberry, as both Kinzer and Burchett moved past to take over fourth and fifth in the running order on lap 19. Christenberry’s race came to a disappointing end against the outside guardrail in turn four on lap 22, with his ride suffering front-end damage to bring out the caution.

Johnson once again closed to the rear of Hill for the 13-lap sprint to the finish, but he could never mount a serious charge down the stretch. With Hill running wide-open all the way around the track, he checked out to capture the biggest payout ($10,000) of his racing career. Johnson, White, Kinzer and Burchett rounded out the top five finishers behind the race winner Hill.

“Words just can’t describe what these cars are like to drive, because they are some kind of fast,” said Hill after climbing down from high atop his car’s roll cage in victory lane holding the $10,000 winner’s check. “I’ll tell you, I was glad we had a couple of cautions during the race, because running wide open around this place is absolutely breathtaking. From the drop of the green until the checkered flag waved, I had the (gas) pedal to the floor. I had never driven one of these Run What Ya Brung type cars until the race back in June, and you’ve got to get a comfortable feel to drive them. As a racer you want to run as fast as you can, but in the Super Late Model you’ve got to let off the gas briefly in the corners. Common sense just tells you to crack the throttle at the end of the straightaway, but in these winged cars you just hold your breath and hold it wide open and never lift – and that takes some getting used to.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to win three track championships here at Volunteer Speedway and we’ve won a combined 17 features here this year in our Super and Limited Late Models, but winning this race tonight is very special. Not only for myself, but there’s no one any more deserving to get to celebrate this win than the car owner (Gerald Laws). Everybody knows him as ‘Peg-Leg,’ and he’s been involved in racing his entire life. I know he and his son, Wesley, really put a lot of hard work into getting this car fixed up. I also need to thank my guys who helped out, too … David ‘Fatboy’ Bryant, Jason Lawson, Dennis Lowe, Tad Wynn, Tracy Ogle and Mackey ‘Mac Daddy’ Garrett.”

If anyone had a smile on their face as big as Hill’s after the race, it was veteran racer Johnson after recording second-place finishes in both the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model events to win $5,000 from each for a $10,000 payday. “I’ll tell you, running my own racing program now is sometimes tough on the wallet. Even though we weren’t able to win either race tonight, I’m very pleased to finish second in both features. As a racer you never want to finish in second, but I had nothing for Vic (Hill) in the Run What Ya Brung deal. I feel like I was about as good as Skip (Arp) in the Super Late Model race, but he was good and did what he had to hold me off.

“I guess you can say I’m an ‘oldtimer,’ because this type (Run What Ya Brung) car is what I began my racing in. With dirt Late Model racing changing as it has over the years, it sure was a blast getting to drive one of these wedge cars with huge sideboards and wings again. This is the most fun I’ve had racing in quite awhile. I’d like to thank track owner Joe Loven for stepping up and putting this show on, because it’s turned out to be a huge success and I look forward to it again next year. Looking up in the stands they are packed, and I can guarantee you once word spreads more about this deal there will be even more fans here next year. And drivers, too.”

During Super Late Model preliminary qualifying and heats, Corey Norman, of Powell, Tenn., set fast-time at 13.460-seconds (106.984 mph), then captured the win in the first heat over Norris, Vic Hill and Gusty Christenberry to nail down the pole position for the feature. Skip Arp recorded the victory in the second heat over Mike Head, Freddy Smith and Clint Smith. Gray Court, S.C.’s Madden raced to the win in the third heat over Steve Smith, Patrick Duggan and Mark Douglas. Johnson, of Chattanooga, Tenn., captured the victory in the fourth heat over Michael Jackson, Brad Hall and Brandon Kinzer.

Norman and Arp led the stellar 24-car field to the start, with Arp grabbing the lead racing into the first turn over Norman, Madden, Johnson and Norris. Norman dropped from second back to fourth on lap 2, when Madden and Johnson both used strong runs off turn two to move into second and third behind Arp.

Head got by Norris at the stripe to begin lap 4 to take over the fifth spot, and one lap later both Jackson and Freddy Smith moved around Norris to take over sixth and seventh in the running order. With Madden applying pressure on Arp for the point, he pulled alongside Arp racing into the first turn on lap 11. Using the bottom groove to his advantage, Madden moved into the lead racing off turn two.

Duayne Hommel, after winning the consolation, was on the move from his 17th-starting spot, passing Norris to take over eighth on lap 23 while also bringing Clint Smith along for the ride and dropping Norris back to tenth. Freddy Smith battled his way around Head to move into fifth on lap 24, and quickly closed to the rear bumper of the fourth-running Norman. Sneaking his nose under Norman on lap 30, Smith powered off turn four to take over the fourth spot. Norman dropped out of the top five on lap 44 when Head made the pass in turn two, and one lap later, Clint Smith worked around Norman to take over sixth in the running order.

Madden’s hopes of visiting victory lane ended just before the 50-lap halfway break when he had a left-rear tire go flat on lap 47 entering turn one and got into the outside guardrail. Norman got into Madden’s mount sitting in the high groove and he made contact to also end his night with front-end suspension damage.

Hommel was turning the heat up on Jackson for the sixth spot, and on lap 65 he dropped to the bottom off turn four to grab the position, also bringing Douglas to seventh and relegating Jackson back to eighth. Hommel and Jackson both would see their race come to an abrupt end on lap 83 when rear end fluid dropped on the track by Kinzer entering turn three saw Hommel and Jackson both get into the outside guardrail.

“Man, that was the hardest hit I’ve ever taken since I’ve been racing,” Hommel said. “I guess now I know how those NASCAR drivers must feel when they hit the wall head-on. Once I hit the grease the car just shot into the wall. It knocked the breath out of me for a minute, and I also got my hand caught in the steering wheel. We learned a few things in the consolation and during the race the car was really coming on, but now the car is killed.”

With Arp, driving the Crown Fiber Communications Inc./Base Fuel & Oils/Upstate Underground/Larry Penland Logging/Hoosier Tires/Pro Shocks/Demon Carburetors/Oval Craft/Wadon Transmissions/Simpson/GRT Race Cars/Gaerte Engines/No. 31 Pontiac Grand Prix in command up front, he would go the remaining distance after the lap 83 caution to hold off Ronnie Johnson, Freddy Smith, Mike Head and Clint Smith to record the $10,000 payday.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Mark Douglas, Vic Hill, Anthony White, Norris and Bryan Hendrix.

“I’ve always liked racing here at Volunteer Speedway, and to be able to come in here tonight and beat a good, quality field of cars sure is special,” Arp said with a smile after climbing from his car in victory lane and seeing the big $10,000 winner’s check. “We were able to get the lead at the start and set our own pace, but then (Chris) Madden got by us and I had to run the car a little harder than what I wanted to that early in the race. I knew Ronnie (Johnson) was right on my tail, so there was no holding back.

“I hated seeing Madden have the bad luck with the tire, because I believe we had something for him to reclaim the lead during the second half of the race. Our car was really good tonight either up high or down low, and when you’ve got a car working like that it’s really fun racing. Really, we were good on our setup when we first unloaded, and we only made a couple minor changes after the heat race to get ready for the feature. I’d like to thank the track owner, Joe Loven, for giving us a good track to race on. I really need to thank Donnie Crowder and Christopher McCall for putting me in their car, and also to the guys on the pit crew (Henry Spoon, Scotty Barnett, Jeff Satterfield and James Harlan) who work so hard. I also would like to thank my wife, Janice, too. She’s a big part of my racing.”

Starting from the pole position in the 25-lap “Lawson Chevrolet” UMP Modified feature, Jimmy Owens of Newport battled early on with Ricky Arms for the lead. Behind the front-running duo, the action was heated among the 26-car field of open-wheel competitors. But Owens, the defending UMP Modified national champion, eventually pulled away from Arms to capture his fifth victory of the season at “The Gap.” Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Wayne James, Stanley Donahoo and Skimp Henry.

Jonesborough’s Bobby Mays captured his division-leading 12th “Bachman Bernard” Sportsman victory in convincing fashion over Tracy Wolfe, Mike Mellons, Joe “Dirt” Good and Shannon Emery.

Brad Kenyon of Chuckey recorded his first-ever Hobby Stock victory over Troy Thompson, Blake Kelley, Johnny Lane and R.J. Mayes.

The next event at Volunteer Speedway will be on (Labor Day) Monday, Sept. 1. Highlighting the racing program will be a $5,000-to-win feature for the Limited Late Models, with double-points being awarded in all divisions. For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

“2 FAST 2 FURIOUS” – VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY – THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2003 – TWIN $10,000-TO-WIN FEATURES – OFFICIAL RESULTS

RUN WHAT YA BRUNG (35-laps)

1. Vic Hill #25-Morristown, TN $10,000

2. Ronnie Johnson #5-Chattanooga, TN $5,000

3. Anthony White #2-Clinton, TN $2,500

4. Brandon Kinzer #18-Allen, KY $2,000

5. Greg Burchett #32-Church Hill, TN $1,500

6. Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN $1,400

7. Bryan Hendrix #5h-Knoxville, TN $1,300

8. Dale Ball #2b-Johnson City, TN $1,200

9. Brett Miller #47-Asheville, NC $1,100

10. Gusty Christenberry #c3-Seymour, TN $1,000

11. Kurt Owens #11-Newport, TN $850

12. Gary Gourley #9-Stockbridge, GA $800

13. Jeff Silvers #121-Bulls Gap, TN $750

14. Stanley Webb #17-Church Hill, TN $700

SUPER LATE MODEL (100-laps)

1. Skip Arp #31-Georgetown, TN $10,000

2. Ronnie Johnson #5-Chattanooga, TN $5,000

3. Freddy Smith #00-Knoxville, TN $2,500

4. Mike Head #54-Ellenwood, GA $2,000

5. Clint Smith #44-Senoia, GA $1,500

6. Mark Douglas #52-Knoxville, TN $1,400

7. Vic Hill #1-Morristown, TN $1,300

8. Anthony White #2-Clinton, TN $1,200

9. Rick Norris #15-Kingsport, TN $1,100

10. Bryan Hendrix #5h-Knoxville, TN $1,000

11. Billy Ogle Jr. #201-Knoxville, TN $850

12. Duayne Hommel #H2-Newport, TN $800

13. Michael Jackson #Q3-Greeneville, TN $750

14. Brandon Kinzer #18-Allen, KY $700

15. Brad Hall #47-Knoxville, TN $600

16. Steve Smith #3-Powell, TN $500

17. Lloyd Osborne #11-Johnson City, TN $500

18. Corey Norman #42-Powell, TN $500

19. Mark Vineyard #4-Powell, TN $500

20. Chris Madden #44-Grray Court, SC $500

21. Gusty Christenberry #c3-Seymour, TN $500

22. Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN $500

23. Patrick Duggan #15d-Lenoir City, TN $500

24. Doug Sanders #42s-Belmont, NC $500

“LAWSON CHEVROLET” UMP MODIFIED (25-laps)

1) Jimmy Owens #20; 2) Ricky Arms #5; 3) Wayne James #4; 4) Stanley Donahoo #00; 5) Skimp Henry #25; 6) Michael Asberry #2; 7) John Harrell #H19; 8) Wayne Rader #8; 9) Ray Wilmoth #24; 10) Chris Rickett #1; 11) Mike Lewis #15; 12) Billy Palmer #36; 13) Danny James #J4; 14) Shannon Emery #95; 15) Jason Perry #20; 16) Jerry Williams Jr. #3; 17) Jim Van Den Heede #02; 18) Chris Pendleton #15; 19) Chad Ogle #10; 20) Richard Reagan #8; 21) Louis Hickey #74; 22) Don Scalf #13; 23) Jerry Broyles #72; 24) Shannon Greene #27; 25) David Flowers #99; 26) Rodney Kiker #7

“BACHMAN BERNARD” SPORTSMAN (25-laps)

1) Bobby Mays #19; 2) Tracy Wolfe #12; 3) Mike Mellons #18; 4) Joe “Dirt” Good #911; 5) Shannon Emery #91; 6) Larry Hurst #3; 7) Jason Long #15; 8) Chris Carver #71; 9) Tim Grindstaff #33; 10) Johnny Bales #1

HOBBY STOCK (25-laps)

1) Brad Kenyon #17; 2) Troy Thompson #T12; 3) Blake Kelley #K5; 4) Johnny Lane #41L; 5) R.J. Mayes #6m; 6) Dale Reed #52; 7) Robert Corbett #94; 8) Chad McGaha #26; 9) Richard Hicks #64; 10) Todd Brooks #1; 11) Mike Hayes #14; 12) Aaron Guinn #87; 13) Everett Cobb #13; 14) Chris Gregg #73; 15) Sonny Leatherwood #20; 16) Chris Kenyon #71; 17) Ken Orton #33; 18) David Berry #74; 19) Roy Holder #21; 20) Jon Cook #0z; 21) Robert “Monk” Ledford #73; 22) Dan Harold #8; 23) Dana Ferrell #22

Volunteer Speedway: (423) 235-5020 www.volunteerspeedway.com

Doug Gillenwater-General Manager: (423) 817-0925

Robert Walden-Public Relations Director: (423) 928-9644 robwald@prodigy.net

‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ Volunteer Speedway race-week special events scheduled August 19-21
By Robert Walden

BULLS GAP, Tenn. – The NASCAR followers are anticipating the August race-week return to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Winston Cup Series Sharpie 500, Busch Grand National Series Food City 250, Goody’s Dash Series Pabst Blue Ribbon 150 and the Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline MaxLife. But the buzz among the dirt Late Model racing scene around not only the East Tennessee region, but from dirt racers and fans all around the country are, the twin $10,000-to-win … “2 Fast 2 Furious” events at Volunteer Speedway, scheduled Aug. 19-21 presented by EcoQuest International, Landair Transport Inc. and Loven Ready Mix.

With over $70,000 in Late Model purse monies posted by track owner Joe Loven, the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model competitors will share co-headlining status. The Run What Ya Brung cars, featuring “outlaw” characteristics (wings, lexan sideboards and wedge-type front noses), will run a 35-lap main paying $10,000 to the winner, while the Super Late Models will battle 100 laps also paying the winner $10,000.

“2 Fast 2 Furious” purses for both the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model features: 1) $10,000; 2) $5,000; 3) $2,500; 4) $2,000; 5) $1,500; 6) $1,400; 7) $1,300; 8) $1,200; 9) $1,100; 10) $1,000; 11) $850; 12) $800; 13) $750; 14) $700; 15) $600; 16) $500; 17) $500; 18) $500; 19) $500; 20) $500; 21) $500; 22) $500; 23) $500; 24) $500.

Gusty Christenberry of Seymour, currently second in the Super Late Model point standings at “The Gap” behind Mark Douglas, thrilled the crowd back earlier in the summer (June 10) on “Run What Ya Brung” Tuesday by establishing a new overall track record in qualifying at 11.743-seconds … 122.630 mph. Christenberry’s blistering lap lowered the previous overall track record, which had been set on Aug. 18, 2000 in time trials for the United Sprint Car Series’ North-South Shootout by Malabar, Fla.’s Kenny Adams at 11:805-seconds … 121.982 mph.

The “possible entrants” for the special events include current Xtreme DirtCar Series point leader Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., a four-time series champion, along with the defending O’Reilly Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series champion Duayne Hommel of Newport, Tenn., Dale McDowell of Rossville, Ga., Freddy Smith of Knoxville, Tenn., Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, Wis., Brandon Kinzer of Allen, Ky., Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., Jack Pennington of Winston, Ga., Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn., Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Randle Chupp of Mooresville, N.C., Jeremey Clements of Spartanburg, S.C., Skip Arp of Georgetown, Tenn., Mike Head of Ellenwood, Ga., Jeff Smith of Dallas, N.C., Marshall Green of Dalton, Ga., Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, S.C., Tim Headen of Martin, Ga., Doug Sanders of Belmont, N.C., Shane Tankersley of Morganton, Ga., Dave Burks of Abingdon, Va., Brett Miller of Asheville, N.C., James Cline of Oxford, Ala., plus many more.

Heading the list of East Tennessee locals is defending Volunteer Speedway Super Late Model champion Mark Douglas of Knoxville, along with Vic “The Thrill” Hill of Morristown, Gusty Christenberry of Seymour, Scott Sexton of Pigeon Forge, Jimmy Owens of Newport, Steve Smith of Powell, Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Rick Norris of Kingsport, Kerry Jones of Bristol, Herman Goddard of Knoxville, Mark Vineyard of Powell, Greg Burchett of Church Hill, Michael Jackson of Greeneville, H.E. Vineyard of Powell, Anthony White of Clinton, Jerry Broyles of Jonesborough, Jeff Maupin of Greeneville, Jeff Silvers of Bulls Gap, Rick Rogers of Knoxville, Corey Norman of Powell, Tim Frye of Bulls Gap, Randy Weaver of Crosssville, Patrick Duggan of Lenoir City, Bryan Hendrix of Knoxville, Steven Harrison of Dayton, and several more.

On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the track will host open practice starting at 5 p.m. for all competitors to work on dialing their machines in for the following two nights of racing. Admission in the grandstands will be free and $20 in the pits.

Qualifying and heat races for the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Models, along with features for UMP Modified (25 laps) and Sportsman (25 laps) are scheduled on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Adult grandstand admission is $10, with backside tier-parking and pit passes $20.

Highlighting the Thursday, Aug. 21 racing program will be the 2 Fast 2 Furious twin $10,000-to-win … $500-to-start main events for the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model drivers. Consolation(s) to complete the 24-car fields for both races, along with a $300-to-win … $50-to-start Hobby Stock (25 laps) feature, rounds out the race lineup for Thursday. Adult grandstand admission is $25, with backside tier-parking and pit passes $35.

The pit gate will open at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20 and at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21. The grandstand gate will open daily at 5 o’clock.

With the pre-entry date ($100) of Aug. 10 already past the cut-off, the entry fee for both the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model events is now $150, payable at the pit gate on sign-in.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you run both races you must have two cars, only one car allowed per event!!!!!

For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

Douglas records fifth Volunteer Super Late Model victory
By Robert Walden

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Aug. 16) – Mark Douglas of Knoxville passed Gusty Christenberry on lap 10 of the “Don Smith Ford” Super Late Model 35-lap feature Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway, and once out front he remained in command until the checkered flag waved to record his fifth victory.

Christenberry, after setting fast-time (13.317-seconds … 108.130 mph) to earn the pole position, and Douglas led the field to green from the front row. With Christenberry winning the race into turn one, he emerged as the leader with Douglas, Jerry Broyles, Greg Burchett and Rick Norris in tow.

Norris’ mount slipped exiting the fourth turn on lap 2, allowing Vic Hill to slide by and take over the fifth spot. While Douglas was applying pressure trying to overtake Christenberry for the lead, Hill was hounding Burchett wanting the fourth position. Hill dropped to the inside of Burchett racing into the first turn on lap 7, then powered by to advance to fourth as they raced off turn two.

The battle for the lead between Christenberry and Douglas was heating up, as they raced side-by-side for two circuits before Douglas grabbed the point on lap 10 with a pass racing off turn two. With Broyles having a strong run in third, Hill had a fight on his hands trying to take away the position. Trying to make the bottom groove work to his advantage, Hill finally passed Broyles in turn four on lap 22. While Hill began to reel in the second-running Christenberry, Norris dropped Broyles back to fifth on lap 24 between turns one and two.

Christenberry and Hill had the full attention of the huge crowd that had turned out for the night’s racing program after the previous two week’s of racing at the track had fallen victim to Mother Nature. Christenberry fell victim to Hill on lap 27 after a two-lap battle for the second spot in the running order behind Douglas.

With his sights set on Douglas, Hill got off into the first turn too hot on lap 28 and tagged the outside guardrail. Christenberry, still in close pursuit of Hill, had nowhere to go and also was collected in the skirmish as the caution waved.

Norris and Broyles lined up in second and third behind Douglas for a seven-lap sprint to the checkers. Norris appeared to have something for the leader Douglas, shadowing his every move for four laps.

But Douglas, driving the Quality Heating & Aire-Sonny Brown/Odom Construction/Norman Sheetmetal/Dent-Ologist/Loby-Blox/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Roger & Cindy Kerr’s Competition Racing Equipment/McClain Speed Shop/Hoosier by Connie/United Rentals/Fullmoon Graphics/GRT Race Cars/No. 52 Pontiac Grand Prix, put seven car lengths between himself and Norris at the finish. Kerry Jones, Broyles and Christenberry rounded out the top five.

Completing the top-10 in the rundown were Jackie Hughes, Dennis Alverson, Tim Frye, Hill and Herman Goddard.

“With Gusty getting the jump on me at the start, I had a tough battle trying to wrestle the lead from him,” said Douglas after climbing from his car in victory lane. “We had a good car tonight, but he (Christenberry) was strong too. I don’t really know what happened between he and Vic (Hill), but I feel once I got out front either of them would’ve had a hard time getting by me for the lead.

“It sure felt good getting back to racing after the past few weeks and all the rain we’ve had around the East Tennessee region. Our car was good, very good tonight. I’m really looking forward to the ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ events next week, and hopefully we’ll come back and have a good run. I’ve never won a $10,000 to win race, and that’s what I’ve got my sight set on. It’s going to be a quick turnaround coming back for the mid-week show, but we’ll get to work going over the car to get it prepared for this race. Hopefully we’ll come back and unload and be just as good as tonight.”

Morristown’s Vic “The Thrill” Hill captured his tenth “Ramey Ford” Limited Late Model feature win of the season after taking the lead from Dale Ball on lap 15. Hill, the fast qualifier, was relegated to the sixth starting position due to having won three-consecutive races. Ball launched into the lead over Greg Burchett at the drop of the green, and Hill was running in third at the completion of the first lap.

Hill, driving the EcoQuest Intl./Landair Trucking/Kia of Blueridge, Ga. & Murphy, N.C./Lowe Trucking/Four Seasons Realty/Vic Hill Race Engines & Supplies/Storie/GRT Race Cars/No. 1 Monte Carlo, moved into the runner-up position on lap 3 with a pass of Burchett in turn two. Quickly closing to the rear of Ball, they staged a torrid battle for the point for several laps.

Getting a strong run on lap 15 off the second corner down the backstretch to pull alongside Ball, Hill “drove it in deep” to take the lead between turns three and four. Once out front, Hill pulled away for an eight car-length margin of victory. Ball and Burchett, the apparent second- and third-place finishers, each failed post race technical inspection, thus moving Shane Roberts to second and Rusty Goddard into the third spot. Clint Solomon and Kip Pearson finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Louis Hickey jumped into the lead on the opening lap of the “Lawson Chevrolet” UMP Modified feature and stayed on the point until a flat right front tire on lap 8 sent him to the pits. Chris Pendleton inherited the lead, but it was a short-lived stint out front for him as Stanley Donahoo, of White Pine, grabbed the lead on lap 12 and never looked back in cruising to his third victory of the season in the 25-lap event. Rounding out the top-five behind Donahoo were Pendleton, Jerry Broyles, Wayne James and Rodney Kiker.

Jonesborough’s Bobby Mays rolled to his division-leading eleventh “Bachman Bernard” Sportsman feature win over Shannon Emery, Tracy Wolfe, Jeff Fox and Larry Hurst.

Kurt Owens of Newport passed Scott Thornton on lap 8 of the 4-Cylinder feature and would hold on to record his third victory. Owens was chased to the checkers by Thornton, Kevin Atwell, Les Cox and Kenny Absher.

Newport’s Lynn Phillips and Thomas Hutson of Church Hill each captured Hobby Stock feature wins. Phillips made his third trip to victory lane this season while Hutson’s win was his first-ever at “The Gap.” Finishing behind Philips in the first 15-lap feature were Jon Cook, Troy Thompson, Everett Thompson and Blake Kelley. Hutson earned his victory by holding off Chris Gregg, Johnny Lane, Aaron Guinn and Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf.

Volunteer Speedway will host one of the biggest events in its storied history Tuesday through Thursday, Aug. 19-21 – “2 Fast 2 Furious” – twin $10,000-to-win features for the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Models.

For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

“DON SMITH FORD” SUPER LATE MODEL (35-laps)

1. Mark Douglas #52-Knoxville, TN

2. Rick Norris #15-Kingsport, TN

3. Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN

4. Jerry Broyles #72-Jonesborough, TN

5. Gusty Christenberry #c3-Seymour, TN

6. Jackie Hughes #27-Johnson City, TN

7. Dennis Alverson #71-Kingsport, TN

8. Tim Frye #03-Bulls Gap, TN

9. Vic Hill #1-Morristown, TN

10. Herman Goddard #22-Knoxville, TN

11. Greg Burchett #32w-Church Hill, TN

12. Lloyd Osborne #6o-Johnson City, TN

13. Jeff Maupin #11m-Greeneville, TN

DNS: Clayton Christenberry #cv3-Knoxville, TN, Vic Chandler #88-Weaverville, NC

“RAMEY FORD” LIMITED LATE MODEL (25-laps)

1) Vic Hill #1; 2) Shane Roberts #17s; 3) Rusty Goddard #42; 4) Clint Solomon #30; 5) Kip Pearson #00; 6) Vic Chandler #8; 7) Terry Costner #16; 8) Daniel Sauceman #17; 9) Stanley Webb #17w; 10) Richard Adkins #a18; 11) Steve Carr #77; 12) Curt Taylor #T31; 13) Ricky Moore #75 – DNS: Kerry Jones #6

Did Not Pass Post Race Technical Inspection: Dale Ball #2, Greg Burchett #32

“LAWSON CHEVROLET” UMP MODIFIED (25-laps)

1) Stanley Donahoo #00; 2) Chris Pendleton #15; 3) Jerry Broyles #72; 4) Wayne James #4; 5) Rodney Kiker #7; 6) Skimp Henry #25; 7) Wayne Rader #8; 8) John Harrell #H19; 9) Shannon Greene #27; 10) Danny James #J4; 11) Jerry Williams Jr. #3; 12) Richard Reagan #8r; 13) Ron Foshie #55; 14) Bobby Edens #71; 15) Jim Van Den Heede #02; 16) Louis Hickey #74; 17) Don Scalf #13 – DNS: Shannon Emery #95, Sam Hurd #11, Chris Brady #77

“BACHMAN BERNARD” SPORTSMAN (25-laps)

1) Bobby Mays #19; 2) Shannon Emery #91; 3) Tracy Wolfe #12; 4) Jeff Fox #11; 5) Larry Hurst #3; 6) Joe “Dirt” Good #31; 7) Larry Hurst Jr. #24; 8) Steve Langrel #51; 9) Chris Carver #71; 10) Phil Nichols #33; 11) Anthony Morgan #26; 12) Rick Stroud #32; 13) Tim Grindstaff #33

4-CYLINDER (20-laps)

1) Kurt Owens #7up; 2) Scott Thornton #15; 3) Kevin Atwell #95; 4) Les Cox #6; 5) Kenny Absher #11; 6) Richard McMahan #g12; 7) Ernie Stubblefield 8) Randy Lane #7; 9) Runah Henry #39; 10) Cheyenne Kite #9; 11) Terry Easley #3; 12) James Feathers #27; 13) Larry James #7j; 14) William Knight #12; 15) Tom Trivett #5; 16) Scottie Hicks #H14; 17) Toby Jones #66

HOBBY STOCK #1 (15-laps)

1) Lynn Phillips #73; 2) Jon Cook #0z; 3) Troy Thompson #T12; 4) Everett Thompson #12; 5) Blake Kelley #K5; 6) Robert “Monk” Ledford #41; 7) Dale Reed #52; 8) Brad Kenyon #17; 9) Todd Brooks #1; 10) Robert Corbett #94; 11) Sonny Leatherwood #20; 12) Dempsey Harold Jr. #09; 13) R.J. Mayes #6m

HOBBY STOCK #2 (15-laps)

1) Thomas Hutson #4; 2) Chris Gregg #73; 3) Johnny Lane #41L; 4) Aaron Guinn #87; 5) Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf #56; 6) Chris Kenyon #71; 7) Wayne Busler #B00; 8) Dana Ferrell #22; 9) Ronnie Dugger #74; 10) Roy Holder #21; 11) Clifford Adkins #93 – DNS: Steve Smith #27

Volunteer Speedway: (423) 235-5020 www.volunteerspeedway.com
Doug Gillenwater-General Manager: (423) 817-0925
Robert Walden-Public Relations Director: (423) 928-9644 robwald@prodigy.net

Volunteer Speedway ‘roars back to life’ Saturday, August 16

BULLS GAP, Tenn. – With Mother Nature wreaking havoc the last couple of weeks at Volunteer Speedway, forcing cancellation of the racing events due to saturated grounds and making it impossible for the track to host racing, the high-banked … 4/10-mile oval is ready to roar back to life. Much needed repairs to the racing surface after the recent heavy deluges of rainfall have now been completed, and an exciting six-division racing program is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16.

The Super Late Model, Limited Late Model, UMP (Open-Wheel) Modified, Sportsman, 4-Cylinder and Hobby Stocks will be in action this Saturday.

Practice is scheduled to begin at 6:15, with qualifying slated for 7 p.m. and feature racing getting the green flag at 8:30.

The pit gate opens at 4 p.m. and the grandstand gate at 5 o’clock. Adult grandstand admission is only $6, with backside tier-parking and pit passes $20.

For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

Excitement builds for upcoming ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ events at Volunteer Speedway
By Robert Walden

BULLS GAP, Tenn. – The NASCAR followers are anticipating the August race-week return to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Winston Cup Series Sharpie 500, Busch Grand National Series Food City 250, Goody’s Dash Series Pabst Blue Ribbon 150 and the Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline MaxLife. But the buzz among the dirt Late Model racing scene around not only the East Tennessee region, but from dirt racers and fans all around the country are, the twin $10,000-to-win … “2 Fast 2 Furious” events at Volunteer Speedway, scheduled Aug. 19-21 presented by EcoQuest International, Landair Transport Inc. and Loven Ready Mix.

With over $70,000 in Late Model purse monies posted by track owner Joe Loven, the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model competitors will share co-headlining status. The Run What Ya Brung cars, featuring “outlaw” characteristics (wings, lexan sideboards and wedge-type front noses), will run a 35-lap main paying $10,000 to the winner, while the Super Late Models will battle 100 laps also paying the winner $10,000.

“2 Fast 2 Furious” purses for both the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model features: 1) $10,000; 2) $5,000; 3) $2,500; 4) $2,000; 5) $1,500; 6) $1,400; 7) $1,300; 8) $1,200; 9) $1,100; 10) $1,000; 11) $850; 12) $800; 13) $750; 14) $700; 15) $600; 16) $500; 17) $500; 18) $500; 19) $500; 20) $500; 21) $500; 22) $500; 23) $500; 24) $500.

Gusty Christenberry of Seymour, currently second in the Super Late Model point standings at “The Gap” behind Mark Douglas, thrilled the crowd back earlier in the summer (June 10) on “Run What Ya Brung” Tuesday by establishing a new overall track record in qualifying at 11.743-seconds … 122.630 mph. Christenberry’s blistering lap lowered the previous overall track record, which had been set on Aug. 18, 2000 in time trials for the United Sprint Car Series’ North-South Shootout by Malabar, Fla.’s Kenny Adams at 11:805-seconds … 121.982 mph.

On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the track will host open practice starting at 5 p.m. for all competitors to work on dialing their machines in for the following two nights of racing. Admission in the grandstands will be free and $20 in the pits.

Qualifying and heat races for the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Models, along with features for UMP Modified (25 laps) and Sportsman (25 laps) are scheduled on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Adult grandstand admission is $10, with backside tier-parking and pit passes $20.

Highlighting the Thursday, Aug. 21 racing program will be the 2 Fast 2 Furious twin $10,000-to-win … $500-to-start main events for the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model drivers. Consolation(s) to complete the 24-car fields for both races, along with a $300-to-win … $50-to-start Hobby Stock (25 laps) feature, rounds out the race lineup for Thursday. Adult grandstand admission is $25, with backside tier-parking and pit passes $35.

The pit gate will open at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20 and at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21. The grandstand gate will open daily at 5 o’clock.

The entry fee for both the Run What Ya Brung and Super Late Model events is $100 if received by Aug. 10 (not postmarked) and $150 if received after Aug. 10, or payable at the gate on sign-in. Advance entries should be mailed to Volunteer Speedway, 1543 South Wilcox Drive, Kingsport, TN 37660.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you run both races you must have two cars, only one car allowed per event!!!!!

For more information, contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

Volunteer Speedway forced to cancel the Saturday, August 2 racing program

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Aug. 1) – Due to significant rainfall (4-6 inches) saturating the ground around the East Tennessee region throughout the past week continuing through mid-day on Friday, some facility improvement projects that were begun at Volunteer Speedway was hampered by “Mother Nature.” With the work not completed, the Saturday, Aug. 2 racing program has been canceled. But everything should be finished so the track can host another exciting “Saturday Night Live” six-division racing program on Saturday, Aug. 9.

For more information, please contact the track at (423) 235-5020, General Manager Doug Gillenwater at (423) 817-0925, or Public Relations Director Robert Walden at (423) 928-9644.

'Run What Ya Brung' special scheduled Tuesday, July 22 at Volunteer

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