Tazewell Speedway
August 26, 2011
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Smith takes turn at top of the Late Model leaderboard at Tazewell Speedway



by Allen Earl
TAZEWELL, Tenn. (August 26) - On a muggy late summer evening Tazewell Speedway opened its gates for a rare Friday night of racing.  The American Modified Series came to town and brought Kenny Schrader along to battle the high banks in addition to the regular weekly racing action.  

The racers qualified their machines and the pole winners were:
AMS- (11) Don Adams 12.358
Tazewell Late Models- (7) Brian Smith 11.802    
Modified Street-(56H) Jordon Horton 13.288
Classics- (20) Logan Dukes 14.231

The first racing action of the night was the heats for the AMS open wheels.  Heat one went to the 11 of Don Adams.   Heat two was won by 77- Joey Kramer.  The third heat went to 00- Stanley Donahoo.  The final heat of the night for the AMS went to 10- Bryan Barber.  After the prayer and National Anthem the Tazewell Late Model last chance consolation was next with Matt Tharp getting the win.  Also transferring was the 7 of Heath Alvey.  

Up next was the Tazewell Late Models and the fans were ready to see another great race just like last week.  On the front row tonight was Brian Smith and Steve Smith.  Last weeks winner Greg Estes and Jason Trammell started in row two.  Points leader Travis Fultz and Josh Henry made up row three as the race was started.  Brian Smith led the first five laps with S. Smith and Estes just behind.   Trammell and Fultz rounded out the top five as a caution flag flew.  On the restart B. Smith got his car up in the high groove and was able to keep just ahead of S. Smith.  A lap eleven caution brought the field up to the leader for another restart.   Smith got the jump again but another caution was displayed this time for Matt Tharp in turn four and it bunched the field up yet again.  After Brian Smith got it wound up again on the high side he drove away to the win.  Steve Smith got second, Estes third with Trammell and Fultz remaining fourth and fifth.  Heath Alvey transferred from the last chance race and drove the wheels off his car ending the night in ninth place.  There was two and three-wide racing in this race and was a preview to the action the fans would see in the AMS feature.  

1 7 Brain Smith    
2 3 Steve Smith    
3 31 Greg Estes    
4 90J Jason Trammel    
5 T0 Travis Fultz    
6 71 Mack McCarter    
7 11 Anthony Arnwine    
8 56J Jody Horton    
9 7 Heath Alvey    
10 30 Ryan King    
11 75 Chris Long    
12 35 Matt Tharp    
13 111 J. Allen    
14 87 Arthur Walker    
15 88 J.R. Overstreet    
16 XXX Josh Chesney    
17 B00 Josh Henry    
18 G7 Billy Gordon    
19 24 Allen Holt    
20 14 Nick Knight    
21 11 Andy Wilder    
22 11J Jordan Horton    
23 22 Matthew Holt    
24 97 Keith Chapman    
25 54 Blake Smith

The American Modified Series was next with Donahoo and Don Adams leading them to the green flag from row one.  On the start things went wrong for several different drivers at different parts of the track with the 75 of Elliott Despain taking the worst of it and not being able to rejoin for the start.  When the race resumed the field completed two laps with Donahoo out front.  After a quick yellow they were turned loose again by flag man Bruce Caylor.  Kenny Schrader moved into sixth place as Donahoo  began to feel heat from Joey Kramer.  On lap six the field was down to 17 cars.  Kramer took the lead on this restart with one of his patented Tazewell slide job but only for a moment as Donohue recaptured it and led until a lap nine caution for fluids bunched up the field again.  This restart saw four and five-wide racing but the 4 of Ricky Arms had a problem with a wheel coming off bringing out another caution.  On this restart Kramer did not get his best start of the night and the leader got two car lengths on him but the field was once again lined back up after another yellow for a spin.  Schrader would restart this time from the fifth spot as the green flag flew.  Donahoo and Kramer up front drove away from third place and soon after started mixing it up with lapped cars.  Kramer had tried the high line and the low line and even threw in a slide job or two to get around the leader but nothing seemed to work.  After another spin on lap thirty-three the drivers saw the green flag once again and it was time to settle this one.  The top five was now Donahoo, Kramer, Trent Young, Adams and Schader.  Kramer finally cleared the leader on lap thirty-four but one lap later he was dealing with another restart due to a yellow for a spin in turn four.  Kramer kept the top spot as the laps counted down.  Behind him it was racing as good as it gets as they battled hard all over the track for a top five finishing spot.  The top five was rounded out by Donahoo, Ed Shamhart, Young and John DeMoss.  In victory lane Kramer spoke of his  Tazewell AMS win, “Man I just love this place.  There is something about this place.  I want to thank all these fans, my sponsors and crew.  I really love coming here.”  

1 77 Joey Kramer  
2 OO Stanley Donahoo  
3 12S Ed Shamhart  
4 10Y Trent Young  
5 79D John DeMoss  
6 9 Ken Schrader  
7 10.5 Michael England  
8 10 Bryan Barber  
9 11 Don Adams  
10 92 Matthew Hopper  
11 1S Keith Smith  
12 29 Joey Cotterman  
13 T92 Ricky Tinch  
14 67 Rocky Wilson  
15 36 Billy Palmer  
16 420 Tyler James  
17 4D Ricky Arms  
18 98 Shon Flanary  
19 155 Jimmy Payne  
20 2 Mike Selby  
21 75E Elliott Despain

Next was the Modified Street class with row one consisting of Jordon Horton and Robbie Buchanan.  On the start they fanned out like the open wheels and were racing all over for positions.  At the front Horton left Buchanan and Welch behind to fight for second place.  On lap three the big one happened with several cars getting involved.  Nick Barnard and Leonard Bray took the worst of this incident.  At least eight cars were involved and sustained some damage.  The race was quickly restarted and Horton took no prisoners.  By lap twelve he had nearly pulled away by a straight-away.  The field had another shot at Horton on lap sixteen as another yellow bunched up the field.  On this restart points leader Warren McMahan would not be there as he had to pull into the pits with mechanical issues.  Horton made it look easy as he took his third win of the year.  The rest of the top five was Buchanan, Rick Welch, Gary Blanken and Chris Collinsworth.  

1 56H Jordan Horton    
2 P21 Robbie Buchanan    
3 18 Rick Welch    
4 5 Gary Blanken    
5 77 Chris Collinsworth    
6 88 Brad Davis    
7 56 Tony Horton    
8 4 Clyde Overholt    
9 1 Scott Johnson    
10 54 Larry Burke    
11 M2 Shannon Emery    
12 20 Scottie Atkins    
13 33 Warren McMahan    
14 3 Tim Hatfield    
15 69 Nick Barnard    
16 17 Leonard Bray    
17 9 David Smith

The Classics were on the track next and row one consisted of Logan Dukes and Cap'n America, Jay Eubanks.   Dukes took the lead early until a spin in turn two slowed down the pace.  On the restart he drove away from second by two car lengths but the yellow just kept being displayed and stopping the flow of the race.  Eubanks gave Dukes a couple of looks but could not pass the fast twenty car.  Third went to Bart Baxter with Scott Russell and Charlie Tharp rounding out the top five.  

1 20 Logan Dukes
2 3 Jay Eubanks
3 7 Bart Baxter
4 6 Scott Russell
5 59 Charlie Tharp
6 7 Jim Yeary
7 57 Drew Kennedy
8 34 Phillip Shockley
9 2 Ron Rudder
10 12 Phillip Black
11 13 Adam Hicks
12 28 Adam Engel
13 18 Eli Keck
14 88 Todd Cox

Justin James and Austin Atkins started on row one for the Pure Street feature.  James retired early and Atkins nearly flipped his ride on the backstretch after contact with another machine sent him into the outside wall.  Jonathan Miracle had moved up into first and was keeping the field just to his rear until a caution for Kevin Smith’s roll over in turn three brought out a yellow.  Smith walked away unhurt.   Miracle held off Dustin Eldridge on the restart and took the checkers.  Steve Smith finished third with Atkins rebounding to fourth.  Jason Long finished fifth.  

1 41 Johnathan Miracle  
2 94 Dustin Eldrige  
3 2 Steve Smith  
4 14 Austin Atkins  
5 15 Jason Long  
6 5 Daniel Carpenter  
7 58 Kevin Smith  
8 15 Appaches Quinton  
9 28 Justin James  
10 O1 James Weaver  
11 23 Paul Whitley  
12 77 T.J. Knuckles
     
The Four Cylinder class was the first to race their feature.  On the front row was Kurt Owens And Chuck McMahan.  Before the first lap was completed co-point leader Allen Holloway found the inside wall.  He was damaged but continued on the restart.  Owens took the lead on lap four from McMahan.  On lap six the other co-point leader Bubby Braden made contact with a fellow drivers machine which left him spinning in turn two.  On lap seven Braden and Mark Wallace touched with Braden spinning once again.  Back at the front Owens looked to have a slightly better car than McMahan.   Owens had to withstand a couple more restarts and one last challenge from McMahan before taking the checkered flag.  Holloway, Braden and Brad Pressley rounded out the top five.

1 7Up Kurt Owens  
2 99 Chuck McMahan  
3 A27 Allen Holloway  
4 B7 Bubby Braden  
5 19 Brad Pressley  
6 1 Mark Wallace  
7 44J Jeromy Collins  
8 22 Ethan Hansard


Tazewell Speedway will not be in action next Saturday but instead will race on Sunday- September 4th for the CJ Rayburn- NASRA, Buddy Rogers Memorial 44 lap super late model program.    Tazewell Speedway is scheduled to be off on September 10th with racing to resume on September17th for the final points race.     Thanks again to all the speedway’s loyal fans !