Smith, Broyles capture Volunteer Speedway Pro Late Model victories

Smith, Broyles capture Volunteer Speedway Pro Late Model victories

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (June 2, 2012) — The calendar shows it’s the first weekend of June, but unseasonably cool temperatures around the East Tennessee region greeted race fans and competitors Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway for the weekly racing program. With twin features on tap for the headlining Fastrak Racing Series-sanctioned Pro (Crate) Late Model division, Mike Smith of Rogersville and Jerry Broyles of Jonesborough captured their first victories of the season.

In the first 20-lap event Smith grabbed the lead over Ricky Moore, Broyles, Tim Byrd and Greg Burchett. Tim Maupin got around Burchett for the fifth spot on lap 5 racing off the fourth turn. On a hooked up, tacky racing surface, Smith was setting sail out front driving his Vicars Construction/Quality Fasteners/GRT Race Cars/No. 4 Chevrolet Impala, pulling out to a 10 car-length advantage over Moore and Broyles 10 laps into the race. Broyles got around Moore for second on lap 11 racing off the second corner. But just five circuits later Broyles slowed on the backstretch and pulled down to the inside of the track with right-front suspension issues, thus moving Moore back into the second spot.

Smith, the 2006 Super Late Model track champion, recorded his first-ever Pro Late Model victory over Moore, Maupin, Byrd and Forrest Trent.

Finishing sixth through tenth were Burchett, Vic Chandler, Dale Ball, Brett Miller and Todd Brooks.

Jackie Hughes and Broyles led the field to green in the second feature, with Broyles quickly jumping into the lead. Hughes and Chandler tangled exiting the fourth turn on the first lap, forcing the rest of the field to take evasive action to avoid a major pileup on the front straightaway. Hughes got sideways as he tried reeling his mount back in, while Chandler bounced off the outside concrete wall, with Trent spinning his car down to the inside of the track to bring the caution out.

Broyles led Chandler and Brooks back to green on the restart. With Chandler having his hands full trying to manhandle his ailing ride, Brooks passed him to move into second place on lap 3 racing off the fourth turn, also bringing Smith along for the ride into the third spot. Chandler continued falling off the pace and pulled into the pits on lap 6.

Broyles, driving the Stars ‘N’ Stripes/In God We Trust/Envy Suspension/Steve Broyles Racing/No. 72 Chevrolet Impala, was on a rail riding out front in the lead while Brooks was feeling pressure from Smith for the second spot. Smith got around Brooks for the position on the eighth circuit racing off the fourth turn.

Working his way towards the front after starting deep in the field, Ball got around Byrd to move into fourth place on lap 12 and quickly closed to Brooks’ rear bumper. Ball passed Brooks for the third spot on lap 14 as they raced off the fourth turn.

While Broyles was on cruise control out front, all attention was focused on the battle for the runner-up position between Smith and Ball. Ball worked his way around Smith for second on lap 16 and he began trying to reel the leader in. Ball closed to within two car lengths as he and Broyles received the white flag, and racing off the fourth turn to the checkered flag Ball looked to the inside of Broyles. But Broyles held on the edge Ball for the victory, with Smith, Brooks and Miller rounding out the top-five.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Byrd, Moore, Trent, Burchett and Tyler Dixon.

Shannon Emery jumped out into the lead over Jamie Whitt and Chris Brady at start of the 25-lap Modified Hobby feature. Dale Reed got around Blake Kelley to move into fourth in the running order on lap 5 racing off turn two. With Emery showing the way out front over Whitt, Reed passed Brady for third on lap 11 as they raced off the fourth turn onto the front straightaway.

As the front-runners began approaching slower cars to place them a lap down, racing into the first turn on lap 13 Brady got trapped up in the high groove behind two cars ahead of him running side-by-side. Whitt made a bold move by diving to the inside making it three-wide between turns one and two, and racing off (turn) two down the backstretch he powered into the lead over Brady.

With Reed seeing the move Whitt made to take over the lead, he also seized the moment and got around Emery to move into second place as the leaders were working heavy lapped traffic. Caution waved on lap 19 when Kimberly Allen slowed to a stop high in the banking between turns three and four.

Going back green for a six lap sprint to the checkers, Whitt led Reed and Emery. Emery immediately mounted a challenge on Reed for the runner-up spot, and after racing a lap and a half door-to-door Emery completed the pass to move into second, setting his sights ahead on Whitt.

While Emery closed to the rear bumper of Wise, Va.’s Whitt, there would be no denying the 2010 and 2011 Modified Hobby track champion Whitt as he held on for his third feature win this season over Emery. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Kelley, Reed and Dennis Metcalf.

Stanley Donahoo of White Pine captured the Open Wheel Modified victory over Jeff Akard and Tony Spoon.

PRO LATE MODEL #1 (20 laps)

1) Mike Smith #4; 2) Ricky Moore #75; 3) Tim Maupin #T2; 4) Tim Byrd #24; 5) Forrest Trent #4Q; 6) Greg Burchett #5; 7) Vic Chandler #88; 8 ) Dale Ball #2; 9) Brett Miller #00; 10) Todd Brooks #T1; 11) Jackie Hughes #27; 12) Jerry Broyles #72; 13) Doug Price #p4; 14) Tyler Dixon #00; 15) Cody Brake #586 – Did Not Start: John Tweed #5

PRO LATE MODEL #2 (20 laps)

1) Jerry Broyles #72; 2) Dale Ball #2; 3) Mike Smith #4; 4) Todd Brooks #T1; 5) Brett Miller #00; 6) Tim Byrd #24; 7) Ricky Moore #75; 8 ) Forrest Trent #4Q; 9) Greg Burchett #5; 10) Tyler Dixon #00; 11) Jackie Hughes #27; 12) Doug Price #p4; 13) Vic Chandler #88 – Did Not Start: Tim Maupin #T2; Cody Brake #586; John Tweed #5

MODIFIED HOBBY (25 laps)

1) Jamie Whitt #1; 2) Shannon Emery #m2; 3) Blake Kelley #k5; 4) Dale Reed #52; 5) Dennis Metcalf #55; 6) Mike Kelley #8; 7) Charlie Bates #27; 8 ) Ray Jarnigan #77; 9) Tyler Smith #32; 10) Jesse Wilder #79; 11) Kaleb Trent #3; 12) Bo Smith #B2; 13) Chris Brady #70; 14) Kimberly Allen #15; 15) Shorty Ledford #41; 16) Ralph Kilian #95; 17) Todd Johnson #25; 18) Jason Long #15; 19) Landon Williams #25; 20) Terry Dean #47; 21) Stanley Webb #2 – Did Not Start: Chris Gregg #73; Mike Kilian #94

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED (10 laps)

1) Stanley Donahoo #00; 2) Jeff Akard #00; 3) Tony Spoon #07

Mike Smith of Rogersville, driving the Vicars Construction/Quality Fasteners/GRT Race Cars/No. 4 Chevrolet Impala, captured his first-ever Fastrak Racing Series-sanctioned Pro (Crate) Late Model feature win.

Jerry Broyles of Jonesborough, driving the Stars ‘N’ Stripes/In God We Trust/Envy Suspension/Steve Broyles Racing/No. 72 Chevrolet Impala, recorded his first Pro (Crate) Late Model victory of the season.

Jamie Whitt of Wise, Va., defending two-time Modified Hobby track champion, chauffeured the B&D Repair/Baldwin Filters/Iron Horse Race Cars/No. 1 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to his third feature win.

Stanley Donahoo of White Pine, driving the Performance Chassis/ProBuilt Race Engines/No. 00 ride visits victory lane for the first time in 2012 in Open Wheel Modified action.

Jerry Broyles (No. 72) and Ricky Moore (No. 75) battle for position during the Pro Late Model feature.

Dale Ball (No. 2) gets past Mike Smith (No. 4) for second place during the second Pro Late Model 20-lap feature.

Tim Maupin (No. T2) and Tim Byrd (No. 24) race side-by-side during the Pro Late Model feature.

Dale Ball (No. 2) and Todd Brooks (No. T1) race nose-to-tail during Pro Late Model feature.

Jamie Whitt (No. 1) and Shannon Emery (No. m2) battle for lead during Modified Hobby feature racing off turn two.

Blake Kelley (No. K5) and Dale Reed (No. 52) race hard for third place during Modified Hobby feature.

Landon Williams (No. 25), Jason Long (No. 15) and Terry Dean (No. 47) get together and wreck between turns one and two during the Modified Hobby feature.

Modified Hobby rookie competitors Brandon Jarnigan (No. 77) and Kimberly Allen (No. 15) race side-by-side.

Dennis Metcalf (No. 55) leads Mike Kelley (No. 8 ) racing off turn two during Modified Hobby feature.

Shannon Emery (No. m2) gets into the rear of Shorty Ledford (No. 41) racing off turn two during Modified Hobby feature.

The Modified Hobby field lines up for start of 25-lap feature.

A pair of “double oughts” in Stanley Donahoo on the inside and Jeff Akard outside during Open Wheel Modified race.