Post by LMR on 11/15/14 at 3:16am
County Line Raceway
November 15, 2014
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Casey Roberts Repeats as Race for the Kids Ultimate Winner at County Line
by Kelley Carlton
ELM CITY, North Carolina (November 15) – Casey Roberts knew exactly what he had to do to win his second consecutive Race for the Kids at County Line Raceway and the Toccoa, Georgia driver executed that to near perfection for the 6th Annual event which benefits Victory Junction Camps. “I knew that we had to get the lead early and stay out of trouble with lapped cars to be able to win here. We were able to do that and get a great win for our team.” Roberts said. Roberts’ plans however were nearly derailed on more than one occasion. On the initial start Roberts didn’t get a good start and slipped back to 5th exiting turn 2. However a yellow flag appeared before the completion of a lap which allowed Roberts another opportunity.
Roberts made good on his reprieve and outdueled pole sitter Chris Ferguson off of turn 2 to take the lead on the subsequent start. When Roberts took command it was evident he had the car to beat as he immediately began to put distance between himself and the pack that was battling for the 2nd spot. “Once I got to the lead my car felt really good. I could move around and do what I needed to do. I got very comfortable right off the start.” Roberts added. But Roberts comfort level quickly diminished as he reached back marker traffic. “The track was as good as I ever remember it being as far as being able to pass but you still have to pick where you are going to pass those guys carefully. Especially when you catch them and they are racing for position.”
Roberts had been able to weave his way through the lappers relatively easy until a lap 24 scare nearly ended his night. Derrick Francis ended up spun in turn 4 just as Roberts entered. Roberts was able to keep his machine righted but sustained some body damage as he squeezed by. 2nd place runner Russell Erwin along with the lapped machine of Willie Milliken were forced to spin to avoid the incident and suffered no damage. With field reset Roberts again roared away at the green flag. Erwin was forced to contend with Ferguson’s outside advance which allowed Roberts to squirt away again.
Roberts wasn’t out of the woods yet as it only took a few laps for him to catch up to the tail of the field where there were multiple side by side battles going on. But Roberts had been in this position many times before and was undaunted. “I knew I just had to be patient and take what they gave me. Most of those guys were respectful and raced us clean. I knew that whoever was behind me was going to have to make their way through too so I just tried to stay patient and keep the car under me and I felt like I would be alright.” Roberts said.
Indeed he was alright as the driver known as the Georgia Bandit motored away over the final laps and grabbed his 2nd ULTIMATE victory of the season and the 12th of his career. Roberts also extended his all-time career wins lead with the series. The win was worth $10,000 and his 2nd La-Z-Boy Recliner as the event winner. “I hate that my car owners Jimmy and Ann Cushman aren’t here. I gotta thank them so much. They are such a blessing to me and my family. Just hate they couldn’t be here. I want to thank them for sure. This Longhorn Chassis was just real good tonight. Thanks to Matt, my wife, Glenn, my son and everyone that’s here with us this weekend. I also want to thank M&S Concrete, Cushman Paint and Body, Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Race Fuels, Schaeffer Racing Oil and this Custom Race Engine ran great tonight. Just a good night for us. It’s just a great way to end the year for us.” Roberts said in Victory Lane.
A-Main
1 2 101 Casey Roberts Toccoa, GA $10,000
2 4 32E Russell Erwin Beaverdam, VA
3 8 51 Dustin Mitchell Princeton, NC
4 3 2 Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC
5 1 22 Chris Ferguson Mt. Holly, NC
6 12 21d Dan Stone Thompson, PA
7 6 18w Jeff Smith Dallas, NC
8 14 D8 Christian Thomas Wake Forest, NC
9 13 99b Rick Briggs Bear Lake, PA
10 10 42g Chris Garnes Evans, WV
11 17 0 Ray Tucker Greensboro, NC
12 5 281 Kyle Pierce Statesville, NC
13 21 89 Willie Milliken Hope Mills, NC
14 19 06 Shaun Sewell Chatsworth, GA
15 24 07 Brian Ledbetter Dallas, NC
16 11 03 Doug Eck Corry, PA
17 7 98 Casey Barrow Bloomingdale, GA
18 9 c9 Christian Joyner Nashville, NC
19 16 91 Derrick Francis Pine Level, NC
20 22 21 Michael Batten Rocky Mount, NC
21 20 J2 Jeremy Mayfield Sherrills Ford, NC
22 18 4 Brian Ligon Augusta, GA
23 15 72 Jason Covert York Haven, PA
24 23 42 Doug Sanders Springwood, NC
B-Main #1
1 0 Ray Tucker
2 06 Shaun Sewell
3 89 Willie Milliken
4 79 Roger Lucas
5 c8 William Carroll
6 27 Brandon Ifft
7 07 Brian Ledbetter
B-Main #2
1 4 Brian Ligon
2 J2 Jeremy Mayfield
3 21 Michael Batten
4 618 Kevin Wilson
5 G2 Kevin Godwin
6 5* Bryant Dickinson
7 42 Doug Sanders
County Line Raceway
November 14, 2014
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Heat #1 (top 4 transfer)
1 22 Chris Ferguson
2 281 Kyle Pierce
3 c9 Christian Joyner
4 99B Boom Briggs
5 06 Shaun Sewell
6 89 Willie Milliken
7 07 Brian Ledbetter
8 c8 William Carroll
Heat #2
1 101 Casey Roberts
2 00 Jeff Smith
3 42g Chris Garnes
4 D8 Christian Thomas
5 G2 Kevin Godwin
6 4 Brian Ligon
7 J2 Jeremy Mayfield
8 21 Michael Batten
Heat #3
1 2 Rambo Franklin
2 98 Casey Barrow
3 03 Doug Eck
4 72 Jason Covert
5 0 Ray Tucker
6 79 Roger Lucas
7 88 Lee Jamerson
8 27 Brandon Ifft
Heat #4
1 32e Russell Erwin
2 51 Dustin Mitchell
3 21D Dan Stone
4 91 Derrick Francis
5 42 Doug Sanders
6 5* Bryant Dickinson
7 618 Kevin Wilson
8 421 Anthony Sanders
Qualifying
1 22 Chris Ferguson 14.143
2 101 Casey Roberts 14.223
3 2 Rambo Franklin 14.256
4 32e Russell Erwin 14.346
5 c9 Christian Joyner 14.439
6 4 Brian Ligon 14.443
7 72 Jason Covert 14.480
8 51 Dustin Mitchell 14.514
9 281 Kyle Pierce 14.535
10 21 Michael Batten 14.552
11 0 Ray Tucker 14.556
12 91 Derrick Francis 14.594
13 99B Boom Briggs 14.609
14 42g Chris Garnes 14.678
15 98 Casey Barrow 14.700
16 21D Dan Stone 14.715
17 06 Shaun Sewell 14.752
18 00 Jeff Smith 14.789
19 03 Doug Eck 14.833
20 618 Kevin Wilson 14.887
21 89 Willie Milliken 14.946
22 J2 Jeremy Mayfield 15.008
23 79 Roger Lucas 15.009
24 421 Anthony Sanders 15.250
25 c8 William Carroll 15.302
26 D8 Christian Thomas 15.314
27 27 Brandon Ifft 15.393
28 42 Doug Sanders 15.486
29 07 Brian Ledbetter 15.623
30 G2 Kevin Godwin 15.834
31 88 Lee Jamerson 16.139
32 5* Bryant Dickinson 16.749