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Michael Despain
TAZEWELL, Tenn. (May 24) - The O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Graphic Impressions presented its sixth points event of the 2008 racing season with a visit to the East Tennessee mountains and a stop at the Gary Hall promoted Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN and when the last bit of clay was slung and the dust settled, defending series champion and current points leader Victor Lee of Stanford, KY would become the first repeat winner with America's most competitive regional series in 2008.
The win by Lee would be his third career series victory and came aboard the Frank Revel Motorsports owned, Kentucky's Best/Budda Bert Transmission Sales and Service/Junction City Quick Stop/Tim Logan Racing/Xtreme Style Signs and Graphics/Five Star Food Mart/ADO's Auto Body sponsored #4 C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Jay Dickens Race Engines powered machine. Lee's winning entry receives product support from Bilstein Shocks, PPM Racing Products, Custom Cams, Dyer's Top Rods, Real Racing Wheels, and American Racer Tires.
Powell, TN native Steve Smith would finish in second in the Fine Trucking/Bonanza Produce sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car machine, with David Webb of Nicholasville, KY having his best series run of the season in the ORS Body Shop/JDB Contracting C.J. Rayburn Race Car entry. Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY would take fourth place in the final finishing order in the Rattliff Motor Sales/Campbellsville University sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car, while Chris Combs would also have a series season best finish of fifth in the Tim Short Automotive/Combs Trucking sponsored Swartz Race Cars unit.
The remainder of the top ten would be Shon Flanery, Bobby Mays, Brian Smith, Damon Eller, and Tyrel Todd. The race would be 60 laps and see the caution flag wave five times during the course of the event.
Victor Lee would take the lead at the start of the 60 lap, $5,000 to win O'Reilly A-Main event, with Tyrel Todd, Bobby Mays, Vic Hill, and Steve Smith going second through fifth. Caution would fly immediately as Eric Wells and Mike Weeks would tangle, with the pair collecting Tim Tungate in the process. The caution fly again with on lap 3 and during this caution period, race leader Victor Lee would pull pitside with a flat tire, get fresh rubber, and rejoin the race at the rear of the field.
After another caution period on lap 4, Todd would assume the point, with Hill giving chase, followed by Smith, David Webb, and Mays. By lap 10, the front duo of Todd and Hill had put some distance back to the third place running machine of Smith, as race leader Todd would begin the tedious process of lapping slower traffic around the ultra-fast 1/3 mile high-banked clay ova.
Meanwhile, attention would focus to the middle of the pack as initial race leader Lee was mounting a charge back toward the front, making his way back into the top five on lap 23. After another caution on lap 32, Lee would continue his assault toward the front of the field, as he would take fourth from David Webb on lap 37. With Todd keeping Hill at bay for the top spot while continuing to masterfully work slower traffic, Lee would climb to the third position with a pass of Steve Smith on lap 44.
But the entire complexion of the event would change on lap 52 when race leader Todd and Hill would make contact, resulting in Todd looping his machine and stopping on the track. Series officials would send both Todd and Hill to the rear of the field for the incident, thus, Lee would become the new race leader. Rattliff would drive past Chris Combs for fourth with just a couple of laps remaining, but Lee would hold on to capture the win, with Smith, Webb, 18th position starting Rattliff, and Combs completing the top five.
In preliminary action, Vic Hill of Knoxville, TN would be the Racing Optics Top Qualifier among 26 entries with a lap of 11.456 seconds. Heat race checkered flags went to Victor Lee in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Tyrel Todd in K&N Performance Engineering heat two, and Bobby Mays in Graphic Impressions heat three. The Real Racing Wheels B-main would be captured by Zach Carney, while there would be no series or track provisionals.
The next event for the Super Late Model division of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series is Friday May 30 at Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY. The event will be the twice rescheduled 9th Annual Hugh "Junebug" Rowland Memorial, paying $3,000 to win the 40 lap O'Reilly A-Main.
The O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series sanctions regional Super Late Model events at tracks in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee. For more information about America's most competitive regional racing series, visit the series webpage on the world wide web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 762-1606 or (502) 931-5068.
O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Division
SUMMARY-Tazewell Speedway-Tazewell, TN-May 24, 2008
Racing Optics Top Qualifier- Vic Hill 11.456
Wayne Bowen Racing Supply Heat #1(Top 6 Advance)- Victor Lee, Vic Hill, Tim Tungate, Brian Smith, Chris Combs, Mike Weeks, Marty Calloway, Arnie Fields, Greg Huskey
K&N Performance Engineering Heat #2 (Top 6 Advance)- Tyrel Todd, Steve Smith, David Webb, Jeff Wolfenbarger, Larry Gray, Damon Eller, Bryan Hendrix, Steve Rouse, Dale Huskey
Graphic Impressions Heat #3 (Top 6 Advance)- Bobby Mays, Eric Wells, Michael Smith, Shon Flanery, Travis Fultz, Justin Rattliff, Zach Carney, Royce McGowan
Real Racing Wheels B-Main (Top 6 Advance)- Zach Carney, Greg Huskey, Bryan Hendrix, Royce McGowan, Arnie Fields, Dale Huskey, Marty Calloway
Series Provisionals- None
Track Provisionals- None
O'Reilly A-Main- Victor Lee, Steve Smith, David Webb, Justin Rattliff, Chris Combs, Shon Flanery, Bobby Mays, Brian Smith, Damon Eller, Tyrel Todd, Larry Gray, Royce McGowan, Arnie Fields, Vic Hill, Michael Smith, Tim Tungate, Eric Wells, Greg Huskey, Jeff Wolfenbarger, Bryan Hendrix, Mike Weeks, Zach Carney, Travis Fultz, Dale Huskey
Total Entries- 26
Lap Leaders- 2 (Lee 1-2, 53-60; Todd 3-52)
Cautions- 5 (Laps 1, 3, 4, 32, 52)
Red Flags- None
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- Justin Rattliff (Started 18th-Finished 4th-Advanced 14 Positions)
DriveSmart Kentucky Move of the Race- Tyrel Todd (work in lapped traffic)
O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Point Standings (after May 24, 2008)
1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY)- 1,195
2. Tyrel Todd (Science Hill, KY)- 1,003
3. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY)- 902
4. Zach Carney (Mooresville, IN)- 890 ®
5. David Webb (Nicholasville, KY)- 859
6. Larry Gray (Lexington, KY)- 788 ®
7. Eric Wells (Hazard, KY)- 787 ®
8. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)- 719
9. Don O'Neal (Martinsville, IN)- 701
10. Arnie Fields (Flemingsburg, KY)- 675 ®
O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Upcoming Schedule of Events:
June 7- 201 Speedway (Sitka, KY)- $3,000 to win
June 14- Bluegrass Speedway (Bardstown, KY)- 7th Annual June Jam- $3,000 to win
June 21- Clinton County Speedway (Albany, KY)- $3,000 to win
June 28- Brownstown Speedway (Brownstown, IN)- 10th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial-$3,000 to win
July 4- Mountain Motor Speedway (Isom, KY)- $3,000 to win
2008 O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors:
O'Reilly Auto Parts - Title Sponsor and "Official Auto Parts Retailer" of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Max Brake- "Official Trailer Brakes" of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
CarbonX- "Official Flame Shielding Fabric" of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Health PMO- "Official Health Care Company" of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Graphic Impressions- Presenting Sponsor and "Official Souvenir and Merchandise Vendor" of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Bob Hook Chevrolet of Louisville- "Official Auto Dealership" of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Other O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series 2008 Series Supporters Include: American Race Tires, C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Curtis Signs, Cruise With The Champions, Double H Race Fabrication, Drive Smart Kentucky, DT52 Photos, Hoosier Race Tires, Kentucky's Best Racing, K&N Performance Engineering, PPM Racing Products, Racing Optics, Real Racing Wheels, Trailer Parts and Service, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply
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