Kennedy captures $3,000 ‘Showdown at The Gap’ Steel Head shootout win at Volunteer Speedway

Kennedy captures $3,000 ‘Showdown at The Gap’ Steel Head shootout win at Volunteer Speedway

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Aug. 25, 2018) — Drew Kennedy of Wartburg banked $3,000 Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway for winning the Steel Head Late Model “Showdown at The Gap.”

The 28-year-old Kennedy captured his first-ever win at the track in impressive fashion, as he powered into the lead by executing a slide-job between turns one and two to steal the lead from Jordon Horton on lap 24.

“Wow, it’s great to be able and win a big race here at Volunteer Speedway,” said a smiling Kennedy, hearing cheers from the crowd on the front straightaway in victory lane. “I knew I had an awesome race car if we could ever stay green long enough for me to pass some of those cars ahead of me. After we really got to rolling picking positions off and I moved into second place, I contemplated if it was too early in the race to slide Horton. But I got such a good run off that restart I knew I had to try it.”

Jason Trammell of Knoxville earned the $137 Schubert Monument Sales fast-time pole award with a lap of 13.190 seconds around the high banks.

Trammell, Barrett Lowe and Chase King respectively won the three heat races, with Ellery Leake winning the B-main.

Lowe, the grandson of former NASCAR Late Model Sportsman (Busch Series) driver Bosco Lowe, jumped into the lead at start of the 51-lap Steel Head Late Model main event over Trammell, King, Horton and Jason Manley. Caution waved on lap 5, when Eric Webber spun down low between turns one and two.

With Lowe on the point for the double-file restart, little did he know what was getting ready to happen behind him as Horton timed waving of the green flag to perfection and rocketed down the front straightaway and dove to the inside of Lowe, throwing a slider to stronghold the lead.

Behind Horton and Lowe, Trammell and Manley were battling for the third spot. The intensity ratcheted up a notch and on lap 12, contact was made with Trammell spinning. Track officials decision was to put Trammell back in his position and Manley was forced to restart from the rear for initiating the contact.

Back under green Horton was leading Lowe, Trammell, Mike Weeks and King. Kennedy was riding a rocket and on the way forward, passing King for the fifth spot on lap 18 between turns one and two. Just three circuits later he blasted around both Trammell and Weeks to advance into third.

When you’re chauffeuring a fast ride, you drive it for all it’s worth and indeed that’s what Kennedy was doing as he was having the ride of a lifetime. Kennedy passed Lowe for second place on lap 22, and closing right in behind Horton he set him up for what would prove to be the race-winning pass for the lead.

Kennedy drove deep and hard into the first turn on lap 24 and threw a slide-job on Horton to take the lead. Caution waved on lap 27, when Leake slowed with damage to his car and entered the infield pits.

With the race back green and a clear track ahead, Kennedy began to pull away from Horton, Lowe, King and Matt Henderson. Just outside of the top five racing was good between Trammell, Trevor Sise, Manley, Layne Clifton, Gary Crittenden, Austin Neely and Walker Arthur.

Kennedy was in command out front and appeared headed to a comfortable margin of victory, however, a late-race caution waved on lap 48 only three laps from the finish when Clifton slowed on the track.

The Showdown at The Gap was going to come down to a three-lap shootout.

But Kennedy, driving the Superior Telecom, Inc./Schubert Monument Sales/Speedy Towing & Recovery Inc./Kilby Equipment/GW Towing & Recovery/Phantom Race Engines/Bodies by MilkDud/Rocket Chassis/No. K37 Chevrolet Camaro SS, proved to be a fearless gunslinger as he came out firing when the green flag waved and would not be denied the $3,000 victory. Finishing behind Kennedy were Lowe, Horton, King and Manley.

“It’s just amazing how good our car really was tonight, because once we got the lead I was able to just drive away from those guys behind me. That caution there at the end kind of worried me a little, because you know on restarts anything can happen. But thankfully everything worked out great and we got the ‘Showdown at The Gap’ win, which really means and lot to our race team.”

Completing the top 10 finishers were Henderson, Trammell, Crittenden, Neely and Sise.

Zach Sise of Knoxville entered the night sitting atop the Sportsman Late Model point standings, and following yet another run to victory he aided his cause by padding his margin. The 18-year-old Sise was fastest of 22 cars in qualifying with a quick-lap at 13.488 seconds.

Sise jumped out into the lead on the start over Chris Coffey, Jed Emert, Brad Seagle and Vic Chandler. Emert passed Coffey for second early and closed in behind Sise to challenge for the lead.

Both have won races this season, and each driver isn’t satisfied with finishing in second place. While battling for the lead on lap 12, contact between the pair in the fourth turn saw Emert spin to bring the caution out.

Back under green, Sise smashed the loud pedal and began pulling away to easily record his fourth victory over Seagle, Chandler, Coffey and Addison Cardwell.

Wayne Rader set fast-time in Modified Street qualifying at 14.596 seconds, but on the start Brad Davis of Tazewell grabbed the lead over Rader and Shannon Emery, and never looked back en route to recording his third win on the season. Davis was chased to the checkered flag by Rader, Emery, Chris Rickett and David Clark.

Josh Chesney of Maynardville held off a hard-charging Brad Dyer to capture his second Classic victory of the season. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Tony Trent, Michael Millsap and Lee Merritt.

Rex Coffey of Morristown drove to his second 602 Street win over Shawn Henry and Josh Driskill.

VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY – BULLS GAP, TN – SATURDAY, AUG. 25 – “SHOWDOWN @ THE GAP” – RACE RESULTS

STEEL HEAD LATE MODEL (51 laps)

1. Drew Kennedy #K37
2. Barrett Lowe #72
3. Jordon Horton #56H
4. Chase King #44
5. Jason Manley #32
6. Matt Henderson #00
7. Jason Trammell #90J
8. Gary Crittenden #18
9. Austin Neely #3
10. Trevor Sise #73
11. Walker Arthur #87
12. Mike Price #77
13. Hershell Hyatt #14
14. Eric Webber #25
15. Layne Clifton #23
16. Ryan King #30
17. Ellery Leake #34
18. Mike Weeks #22
19. Jason Cardwell #07
20. Ruben Mayfield #00M
21. Jason Melton #95
22. Brad Dyer #20
23. Kevin Jackson #20
24. Michael Smith #4

Did Not Start: Mack McCarter #51

SPORTSMAN LATE MODEL (20 laps)

1. Zach Sise #43
2. Brad Seagle #31
3. Vic Chandler #88
4. Chris Coffey #97
5. Addison Cardwell #07A
6. Bradley Lewelling #10B
7. Cody Sisson #39
8. Adam Mitchell #50
9. Dale Reed #52
10. Tyler Smith #32
11. Warren McMahan #33
12. Jed Emert #98
13. Michael Millsap #30
14. David Bullington #20
15. Mike Kelley #8
16. Floyd Self #3
17. Justin Talley #23
18. Aaron Jones #7
19. Brandon James #J1
20. Nicholas Shelton #9

Did Not Start: Brandon Miller #89, Jerry Williams Jr. #28

MODIFIED STREET (20 laps)

1. Brad Davis #88
2. Wayne Rader #01
3. Shannon Emery #M2
4. Chris Rickett #36
5. David Clark #13
6. Kurt Owens #14
7. Dustin Ratliff #10
8. Gary Blanken #05
9. Austin Atkins #14
10. Robbie Buchanan #P21
11. Lance Creasman #C8
12. Greg Estes #31
13. Josh Brock #17
14. Tyler Haynes #11
15. Jason Rollins #01R
16. Nick Presley #69
17. Bubba Long #10L
18. Bobbie Petty #XP21
19. Landon Steele #S18
20. Kaleb Trent #3

Did Not Start: Gary Crittenden #69C

CLASSIC (20 laps)

1. Josh Chesney #XXX
2. Brad Dyer #20
3. Tony Trent #501
4. Michael Millsap #42
5. Lee Merritt #11
6. Will Carey #16
7. Shaun Sise #59
8. Chris Worsham #3
9. Shane Taylor #37
10. Joshua Chesney #5
11. Tim Bounds #11
12. Charles Bates #27
13. Nicholas King #66
14. Chase Lawson #4

602 STREET

1. Rex Coffey #3
2. Shawn Henry #25
3. Josh Driskill #D00

Volunteer Speedway (Recording Only): 423-235-5020  www.VolunteerSpeedway.com
Volunteer Speedway (General Manager): 865-257-7223
Joe Byrd (Tech Official): 865-776-1798