It’s been another amazing season at the 411 and it was time to wrap up the regular season. A packed pit area and standing room only crowd were on hand for the annual breast cancer awareness night.
As soon as the race started Wayne Rader officially clinched the 2017 season Championship. It was a great start for Rader as well as he set fast time in qualifying. The green waved and the #01 was a rocket as he took the lead ahead of Jeffery Melton and Michael Woods. It wouldn’t take long for chaos to strike as a big crash happened on the very first lap. Scott Atkins, Mike Williams, Lance Ceasman and Freddy HIllard among those involved who got caught up in the big one. Hillard would end up with the worst of the deal as he had heavy front end damage and was done for the night. Back under green and rader again pulled away from the pack. Dwayne Fox and Melton had a great battle early on for position. Trouble for Jerry Hux as he had to pull off track early with what looked like a flat right rear tire. Austin Atkins didn’t get the best qualifying spot but he was putting on a clinic as he picked up position after position on his drive to the front. Rader had built up a massive lead but a caution with just a couple laps left changed all that. Atkins knew he only had one more shot to make his move and he did just that as he dove under Rader going into the first turn and pulled off a picture perfect slide job to take the lead and pick up the win in a wild race.
1: #14 Austin Atkins
2: #01 Wayne Rader
3: #4 Jeffrey Melton
4: #27 Dwayne Fox
5: #66 Michael Woods
6: #C8 Lance Creasman
7: #06 Wesley Lester
8: #119 Mike Williams
9: #17 Steve Owens
10: #1 David Clark
11: #20 Scott Atkins
12: #D00 Josh Driskill
13: #J5 Brandon Johnson
14: #4 Brandon Hickman
15: #01 Jerry Hux
16: #74 Freddy Hillard
17: #C5 Shawn Henry
18: #9 Chris Hickman
2: #01 Wayne Rader
3: #4 Jeffrey Melton
4: #27 Dwayne Fox
5: #66 Michael Woods
6: #C8 Lance Creasman
7: #06 Wesley Lester
8: #119 Mike Williams
9: #17 Steve Owens
10: #1 David Clark
11: #20 Scott Atkins
12: #D00 Josh Driskill
13: #J5 Brandon Johnson
14: #4 Brandon Hickman
15: #01 Jerry Hux
16: #74 Freddy Hillard
17: #C5 Shawn Henry
18: #9 Chris Hickman
Zach Sise didn’t even need to start the final race to lock up the Sportsman track championship and that’s a good thing for him because he had engine issues in hotlaps and wouldn’t be able to start the feature. Brad Seagle set fast time in qualifying but since he’d won back to back races he had to start in the third position. The green waved and it was Jed Emert who put the #98 on top of the scoreboard ahead of Booger Brooks, Seagle, Heath Alvey and Adam Mitchell your top five drivers on the start. Brooks was making his first start of the 2017 season at 411 and did so in style as he moved past Emert early and took the top spot away. Adam Mitchell was also on go moving up into the third spot early as Emert slipped back in the opening laps. The top three put some real estate on the rest of the field as Emert closed back in on Mitchell. Alvey and Seagle had a tough fight for the second position until they got together coming off turn two sending Seagle for a wild spin down into the infield. The caution would be called on Alvey who had to go to the rear of the pack. Seagle would get his second position back and set his sights on the leader as the end drew near. Using the low line Seagle got door to door with the leader but wouldn’t be able to make the pass.
1: #148 Booger Brooks
2: #31 Brad Seagle
3: #98 Jed Emert
4: #50 Adam Mitchell
5: #89 Brandon Miller
6: #K15 Kevin Lewis
7: #79 Josh Sneed
8: #16R Ray Walls
9: #61 Kenny Ford
10: #773 Ray Jarnigan
11: #7 Heath Alvey
12: #C9 Chris Johnston
13: #116 Jake Whitehead
14: #7 Don Scalf
15: #30 Jonathan Sims
16: #9 Nicholas Shelton
17: #3 Floyd Self
18: #37 Shane Taylor
19: #K0 Nick Kniat
20: #97 Chris Coffey
21: #49 Grant Corum
22: #28 Justin James
23: #51 William Hux
DNS: #9 Zach Sise
2: #31 Brad Seagle
3: #98 Jed Emert
4: #50 Adam Mitchell
5: #89 Brandon Miller
6: #K15 Kevin Lewis
7: #79 Josh Sneed
8: #16R Ray Walls
9: #61 Kenny Ford
10: #773 Ray Jarnigan
11: #7 Heath Alvey
12: #C9 Chris Johnston
13: #116 Jake Whitehead
14: #7 Don Scalf
15: #30 Jonathan Sims
16: #9 Nicholas Shelton
17: #3 Floyd Self
18: #37 Shane Taylor
19: #K0 Nick Kniat
20: #97 Chris Coffey
21: #49 Grant Corum
22: #28 Justin James
23: #51 William Hux
DNS: #9 Zach Sise
Jesse Hickman took the lead on the start of the Classic Car feature. Hickman, Joe Keck, Eli Keck, and Chris Nix gave chase as the race began. The night would come to an early end for Joe Keck who slowed just three laps into the 20 scheduled. Fortunately for Keck he had enough of a point lead that he would still be able to clinch the track championship after the race. After the caution it was back to race with Eli Keck taking over the runner up spot. The top three of Hickman, Keck and Lee Merritt put on a thrilling show as they battle it out for the lead until Merritt would go up in smoke in turn one bringing out the caution and ending his night. Keck would keep the pressure on as he followed in the tire tracks of the leader every lap. He got one last shot as they came off turn four setting up a drag race to the finish. Hickman woudl win that race by about a car length.
1: #9 Jesse Hickman
2: #8 Eli Keck
3: #22 Bobby Pressley
4: #77 Charlie Bates
5: #18 Chris Nix
6: #14 Lee Merritt
7: #78 Joe Keck
DNS: #3 Ryan Bailey
2: #8 Eli Keck
3: #22 Bobby Pressley
4: #77 Charlie Bates
5: #18 Chris Nix
6: #14 Lee Merritt
7: #78 Joe Keck
DNS: #3 Ryan Bailey
Jeff Hamby set fast time in qualifying for the 20 lap Open Wheel feature. However it would be outside pole sitter and double duty driver Chase King who took the lead on the start ahead of Hamby, Joey Cotterman, Jimmy Dalton and the 2017 Champion Jody Puckett. Puckett had some trouble on the start as he slipped back a couple positions. Puckett looked to have hit the setup just right on his #J3 as he moved towards the front. Hamby had kept the leader in striking distance and he closed in on the back of the #44 of King. Going into turn two Hamby had a big run and dove to the bottom but lost control of his machine going for a spin bringing out the caution and ending his chance at victory. Puckett had worked his way up into the second position as he now set his sights on Chase King for the leader with just a few laps left. King would hit his marks and pick up his first open wheel win.
1: #44 Chase King
2: #J3 Jody Puckett
3: #2D Jimmy Dalton
4: #29C Joey Cotterman
5: #112 Dustin Diden
6: #50 Justin Blevins
7: #15 Jeff Hamby
8: #95C Steve Clark
9: #4 Wayne James
10: #9 Rocky Ogle
11: #J4 Tyler James
12: #J1 Terry James
13: #2 Cody Adams
2: #J3 Jody Puckett
3: #2D Jimmy Dalton
4: #29C Joey Cotterman
5: #112 Dustin Diden
6: #50 Justin Blevins
7: #15 Jeff Hamby
8: #95C Steve Clark
9: #4 Wayne James
10: #9 Rocky Ogle
11: #J4 Tyler James
12: #J1 Terry James
13: #2 Cody Adams
John Byers officially clinched the 2017 Mini Stock championship as he once again won the heat race earning the pole for the 20 lap feature. He would take the lead on the start with Steve Owens JR, Marty Phillips, Tommy Newton and Larry Hickman your top five drivers The battle of the race would be between Newton and Phillps who ran door to door basically every lap in the first half of the race. John Byers would have no pressure as he cruised to the win.
1 #83 John Byers
2: #17 Steve Owens Jr
3: #4 Marty Phillips
4: #T2 Tommy Newton
5: #77 Larry Hickman
6: #20 Savanna Merriman
7: #16 Brett Ledford
8: #T7 Danny Tullock
2: #17 Steve Owens Jr
3: #4 Marty Phillips
4: #T2 Tommy Newton
5: #77 Larry Hickman
6: #20 Savanna Merriman
7: #16 Brett Ledford
8: #T7 Danny Tullock
Coming into the night, Jason Cardwell still had a slight chance of winning the track Championship. He started the night off doing everything right as he was fastest in hotlaps and earned the pole for the feature. Cardwell, Trevor Sise, Chase King, Eddie King Jr and Layne Clifton were your top five. Chase King and Eddie King JR had a hard fought battle for the third spot in the opening laps. Trouble for Chris Chandler who went for a spin in turn two slowing the pace. Jason Cardwell seemed to have the race well in hand as he had built up a sizable lead. The race doesn’t end until the finish however as Cardwell went for a spin in turn two while leading. With Cardwell having to go to the rear that handed the lead over to Trevor Sise. Pierce McCarter didn’t qualify great but was working his way up through the pack nicely making it up into the top five. The night would go from bad to worse for Cardwell as he got into the outside wall and got slammed from behind by McCarter who had no where to go. The #71 of McCarter would be heavily damaged as both cars had to take the long slow ride on the back of the tractor hook to their pit. King jr wasn’t ready to settle for second as he put the pressure on Trevor Sise for the race lead on the restart. The #73 was just too strong on the outside and he kept the field at bay. Layne Clifton and Chase King would get together sending both for a spin in turn four slowing the pace again. The caution would be called on Clifton who had to go to the rear of the field. Up front Trevor Sise would hold on to pick up the win. The championship would officially go to Chase King.
1: #73 Trevor Sise
2: #44 Chase King
3: #39 Eddie King Jr
4: #2X Anthony White
5: #00 Ruben Mayfield
6: #1 Tim Damron
7: #C11 Michael Courtney
8: #B00 Josh Henry
9: #G2 Jerry Green
10: #07 Jason Cardwell
11: #23 Layne Clifton
12: #71 Pierce McCarter
13: #8 Chris Chandler
14: #2 Danny Yoder
15: #66 Jordan Rodabaugh
16: #97 Bobby Giffin
17: #M1 Matt Henderson
18: #7 Bobby Norwood
19: #41 Scott Green
2: #44 Chase King
3: #39 Eddie King Jr
4: #2X Anthony White
5: #00 Ruben Mayfield
6: #1 Tim Damron
7: #C11 Michael Courtney
8: #B00 Josh Henry
9: #G2 Jerry Green
10: #07 Jason Cardwell
11: #23 Layne Clifton
12: #71 Pierce McCarter
13: #8 Chris Chandler
14: #2 Danny Yoder
15: #66 Jordan Rodabaugh
16: #97 Bobby Giffin
17: #M1 Matt Henderson
18: #7 Bobby Norwood
19: #41 Scott Green
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”21″ gal_title=”October 14, 2017″]