|
|
David Scott gets season's first win David Gets Season Opening Win Gastonia, NC (March 27, 2005) – David Scott picked up where he left off in 2004 by continuing his winning ways at Carolina Speedway Friday night. Team 65 came to the track ready to win and David did not disappoint. The new car looked terrific both on and off the track. The Lee Mintz powered, “Beauty” got off to a quick start in the qualifying heat, finishing second to veteran driver, Jerry Oliver in the X pinto.
Jerry Oliver X car David started outside on the second row in the feature and was in the lead after completing just one lap. He never looked back after that and went on for his first win of the season. The race was slowed by just a few caution flags with Greg Barker in the 88 getting the worst of it by not only getting some help spinning around but also having his hood fly open. Team 65 loves to mix it up with the AKW Electrical Toyota so we hope Greg’s luck gets better next week. Jerry Oliver finished second in the feature and filed a protest asking that the fuel in the 65 be tested. The TurboBlue fuel, which was purchased from John Page Racing, was found, as expected, to be legal. Mike Bates showed up with
a brand new 6 car that looked awesome. Mike finished third in the feature
after winning his heat race earlier in the evening. Mike is loaded for
bear this year and we look forward to some serious competition. Git
‘er Done, Mike.
Mike Bates 6 car A Week Of Highs And Lows Chester, SC (April 10, 2005) – After two frustrating weeks of rain cancelled events at Carolina Speedway Team 65 was fired up for opening night at I-77 Speedway in Chester on Saturday night, April 9th. The sun finally came out on Saturday afternoon and the team hit the road. Big thanks and congratulations must go out to the Mosely family for the work done at I-77 Speedway. “The Little Diamond Of The South” looked great! Team 65 pulled in hauling
two race cars. David’s new Stock 4, built just for I-77 Speedway,
would be hitting the track for the first time in competition. Right
from the start things didn’t go as planned. Electrical and mechanical
problems kept the car from getting to top speed. David started mid-pack
in his heat and pretty much stayed there.
Stock 4 heat lines up. Greg, AJ and James talk to David
Lining up for the feature event David discovered another electrical problem when the car would not start. Several attempts to get it going would not work. Push starts failed twice so Greg checked the battery and starter connections. After a few tense moments the car finally fired up and David joined the line up at the last minute.
Team 65 works on fixing the problem with the car. Unfortunately, the problem starting the car was just the beginning of trouble for David that night as the car was plagued with other failures throughout the race. No matter what the car would not come up to full speed and by the checkered flag the car was overheating, the fan was stopped and David limped home to a very respectable fourth place finish considering all of the trouble. Way to go David! We know that Lee Mintz powered Bruiser will be at the front real soon. In the Rookie 4 Division Greg had his own set of mixed emotions. The team was excited to see Greg and the car perform extremely well in the hot laps. Greg was really hauling around the track and the team was excited about his chances.
Greg takes some hot laps. Greg started on pole in his heat race and never looked back. Mr. Murphy gets his first win in a race and his family, friends and team could not be more proud of him. You would have thought he had just won the Daytona 500 but I guess that just shows how much he means to us all. Way to go Greg, Daddy, Baby, Dog, Bro. You’re the man!
A very happy and proud AJ Murphy carries his dad in celebration of a first win. The team was hoping for big things to come in the Rookie 4 feature. Unfortunately they did, but not in a good way. I think we all understand that this is the rookie division where drivers craft their driving skills. I also think we have all been around racing long enough to know that going three wide on the first lap is not necessary. Unfortunately, that was not the case in the rookie race as three wide did what three wide does, they wrecked. The result for Greg was a flat tire and a restart at the back of the pack. Not to be denied Greg came back all the way to fourth place and was hunting for more when another flag stopped his progress. He limped around for the final two laps and got a disappointing finish to a night that could have been so much more. We know that Greg will be in victory lane very soon with the Rookie 65. We will see you there!!
David wins second feature in a row at Carolina Gastonia, NC (April 15, 2005) – After being
denied two weeks in a row due to weather related cancellations David
Scott was not denied the winner's circle tonight at Carolina. Sunny
skies prevailed for the Carolina Clash events but the wind was strong
and the temperatures cold.
The Carolina Clash visited this weekend. David started the night off by handily winning his heat race, setting him up for a front row start in the feature. David lined up second next to Raymond Theiss in the 03 car. Theiss had won his heat earlier in the evening, earning the pole for the feature. After a couple of restarts due to spins in the back of the field the race got settled into some good racing. David held off a hard charging Theiss for the rest of the race, collecting his second win in as many starts this season. Jerry Oliver continued to run strong by finishing
third this week in the X with Mike Bates coming home fourth in the 6.
Wade Brandon took fifth place in the 90 followed by Robert Osborne,
Gary Goudelock, Chad Whitman, Dustin Thompson, and David Lucas rounding
out the top ten.
David Scott and Raymond Theiss on track. It was another good night for the Stock 4 field with 16 cars taking the green flag for the feature.
Busy pits for before Stock 4 racing. Pictured from the bottom: #5 – Scott Wray, #10X – Jeremy Jackson, #9 – Gary Goudelock, #TR1 – Chad Whitman, #X – Jerry Oliver Mixed Results Continue At I-77 Speedway Chester, SC (April 16, 2005) – Like the night before in Gastonia, the fans came out to a cold night of racing at the I-77 Speedway. After disappointing results last week David and Greg both came to Chester looking for better runs. Both drivers did everything but get out and push themselves around the track and did the best they could with what they had. David looked for better results out of “Bruiser”
after doing some engine work on the car this week but the power was
still not there. Just as he did the last week, David started fifth in
the feature and finished fourth. A solid top five run but a disappointment
to a driver that knows that the car is capable of winning. David said
after the race, "My feet are tired from peddling as fast as I could!"
Team 65 at I-77 Speedway. Greg also had high hopes for this weekend but an early crash in the feature collected Greg and caused heavy front-end damage. Some down and dirty repair work was quickly done by the crew and Greg restarted way at the back. By then Greg was pretty mad about the turn of events and came up through the field quickly to finish in the 8th position. Greg drove a hard fought race right to the end. Although disappointed at getting caught up in a wreck, Greg was still pretty excited about his run in the final laps of the race and so was the team.
Beautiful sunset at I-77 Speedway.
I-77 Speedway Weekly Recap (submitted this week by Sue Murphy) Chester, SC (April 23, 2005) – After several weeks of lackluster performance from the 65 car, David Scott finally hit on a combination that works. Right from the start “Bruiser” was competitive and up-to-speed. David started from third place in his heat and won a very exciting race. David and the team were very pleased to finally get a competitive performance out of “Bruiser” and racing up front for the win. The win in the heat gave David pole starting position for the feature. The Stock 4 Main was really good tonight with David taking off and leading a very hard charging Jerry Oliver in the 51. Last week’s winner Bryan Crook again had the Flyin’ 0 flying and managed to get past Oliver for second and set his sites on David in the 65. David was maintaining a good five-car length lead through several frustrating yellow flags and restarts. One final yellow came out with just one lap to go for a flat tire on Mike Bates’ 6 car. The yellow set up a green/white/checker last lap situation. When the green flag flew Crook drove it in deep going into turn two and David saw him beside him and backed off just enough to give the Flyin’ 0 racing room and prevent a crash. It was just enough to let the Flyin’ 0 get by. While disappointed not to get a win David was thrilled to be competitive and will be back next week for more of the same. Congratulations go out to Bryan Crook for another win at I-77 in the very fast Flyin’ 0. Following Crook and Scott was Jerry Oliver in third, Greg Barker in fourth and Benji Knight in fifth
In the rookie division Greg Murphy continued to slug away at it and was again derailed by a flat tire. Greg started 9th in his heat and finished a strong 4th. The heat race finished with a race back to the checkers following a caution for a wreck in turn two. Greg did some heads up driving avoiding more spinning cars to get his fourth place finish. Greg started the Main in the 8th position. First and second lap cautions moved Greg up to 4th when after the restart he got tapped from behind going down the backstretch, causing him to spin. The spin caused Greg to have his third flat tire in as many weeks. Greg’s time in the pits was hampered by difficulty negotiating around bystanders not paying attention and the wrecker being parked in his way. When he finally did make it to the pit a quick tire change (with BIG thanks going out to Benji Knight!!) got him back onto the track. With just two laps to go nothing motivates this rookie driver more than someone hitting him so Greg hit the track running. He managed to get up to 11th before the checkered flag. Great work again Greg! Another tough night in the rookie class where an amazing 22 cars showed up to compete. Neither Sam nor MacD were able to attend the race this week so there are no new photos to share Carolina Speedway Update – April 29, 2005 Gastonia, NC – The threat of yet another rain out did not deter the fans or the drivers from heading out to Carolina Speedway this Friday night. The Speedway hosted the Crate Models this week and it was good to see them put on a show. MacD loves the late models and would like to see Carolina add the crates back to the program. We love racing at Carolina but without Super Stock or Crates the four division night seems like something is missing. For tonight’s Crate Late Model race it looked like about fourteen cars showed up to run.
During the Crate main driver Brian Lear took a mean tumble as his late model took a nasty roll over between turns three and four. Brian got hooked up with Wesley Barrett in the 22 and flipped over hard. Brian came by after the wreck and told us he was fine…except for fuel in the hair he was feeling pretty good. Rooster Ghant and Chris Steele put on a great show for the top two positions in the Crate race with Ghant getting the victory and Steele coming in second.
Winner Rooster Ghant
Second place finisher Chris Steele
Timbo Mangum won again in the Street Stock main and Rob McLaughlin won the main in the IMCA Open Wheel race. Great job by both drivers! The Late Model race was dynamite this week. Hall of Fame veteran Mike Duvall and 2004 track champion Ron “The Bull” Parker put on a clinic on “How to drive your late model door to door”. These guys went at it lap after lap and had the fans and everyone in the pits cheering them on. In the end it was Parker that got the win with Duvall, the “Flintstone Flyer”, coming home in second. This is what racing is all about!!
Late Model runner up Mke Duvall. This week’s Stock 4 race was another great one. An amazing 27 cars showed up in the Stock 4 field this week. This set up for some big heat races and a full field for the Main. This week’s heats were won by Greg Barker in the 88 and Raymond Theiss in the 03. David captured second in the second heat and started the Main in 4th. The race was plagued with many caution flags as mid pack on back struggled to keep going causing numerous spins and crashes. Up at the front David quickly got to second place behind Greg Barker and fought him hard with side by side racing lap after lap. Each time David would get by or nearly get by another caution flag would reset the field for a restart. On the final lap David tried going around the outside of Barker going into turn three but crankshaft on the 65 broke. David cut the power off to save the motor and three cars got by him as he had to coast home to a fifth place finish. Greg Barker got a well deserved and much needed victory in the AKW Electrical 88 Toyota. After several disappointing weeks at Carolina it was great to see Greg back in victory lane. Some great runs were put in this week including Bryan Crook driving Don Denton’s #91 car instead of the Flyin’ 0. Crook did an amazing job in Don’s car coming home in second. Jerry Oliver remains consistent week in and week out with a third place showing this week in the X car. Fourth went to Dustin Sweatt in the S1. There was some question whether David had finished fourth or fifth but in the end it didn’t really matter. David already has a new crankshaft to go on the car and will be back next week ready to win.
I-77 Speedway Update – April 30, 2005 Chester, SC – For a change it was I-77 Speedway that had the threat of bad weather looming over the track this week. After heavy rain showers all morning the rain stopped around noon and the Moseley’s went to work to get the track in shape for racing. Because of the bad weather the crowd and the field of competitors were much smaller than in weeks past. All divisions got in their qualifying heat races and the Super Stock 4’s took to the track for their Main event. Bryan Crook led the field to the green in the Flyin’ 0 with Jerry Oliver starting second. The field did not make a lap before the caution flew. The result was a flat tire on the X car forcing Jerry Oliver to pit. David had come up to second place to challenge the Flyin’ 0 for the lead and did so lap after lap. These guys put on a great race, running door to door. Unfortunately, there were many caution flags during the race and this kept slowing the pace. With just a few laps to go the rain started to fall. The final few laps were run in the rain with Bryan Crook coming home with another victory in the Flyin’ 0 and David finishing a close second in the 65. Following Crook and Scott across the finish line were Benji Knight, Larry Parr and Josh Harwell. Jerry Oliver managed to get back to sixth at the checkers. The Street Stocks managed to get in their race before the rain took over. The win went to Donnie Adams in the 98, followed by Chris Head, Robbie Louthan, Mike Meser and Michael Miller rounding out the top five. Greg was one of the drivers “all strapped in with nowhere to go” as he was in the car ready to race when it was called due to the rain. All remaining Main event races were cancelled for the night. MacD was pleased to have friends from Myrtle Beach come visit I-77 Speedway for the first time this week. Beth and Jason Collins and their kids, Samantha and Adam braved the cold and the rain to see some racing. Hopefully they will return when the temperatures are warmer and the rain stays away! Spring Nationals at Carolina Gastonia, NC (May 5, 2005) – Carolina Speedway hosted the Spring Nationals races for the Stock 4 and Street Stock divisions this week. All divisions set up for their Main events with excellent heat racing this week. In the Main events we had some new winners and some familiar faces in Victory Lane. In the IMCA open wheel modified races first time winner Josh Wright (49) thrilled the crowd with a win in his heat and an even more impressive win in the Main. This is Josh’s first season in the IMCA division and he is shaping up to be a real threat week in and week out. Congratulations to Josh for an outstanding first win! Following Josh across the finish line were Rob McLaughlin (22), Josh Houton (16), Craig Smith (92) and 2004 Champion Jamie Kuntz (4). The Street Stocks were again dominated by Timbo Mangum (1) who won his heat race and the Main. The crowd was very pleased to see Brandy Baker (06) make the trip up from Lancaster Speedway this week. While the showdown for the “Timbo vs Brandy” race never materialized it was great to see Brandy here. Following Timbo in the top fiver were Ronald Pope (11), Brandy Baker (06), Tiger Miller (36) and Chris Stowe (52). The Late Model Main had a new winner this week too. Brandon Ifft, son of track owner David Ifft, got his first win of the season in the 27 car. Outstanding run Brandon!! Following Brandon in the top five were Buddy Smith (08), Robbie Bailey (72), Dick Schiltz (97) and Wayne Dellinger (03D). Once again the Stock 4 race this week was not without controversy. David had the 65 car running at top form again this week and another strong run was put in this week by Bryan Crook driving Don Denton’s #91. Like the week before, these drivers were chasing a very fast Greg Barker in the AKW Electrical 88. Barker was looking for two in a row. On the final lap of the Main Barker had the lead and David Scott was second. Crook was a close third and racing close with Scott when the cars touched, sending Scott spinning. Team 65 was disappointed when it looked like we had been taken out on the final lap of the race and was resigned to packing up to go home when we were notified by David Ifft and Carolina Speedway that we would be given back the second place finish for the race. We had not asked for this courtesy but were certainly pleased to get it. Apparently since the yellow came out on the last lap the Speedway chose to freeze the line up as of the last green flag lap, excluding Bryan Crook, who was faulted with causing the yellow. We did not know we were going to keep second place position until David returned to the pits following the race. Unfortunately, Bryan Crook was penalized for causing the spin and was disqualified. Bryan came to the Team 65 pit immediately upon returning to the pits and spoke directly with David Scott about what happened. Crook acknowledged that he caused the spin and the two drivers settled the situation between them. Week in and week out Bryan Crook has been a great and fair competitor at Carolina and at I-77 Speedway in Chester. There are some attendees at the track that wished to make what happened more than what it was, however, the two teams involved are satisfied that this is over and done. Greg Barker got his second win in a row. Way to go Barker!! David was credited with second place, giving third place to Sammy Carter in the 17S. Jerry Oliver finished fourth in the X and Eric Caskey finished fifth in the X1. Thoughts and prayers go out to Greg Barker and his family this week as the health of his father is not well. No new pictures this week as our two photographers were unable to attend. I-77 Update Chester, SC (May 6, 2005) – Most of Team 65 was unable to attend the show at I-77 this week, putting the burden of keeping tabs on what happened in all races on Sue Murphy. MacD has tried to piece together what happened from Sue’s notes but suffice to say that there was some great racing and we missed it!! Greg had a great night! The Rookie 4 class continues to have a LOT of cars show up every week, setting up some large field races. This has been resulting in a lot of caution flags. This was the case again this week in the heat races and the Main. Greg ran strong in his heat race and came through a last lap crash to finish first!! His second heat win this season. Way to go Greg! Unfortunately, he knocked the front end of the car loose trying to avoid the wrecking cars and had to send Sue scurrying around the pits looking for a welder and a saw. The team got the car put back together and Greg was able to start the Main. Henry Duffield had a dominating performance most of the night and came home with the win in the 92. Following Duffield were Jack Anderson (23), Gary Dillinger (18), Brad Williams (07), and Chris Loos (76) rounding out the top five. Greg finished a very respectable sixth out of 23 this week! Way to go Greg. The SS4 class was without David Scott this week as he took the week off to go to the Nextel Cup race in Darlington. Racing went on without him (imagine that!) with some rough and tumble racing. The win this week went to Benji Knight in the 45. Congratulations on a great win, Benji! Red Sides had his best finish of the year coming in second in the 44 followed by Kevin Garner (17A), Bill Hyatt (21) and Lane Small (32) and Josh Harwell (17X). After wrecking his primary car earlier in the evening Jerry Oliver took over driving the ME3 car and managed to pick up a seventh place finish. Dustin Sweatt (S1), Jesse Engel (4) and Robert Gregory (17) rounded out the top ten. Points leader Bryan Crook had mechanical troubles this week and was credited with finishing in the 11th position. The Late Models put on a great show again this week with points leader Buddy Smith getting the win. Buddy was followed by John Pursley (9), Brandon Ifft (27), Mike Huey (4), and Chad Paxton (72P). It was a great weekend for Brandon with a win Friday at Carolina and a top three at I-77. Sue commented on how amazing Pursley was coming from the back all the way to second. I wish I had seen that!! Robbie Aldridge continues to be very strong in the Super Stock (8) class week in and week out. Robbie got another win this week in the 63. He was followed in the top five by Wayne Bell (15), Mike Messer (68), Jeff Graves (Y44), and Tracy McLaughlin (80). These drivers put on a great race each week. Team 65 would love to see that Y44 in victory lane soon!! The Street Stock division was won by Darrell McLaughlin in the 08 car. Following McLaughlin in the top five was Chris Head (00x), Patrick O’Dell (26), Josh Grant (40) and Donnie Adams (98). Sue didn’t pay much attention to the Pure Street guys this week so you can check the I-77 Speedway website (www.i-77speedway.com) for further details. Neither of our photographers attended this week so there are no new pictures.
David
and Greg celebrate in the Winner's Circle.
David Wins Third Race Gastonia, NC (May 13, 2005) – Another great night of racing at Carolina Speedway resulted in the third win of the season for David Scott in the Stock 4 division Main. David drew last starting spot in the second heat so right from the start had to battle to the front. He got through traffic and won his heat, earning the outside pole starting spot. The first heat was won by Raymond Theiss in the black #03, giving him the pole in the Main. After several restarts due to caution flags on the first lap the guys finally got started and put on a great race. David jumped to the lead on the first lap and did not look back. It was not a runaway victory, however, as David was challenged by Theiss for several laps and then by the hard charging Greg Barker in the AKW Electrical Toyota #88. Barker got by Theiss and took over second position. The last two laps were run in heavy traffic giving the fans and Team 65 something to shout about. David and Barker put on a great race weaving through the slower traffic to get the checkered flag. David got the win with Greg Barker taking second, John Good in the red #03 third, followed by Theiss and Jerry Oliver in the X.
The Late Models put on a good show again this week with Chad Paxton getting his first win of the season in the Heintz Performance #72. Chad was not to be denied this week as he won his heat race and out ran the repeat winner Ron Parker (#8) for the feature win in the Main. Following Paxton and Parker in the top five were Wayne Dellinger (#03D), Pat Lindsay (#89) and Marty Reid (#54).
The IMCA open wheel modifieds had a great race this week with a surprise winner. Leader Jamie Kuntz blew up on the last lap making way for young Josh Houghton to get his first win. Josh was having a great night and put himself in the right place at the right time. Following Josh in the top fiver were John Gaynor (#99), Glenn Coe (#07), Rob McLaughlin (#22) and Craig Smith (#92).
The Street Stock race was a frustrating one this week. It was great to see veteran driver and one of Team 65’s favorites, Jeff Graves back in action. He and Ronald Pop (#11) put on a great race with lap after lap of side by side, door to door racing, Jeff took the checkered flag but the win was protested by Pope. Graves declined the protest and chose to not tear down his motor, which concedes the win to second place finisher Ronald Pope. Graves was credited with a DNF with Pope getting the win followed by Tiger Miller (#36), Ralph Wheeler (#16), Brian Austin (#49) and Jamie McCombs (#17).
Our photographer, Sam George was with us this week and took some fun shots around the track. A few are here and some more will be posted in the galleries. Feel free to stop Sam and ask for your picture to be taken and we will get it here on MacDRacingPartners.com. Sue was please this week as she finally got her Ron Parker diecast car. She bugged Ron to autograph it for her.
I-77 Speedway Results Chester, SC (May 14, 2005) – MacD missed another night of racing at I -77 Speedway this week due to other commitments. Those that went to the track Saturday night know that there was an incident during the Street Stock race that resulted in the owner/driver/dad Steve Caviness getting run down by another driver following a wreck involving his son. Due to that incident the results of that nights racing were unimportant and were not recorded. I-77 Speedway will post the results on their website this week. As far as Team 65, we went to the race and these are our results. SS4 – David Scott finished fourth
in the Main I am looking forward to returning to I-77
this weekend and hope that sanity returns as well.
We missed Maureen Caine this week. Maureen went to Illinois with our parents to visit our Auntie Wella who is very ill. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, Mom and Dad. Full Moon Takes Toll at I-77 Speedway Chester, SC (May 21, 2005) – The moon was full and tempers flared at I-77 Speedway this week. Confrontations took place on the track and in the pits, leaving fans and competitors wondering what in the world was going on. Luckily, there was also some excellent racing this week. I-77 ran the Country Omelet sponsored crate late model division this week, which brought the total number of divisions to seven. That’s a lot of racing in one night so we got an early start. David drew high this week and started in the back in his heat. He finished fourth, setting him up for an 8th place start in the Main for the Stock 4s. Greg started on pole in his heat and captured second, setting him in fourth for the Main in the Rookie 4 class. Before we got to the Main events there was some pretty exciting heat racing where tempers started to flare. Some close racing in the Stock 4 heat caught Larry Parr (#57) and Wes Rollings (#40) and sent them into the wall between turns one and two. Wes wound up rolling over, landing on his roof. Wes quickly climbed out of the car and oversaw the track crew get the car right sided up and on the hook. It was a pretty scary looking crash but Wes said later that he was fine.
Parr was unable to continue for the night. Wes and his crew managed to get the car put back together and started the Main. Unfortunately, he got caught up in another wreck and was credited with finishing last. It has been a tough couple of weeks for Wes. We hope his luck improves. In the Main, David started 8th and let the field sort out for a few laps before he started his move to the front. After four laps he was in third and looking for second. He fought door to door with Josh Harwell (#17X), Bryan Crook (Flyin’ 0) and Jerry Oliver (#X) to take the position. He was gaining on Benji Knight (#45) and Dustin Sweatt (#s1) when Sammy Carter (#17s) started coming up through the field after restarting at the back following a caution flag. David got by the s1 of Sweatt and was working on Benji Knight when Carter blast in from fourth place to pass Sweatt, Scott and the now slowing Knight. The crowd went nuts over the move and it earned Sammy Carter his first win of the year at I-77. David followed Sammy in second with Sweatt finishing third, Jerry Oliver fourth and Lane Small (#32) in fifth. Knight managed to finish 8th with a flat tire. Congratulations go out to Sammy Carter and SteveO on a very exciting win. SteveO has been working hard to get his team to the front and it is finally paying off.
In the Rookie 4 race Greg started fourth and was moving right along when the fifth and sixth place cars tangled behind him and just clipped him coming out of turn one. The result was yet another flat tire for Greg. He got to the pits in time to get the flat changed but had to restart the race in 19th. This is becoming all too familiar as Greg has had to fight flat tires and traffic week in and week out. With just a few laps remaining Greg got himself to a tenth place finish. This race was also a very exciting one with Lancaster regulars, Travis Payne (#29 – but taped to be the #6 this week) and Preston Schumann (#65s) taking the top two spots. The run put on by Schumann was awesome as he came from the back and picked them off one at a time. On the final lap he got three of them and raced to a career high second place finish that was a real crowd pleaser. Congratulations to Preston on his great run and to SteveO who had a great night with two of his team cars. Timbo Mangum (#1) had a great night coming to I-77 by capturing wins in the Street Stock and Super Stock races. In the Street Stock race Timbo was followed by Mike Harrington (#30), Mike Miller (#59), Donnie Adams (#98) and Mike Messer (#68). The Street Stock guys put on a great race this week with strong runs put in by sixth place finisher Chris Bell (#92), Michael Outlaw (#13) and Jonathan McGuire (#29). Following Timbo across the finish line in the Super Stock race was Mike Messer (#68), Steve Davis (#71), Joe Howie (#46) and Frankie McGuire (#58). The fifth place finish of McGuire was a result of a flat tire. McGuire, Messer and Mangum put on a great race at the front of the field but Frankie’s flat made him restart the race at the back of the field. He got up to fifth place at the checkers.
The late model race was dominated this week by John Pursley driving the Neal Racing #1. Pursley got out front early and was not seriously challenged by second place finisher Ron Parker (#8). Parker’s left front tire went flat with two laps to go but Parker ran with the flat and finished second anyway. Doug Sanders finished third driving Dennis “Rambo” Franklin’s #2 car. Mike Huey finished fourth in the #4 and Ray Dockery rounded out the top five in the #8D. The Country Omelet sponsored crate late model race had some exiting moments. Most notably was the bizarre incident involving driver Wesley Barrett (#22), who showed his dissatisfaction for a wreck with Trey Baucom (#93) by turning around in turn three during a caution, driving the wrong direction up the backstretch to intentionally run head on into Baucom. To add insult to injury, he backed up and did it again, resulting in Baucom’s car sitting on top of the #22. Mr. Barrett’s unsportsmanlike (an understatement) conduct was rewarded by him being ejected from the track for the evening. The Crate Main event was won by Rooster Ghant (#48), followed by Chris Steele (#2), John Kline (#69X), Johnny Pursley (#9) and Whitney Long (#45). Team 65 congratulates Rooster on another great win but was disappointed that Chris Steele did not win as he had promised to pay for breakfast at the Country Omelet if he had. To meet the midnight curfew the Pure Street race was shortened to just a few laps of green flag racing. Shorty Lacey got the win in the #38, followed by Rooster Outlaw (#13), Donnie Clark (#00), Jason Clinton (#7) and Rusty Whiting (#11). MacD Learns Valuable Lesson Myrtle Beach, SC (May 30, 2005) – After weeks of traveling for personal and business I was exhausted and decided to “sit out” a weekend at home in Myrtle Beach. I have missed a few races already this year due to schedule conflicts, work or travel to NARA or World of Outlaw Late Model races. This was the first time I decided to stay home just because I was not up to the trip. Team 65 showed me how wrong that decision was by sweeping the weekend wins. Because MacD was not there we don’t have any photos of the wins this weekend so we will be hunting down the track photographers for them next weekend. So how was Myrtle Beach this weekend? Hot with really heavy traffic. Who do you think had more fun?
David Wins Again at Carolina Gastonia, NC (May 27, 2005) – David Scott put on a dominating performance this past Friday at Carolina Speedway. David captured his heat win and started on the front row for the Main. David cruised to the win, his fourth of they season, followed by Jerry Oliver (X), Nicholas Norris (4), Wes Rollings (40) and Wade Brandon (90). David Gets Season’s First Win At I-77 Speedway Chester, SC (May 28, 2005) – After playing “follow the leader” at each of the races this year David would not be denied a much deserved win at I-77 Speedway this week. Like the night before at Carolina, David won his heat and took a front row starting spot in the Main. David captured the win, followed by Bryan Crook (Flyin’ 0) and Benji Knight (45). Celebrating had to be held off as the owners of the Flyin’ 0 were not fully convinced that the 65 was legal and filed a protest. After tearing the 65 down and finding the Lee Mintz powered, Country Omelet & macdracingpartners.com Mustang legal, the team was allowed to enjoy the win. Greg was preoccupied with helping David during the protest and opted not to run in his Main. We’ll see the Rookie 65 on the track next weekend. Thanks, Greg!! I-77 Speedway Results Chester, SC (June 4, 2005) – Another night of exciting racing took place tonight at the I-77 Speedway in Chester. After Carolina Speedway rained out the night before for the sixth time so far this season we were ready for some close racing action. Greg Murphy had a tough night in the rookie car. He drew last for his heat and finished outside the top five, putting him far in the back in the Main. Greg started in the 11th position and only improved to 10th when the checkered flag flew. Greg managed to avoid the wrecks and brought the 65 home in one piece. The rookie race was won by Henry Duffield; driving Tony Slack’s #6.
David got off to a much better start by winning his heat and taking pole position for the Main. David raced with Jerry Oliver in the X, who started outside pole. A quick moving Jason Dockey (8D) looked fast this week and moved toward the front. Also moving fast was Benji Knight in the 45. David took command of the lead for several laps and Knight got around Oliver and Dockery. A yellow flag brought the field together. Scott and Knight battled close for several laps. After another restart following a caution flag David retook the lead followed very closely by Knight. Going into the first turn Benji ran David hard and crunched in the left rear quarter panel. A yellow flag came out for another spin so David was able to get the track crew to pull out the fender that was rubbing the tire and restarted in the lead. On the restart Knight chased David down the front stretch and pushed hard on him entering turn one. This got the 65 loose enough for Knight to pass. For the remainder of the race Knight and Scott raced for first and second, with David racing Knight clean. At the checker it was Benji Knight taking the win with David Scott taking second. Bryan Crook finished a close third followed by Oliver and Dockery.
Congratulations to Donnie Adams (#98) for another win in the Street Stock division. Adams was moving fast tonight and looked great! Congratulations also go out to Chris Bell (#92) who had a strong second place finish. Buddy Smith (#08) won the Late Model race
followed by Ron Parker (#8), Mike Huey (#4), Daniel Tucker (#81) and
Walter Neil (#1). I had the opportunity to talk with Late Model driver
Trey Baucom (#93) this week. Trey is looking for a new motor with some
power. Find him at the track if you think you can help. It was nice
to meet you, Trey. Good Luck.
Robbie Aldridge (#63) was back this week in a big way and collected the win in the Super Stock race. Robbie was followed in second by Mike Messer (#68). I didn’t pay too much attention to the Pure Street guys this
week but did see that Rooster Outlaw (#13) won the race followed by
Kenneth Deese (#71).
Racing Results for Weekend of June 10, 2005 (MacD) Gastonia, SC (June 10, 2005) – The rain wins again. All racing was cancelled due to rain Chester, SC (June 11, 2005) – David Scott won his second Main event of the season at I-77 Speedway. David was strong right from the start after winning his heat. David was closely followed by Benji Knight and Bryan Crook in the Main, when Knight and Crook got by David and then crashed going into turn three. The result was Knight’s #45 flipping over the wall and landing outside of the speedway on the hill! A fight broke out that included Knight biting Crook and one of Crook’s crew members. Needless to say, neither Knight nor Crook finished the race, but David Scott did. For his efforts he won the race. Greg had a heartbreaker this weekend. He did fantastic in his heat race, winning in grand style. In the Main he held on to second until the white flag lap when Devon Herschel (41) and Chris Loos (76) tangled with Greg, resulting in a crash that tore up the 65. Greg limped home to an unlucky 13th place finish. I was out of town again this week so missed David collecting his second win at I-77 Speedway. I attended “The Dream” late model race at Eldora and had a blast with my nephew, Jason Lubin. I have added a new gallery link to the website. It will contain pictures I take at some of the big late model events I am going to this year. I am going to Bulls Gap and Cleveland, Tennessee and Rome, Georgia for some Southern All Star races and to big races at Batesville, Arkansas (The Topless 100), Knoxville Speedway (Iowa) (Late Model Nationals) and back to Eldora for The World 100. Maybe a few others here and there. I hope you enjoy the pics. Racing Results for Weekend of June 17, 2005 (MacD) Gastonia, NC (June 17, 2005) – Feature race Main events were unable to be run due to an electrical failure involving the front stretch lights. The feature races will be run on Friday, June 24th. Chester, SC (June 18, 2005) – There was another win for David Scott in the Super Stock 4 Division this week. This win makes it two wins in a row at I-77. David won his heat race and started on the outside pole. He led from the drop of the green flag and was only challenged by the visiting #208 car driven by Michael Boykin, who got past David with two laps to go. David challenged the win by filing a protest and the #208 declined to be torn down, relinquishing the win to David Scott and Team 65. Bryan Crook (Flyin’ 0) finished second, followed by Jerry Oliver (X), Jason Dockery (8D) and Kevin Garner (17A). Good things continued for Team 65 in the Rookie 4 Division where Greg Murphy started fifth and brought the car home with a strong run in 4th. Greg had the rookie 65 running really strong this week and the team was glad to put the wrecks and flat tires from the past few weeks behind us. Finishing ahead of Greg for the win was Chuck Levister (#C7), Tony Slack (6), Josh Duffield (#92) and Devon Herschell (#41). Team 65 was thrilled to see Ricky Taylor (#78) get a hard fought and much deserved win in the Street Stock race. Ricky was wearing a David Scott Team 65 shirt this week and we were cheering him on with pride. Way to go Ricky!! Following Ricky in second was Mike Messer (#68), Jonathan McGuire (#29), Darrell McLaughlin (08) and Gene Bennett (#00). The Super Stock race was won by Mike Messer (#68), followed by Joe Howie (#46), Frankie McGuire (#58), Rick Green (#48) and Marshall Queen (#13). This week was a heartbreaker for Robbie Aldridge who fought hard at the front of the pack until a flat tire put him to the back. He managed to rally to 8th by the drop of the checkered flag. The Pure Street guys struggled to run under the green flag this week. When it was finally over the win went to Rooster Outlaw in the #13, followed by Shortey Lacey (#38). These were the only two cars still running competitively at the checkers. Jason Clinton (#7) and Jeff Bell (#15) finished third and fourth respectively and James Davis (#H-5) rounded out the top five. The Late Model guys put on another good show with Mike Huey (#4) taking an early lead over Buddy Smith (#08) and Brandon Ifft (#27). Huey’s lead was cut short by a flat tire, sending him to the rear of the field. The win went to Buddy Smith followed by Brandon Ifft and then Huey, who managed to get all the way back to third at the end. Double Features Take Center Stage Gastonia, NC (June 24, 2005)
- The make up races from last week's cancelled The Stock 4 event make up event was first. David Scott started in the third position in the Country Omelet, Master Tire and Auto Centers, Royal Purple Motor Oil Mustang behind Jerry Oliver and Greg Barker in the AKW Electrical Toyota #88. David and Greg quickly passed Oliver who had mechanical woes all night long. Barker and Scott went first and second the whole race and crossed the finish line in that order. Congratulations to Greg Barker. Tonight's win was his 100th career victory. This weeks regular program did not start until just after 10:00 pm. It took two hours to run the five make up features from last week. David won his heat, setting him up to start from the pole in the Stock 4 Main. He was not to be denied the win in this one. He took the high groove and set sail driving a dynamite race with Greg Barker challenging him lap after lap. At the checkers it was David winning with Barker in second. Mock-a-Dew Mike Bates got a strong third place finish in the #6. With his fifth victory of the season David has tied his win total from all of last year at Carolina Speedway. Way to go Speed Racer. Combined with Jerry Oliver's mechanical woes and David's 1st and 2nd place finishes tonight the defending series champion jumps out to a commanding lead in the points. An excellent night for Team 65 and for the AKW team. Outstanding racing. We stayed through the end of the very exciting and emotionally charged Street Stock race but then gave out and headed for home. Our hearts go out to Jeff and Hope Graves who had a rough week and an awful night at the track. The race was won by Scott Freeman (#7) but Scott weighed in light at the scales and was disqualified. The victory was awared to second place finisher John Kline in the Miller's Auto Salvage #59. Ron, "The Bull", Parker won the regular program feature event in the Late Model Division. This after already winning the make up feature from last week. He wins the coveted "double header". Way to go Parker!! I was pleased to host Nicole Stonecypher and her boyfriend, Justin at the track tonight. Nicole is from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina's BLUE magazine and the team was pleased to have them there to see David win. It was their first time ever to a stock car race. The magazine is writing an article on MacD and Team 65. Thanks for coming Nicole and Justin! I-77 Speedway Results Chester, SC (June 25, 2005) - With the threat of rain all around teams and fans still showed up tonight and witnessed some great action...on and off the track! What a crazy night at I-77 Speedway. We managed to avoid the rain all night and completed a full program of racing. First, a big congratulations to Mike Huey in the McKenney Chevrolet #4 getting a very popular win in the Late Model Main. Mike is a Team 65 favorite so we were thrilled to see him take the checkers followed closely by Furman Parton (#6) and Buddy Smith (#08). Way to go HUEY!! Donnie Adams (#98) won the Street Stock race following many caution flags for spins and wrecks. Tempers flared following this race and track officials and the law had to step in to referee. Rusty Whiting (#11) won the Pure Street race, which as usual, was full of caution flags. I would love to see these guys go more than two or three laps under green! Warren Pettit (#06) won the Super Stock race followed closely by Mike Messer (#68). The Rookie 4 drivers did a little better this week with cautions. They probably only had half a dozen during their race. I have to admit I was watching Team 65 driver Greg Murphy come from the back several times to finish sixth. Greg started the Main in the seventh position but fell back after nearly spinning on several occasions. The race was won by Henry Duffield in the #92 followed by Michael Adams, who took over driving responsibilities in the Tony Slack #6. Now, the
Super Stock 4 race. David Scott won the second heat so he started on
the outside pole in the Main. The first heat was won by Michael Boykin
(#208), the Sumter Speedway regular returned to Chester this week to
vindicate elimination due to protest last weekend. Bryan Crook (Flyin'
0) started third and Benji Knight (#45) started fourth. Scott jumped
out to a quick lead with Boykin and Crook following. Knight had handling
problems and drifted toward the back but held on to fourth place. Following
a restart after a caution Knight pushed David pretty hard going into
turn one but David held on and resumed the lead. Bryan Crook took advantage
of the situation and passed Boykin for second. With just a few laps
to go the handle on the #65 started to go away and the battery was slowly
dying. Crook raced Scott clean for several excellent laps of racing
and Further back
in the pack Benji Knight had several bump and run incidents with Wes
Rollings (#40). With a history of bad blood between them this situation
turned ugly after the race. Young Mr. Knight drove his car to the Rollings
pit, jumped out of his car and proceeded to pummel Wes, who was trying
to get out of his car to defend himself. This caused the entire Knight
crew to come over to the Rollings pit, where much shouting, pushing
and shoving ensued. Wes and Benji went at it and went to the ground
fighting. Benji's dad and Wes's dad then also started fighting. The
brawl spilled over into the Team 65 pit and now endangered my team and
my family. Team 65 was trying to break up the fight and repeatedly asked
the Knight team to please return to their pit so that the fighting would
stop. I was not going to allow this to become a Team 65 issue and wanted
the track officials and the law to help us break it up, understand how
it started and to deal penalties as needed. After the teams finally
separated with help I am not sure of Benji's plans but hope that he is able to continue to improve as a driver and can put some effort into becoming a respected and trusted competitor on and off the track. We wish him luck wherever it is that he decides to compete in the future.
Clouds Clear for Win Number Six Gastonia, NC (July 1, 2005) – The threat of typical Carolina thunderstorms loomed all around Carolina Speedway this week as fans and race teams gathered for the weekly show. David Scott was looking to capture his sixth win of the season to surpass his win total of five from last year. David started last in his heat race but quickly moved to the front to take the win. This put him on the outside pole next to a very quick Robert Osborne in the Ozmas Motorsports F-150 #72. Robert captured his first race win by collecting the checkers in the first heat race of the night. The win was hugely popular with the fans and fellow competitors.
In the Stock 4 Main perennial front runner Greg Barker had to start near the back and had his work cut out for him to get to the front to race with Osborne and Scott. On the green flag David quickly moved to the front with Osborne following close behind. They ran first and second for the majority of the event with Barker moving up closer to the front lap after lap. With just one lap to go Barker and Osborne raced hard for second place with Barker finally passing Osborne coming out of turn two. At the checkered flag the win went to David Scott followed by Greg Barker and Robert Osborne.
Team 65 was pleased to have some friends join us at the track to enjoy their first dirt track stock car race. Tabatha Cribb and Glenda Carter made the long trip up from Myrtle Beach and they were not disappointed. They got to see MacD Racing Partners in victory lane and saw exciting racing in all racing divisions.
From the Penthouse to the Outhouse Chester, SC (July 2, 2005) – The popular bad luck phrase, “from the penthouse to the outhouse” certainly applied to Team 65’s fortunes on this fateful night at I-77 Speedway. As with the night before at Carolina Speedway, the threat of bad weather did not dampen the spirits of the race teams or the fans. The 24-lap, $1,000 to win Super Stock 4 “Country Omelet Special” was run and the locals and many outsiders gathered at the track under threatening skies and high temperatures.
Team 65 and MacD Racing Partners were celebrating the 80th birthday of the original MacD, our dad, Maurice “Mac” MacDougal. Dad and brother Mike MacDougal came to cheer Team 65 on from the stands.
The night started off right with Greg Murphy looking strong in the #65 Rookie car during hot laps and his heat, where he finished third. David looked equally impressive during hot laps and that was proven to be true as he broke the track qualifying record during time trials. Unfortunately, it was short lived as outsider Russell Williford (#1) followed behind David to break that record by one tenth of one percent. This put David on the outside pole for the big race of the night.
That was the end of all things good for the night. On lap one of the Rookie 4 main event Greg started inside row three. At the green flag the car in front of Greg, the #72 of Jennifer Petrea, got a very slow start and the whole row behind her got bottled up. Greg attempted a move to the inside to avoid the Petrea car but she also moved to the inside. Just then the car behind Greg, Manley Chaney #2C, had nowhere to go and bumped Greg at nearly full speed. The resulting crash sent Greg into the inside retaining wall head-on at nearly full throttle. The #65 hit with such impact that the car became air born and the roof of the car was visible in the pits. Thankfully the car landed right side up. Greg climbed from the car dejected and angry, but okay. The car, unfortunately, was not.
Fortunes continued to go sour. During the lineup for the Country Omelet Super Stock 4 race David could not get started. The engine sounded awful and something was very, very wrong. He got a push back into the pits and the team surveyed the motor to determine what was causing the misfire. Unfortunately, the cause was determined to be a non-repairable broken rocker arm, which would sideline the #65 for the rest of the night.
We were disappointed not to be able to participate in our own sponsor’s race. For that’s night event David had prepared a special Country Omelet hood on the #65.
The Country Omelet sponsored race went on without Team 65 and was won by fast qualifier, Russell Williford, who led the entire race from green flag to checker. Congratulations to Bryan Crook in the Flyin’ 0 for finishing in third place, the highest placing I-77 Speedway regular. Team 65 hopes to reverse this bad luck this coming weekend. The crew started to work on the damaged rookie car over the weekend and work will continue throughout the week. Good luck, guys! Team 65 had the pleasure of parking next to the Rooster Ghant (#48) team this week. With temperatures in the 90’s the team was very grateful to Rooster for sharing his big electric fan!
Also pitting with the team this week was one of our favorite drivers from Lancaster Speedway, Pure Street driver Len Mullis. Len looked great out there this week and led the Pure Street Main right up to the fourth turn of the last lap of the race when he got over taken. He managed to get a good third place finish. We hope to see Len again soon.
|
Season's 7th Win at Carolina Gastonia, NC (July 8, 2005) – A beautiful and warm evening set the stage for another round of racing at Carolina Speedway this week. David Scott was looking for three wins in a row to bring his season win total to seven. David started inside the second row in the Main after finishing second in his heat to winner, Damon Crump (#70). When the green flag flew Crump jumped out to a quick lead and David followed. For the first time all season the Stock 4 guys went green flag to checkered flag without a caution. Crump maintained a several car length distance on David throughout the race and Scott was only able to gain on him in lapped traffic. At the checkered flag Damon Crump finished first, then David and then Dustin Sweatt (#S1). David Scott protested the Crump car, questioning the legality of several key racing parts. The Crump team opted not to contest the protest and was disqualified, conceding the win to David Scott. This moved Dustin Sweatt up to second place and Jerry Oliver (#51) to third. Wade Brandon (#90) and Mike Bates (#6) rounded out the top five.
In the Street Stock race Frankie McGuire (#29) won his second in a row, beating points leader and front runner Ronald Pope (#11) and Ralph Wheeler (#16).
One of the best races of the night was put on by the IMCA Open Wheel Modifieds. These guys mix it up every week and this week the top guy was Richard Clew (#F5). Clew jumped to an early lead and was not going to be denied the win. He was chased lap after lap, including numerous restarts following caution flags, by the rest of the field. At the checkered flag it was Clew, followed by Rob McLaughlin (#22), Josh Wright (#49), Jamie Kuntz (#4) and Eric Thompson (#17).
Rooster Ghant (#48) was declared the winner of the Crate Late Model race after race winner Tony Farris (#1) weighed in too light at the scales. A disappointed Farris made several attempts at the scales but could not meet minimum weight and was disqualified. This was a heartbreaker as tonight was the best the Farris team had run all year. Following Ghant were Jay Sessoms (#84) and Scott Gordon (#06).
Dennis “Rambo” Franklin (#2) made an appearance at Carolina Speedway this week and walked away with the win in the Late Model division. Rambo’s car won last week with Billy Thompson at the wheel. This week Rambo drove the car to victory lane himself. Following Rambo was points leader Ron Parker (#8), Brandon Ifft (#27), Tim Allen (#17) and Marty Reid (#54).
It was a great night of racing with the whole program completed shortly after 10:00 p.m!! Solid Finishes and Nothing Broken Chester, SC (July 9, 2005) – Following a disastrous weekend for Team 65 last week we were hoping to end the night if not with a win then with solid finishes and race cars that were not broken. While we didn’t win this week at I-77 Speedway we were happy to go home with what we got and to have both cars still together and not wrecked.
Greg, David and James worked hard all week to repair the heavily damaged rookie 65 car. There were doubts following the crash last week that the car could be repaired, however, these guys worked hard all week and on Saturday evening the car rolled out onto the track ready to race. Greg took some extra hot laps early with the Stock 4 group and the car looked and felt solid. It was pretty cool to see both of the 65s out on the track at the same time taking hot laps.
Greg showed everyone just how good the rookie car was by winning his heat race. The team was ecstatic to not only have the car back in working order, but in winning order. Greg started on pole in the Rookie Main. On the first lap several cars got by Greg but he held on and got in line. At the checkered flag Greg came across in fifth to the relief of Sue and the whole team. The race was won by Henry Duffield (#92), followed by Michael Adams (#6), Chuck Levister (#C7) and Jennifer Petrea (#72). In the Stock
4 Division David also got off to a great start by winning his heat race.
This set him up to start on the pole in the Main. All night long the
drivers had to contend with a torn up section of Turn 1. A water leak
the night before had caused water to run across the track and created
a big hole. The track crew filled it and rolled it in but the force
of the sliding race cars got to it and it eventually became a pretty
big mess. Many cars hit that hole during the racing events often sending
them bouncing out of control.
David knew that hole was there and for many laps of the Main he used it to his advantage by staying low and not giving a very fast Bryan Crook (Flyin’ 0) any racing room. With three laps to go David slid up higher in turn one than he wanted and hit the hole, getting the 65 loose enough so that he lifted off the gas. That was all Crook needed as he finally got position under David and had the momentum to get by. David was unable to catch the Flyin’ 0 in the next two laps so the win went to Crook, followed by David Scott, Russell Williford (#1), Tack Brown (#4) and Wes Rollings (#40).
Gastonia, NC (July 15, 2005) & Chester, SC (July 16, 2005) – I apologize for the delay updating the news and website this week. That did not mean that a lot of racing didn’t take place this past weekend. We started off at Carolina Speedway on Friday night where several unusual things took place. First, because David Scott had won three features in a row he was relegated to start the feature race at the rear of the field. David did so in good spirits but knew it would be a challenge considering there were 18 Stock 4s in the house.
David passed on even running in the heat races so sat it out and watched the other guys go at it. Another unusual event this
week was that Greg Murphy decided to bring the Rookie car he runs at
I-77 Speedway to Carolina. The initial idea was just to give it a run,
do some laps and have some fun. After getting out on the track, however,
Greg opted to run the heats and the Main. This put him in the same Main
event with David – a first for Team 65. Greg ran the number 65M
for this race.
Greg opted to also start at the rear of the field in the main with a goal to complete the race, keep the car in one piece and have some fun. David, of course, did not want to hold back and right from the drop of the green flag started moving toward the front. Unfortunately he was met with nothing but frustration. He got up to sixth place on two different occasions but lost the handle on the car and nearly spun both times. That meant a restart from the back each time. With just two laps to go the temperature on the car was hovering at 250 degrees and he was still at the back of the pack. He decided to end the race and pit early to save the motor. He was credited with finishing twelfth. This was David’s first finish outside the top five all season and it ended a very frustrating night for him. Greg, on the other hand, moved through the field and kept out of trouble. He captured his first top ten finish in the Stock 4 division by taking ninth place. It is a good start for Greg and Team 65 is extremely proud of his effort. Due to a series of bad luck and mishaps by some of the top drivers, Greg managed to finish ahead of David Scott, Dustin Sweatt and Jerry Oliver as all finished behind him. Way to go Greg! I didn’t attend the racing event at I-77 Speedway this week because I traveled to Cleveland, TN and Rome, GA to watch a couple of O’Reilly Southern All Star racing events. The team kept me informed of all that was happening at Chester and, as usual, made me miss it pretty bad. It was made worse by rain falling on the Cleveland race, causing it to be cancelled. I was sitting in pouring down rain in Tennessee while Team 65 was on the track back in SC. Sigh… David Scott had trouble in his heat and found the wall. The wreck broke a strut that required some repair to make the car drivable for the Main. David managed a strong fourth place finish even with the repairs. Great job, David! The race was won by Bryan Crook (Flyin’ 0), followed by Robert Baldwin in Russell Williford’s ride (#1) and Slammin’ Sammy Carter (#17s) rounding out the top three. Mr. Murphy was still riding high from his fun over at Carolina on Friday night and promptly won his heat race (again!) and captured a season high third place finish in the Rookie 4 Main. This was another strong week for Greg as his good finishes are moving him back up in the points, where he currently sits third in a field that often runs over 20 cars. There are no pictures from I-77 this week. The Rain Wins Again Gastonia,
NC (July 22, 2005) – Despite efforts by David Ifft and crew heavy
thunderstorms washed out all of the racing at Carolina Speedway this
past Friday.
David Scott Gets Season’s Fourth Win at I-77 Chester, SC (July 23, 2005) – Another hot summer night filled with racing this past Saturday saw Team 65 back in Victory Lane as David Scott captured his fourth win of the season. All of the
divisions had big car counts this week, making for great racing all
around. David captured fourth place in his heat and lined up in the
same position for the Main, behind Bryan Crook (Flyin’ 0), Jerry
Oliver (#51) and Sammy Carter (#17s). Jerry Oliver got a quick jump
on the field and quickly took the lead with David falling in right behind
him. The track was rough in the turns again this week and the racing
grooves were either very high or very low. Crook and Carter took the
low groove and Oliver and Scott went high. David worked hard to pass
Oliver for many laps and was unlikely to catch Jerry, who was really
fast this week, until with just three laps to go Oliver moved to the
center groove going into turn one and hit the big pot hole. His car
got sideways in front of Scott and Crook, Scott was moved high and just
bumped the rear quarter panel of the sideways Oliver. Scott continued
on, taking the lead. Crook had just enough time to scrape by but that
allowed a quick moving Sammy Carter to take advantage and pass him for
second. Oliver recovered but was now at the back of the pack. At the
checkered flag it was David Scott, Sammy Carter and Bryan Crook taking
the top three.
There were hard feelings about David bumping Jerry Oliver but this was a racing accident and was not intentional. David has raced against Jerry for years and both are good, clean drivers. Had Jerry not been sideways in front of David this accident would not have happened and Jerry would likely have earned a well deserved win. Unfortunately, a protest
was filed against David Scott, claiming illegal fuel. The protest was
filed on behalf of the second place car, Sammy Carter, but was presented
by Vernon Skidmore of the Oliver car. Mr. Skidmore protested the fuel
in the 65, which upon inspection was found to be perfectly legal. We
purchased our fuel directly from John Page Racing, just like everyone
else. This is the second time this season our fuel has been protested,
on top of the two or three times our motor has been torn down. All of
which found the #65 to be legal. David is a veteran driver behind the
wheel of good equipment. While we hate the pain of having to tear down,
we enjoy the extra payoff we get from winning.
Greg Murphy’s good luck and momentum kept up this week. Greg started fourth in the Main and fell back a few positions to finish in 7th. While this is a drop from his last couple of finishes it was still a great run.
Just a quick note on the finishes of some friends of Team 65. Pure Street driver Len Mullis (#7) had a great run this week bringing home second place in the Main. Those Pure Street guys put on a wild race this week and Len was in the right place at the right time to get a great top three finish. Way to go Len! In the Street Stock race, our pit neighbor Chris Bell had a good run with a win in his heat and a third place finish in the Main. Chris is headed for the Beach this weekend for some R & R so maybe a win for him will here when he gets back!
It was great to finally meet John Godwin this week. John’s son, Kevin, drives the G2 Late Model. Good luck Kevin and thank you, John for all of the help you give to David Scott and Team 65!
The Rain Wins Again Gastonia,
NC (July 22, 2005) – Despite efforts by David Ifft and crew heavy
thunderstorms washed out all of the racing at Carolina Speedway this
past Friday.
The Rain cancels all racing this past weekend! Gastonia, NC (July 29, 2005) and Chester, SC (July 30, 2005) – Heavy thunderstorms caused the cancellation of racing at Carolina Speedway and I-77 Speedway this week. I was pleased to have folks from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of SC with us in the pits this week. Laurie Held and her family, husband Ron, and sons, Mitchell and Henry along with BCBS photographer Greg Martin were on hand to document our activities. I, along with the team, will be featured in an upcoming edition of BCBSSC’s Blue Magazine. Unfortunately they got to witness their first “rain out” along with their first time to the track. Better luck next week! Rotten Weekend Starts at Carolina Speedway Gastonia, NC (August 5, 2005) – Things went from bad to worse for Team 65 this weekend, starting with the event held Friday night, August 5th. David started 9th in his heat and had a long way to go to get to the front. It was Kid’s Night at Carolina Speedway and MacD Racing Partners was a t-shirt sponsor. David participated in the driver autograph session and autographed a lot of t-shirts. The race nearly started without David as he had to get back from the stands in time to get strapped in and ready to race and he almost missed the green flag. David moved toward the front pretty quickly. The car was running hot and as the laps wound down the temperature rose from 260 degrees to nearly 300. Going into the last lap David entered turn three just as the face guard on his helmet came loose, blocking his vision. It caused him to go into the turn too hard and he hit the second place running car, Greg Carroll (#11) causing Carroll to spin. Carroll had been involved in an outstanding race with Jerry Oliver (#51) right from the start of the race. The officials gave Greg Carroll back his second place finish and the win went to Jerry Oliver. David was determined to be the cause of the caution flag and was credited with a finish at the back of the pack. Jerry Oliver has been at or near the front most of the season and this was a long overdue win for Jerry and the Skidmore Motorsports team. David accepted responsibility for causing
the crash and quickly apologized to Greg Carroll for what happened.
Even though it was not intentional it did ruin Carroll’s chance
to make a final run at Oliver for a possible win. Lousy Weekend, Part II Chester, SC (August 6, 2005) – With rain falling all afternoon we were sure that racing would be cancelled. Of course, the rains cleared and we then scrambled to get to the track on time. For the luck we had, we would have been better off with the rain. David started well by winning his heat and starting the Main on the pole. Bryan Crook (Flyin’ 0) started outside pole and quickly jumped to the lead. David followed him in second until two laps to go when a quick driving Jerry Oliver (#51) caught him in turn two and took over second position. David crossed the finish line in third. Jerry was very quick again tonight and with a few more laps may have been a threat for the win. At the scales the fourth place car, the SteveO Newsome owned #17s, driven by Sammy Carter, filed a protest against the brakes on the #65. At first we were not concerned since the brakes were built following the rules published by I-77 Speedway and confirmed by Technical Director Doug Ghant in a phone call at the beginning of the season. David had placed a phone call to Doug when building our cars because we built two cars for I-77 Speedway this year and wanted to be sure that we followed the rules. The rules for the Rookie division don’t have detail on brakes so David called for clarification. At that time he asked about the SS4 rules since the rule says “stock types, no aluminum” but does not say “4-wheel” brakes. David carefully checked on the rules for some of the other divisions and they did state that “4-wheel” brakes were required. The rules for the Modified or Super Stock 4 brakes just say “stock” and do not specify “4-wheel”. This is what prompted David’s call to Doug prior to the start of the season. Our interpretation of this rule meant that “4-wheel” brakes did not apply to the Modified 4 cars since, unlike the clarifying statement printed in the rules for some of the other divisions, it was absent from this rule. Whether it was a misunderstanding on our part or Doug’s, the fact remains that we understood that the Super Stock 4 rules did not require “4-wheel” brakes so we removed the calipers on the right front. On Saturday, Doug clarified that although you don’t need to use or connect the brake, it must be physically installed on all four wheels. Since you don’t need to connect it (and we wouldn’t) the car runs the same with or without it, but based on this rule we were not in compliance and accepted the disqualification. David will reinstall the brake he took off. We are asking the track to clarify their rule so that it clearly states that the “4-wheel” requirement also applies to the Super Stock 4 division. Greg didn’t do well in his efforts either. He finished fourth in his heat and started 8th in the Main. Just a few laps into the race the fifth and sixth place cars wrecked in turn two collecting several cars following close behind. Greg almost cleared the incident but was caught in the left rear sending him into a spin. The damage to the #65 was extensive and even though he tried to return to the race the car was not race worthy and was parked. We can only improve up on this lousy weekend so we look forward to returning next weekend for better results. Weekend Results
Gastonia, NC (August 12, 2005) – Following a disastrous couple of weeks, Team 65 was ready to run for the win and David Scott did not disappoint. David was quick right from the start and won his heat race to start the Main on the pole. Greg Barker (#88) was also very strong this week and won his heat race to start outside pole. Scott and Barker battled for the lead with David holding down the top spot following several restarts following stops for caution flags. The final six laps went green so the field was able to spread out. Unfortunately, the slower cars in the field were much slower than the leader. Going into the white flag lap Scott and Barker caught up to the tail end of the field going into turn four. Just then the two guys battling for last place crashed right in front of the leaders. Scott went high and Barker went low. The crashing cars collected Barker and he was done and unable to finish. Scott got around the wreck and went on for the win. His eighth win of the season at Carolina.
Coming across in second place was Dustin Sweatt (s1), who came from deep in the field. Third was John Good (#03) with Jerry Oliver (#51) coming in fourth.
Congratulations go out to Mike Duvall, who collected is 1,007th career victory this week with his win at Carolina.
Chester, SC (August 13, 2005) – Weather got the best of us this week at I-77 Speedway as the rains came and none of the feature events were run.
Team 65 sported some new decals this week, testifying that we have, indeed, fixed the brake issue that got us disqualified last week. Even Chris Bell (#92) got in on the fun.
Weekend Results Gastonia, NC (August 19, 2005) - Due to the 33rd running of the Shrine race at Carolina Speedway on August 17th, the weekly Friday racing events were cancelled this week. Chester, SC (August 20, 2005) - Just a short update on racing results this week. In the Super Stock 4 race David started 4th in the Main and finished 3rd. Due to the large car count in the Rookie 4 division this week two Main events were run. Greg drew to start at the back in the second Main. A lap one wreck caught the rookie 65 and it resulted in a failed ignition that would not restart the car. Greg parked it and was credited with a 12th place finish.
MacD
Gastonia, NC (August 26, 2005) – After taking a week off due to the Shriner’s race, Team 65 was back at Carolina looking for a win. David Scott was ready to race and he quickly showed everyone that he was very fast, right from the start. David won his heat and lined up outside the front row in the Main. He took the lead going into turn one on the first lap and led for the remainder of the race, picking up his 9th win of the season at Carolina Speedway. Combined with his four wins this year at I-77 Speedway this has become the most winning season in David’s racing career. Jerry Oliver (#51) picked up second place, followed by Wade Brandon (#90), Robert Osborne (#72) and Jonathan Surratt (#3) rounding out the top five. The first heat race in the Stock 4 division had trouble getting under way. The track was not completely rolled in and there were some very wet spots. On lap one there was a pile up with just about every car in the field involved. Bob Hill (#33) got the worst of it and was unable to return to the track for the rest of the night.
Congratulations go out to Jeff Graves who picked up a very popular win in the Street Stock division. Jeff has had some bad luck this season but on this night “Old Yella” got the job done.
This week MacD Racing Partners extended some sponsorship money to our favorite IMCA open wheel modified driver, Josh Wright (#49). Josh has impressed us and entertained us all season with his excellent driving skills. Josh is sure to become a superstar at the rate he is going and we are very pleased to help him out. Josh will be competing in the IMCA Super Nationals out in Iowa the first week of September and we wish him the best of luck.
To get things started, Josh treated everyone to another victory in the IMCA Open Wheel Main event this week. Way to go Josh. Check out Josh’s new webpage for more information about this great, up and coming driver at www.joshwrightracing.com.
Chester, SC (August 27, 2005) – It was a frustrating night of racing at the I-77 Speedway this Saturday night. In the Super Stock 4 event David started in 4th. Unfortunately, the SS4 race was plagued with caution fever and the field took five tries just to complete the first lap without a caution. The event took so long that the track only let them run five green flag laps and then put out the checkered flag. David managed to move up just one spot in the five green flag laps run. The race was won by the nearly unbeatable Bryan Crook in the Flyin’ 0. Greg looked to fare much better in the Rookie 4 division this week. On the final lap of his heat Greg was in second place in turn two when he got knocked in the rear quarter panel by Chuck Levister (c7), who then got bumped by Michael Adams (#6). Greg was unfairly scored with causing this wreck and was given 9th finishing position. We were parked between turns one and two and this wreck took place right in front of us. Greg was clearly not at fault in this spin and should have been given second place finish. Greg and I attempted to get this corrected but it was futile. Greg was to line up 18th on the starting grid but chose to go last (either 20th or 22nd). Given the history of this division if you have to start in the back you are highly likely to get caught up in an early caution. Greg chose wisely as there were several crashes in the first few laps and he was far back enough to avoid them all. Greg came home with the race car in one piece, but the 11th place finish was still a disappointment.
Just one more week of regular points races to go at the I-77 Speedway. David is in second in points and can not advance any farther; Bryan Crook will be the 2005 points Champion in the SS4 division. Greg dropped to fifth in points but could rebound to third with a good finish this weekend.
Fuel Shortage Forces Cancellation of Racing Program Gastonia, NC (September 2, 2005) – A short supply of gasoline, sparked by the effects of Hurricane Katrina, forced many local race tracks to cancel their racing programs this week. The greater Charlotte/Gastonia area appeared to have a greater issue than some others so Carolina Speedway track owner David Ifft made the decision to cancel racing this week. The decision came early enough so that teams were able to know well in advance not to prepare for Friday night’s show. The price of gas remains well over $3.00 a gallon and some areas are still short on supply with some gas stations imposing limits on how much you can purchase. It remains to be seen how this will affect the rest of the racing season.
Chester, SC (September 3, 2005) – The final night of regular points racing of the season was run this weekend at the I-77 Speedway. Unfortunately, it was run without David Scott. David battled a bad summer cold all week and by Saturday he was still too sick to get behind the wheel of the 65. He took a much needed night off from racing and stayed home. Greg took the spotlight this week as our sole driver. He looked great in his hot laps but drew a rotten starting spot in his heat. He started eleventh out of eleven cars. There was, of course, a spin in turn one on lap one and Greg spun to miss it. He didn’t have a lot of speed at that point so he just barely tapped the car in front of him. He was able to restart and get up to finish his heat in fifth.
His fifth place finish in the heat gave him a 10th place starting spot in the Main. Starting mid-pack means being very careful to avoid what is frequently a pretty good wreck on lap one. This week the field did not even make it to lap one before the big one. The flagman was unhappy with the first try to take the green flag after Josh Williford (#55), starting on the outside front row, jumped the start. On the second try things went from bad to worse. Again the #55 jumped the start by taking off before he got into turn 4. This caused the inside row, lead by Henry Duffield (#92) to stack up causing the rest of the field to crash. The result caused numerous cars to be taken out on the wrecker and the pole sitter, Duffied, had the entire front end torn off of his car. The #55 was moved to the rear of the field.
The race eventually got under way and Greg looked amazing out there. He did an excellent job moving through traffic and was up to sixth when the checkered flag flew. The track was doing routine carburetor checks this week and found an unapproved carburetor on the second place finishing car so he was disqualified. This moved Greg up to fifth for the night. We believe this finish ties Greg with young Chuckie Levister (c7) for third place overall in points for they year. Unfortunately, ties are not allowed so third place is determined based on the driver with the most wins. Young Levister had three wins this year, which will give him third place and move Greg back to fourth. We are very proud of our Team 65 Crew Chief and Rookie driver, Greg Murphy. He had a great rookie season and will be a driver to be reckoned with each week next year.
It was strange being at the track without David Scott racing, but the team had a good night of racing anyway. County Omelet racing had a great night at the track this week. Greg’s great top five was shared with wins by Chris Steele (#2) in the Crate Late Model division and by Mike Huey (#4) in the Super Late Model division. Outstanding run for the Country Omelet teams!
Gastonia, NC (September 9, 2005) & Chester, SC (September 10, 2005) – I took the weekend off from local racing to head over to Eldora Speedway to watch the World 100 so race results are slim and there are no pictures from Carolina or Chester. For Friday, September 9th David Scott raced at Carolina Speedway and came home in third place. An early brush with the wall resulted in a flat tire and a run from the back of the pack. For Saturday, September 10th Greg Murphy raced at I-77 Speedway and had a great run going when a wreck in the closing laps put him all the way back into 17th. Sue said the racing was great and that Greg’s lousy finish did not reflect upon how good he was this week. I could not be more proud of the job my brother-in-law, Greg, has done for the team this year. His role as Crew Chief on David’s car and driver of our Rookie car keeps him very busy. Greg tied for third place in the Rookie class at I-77 this year, his first full season behind the wheel. That first feature win has eluded Greg but we expect him to be back next year and in the winner’s circle for sure! David and Maureen participated in a charity event on the 10th with Godwin Racing so David didn’t race. Greg accepted the trophies
for David’s 2nd place finish in the points and for his own 3rd
place finish.
Gastonia, NC (September 16, 2005) – David Scott returned to his winning ways this weekend capturing his 10th win of the season at Carolina Speedway. David started from the pole after winning his heat race and was never challenged for the lead. Jerry Oliver (#51), Greg Barker (#88), Nick Norris (#4) and Damon Crump (#70) rounded out the top five.
Congratulations go out to veteran driver Mike Duvall on yet another super late model win at Carolina. Duvall is a MacD favorite so I am always pleased to see the Flintstone F1yer at the front! Chester, SC (September 17, 2005) – The I-77 Speedway held their first annual Shriner’s Race this weekend. The Shriner’s put on a great show and raised some money to help support their charity. The SS4 race was marred by yellow flags this week. During one yellow flag David had a flat right rear tire. When he slowed, he was plowed from behind by the 17s driven by Sammy Carter. David was able to come to the pits and the crew changed the tire. He returned to the track and restarted at the rear.
David got as high as fourth place when he tangled with Jason Dockery (#8D) going into turn three on the last lap. Both drivers were going for the same spot in the low groove and there was only room for one. Jason was given back his 4th place finish and David was credited with 9th. David and Jason got a chance to talk about the incident after the race. We were glad that Jason got his spot back. The good thing about the Shriner’s race is that it is all for fun and to raise money for the kids. It’s not a points race and it’s at the end of the season so the pressure is off and most driver’s just come to have fun. Congratulations go out to Bryan Crook for capturing another win this week in the SS4 division. The Rookie 4 race was nothing but cautions this week. Literally. The guys could not get lined up and when they did there were wrecks. Greg was slated to start 10th but anticipated a wreck and held back (actually starting around 25th). There were three or four restarts that were followed by wrecks and yellow flags. The track officials were also attempting to get the driver’s, including Greg, to line up in their assigned positions. Greg conceded and took his spot in 7th place. By this time the time limit for the race had expired so the field was given the green and white flags together, indicating there would be one lap to the finish. Another wreck occurred on that lap, this time in the top five and it took out two more cars. By process of elimination, Greg got a top five. Patience pays. There was some great racing
at I-77 this week. The crate late models put on a dynamite show with
John Kline (#69x) getting his second win in a row. A scary wreck saw
Johnny Starkey (#20) ride the back stretch wall and demolish the car.
Johnny was alright but the car was a mess.
What about that bodacious race between John Pursley (#1) and Mike Huey (#4) in the super late model division? Wow! We wanted to see Huey get the win but enjoyed the race and congratulate Pursley on getting the victory. Robbie Aldridge (#63) held off a hard charging Mike Messer (#68) to capture a nice win in the super stock division. Team 65 thanks the entire Aldridge team for their help and support while David was away. It’s nice having good people as pit neighbors! Some of our favorite neighbors, Buster and Chris Bell, were not here this week and they were missed. Thanks, guys for all you did this year. We look forward to seeing you all again next season. Let me know if you come back to the beach so we can go out again! Gastonia, NC (September 23, 2005) – The final race of the season had Team 65 focused on clinching the points championship for 2005. Jerry Oliver was second in points and could mathematically taken first place with a good finish and a DNF from David. David secured a good starting spot in the Main by finishing second in his heat. It wasn’t easy as he started back in seventh in the heat and was involved in a spin on lap one. He recovered and quickly moved to the front to finish behind winner Damon Crump (#70). The first heat was won by Wade Brandon (#90) followed by Jerry Oliver (#51). Jerry experienced mechanical issues between the heat and the main and was unable to start in his #51 machine. He secured the use of a substitute car (#12) for the Main but had to start at the tail end of the full field of 18 cars. This moved third place heat finisher John Good to third place starting spot in the Main. Crump jumped to an early lead and looked unstoppable. He was followed by Brandon, Good and Scott. There were numerous caution flags, causing the field to restart each time. Good and Scott got by Brandon and took after Crump. Scott and Good traded places several times and both were putting pressure on Crump. With just a few laps to go Crump’s Toyota broke and he headed for the pits, giving the lead to Good, followed by Scott and a fast approaching Greg Carroll (#11). Carroll got by Scott with one to go and they crossed the finish line with John Good getting the win followed by Greg Carroll and David Scott. Team 65 was relieved that the race was over and that the championship had been secured. It is David’s second championship in a row at Carolina. We were pleased to see John Good get the win, his second in three weeks!
The Late Models put on an amazing show this week with veteran drivers Mike Duvall (#F1) and Ron Parker (#8) putting on an incredible side by side race for the lead for about half the race. We are HUGE fans of both drivers so to see these guys race side by side is something special. Congratulations to Mike Duvall for getting the win, the third in a row for the Flintstone F1yer! Congratulations to Ron Parker for capturing the 2005 Carolina Speedway points championship, his second in a row!
Also wrapping up a championship in style was Street Stock driver Ronald Pope. Ronald not only captured the championship he won the race this week! Congratulations to the Pope team on a great year.
After the racing program this week we had the opportunity to let AJ get behind the wheel of his daddy’s Rookie 4 car and take a few hot laps. He has wanted to do this all year and he finally got the chance. It was a bit nerve wrecking to see him in the car but he did okay out there…he only spun twice! I am sure we will see lots more of AJ behind the wheel for real.
David Scott decided to let
Terry “Wildman” Worley take a few hot laps too, but in David’s
championship winning ride. Terry looked great out there and had everyone
asking, “who the hell is driving that car?” That little
Mustang will get up and go, for sure.
Racing Season Closes by Mark MacDougal (MacD) Myrtle Beach, SC (October 10, 2005) – With the racing season closed at Carolina Speedway and I-77 Speedway, Team 65 and MacD Racing Partners will be taking some much needed time off. David Scott has no plans for any more racing this season, but you might still see Greg Murphy at Lancaster a time or two. Team 65 will more likely be found in the stands, relaxing and just being fans. We will also be attending the Carolina Speedway banquet at Dino’s in Gastonia on November 11th. I have posted some pictures in the galleries taken by Gregg Martin, official photographer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina. Blue Cross did an article on me over the summer and these photos are from when Gregg came to the show at I-77 over a couple of weeks to see us race. I also had some studio pictures taken at Blue Cross. That is what is on the front page of the website this week. As much as I love my racing, I do actually have a real job too. As Vice President at Blue Cross’s TRICARE Operations in Surfside Beach, I am keep pretty busy. I traveled a lot this year. Between driving up from Myrtle Beach every Friday to go to Carolina and staying over to go to Chester just about every Saturday, plus going to late models shows around the country I have seen a lot of laps in 2005. I had a great time going to World of Outlaw, Lucas Oil NARA and Southern All Star late model races with my nephew, Jason Lubin. Jason lives in Atlanta and he and I meet up and go to some of the best shows in the country. We started our season at Golden Isles Speedway down in Brunswick, Georgia. We saw the last race there on their old hard surface. Man they were FAST on that track. After that we went to Clarksville, Tennessee for the oddly named, “Tuckasee Toilet Bowl Classic”. The race’s primary sponsor was a plumbing company and their trophy was a toilet. Hmmm… It was cold in Clarksville and the racing not that great. We headed over to Tazewell, Tennessee next for a Lucas Oil NARA event. It rained out. It was a long way to go for nothing but disappointment. Things improved over the summer as we went to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio for “The Dream 100”. We love Eldora and Matt Miller’s big win was something to see. Following The Dream we headed down to Cleveland, Tennessee and Rome, Georgia for a pair of Southern All Star shows. The Cleveland show also rained out, giving us zero for two in Tennessee. Luckily the Rome show took place on a beautiful, Georgia summer evening. The race was won by nineteen year old Georgia up and coming driver Jake Knowles, who beat veteran Clint Smith to the checkered flag. Jake is a regular at Rome and at Dixie Speedway over in Woodstock, Georgia and his win was extremely popular. My buddy Chris Rogers made the trip to Georgia with me and Jason as did Jason’s sweetheart, Camille. Next up was the Topless 100 in Batesville, Arkansas. Team 65 chaplain and photographer, Sam George, joined Jason and me for this one. Batesville was HOT. It was over 100 degrees all three days and it was pretty much miserable. Considering the year before we had to deal with rain off and on all weekend, we didn’t complain too much. The racing, as always, was awesome. The last three laps of the race had every single fan on their feet screaming as Batesville’s own Billy Moyer caught bad boy Scott Bloomquist in lapped traffic and stole the lead and the win. It was awesome. I went home for one day then headed out to Tennessee again. The third try was a charm. Finally, some good weather in the Volunteer state. This time Jason, Camille and I were off to the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap for the Scorcher 100. The racing was great and we had a lot of fun. Race winner Rick Eckert was the class of the field. Less than a month later Jason and I would be back on the road to Eldora. This time for The World 100. My brother in law’s grandson, George Helliwell, joined us for this race. As always, the racing was awesome. We were heartbroken when apparent winner, Shannon Babb, was disqualified for being light at the scales. Shannon had blown an engine before practice and after the change failed to retest the weight of the car. It cost him the race, which was awarded to Dale McDowell. Poor Dale. He loved getting credit for winning the race, but nobody wants to win The World 100 by default. The last big race of the year for me was the 2nd annual Lucas Oil Knoxville Nationals out in Knoxville, Iowa. Jason and I made the trek out there and saw some good racing. The program was spread out over three nights but with only about 65 cars there they could have done it in two. The facility is legend and it’s for a good reason. It is nothing short of awesome. This time the VooDoo Child would not be denied as Mr. Bloomquist took the lead early and never let it go. There might be a few more races to see this year. Perhaps the SASE race at Lancaster on October 22nd, Mama Sue’s birthday! I am also considering the big SAS race at Modoc in November. A few months rest is all we will need…and all we will get. I already have reservations for the Lucas Oil Winter Nationals down at East Bay Speedway in Tampa, Florida in February. After that, who knows? MacD
|
