Sise, Horton, Clark, Stevens, Atkins, Newton visit victory lane at Volunteer Speedway

Sise, Horton, Clark, Stevens, Atkins, Newton visit victory lane at Volunteer Speedway

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (July 27, 2019) — Volunteer Speedway closed the month of July out Saturday night with another action-packed six division weekly racing program and a good grandstand crowd in attendance watching their favorite drivers battle on the high banks.

Former teammates Tim Byrd and Jensen Ford started the Crate Late Model feature from the front row after Byrd timed-in fastest of 18 competitors at 13.302 seconds and Ford was close behind at 13.336.

With flagman Zack Owen waving the green, Byrd and Ford raced side-by-side down the front straightaway into the first turn with neither driver giving an inch, making contact racing through the corners before Ford grabbed the lead down the backstretch. Byrd suddenly slowed with issues only six laps in and pulled into the pits.

Off the ensuing double-file restart, third-place starter Zach Sise of Knoxville and Jordon Horton got together between turns one and two to quickly see the yellow flag wave once again. Horton pulled into the pits ending his race, while Sise tagged on at the rear for the restart.

Back under green Ford was leading Anthony White, Tim Maupin, Chris Chandler and Heath Alvey. Ford looked strong and appeared to have the car to beat. However, a tough break for Ford on lap 14 when his car (hooked a rut) and bounced up in the air before making contact with the outside wall in turn two and bringing out the caution.

White led Maupin and Chandler going back green, and while Maupin and Chandler stayed close behind White, making a charge up through the field following his early-race incident, Sise was right in the mix running fourth with 5 laps remaining. He worked his way around Chandler and Maupin and set his sights ahead on White.

White was on the point racing into the third turn on the final lap, but coming off the fourth turn to the checkered flag White all at once slowed and Sise dropped to the inside to beat him by a couple of feet. Sise, who won the Sportsman Late Model track championship last year, captured his first-ever Crate Late Model victory over White, Maupin, Chandler and John Llewellyn.

Jody Horton of Sneedville set fast-time in Sportsman Late Model qualifying at 13:487 seconds and jumped out to the lead at start of the 25-lap feature over Brad Dyer, Chris Coffey, David Miley and Rex Coffey. Chris Coffey got around Dyer for the second spot on lap 4, with both Miley and Rex Coffey also working their way around Dyer over the next few circuits. With Horton showing the way out front seemingly in control, Miley and Rex Coffey advanced into second and third in the running order and were pressuring Horton with seven laps remaining. Racing into the first turn on lap 20, Rex Coffey drove to the inside of Miley and the two got together at exit of turn two and spun to bring the caution out. Off the restart Horton flexed his muscle and went on to capture his second straight win over Chris Coffey, Warren McMahan, Dyer and Chris Raines.

Michael Wood and David Clark of Tazewell led the Modified Street field to green from the front row with Clark quickly powering his way out into the lead over Wood and Shannon Emery. Emery dropped out with mechanical problems on lap 4. While Clark and Wood were pacing the action, behind them Nick Presley, Kaleb Trent, Lance Creasman, Dustin Ratliff and Wayne Rader were battling for position. After starting back in the pack, Rader was charging his way toward the front as he picked moved into third behind Clark and Wood at the halfway mark. Rader passed Wood with a few laps remaining, but Clark stayed out front to record his fifth victory of the season. … Clark won over Rader, Wood, Creasman and Ratliff.

John Stevens of Wallins Creek, Ky., knows his way to victory lane at “The Gap” as he entered the night’s racing having won five Classic features this season. Pole-sitter Will Carey battled with Stevens at start of the 20-lap race with Chris McKinney, Michael Millsap, Lee Merritt, Tim Bounds, Shaun Sise and Chuck Kilian jockeying for real estate behind the front-running duo. With Stevens taking the white flag leading, he had McKinney and Merritt both challenging him for the lead. As the trio raced off the fourth turn to the checkered flag, Stevens barely held on to captured his division-leading sixth victory over McKinney and Merritt, with Carey and Kilian rounding out the top five finishers.

Austin Atkins of Morristown battled at start of the Street Stock feature with David Kerr, but once Kerr dropped out Atkins engaged the cruise control until following a late-race restart he was pressured for the lead by Shawn Henry. But Atkins would not be denied his second win on the season as he held Henry off coming to the checkered flag, with Wendell Williams, Sam Ferguson and Alex Qualls rounding out the top five finishers.

Tommy Newton of Seymour grabbed the early lead away from fast qualifier John Byers and never looked back as he captured his second Mini Stock feature win of the season over Rodney Griffin, Chad Manning, Walter Walsh and Robert Fox.

VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY – BULLS GAP, TN – JULY 27, 2019 – RACE RESULTS

CRATE LATE MODEL (30 laps)

1. Zach Sise #9
2. Anthony White #2
3. Tim Maupin #3
4. Chris Chandler #8
5. John Llewellyn #2
6. Tim Sant #79
7. David Robbins #59
8. Kris Pauley #54
9. Heath Alvey #7
10. Jensen Ford #83
11. Jamie Stanley #5
12. Ricky Shelton #22
13. Tim Byrd #24
14. Cameron Skinner #33X
15. Taylor Coffman #30
16. Taran Hurst #22H
17. Jordon Horton #57
18. Rusty Ballenger #29

SPORTSMAN LATE MODEL (25 laps)

1. Jody Horton #56J
2. Chris Coffey #97
3. Warren McMahan #33
4. Brad Dyer #20
5. Chris Raines #00
6. Chris Long #75
7. Rex Coffey #3
8. Logan Seal #17
9. Floyd Self #3
10. Justin Talley #23
11. David Bullington #20B
12. David Miley #71
13. Jackie Yates #43
14. Kip Sawyer #44
15. Ernie Stuart #31
16. Mitchell Burke #54

Did Not Start: Brandon Miller #89, Adam Mitchell #50

MODIFIED STREET (20 laps)

1. David Clark #13
2. Wayne Rader #01
3. Michael Wood #66
4. Lance Creasman #C8
5. Dustin Ratliff #10
6. Landon Steele #S18
7. Nick Presley #69
8. Ryan Watson #11
9. Kaleb Trent #3
10. Bobby Petty #XP21
11. Shannon Emery #M2
12. John Grooms #93
13. Gary Blanken #B69

Did Not Start: Logan Hickey #1, Eric Hux #01H

CLASSIC (20 laps)

1. John Stevens #7
2. Chris McKinney #113
3. Lee Merritt #14
4. Will Carey #16
5. Chuck Kilian #96
6. Chad Manning #6
7. Nicholas King #66
8. Tim Bounds #11
9. Michael Millsap #515
10. Shaun Sise #J16
11. Jon Cook #38
12. Adam Ogle #26

STREET STOCK (20 laps)

1. Austin Atkins #14
2. Shawn Henry #25
3. Wendell Williams #71
4, Sam Ferguson #1
5. Alex Qualls #71Q
6. Dam Smith #05
7. Caleb Byrd #06
8. Coby Scott #4
9. Tony Trent #501
10. David Kerr #71K
11. Jason Rollins #012

MINI STOCK (20 laps)

1. Tommy Newton #T2
2. Rodney Griffin #97
3. Chad Manning #7up
4. Walter Walsh #3rd Man
5. Robert Fox #54
6. Tommy Cameron #44
7. Stephen Russell #77
8. John Byers #83
9. Greg Everhart #70
10. Mitchell Fox #1

Did Not Start: Tommy Mettler #44
 
Volunteer Speedway: 423-235-5020 www.VolunteerSpeedway.com
General Manager: 423-676-9080
Greg Harvey (Technical Inspection Director): 423-384-3511