5/18/2023
Tri-County Speedway
MAY 13TH NIGHT AT THE RACES
Bad news first. If you weren’t at Tri County on May 13th, you missed some of the best racing this area has seen in years. Now the good news. The CARS tour is going to put on a great show Saturday, May 27th.
Let’s recap now. The first race of the night was the Front Wheel Drives. This was a revamped schedule. Their treaded tires helped dry the track for the coming divisions. Scotty Gosnell (#24) had a fast lap in qualifying of 19.526. When the field gathered on the track for the start of the race, the top 6 qualifiers were inverted. This made Donny Holland (#10) the first to see the green flag wave. One caution was waved during the race. That was for Gosnell's blown engine on lap 21 in turn 3. A familiar face returned to victory lane at end of the race. James Powell (#27) won. Randy Hupp (#54H) finished second and Donny Holland rounded out the top 3.
Race #2 was the Renegade Division. Klint Townsend had the fastest qualifying lap with a time of 19.369. Inversion was the order of the day as the top 5 from qualifying were inverted. Michael Waldrop (#22) was the beneficiary of the invert and started first. The race was caution free. Townsend (#9) overcome the invert and claimed the win. Dalton Ledbedder (#32) was second. Steve Smart (#16) followed Ledbedder across the line in third.
Race #3 was the Outlaw Division. Their starting order was determined by a pill draw before the race. Sheflon Clay (#15) drew the pole position. There was some great racing during the race. One yellow flag was displayed and that was on lap 14. Austin Simmons (#7) suffered heavy damage when he spun and hit the wall on the backstretch. Once his car was removed from the track, there wasn’t another incident for the rest of the race. Tyler Church (#1X) was the winner. Sheflon Clay (#15) was second. Martin Nesbitt (#92) followed in third.
The first of the two Late Model races was race 4 on the night. Kade Brown (#23) set the time to beat in qualifying with a lap time of 15.692. That was good enough to claim the top spot. No inverts were issued for the race. Caution one was displayed on lap 8 when Mike Looney (#87) slowed on the track. Racing resumed in short order. However, a big pileup coming out of turn 4 resulted in caution #2 flying. The pileup involved the cars of Austin McDaniels (#12), Mitch Walker (#15), and Taylor Sadderfield (#40). The track was cleared and racing resumed. Kade Brown (#23) took home the first place trophy. Mike Looney (#87) recovered to finish second and Justin Carroll (#55) raced home to a third place finish.
The Limited Late Models rolled off for the 5th race of the night. Dennis Krantz Jr. (#1) set the fast time in qualifying with a lap time of 15.862. However, the top 8 were inverted for the start of the race. This placed William Aldred (#9) on the pole for the start of the race. One caution was waved on lap 3. Don Carlton (#14) spun and hit the wall in turn 3. Racing was fierce but no further cautions flew. Aldred (#9) took advantage of the invert and won. Ryan Joyner (#15) raced home second and was followed by Graham Hollar (#25) in third.
The 6th race was the Vintage Division. The familiar face of Eddie Gilbert (#95) had a fast time of 16.890. There were no inverts and no cautions. Gilbert (#95) came home the winner. Dennis Hinkle (#4) followed in second and Bob Wallace (#35) claimed third.
The Street Stock Division was race 7 on the night. Marlin Yoder (#08) was fast in qualifying with a lap speed of 17.049. However, he had to relinquish the #1 spot due to the top 8 being inverted. The race was run without incident. Jeff Melton (#49) barely held off the Gary Ledbedder (#32) car, who was a very close second. John Reynolds (#55) finished a close third.
The night’s finale was the second Late Model race. The finishing order from the first race served as the basis for the lineup in the second race. Then the top 6 were inverted. This placed Michael Faulk (#5) on the pole. The night’s only caution was on lap 13 when Eugene Norton (#27) spun coming off turn 4. The cars were 2 and 3 wide racing near the front of the field which made for an exciting race. When the checkers flew, Mike Looney (#87) claimed the win. It was his first ever visit to Tri County. Justin Carroll (#55) followed closely in second and Michael Faulk rounded out the top 3.
Thank you for your support and we trust you had a great time at the track tonight! We also trust you enjoyed the Great food at the concession stands. Tri County has the best burgers and bologna anywhere! See you Saturday, May 27th for the CARS Tour!
Article Credit: Debbie Setzer
Submitted By: Rhonda Higgins
