SUPR Late Models
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2012
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Wall scraps way to SUPR win at Jones, now stands 10th all-time



by Bryan Wimberley
CHATHAM, La. (April 28) - Finding his way back to victory lane in the Southern United Professional Racing Series, Chris Wall of Springfield, La., turned back repeated challenges from Timothy Culp and later held off Childress Racing teammate, B.J. Robinson, to collect a $2,500 win at Jones Motor Speedway. The 50-lap SUPR Series win was Wall's first ever at the quarter-mile track, located in Chatham.
 
"It really is a special accomplishment, so awesome to be able to do this for Mr. Raymond (Childress), Kathy (Childress) and Josh (Danzy). These guys put a lot of hard work into this and they make our job easy to just come out here and drive a good hot rod. Two weeks in-a-row, who would have thought this -unbelievable! It has been a long time since I have raced here, maybe five plus years or so," Wall said.  
 
It was also the second week in-a-row that the Childress Racing Team swept the top two positions in the finishing order, as Wall beat Robinson by a second-and-a-half to the line, reversing places from last week's feature at Greenville Speedway. The win also catapulted Wall into sole possession of 10th all-time on the SUPR Series all-time win list, surpassing Bill Frye, Tony Cardin and Skeet Amason. Wall now stands at (13), five wins shy of 9th-place Ricky Ingalls, who has (18) victories on the tour.
 
Timothy Culp of West Monroe, La., fought Wall tooth-and-nail, grabbing the lead as both racers swerved around lap traffic. The two drivers traded the lead back-and-forth, racing in tight quarters, before Culp would ultimately retire in 15th, after running over something on track.


 
Front-row starter Wall would capitalize on the misfortune, taking his first series' win in over a year -the last coming at Baton Rouge Raceway on April 16, 2011.
 
Wall explained, "The track was mostly bottom dominant, we had I think the best race car. Timmy (Culp) caught us in lap traffic and passed us, I thought 'No big deal, we will get it back, just be patient'. And sure enough, we did, but we got into a wreck or skirmish with a lap car and bent the left front suspension. So we were crippled after that and it really made it difficult for me to rotate around the bottom of the racetrack. When we got the lead back, I was having to kind of whoa-down a good bit getting in and I guess Timmy had a run on me one time. He must not have liked something that happened and he jacked me up under caution, so I don't know what that we all about."
 
Robinson of Shreveport, La., finished second and supplied car owner, Raymond Childress, with the never-done-before feat of one team taking the top two positions in consecutive weeks on the circuit.
 
"I don't think there are any words that can describe it, like I said last weekend, this just doesn't happen very often out of the same hauler. There are a lot of people that race together and may have team cars kind of and some of the same sponsors, but they come in different rigs. But to do this out of one hauler, not just once, but two weeks in-a-row, at two totally different racetracks -is so exciting! Hopefully there is more of this to come!" said Robinson. 



Ray Moore of Haughton, La., took third place, while eighth-starting Bubba Mullins of West Monroe, finished fourth. Allen Tippen ran a methodical race after early struggles, rounding out the top five and wrestling away the points lead from Rob Litton, in the meantime.
 
Wall dashed out front, leading Culp, Robinson, Jon Mitchell and Robbie Starnes on lap 1. Wall set a torrid pace early, taking a two-second lead, just six laps in. Wall continued to pour it on, reaching the back of the field, two laps later.
 
Culp would begin to reel in Wall, who began negotiating heavy traffic on the 10th circuit. One false move by Wall, had Culp all over him and going by for a swap of the lead. Wall kept Culp within lengths and looked under the No. c8 car in turn two, with 17 laps in the books.
 
Both drivers exchanged the point, before the first caution flew on lap 19. Culp led the way at the halfway mark, with the top six cars testing the bottom groove of the racetrack. A move up high for four laps, had Ray Moore closing in on the top five frontrunners. 
   
Wall would drive by polesitter Culp, when he got into the back of Jesse Mills, exiting turn four. Back-to-back yellows, briefly held up the action, as the race entered what would be a critical restart. Wall would pace the field back to the green, but trouble in the turn, bunched up several cars in the infield. Culp's car would spin, along with Starnes, Jeff Chanler of Minden and Bud Mullins of West Monroe. Starnes received significant hood and sheetmetal damage alongside the left front. Chanler landed in the mud with the younger Mullins, new No. X car, draped atop Chanler's left rear deck and fender. Mullins would get assistance by the safety crew and Chanler would retire.


 
Once cleaned up, Wall retained the top position and Culp was able to claim his spot back. A battle ensue on the restart between Culp and Robinson for second, with Culp holding firm. Contact back in the pack, between Ronnie Adams and Robbie Starnes, sent Starnes sailing around in the turn, displaying the fourth yellow flag of the race.
 
Green flag racing would be short lived on two separate occasions, the last having Culp up against the turn three wall, drawing a conclusion to his adventurous night. 

Ray Moore passed Mitchell for third, before most of the remaining cars took to the bottom line. 
 
Wall began getting away from second-running Robinson, tipping the lead to nearly three-seconds. Five laps remaining in the race, Wall received no serious challenge from behind, although Robinson started to slowly draw up the gap.
 
Wall would answer by hitting the rest of his marks and keeping the same distance on his teammate over the last closing laps. Wall cruised to victory, raising his hand out the window, as he crossed the checkered flags to the finish. A later exuberate Wall, climbed on top of his roof and saluted the fans in attendance at Jones Motor Speedway.
 
"Under the last caution, he (B.J. Robinson) pulled up beside me and showed me the number two and I was like 'Man, this is awesome if this happens!'



I thought I could get first with B.J. behind me, I knew Timmy had wrecked out, so he was probably the next best car in there. It looked like then, that we might do this (one-two finish) again, so I just wanted to stay focused and get the job done," said Wall.
 
With both Childress cars lined up down the backstretch, by the main grandstand, team drivers congratulated each other. Robinson knew it would take something a bit extra to pull off back-to-back wins himself, dealing with brake issues for much of the feature.
 
"In all honesty, I probably didn't have anything for the leader, about 20 laps into the race, I lost brakes and had to pump them for the rest of the feature, so I was just along for the ride basically. I was just trying to do everything I could to salvage a good finish, we got lucky and had a few cautions fall our way. The track wasn't the greatest, but it did in some instances, provide two grooves of racing. In lap traffic, Wall and Culp had a good race going, swapping the lead both-and-forth several times, but I was fortunate enough to have the yellows' fall at the right time so our team could get another one-two finish," explained Robinson.
 
A humble, talented newcomer that is coming up through the ranks, Robinson reflects on his racing background and the Childress Racing Team switching from Victory Circle's last year to MasterSbilt by Stuckey Race Cars this season.  
 
"I  feel more than anything, growing up and racing modifieds -that is what I started racing-, I didn't always have the best equipment and motors, so we had to pick and choose our races. A lot of the modified guys that come up into the late models, do better and have a lot of success on the slicker racetracks. The biggest thing that has helped me, is to find a car that you are comfortable driving, because you are feeling the changes that you are making and making the right decisions on and off the racetrack. It's not that the cars we had before were bad, but I don't think they fit this style of driving, the tracks we raced at and our little package. It didn't fit what we was trying to do, we went to Batesville (last season) and had pretty good success, went to Whynot and ran good until having motor problems and we went to Eldora with the Victory Circle's and had good luck, but it seemed like for the most part, the races we were going to, it just didn't fit us. Everybody is different and the MasterSbilt Race Cars that we have got now, seem to be going really good and best fit what our program is trying to do," Robinson said.             
 
NOTES: Wall's MasterSbilt Race Car is powered by a Wall 2 Wall Performance Engine and sponsored by Childress Fishing & Rental, TWM, J&J Motorsports, Childress Inspections Services, Stuckey Enterprises Racing, Hoosier Racing Tires, X-treme Graphics and Gordons Service Center.
 
Five of Chris Wall's (13) SUPR Series' victories have come at his hometrack of Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, Louisiana. Wall also has three wins at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., two at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark., one at Jackson (Miss) Motor Speedway and one at the former Simpson County Motorsports Park in D'Lo, Miss, before picking up the victory at Jones Motor Speedway.   
 
Wall found himself in a hotly contested battle with Shane Hebert of Lafayette, La., in heat two, when Hebert dipped under him to take the position. Hebert hit the deck down low in turn four, pulling ahead of Wall by three-quarters length. Contact between the pair, sent Hebert spinning down the front straightaway and warranting a yellow. Wall would go on to victory in the heat amid controversy, sending Hebert to a consolation race, where he was edged out of the final transfer spot, by Chris Huckabay of West Monroe, in another excellent battle.   
 
The 40-minute feature ended at midnight, was slowed by six cautions and had nine cars on the lead lap.
 
The SUPR Series paid respects to the late Kenneth Mitcham of Strong, Ark., on the 5th anniversary of his death. During the parade lap, the missing-man formation honored Mitcham, who lost his life in an accident at Greenville Speedway. Mitcham won twice on the SUPR tour, both at Forest Hill Speedway, once in 1997 and the other in 1995.  
 
Bubba Mullins of West Monroe, La., continues to stand his ground at his hometrack of Chatham, finishing fourth. Mullins had a stretch of back-to-back-to-back unsanctioned victories late last season at Jones Motor Speedway, one pocketing $2,500 in the Spooky 50. Mullins also won the Spooky 50 in 2007 and 2004.   
 
Zach McMillan of Gladewater, Tex., was another big top 10 mover in the feature, advancing six spots from his 14th-starting position. McMillan only trails Derek Perkins of Oakdale, La., in the SUPR Rookie of the Year chase. The two have emerged as the frontrunners for the award, leading other potential pursuers, Chris Patton, Chris Huckabay and Shane Hebert.

Perkins had to fight his way back from a provisional starting position, completing a 21st-to-eleventh run and minimize the damage of his ROTY lead on McMillan.    
 
Joey Couvillion of Pineville, La., debuted a new Rocket Race Car at the beginning of the season, but the struggle to gain the upper hand on it, has forced the No. J1 team to abandon their chase of the SUPR Rookie of the Year honors. Couvillion said the team will continue to work the bugs out of the new chassis and run mostly nearby, supporting tracks closer to home.
 
Tommy Surrett of Little Rock, Ark., continues to be plaqued by mechanical issues out of the Team 5 Enterprises stable. Surrett has had at least two engine failures this season and pulled off early in hot laps.       
 
Drivers not making the feature included, Jeff Allgayer, Nicholas Brown, Jay Brunson, Wesley Chanler, Joey Couvillion, Shane Hebert, Ricky Ingalls, Robert Metz, Lee Patton and Tommy Surrett.
 
The SUPR Dirt Late Model Series will take a weekend off, before returning to action on the half-mile of Devil's Bowl Speedway on May 12th, in Mesquite, Texas. It will be one of two appearances for the series, with the other date slated for August. 
 
SUPR at Jones: (1) Chris Wall, (2) B.J. Robinson, (3) Ray Moore, (4) Bubba Mullins, (5) Allen Tippen, (6) Jon Mitchell, (7) Jody Prince, (8) Zach McMillan, (9) Robbie Starnes, (10) Bud Mullins, (11) Derek Perkins, (12) Jesse Mills, (13) Jim Bryant, (14) Chris Huckabay, (15) Timothy Culp, (16) Rob Litton, (17) Chris Patton, (18) Ronnie Adams, (19) Jeff Chanler, (20) Steven Whiteaker Jr, (21) Robbie Stuart, (22) Brett Frazier.
 
Heat race winners (among 32 cars): J.Chanler, Wall, Prince, Culp
 
Consolation race winners: Frazier, Stuart
 
Provisional starters: Perkins, Bryant
 

SUPR Dirt Late Model Series Point Standings:
 
(Top 15 through April 28th)
 
1. Allen Tippen (Minden, LA) - 605
2. Rob Litton (Alexandria, LA) - 597
3. Robbie Starnes (Baytown, TX) - 534
4. Derek Perkins (Oakdale, LA) - 526
5. Zach McMillan (Gladewater, TX) - 453
6. Jim Bryant (Natchitoches, LA) - 445
7. Chris Holley (Dayton, TX) - 407
8. B.J. Robinson (Shreveport, LA) - 396
9. Timothy Culp (West Monroe, LA) - 342
10. Bubba Mullins (West Monroe, LA) - 302
11. Kevin Sitton (Baytown, TX) - 271
12. Jeff Chanler (Minden, LA) - 269
13. Chris Patton (Ruston, LA) - 265
14. Joey Couvillion (Pineville, LA) - 264
15. Jody Prince (Sibley, LA) - 261
 
 
A total of (76) drivers have competed in the first (5) SUPR Series' events of 2012.

Driver's State breakdownis: (31) Louisiana, (28) Texas, (6) Mississippi, (5) Arkansas, (3) Oklahoma, (2) Missouri, (1) Nebraska.