Post by LMR on 05/24/14 at 10:13pm
Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series
Volunteer Speedway
May 24, 2014
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Ferguson wires Carolina Clash ‘Tennessee/Carolina Showdown’ at Volunteer Speedway
Volunteer Speedway
BULLS GAP, TN (May 24) - Round one of the Tennessee/Carolina Showdown at ‘The Gap’ went to Mt. Holly, N.C. driver Chris Ferguson who took home the champion’s belt and $4,000 winner’s purse in Saturday’s 40-lap Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series feature.
The race could have been called the “Tennessee Tornado” with 24 Super Late Models kicking up a swirling dust storm around the World’s fastest dirt oval.
Ferguson took the pole with a lap of 12.720, and never looked back, leading flag-to-flag for his first career win at Volunteer Speedway.
The race was billed as Tennessee racers defending their home turn against the Carolina touring series invaders.
Tennessee’s best effort came from Maryville racer Jason Welshan, who qualified fifth and appeared to have a car capable of moving forward.
About nine laps in, however, Welshan shredded a right rear tire.
Restarting from the back of the pack, Welshan probably passed more cars than any other driver in the race, working his way back up for a fifth place finish.
Ferguson was able to drive away from a pack of cars that at times went three and four wide into the corners.
Miraculously there weren’t any major pileups. Swansea, S.C. driver Scott Shirey brought out the first caution on Lap three when his car slid into the tire barrier at the pit exit heading into turn one. That would end the night for Shirey, who came into the race fourth in Carolina Clash series point standings.
Neither Ferguson nor second place finisher Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky. are regulars on the Carolina Clash series.
Neat started third and moved past Kennie Compton Jr. early in the race for second place. But, Neat was never able to make a strong challenge for the lead.
“We had a good race car,” Neat said. “We had a lot of trouble with the traffic. It was pretty tough. We didn’t know where they were gonna go, and when. He (Ferguson) had a great race car. Congratulations to him. He did a great job. Our car was pretty good, but we’re still a second place car.”
It’s been a good couple of weekends for Ferguson who won the USA 100 last Saturday night at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va. which paid $10,000.
“It’s been awesome,” Ferguson said. “We finally figured out what this car needed, and everything has went our way. We worked as hard as we could this whole year. My crew and my dad, and Stanford, and everybody — they did all they could to make this car fast for me, and it showed up tonight. I’m a little out of breath. I don’t know if y’all noticed, but this track was fast tonight. I ain’t used to that.”
Ferguson added, “I don’t know if anybody remembers, but the last time we came up here for the Clash race we took the lead and rolled the left rear off the rim. We’ve led a couple of these races but we’ve never won here, so to actually do it tonight is awesome.”
The top finishing Carolina Clash series regular was Compton Jr., of Bland, Va. who came into the race sixth in series points and finished third.
“We started off good, and just missed it,” Compton said. “That happens time to time. I went all the way back to fifth or sixth at one time and had a chance to split them on the back straightaway on a restart. I figured if I got by them, it was starting to slick-up and maybe I could hold them off.”
Gaffney, S.C. driver Dennis “Rambo” Franklin who sits second in the points finished sixth in Saturday’s race. Carolina Clash points leader Brad Overton of Augusta, Ga. didn’t make the trip to Bulls Gap Saturday night.
Volunteer Speedway favorite Vic Hill of Greeneville qualified 11th fastest, won his heat race, and finished 8th in the main event — the last car on the lead lap — after starting 11th.
Tennessee drivers will have an opportunity to return the Tennessee/Carolina Showdown champions belt to their home state on July 12 when the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series returns to Volunteer Speedway.
A-Main
1 22 Chris Ferguson
2 11 Brad Neat
3 10 Kennie Compton Jr
4 57 Zack Mitchell
5 29 Jason Welshan
6 2 Rambo Franklin
7 2C Randle Chupp
8 1 Vic Hill
9 25 Bobby Mays
10 09 Johnny Pursley
11 281 Kyle Pierce
12 1W Ricky Weeks
13 28 Jeff Wolfenbarger
14 17G Mike Gault
15 618 Kevin Wilson
16 34 Ellery Leake
17 42 Doug Sanders
18 10C Chad Ogle
19 32 Jonathan Edwards
20 86 Jeff Newbert
21 52D Mark Douglas
22 421 Anthony Sanders
23 10X Scott Shirey
24 17 Matt Henderson
