Ball, Broyles record ‘Walter Ball Memorial’ Volunteer Speedway Pro Late Model victories

 

Ball, Broyles record ‘Walter Ball Memorial’ Volunteer Speedway Pro Late Model victories

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (June 30, 2012) — With the East Tennessee region in the midst of record-breaking temperatures over 100 degrees for the second straight day, a great crowd attended the Walter Ball Memorial at Volunteer Speedway on Saturday night and stuck around following racing to see the skies illuminated with a dazzling fireworks display.

Dale Ball of Johnson City, the Super Late Model track champion in 1999 and with Pro (Crate) Late Model titles to his credit in 2008, 2010 and 2011, and his legendary father Walter Ball are the only father-son in Volunteer Speedway history to have captured Late Model championships. Walter, who passed away in 2006 at age 70 while attending a night of racing at “The Gap” after suffering a massive heart attack, recorded over 400 Late Model victories and multiple championships at various tracks around East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia during his career.

With the Fastrak Racing Series-sanctioned Pro Late Models running twin 20-lap features on the racing program, Ball grabbed the lead over Jerry Broyles racing off turn two in the first race and never looked back en route to capturing his sixth victory of the season.

Ricky Moore passed Broyles to move into second on lap 2, and the following circuit caution waved when Chuck Price slammed the outside guardrail between turns one and two.

Back under green-flag racing conditions Ball, driving the Smith Brothers Harley-Davidson of Johnson City/Kerry Jones Trucking – Bigfoot Enterprises/Luke’s Pizza of Johnson City/Alan Poyner Enterprises/Jim Schweitzer Inc./Mainline Communications/Twin D Auto & Truck Sales of Johnson City/Advance Auto Parts/Envy Suspension & Race Consultants/VP Racing Fuels/Steve Williams Enterprises/Allstar Performance/Warrior Race Cars/No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro, stayed out front to capture his sixth win of the season in memory of his late father on a special night for Ball family members and friends present at the track over Moore, Broyles, Tim Byrd and John Tweed.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Tim Maupin, Vic Chandler, Richard Adkins, Todd Brooks and Kaleb Lester.

The front row for the second race had Broyles, from Jonesborough, starting from the pole with Tweed on the outside. The duo raced side-by-side down the front straightaway into the firs turn, but Broyles powered into the lead as they raced off the second corner. In the early laps, Byrd and Moore ran with Broyles and Tweed.

But during the second half of the 20-lap event, Broyles and Tweed turned the race into a two-car breakaway out front to decide the winner. Tweed stuck the nose of his car underneath Broyles on several occasions on both ends of the track in the corners, but Broyles, the 2009 Pro Late Model track champion and driving the Stars ‘N’ Stripes/In God We Trust/Envy Suspension & Race Consultants/Buddy Hopson Racing & Fabrication/Steve Broyles Racing/No. 72 Chevrolet Impala, held Tweed off to record his second win this season. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Byrd, Moore and Maupin.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Chandler, Ball, Adkins, Brooks and Lester.

In the first Modified Hobby feature, Jon Cook jumped out ahead of Dale Reed and R.J. Mayes. Mayes got under Reed for second on lap 6 between turns one and two, and on the next circuit racing down the backstretch into the third turn, Mayes passed Cook to move out front. Caution waved on lap 8 when Kaleb Trent lost a wheel.

Mayes brought the field back up to speed, leading Cook and Reed. Racing off turn two on lap 10, Mayes suddenly slowed and dropped to the inside of the track before entering the pits on the backstretch, thus moving Reed back into the lead. Reed, from Whitesburg, held off Cook, Jamie Whitt, Dennis Metcalf and Ray Jarnigan to record his first victory of the season.

In the second 15-lap Modified Hobby feature, the 37-year-old Reed, driving the Hooker’s Trucking/In Memory of Stallard Lawson/No. 52 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, grabbed the lead at start over Whitt and led from green-to-checkered to pull off the sweep for the night. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Blake Kelley, Jarnigan and Metcalf.

The Mini Stock feature was a battle up front between the trio of Brad Dyer, Brandon Johnson and Shawn Henry to determine who would visit victory lane. Dyer and Johnson separated themselves from Henry with a few laps remaining and on the white flag lap, racing off the fourth turn to the checkered flag, Johnson, from Talbott, barely won by a few feet over Dyer at the finish line. Henry, Nicholas Shelton and Michael Jarnigan rounded out the top five finishers.

PRO LATE MODEL #1 (20 laps)

1. Dale Ball #2-Johnson City, TN

2. Ricky Moore #75-Mosheim, TN

3. Jerry Broyles #72-Jonesborough, TN

4. Tim Byrd #24-Jonesborough, TN
5. John Tweed #5-Greeneville, TN

6. Tim Maupin #T2-Johnson City, TN

7. Vic Chandler #88-Weaverville, NC

8. Richard Adkins #73-Bristol, TN

9. Todd Brooks #T1-Greeneville, TN

10. Kaleb Lester #98-Clear Fork, WV

11. Greg Burchett #5g-Church Hill, TN

12. Chuck Price #82-Jonesbough, TN

Did Not Start: Tyler Dixon #00-Greeneville, TN

PRO LATE MODEL #2 (20 laps)

1. Jerry Broyles #72-Jonesborough, TN

2. John Tweed #5-Greeneville, TN

3. Tim Byrd #24-Jonesborough, TN

4. Ricky Moore #75-Greeneville, TN

5. Tim Maupin #T2-Johnson City, TN

6. Vic Chandler #88-Weaverville, NC

7. Dale Ball #2-Johnson City, TN

8. Richard Adkins #73-Bristol, TN

9. Todd Brooks #T1-Greeneville, TN

10. Kaleb Lester #98-Clear Fork, WV

11. Chuck Price #82-Jonesborough, TN

Did Not Start: Greg Burchett #5g-Church Hill, TN; Tyler Dixon #00-Greeneville, TN

MODIFIED HOBBY #1 (15 laps)

1) Dale Reed #52; 2) Jon Cook #0z; 3) Jamie Whitt #1; 4) Dennis Metcalf #55; 5) Ray Jarnigan #77; 6) Tyler Smith #32; 7) Robbie Woods #2; 8) Blake Kelley #K5; 9) Jason Long #j15; 10) Landon Williams #25; 11) Marvin Green #05; 12) Jesse Wilder #79; 13) Shorty Ledford #41; 14) R.J. Mayes #5m; 15) Kaleb Trent #3; 16) Kimberly Allen #15 – Did Not Start: Terry Dean #47; Clynis Phillips #77w

MODIFIED HOBBY #2 (15 laps)

1) Dale Reed #52; 2) Jamie Whitt #1; 3) Blake Kelley #K5; 4) Ray Jarnigan #77; 5) Dennis Metcalf #55; 6) Robbie Woods #2; 7) Jason Long #j15; 8) Jesse Wilder #79; 9) Landon Williams #25; 10) Jon Cook #0z; 11) Dan Smith #05; 12) Tyler Smith #32; 13) Shorty Ledford #41; 14) Kimberly Allen #15 – Did Not Start: Terry Dean #47; R.J. Mayes #6m; Kaleb Trent #3; Clynis Phillips #77w

MINI STOCK (15 laps)

1) Brandon Johnson #B01; 2) Brad Dyer #D0; 3) Shawn Henry #0; 4) Nicholas Shelton #21; 5) Michael Jarnigan #2