Monday, October 24, 2016

Long and Carter Sweep the "Memphis Fall Nationals"

Memphis, MO (Saturday, October 22, 2016) - The 2016 racing season at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri official came to a close on Saturday, October 22nd, with night 2 of the "Memphis Fall Nationals". Mother nature helped out tremendously by provide everyone with a beautiful night for late October. When the final checkered flag flew on Saturday, Michael Long (Modified) and Cayden Cater (Stock Car) were the only two drivers to repeat their Friday night wins.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Randy Byerly and Mike Hughes leading the field to the green flag. Hughes would take advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Clint Nelson and Danny Thrasher. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when Kenser Ellis spun off turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Hughes moved back out front, with Nelson and Thrasher working to hold off Dustin Griffiths for the runner up spot. But on lap 6 Griffiths was able to slip past both to take the second spot, and then went to work on chasing down Hughes for the top spot. He would be helped on lap 8, when the second and final caution of the race appeared. This time Tim Hoselton spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Hughes moved out front on the restart, with Griffiths and Nelson close behind. Hughes would go on to lead the finals laps to pick up the win. Griffiths was 2nd, Nelson was 3rd, Garrett Eilander started 9th and finished 4th, with Thrasher holding on for 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap SportMod feature, with Austin Paul and Tim Plummer drawing the front row. But it was third place starter Brandon Dale who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Plumer and Tony Dunker. Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 6th, would slip under Dale coming off turn 4 to take the top spot away on lap 7. Just as Van Der Wal started to pull away the first and only caution of the race came out on lap 19, to set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish. On the restart Van Der Wal jumped back out front, with Plummer and Paul close behind. Going into turn 3 on the final lap Van Der Wal went low, while Plummer chose the middle. The two would come off turn 4 side-by-side, with Van Der Wal edging Plummer at the line by half a car length to claim the win and the $1,000 check. Plummer was 2nd, Paul was 3rd, Jim Gillenwater started 9th and finished 4th, with Carter VanDenBerg passing 12 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 5th.

Curt Marks and Tommy Elston drew the front row for the 25 lap Late Model feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Todd Frank spun in turn 1 and collected Sam Halstead, who was driving Lynn Richards #26R. On the original restart Elston moved out front on lap 1 over Derek Liles and Marks. Elston set such a blistering pace, that when the checkered flag was waved he had lapped up to the second place car. Elston's win was worth $1,000 thanks to Dubuque Moving and Storage out of Dubuque, Iowa. Liles finished 2nd and was the only car left on the lead lap, Gunner Frank was 3rd, Dan Gordon was 4th, with Charles VanZante rounding out the top 5.

The 20 lap Stock Car feature was next to take to the track, with Kirk Kinsley and Jason Cook leading the field to the drop of the green. Kinsley took advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Cook and Cayden Carter, who started 6th. The action was slowed for the first time just after the completion of lap 1, as Jeff Mueller, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dustin Griffiths, who just purchased a Stock Car from Roger Kelderman and was running 7th, spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Carter go to the top of the track to over take Kinsley for the top spot. A third caution of the race slowed the action on lap 7, as Kevin Koontz lost the rear end in turn 4 and collected Randy Exline to bring out the yellow. On the restart Johnny Spaw, who started 8th and was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 and collected Jason See, who was running 6th, Kinsley and Chris Wibbell to bring the yellow light back on. Carter would move out front on the next restart, with Mike Hughes, who started 12th, and John Oliver Jr. close behind. Hughes and Oliver Jr. followed in Carter's tire tracks over the next 8 laps, and was looking for Carter to make a mistake. When the final caution of the race came out on lap 16. This time Jason York went over the track in turns 3 and 4 to bring out the yellow. Carter once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on to pick up his second win of the weekend and another $1,000 top prize to go with it. Hughes was 2nd, Nathan Wood, who started 13th, over took Oliver Jr. late in the race to finish 3rd, Oliver Jr. was 4th, with Tom Bowling Jr. coming home in 5th.

Barry Taft and Brandon Reu led the field to the green in the 14 lap Sport Compact feature, but it was third place starter Kimberly Abbott who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Reu and Taft. Abbott then had to work to hold them off, when the first and only caution of the race slowed the action on lap 3. Ryan Moore went over the track in turns 3 and 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Abbott moved back out front, with Jake Dietrich over taking Reu and Taft for the runner up spot. Reu was able to work back under Dietrich to reclaim the runner up spot on lap 5, and then went to work on Abbott for the lead. Over the final 5 laps Reu looked under Abbott coming off the corners. But Abbott was able to hold him off to claim the win. Reu was 2nd, Darin Smith over took Dietrich late to finish 3rd, Dietrich was 4th, with Taft holding on for 5th.

The 25 lap Modified feature was the final event to take to the track, with Shane DeMay and Cayden Carter drawing the front row. Carter took advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Dakota Hayden and Zack VanderBeek. Just after the completion of lap 1 the first and only caution of the race appeared, as Jared Fuller, who was running 5th, spun in turn 2 and collected Patrick Flannagan, who was running 8th, and Derrick Stewart to bring out the yellow. On the restart Carter moved back out front, with VanderBeek over taking Hayden for second. While Carter worked to hold back VanderBeek and Hayden, all eyes were on Michael Long. Long, who started 18th, used the top of the track to quickly work his way towards the front. On lap 10 Long would over take VanderBeek for the runner up spot and then went to work on chasing down Carter for the lead. Carter started to enter lapped traffic on lap 13, which allowed Long to close in on him. Long then used the lapped traffic to slip past Carter for the top spot on lap 17. Carter was able to stay close to Long thru heavy lapped traffic, but Long would go on to pick up his second win on the weekend and another $1,000 check to go with it. Carter settled for 2nd, VanderBeek was 3rd, Hayden was 4th, with Bruce Hanford coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

Notes from night 2: 41 SportMods, 30 Modifieds, 24 Stock Cars, 17 Hobby Stocks, 12 Sport Compacts, and 9 Late Models made up the 133 cars signed in......The night didn't get started off to well, as Rodger Caquelin climbed the backstretch guardrail and rolled a couple times to come to rest halfway down the backstretch to bring out the red. The back half of the car was ripped off, and it was great to see Rodger climb from the mangled mess a little dazed but otherwise okay......Rex Bonnett drove the #19 Hobby Stock that Bill Bonnett piloted most of the 2016 season and finished 6th in the feature....David Castellano started 16th and passed 7 cars to come home in 9th....Tim Hoselton recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish 10th....Andrew Burg went up in flames during the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Logan Anderson passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 7th....John Oliver Jr. started 13th and finished 10th....Jake Sachau finished 12th after starting in 19th....Jacob Waterman started 18th and finished 13th....Mike Tanner started 20th and finished 17th....Donny Louck started 23rd and finished 19th....Jerry Hinton took the last qualifying spot in the second B Main. But suffered some damaged that forced him to scratch from the feature......Derrick Agee started the Stock Car feature in 9th and finished 6th....Todd Reitzler passed 14 cars from his 21st place starting spot to come home in 7th....Johnny Spaw recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish 9th....Dustin Griffiths also recovered  from his spin on the lap 1 restart to come back up to finish 10th....Dean Kratzer started 14th and finished 11th....Travis Bunnell started 15th and finished 12th....Jason York recovered from his spin on lap 16 to come back up to finish 13th....Bob Lynch finished 14th after starting in 18th....Greg Harsch started 24th and finished 15th....Jim Lynch, who drove Brian Hoener's #66, suffered troubles in the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Kurt Kile started the Modified feature in 14th and then passed 8 cars to come home in 6th....Jeff Waterman passed 11 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to come home in 11th....Milo Veloz started 17th and finished 12th....Donovan Lodge passed 11 cars from his 24th place starting spot to come home in 13th....Eric Barnes started 20th and finished 15th....Johnny Wyman started 21st and finished 17th.

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