Stevens crowned ‘King of The Gap,’ with Sise, Stanton, Petty, Rader, Teffeteller also visiting victory lane at Volunteer Speedway

By Volunteer Speedway | 13 September 2020 | 2020 | | 0 Comments

Stevens crowned ‘King of The Gap,’ with Sise, Stanton, Petty, Rader, Teffeteller also visiting victory lane at Volunteer Speedway

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Sept. 12, 2020) — Saturday at Volunteer Speedway fans were treated to an outstanding night of racing with a total of 107 race cars packing the pits. It was time for the spotlight to be focused on the Classic division with running of the $1,200-to-win “King of The Gap” East Tennessee Classic Shootout.

John Stevens of Harlan, Kentucky, set fast-time at 15.973 seconds over the 24 Classic competitors timing-in. The Cars Etc. II Inc. Quick Six Dash determined the first six starting spots for the 25-lap main event, with Bobby Mays taking the win.

Mays and defending track champion Stevens battled for the lead over the opening couple of laps before Mays moved ahead, trailed by Stevens, Josh Chesney, Will Carey and Shaun Sise. Caution waved on lap 4 for an incident between turns three and four between Richie Overholser and Sarah Canning, ending the race for Canning who had qualified an impressive seventh.

Back under green Mays was showing the way out front, but just two laps back up to speed Stevens got loose racing off the fourth turn to allow Chesney to get past him and take the second spot. Mays began to put some distance between himself and those in pursuit as they jockeyed for real estate on the high banks back through the field involving Chesney, Stevens, Carey, Sise, Michael Millsap, Charles Bates, Jim Canning Jr., Eli Keck, Tim Bounds, Lee Merritt and Mark Sise.

Caution waved on lap 15 for debris on the track and unfortunately for Mays the restart changed the whole complexion of the race. As the green flag waved and Mays led the field off the fourth turn, at end of the front straightaway racing into the first turn Chesney got into Mays which allowed Stevens to make a move taking the lead.

Mays quickly caught back up to pull in behind Stevens, and over the final seven laps in the corners Mays looked underneath Stevens trying to get by him for the lead. But Stevens never missed a beat down the final stretch as he clicked off mistake-free laps to hold off Mays for the $1,200 victory and being crowned as “King of The Gap” for winning the East Tennessee Classic Shootout.

Behind winner Stevens and Mays, finishing third through fifth were Millsap, Chesney and Bounds. Completing the top 10 finishers were Sise, Carey, Keck, Canning and Bates.

Cameron Weaver set fast-time in Crate Late Model qualifying at 13.413 seconds, with Zach Sise of Knoxville second quickest at 13.538 to earn the outside front row starting berth for the 25-lap feature. Weaver and Sise raced side-by-side at drop of the green flag down the front straightaway into the first turn, with Sise using the high banking rim-riding up top to carry momentum off the second corner to pull ahead of Weaver.

Behind the front-running duo of Sise and Weaver, action was two- and three-wide back through the field involving Michael Bland, Ross White, Rusty Ballenger, Jason Welshan, Josh Collins, Josh Henry, Adam Ahl, Chris Coffey, Shannon Emery, Tim Maupin, Aaron Guinn, Terry Poore and others. White passed Bland for third on lap 16 and just one circuit later the event’s only caution waved when Austin Glass slowed to a stop high in turn four.

Off the ensuing double-file restart, Sise powered back out to the lead while Weaver and White raced side-by-side four laps before Weaver secured the second spot. Sise went on to record his second win of the season over Weaver, White, Bland and Ballenger. … Completing the top 10 finishers were Ahl, Henry, Welshan, Collins and Maupin.

With an impressive field of 31 Sportsman Late Models present, the fastest 18 from qualifying locked in and the remainder of the 24-car starting lineup was determined through a B-main. Adam Mitchell jumped out to lead on the start over Clyde Stanton, Warren McMahan, Austin Atkins and Mitchell Burke. Atkins quickly worked his way around McMahan for the third spot and Trevor Sise passed Burke for fifth just a couple of laps in.

Mitchell had his hands full with the hard-charging Stanton and with five laps to go Stanton was looking underneath the leader racing off the corners. On lap 17 racing down the backstretch into the third turn, Stanton drove to the inside to pass Mitchell. But as the duo raced down the front straightaway into the first turn beginning lap 18, Mitchell muscled his way to the inside of Stanton with a slide job to reclaim the lead.

But the “Mule Hollow Missle” Stanton was not going down without a fight, and on the final lap he shot to the inside of Mitchell entering the third turn. Stanton and Mitchell raced off the fourth turn side-by-side with Stanton, from Knoxville, edging Mitchell at the flag stand for his third win on the season. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Atkins, Sise and McMahan.

Veteran driver Gary Blanken was badly injured in a racing accident back in May at another track in East Tennessee and the 57-year-old was hopeful of making his return to racing a triumphant one. Blanken led the first 12 laps of the Modified Street race before slowing with mechanical issues between turns one and two to bring out the caution. Kaleb Trent moved to the point for the restart followed by Bobbie Petty, and Petty wasted no time in challenging for the lead. Looking for his first-ever win at “The Gap,” Petty made his move to the inside passing Trent on lap 15 racing into the first turn. Once out front there would be no looking back for Petty, from Tazewell, as he captured the victory over Trent, Lance Creasman, Landon Steele and John Grooms.

Wayne Rader, Rex Coffey and Tony Trent battled three-wide on occasion during the Street Stock feature but in the end there would be no denying Rader, from Parrottsville, his fourth win on the season. He was chased to the checkered flag by Coffey, Trent, Johnathan Miracle and Logan Cobb.

Darrell Teffeteller of Blaine captured his first-ever Front Wheel Drive win over Chris Robinson, Joey Knowles, James Ray and Scott Velez.

VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY — BULLS GAP, TN — SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 — RACE RESULTS

“KING OF THE GAP” EAST TENNESSEE CLASSIC SHOOTOUT (25 laps)

1. John Stevens #7
2. Bobby Mays #5
3. Michael Millsap #515
4. Josh Chesney #XXX
5. Tim Bounds #11
6. Shaun Sise #J16
7. Will Carey #16
8. Eli Keck #78
9. Jim Canning Jr. #31
10. Charles Bates #27
11. Lee Merritt #51
12. Mark Sise #35
13. Shane Taylor #37
14. Chris Worsham #18
15. Richie Overholser #88
16. Rusty Welch #17
17. Ethan Hanshard #22H
18. Jason Saylor #5
19. Jeff Mays #38
20. Bryan Williams #38W
21. Marcus Mays #12M
22. Sarah Canning #13
23. Chuck Kilian #96
24. Dylan Wolfe #23

CLASSIC – QUICK SIX DASH (6 laps)

1. Bobby Mays #5
2. John Stevens #7
3. Josh Chesney #XXX
4. Shaun Sise #J16
5. Will Carey #16
6. Michael Millsap #515

CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps)

1. Zach Sise #9
2. Cameron Weaver #16
3. Ross White #0
4. Michael Bland #2
5. Rusty Ballenger #29
6. Adam Ahl #7
7. Josh Henry #B00
8. Jason Welshan #01
9. Josh Collins #144
10. Tim Maupin #3
11. Shannon Emery #52
12. Chris Coffey #97
13. Terry Poore #2P
14. Aaron Guinn #97G
15. Taylor Coffman #30
16. Jacob Owens #8
17. Tyler Smith #32
18. Tommy Eastridge #37
19. Jerry Williams Jr. #28
20. Josh Fields #11
21. Austin Glass #34

SPORTSMAN LATE MODEL (20 laps)

1. Clyde Stanton #C11
2. Adam Mitchell #50
3. Austin Atkins #14
4. Trevor Sise #J16
5. Warren McMahan #33
6. Mitchell Burke #54
7. Chris Raines #00
8. Odie Overholt #14
9. Joe Bray #76
10. Troy Eads #52E
11. David Bullington #20
12.Vic Chandler #88
13. Dustin Ratliff #10
14. Nicholas Shelton #9
15. Kris Pauley #B54
16. Robbie Buchanan #13
17. Aaron Jones #7J
18. Richard Cox #28
19. Andy Wilder #24
20. Artie Larson #12
21. Harve Gregory #52
22. Ernie Stuart #31
23. Logan Seal #17
24. Jody Horton #56J

Did Not Make Field: Dylan Morgan #13, Mason Bare #24B, Danny Helton #29, Joshua Chesney #1, Colton Miller #10M, Conner Pate #13P, Lucas Fuller #77

MODIFIED STREET (20 laps)

1. Bobbie Petty #XP21
2. Kaleb Trent #3
3. Lance Creasman #C8
4. Landon Steele #S18
5. John Grooms #93
6. Floyd Self #03
7. Donovan Long #15
8. Jeffrey Wood #818
9. Gary Blanken #05
10. Austin Atkins #14
11. Tyler Haynes #21H
12. Logan Hickey #7

STREET STOCK (20 laps)

1. Wayne Rader #B01
2. Rex Coffey #3
3. Tony Trent #18
4. Johnathan Miracle #21
5. Logan Cobb #C4
6. Ivis Early #46
7. Sam Ferguson #1
8. Tony Grooms #99
9. Robert Jackson #64
10. Shawn Henry #7

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE (20 laps)

1. Darrell Teffeteller #72
2. Chris Robinson #74
3. Joey Knowles #07
4. James Ray #83
5. Scott Velez #44
6. Cody Bean #2
7. Hunter Shults #21
8. Casey Pittenturf #52
9. Scotty Gosnell #1

Stevens crowned ‘King of The Gap,’ with Sise, Stanton, Petty, Rader, Teffeteller also visiting victory lane at Volunteer Speedway

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