Volunteer Speedway
June 16, 2012
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Tweed captures first-ever Volunteer Speedway Pro Late Model victory on ‘Fan Appreciation Night’

by Robert Walden
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (June 16) — During the week John Tweed of Greeneville serves as President and Chief Operations Officer of Landair Transport Inc., one of the country’s largest transportation companies headquartered in Greene County. But come Saturday night, Tweed is ready to strap in behind the wheel and race his Vic Hill-prepared Fastrak Racing Series-sanctioned Pro Late Model.

During Pro Late Model pole qualifying, Mike Smith timed-in at 13.545-seconds and Tweed stopped the clock at 13.548 to earn the outside front row starting berth.

Before a large Fan Appreciation Night at The Gap crowd Saturday, Tweed, who will celebrate his 47th birthday on Monday, June 18, grabbed the lead at start of the 30-lap main event and never looked back en route to capturing his first-ever Pro Late Model feature win for an early birthday present.

The first attempt to get the race started was negated when Greg Burchett and Todd Brooks tangled on the backstretch, with Burchett having to be towed into the infield pits ending his night prematurely.

On the second go at green, Smith and Tweed raced side-by-side down the backstretch into the third turn. But racing off the fourth turn Tweed moved ahead of Smith into the lead, with Bobby Mays, Dale Ball and Ricky Moore holding down positions three through five completing the opening lap.

Moore got around Ball for the fourth spot on lap 2 racing off turn four. Just two circuits later on lap 4, between turns one and two contact between the pair saw Moore spin to bring out the caution.

The top five in the running order on the restart were Tweed, Smith, Mays, Ball and Jerry Broyles. During a long green flag run the quartet of Tweed, Smith, Mays and Ball began to put a little distance between themselves and Broyles, John Harrell, Tim Maupin and Tim Byrd. Caution waved on lap 21, when Mays experienced issues with rear suspension and tagged the outside concrete wall exiting the fourth turn onto the front straightaway.

Going back green for a nine-lap sprint to the checkers, Tweed, Smith and Ball pulled ahead to make it a three-car battle to the finish. But Tweed, driving the Landair Transport Inc./Pilot Travel Centers/Vic Hill Racing/Total Control Suspension/Fastlane Signs & Graphics/Warrior Race Cars/No. 5 Chevrolet Impala, stayed out front to record the victory over Smith, Ball, Broyles and Harrell.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Maupin, Byrd, Brooks, Moore and Richard Adkins.

Shannon Emery of Morristown set fast-time in Modified Hobby qualifying at 15:564-seconds to earn the $50 pole award from C.J.’s Market & Restaurant in Bulls Gap. At drop of the green flag over the 25-lap event, Emery jumped out into the lead over Dale Reed, Jamie Whitt, Jon Cook and Dennis Metcalf.

Whitt got around Reed for second on lap 3 racing off the fourth turn and set his sights ahead on leader Emery. Back-to-back caution periods on laps 15 and 16, when first Reed and next Cook slowed on the track, tightened the field for restarts.

But the 38-year-old Emery, chauffeuring the S&S Millwright/Cornwell Tools/Morristown Collision/MBI Investments/Mr. Horsepower/Mike Winstead Motorsports/No. m2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, back under green flag racing conditions was hooked up and setting a blistering pace out front. The 2001 Sportsman division track champion and also Open Wheel Modified veteran racer, worked lapped traffic flawlessly and never allowed Whitt to mount a serious challenge.

Emery recorded his first Modified Hobby victory of the season over Whitt, Metcalf, Terry Dean and Shorty Ledford.

Stanley Donahoo of White Pine definitely knows his way around the high banks at “The Gap,” and he’s visited victory lane on many occasions over the years. Donahoo started from the pole position and wheeled the Performance Chassis/Precision Machine Service/ProBuilt Race Engines/No. 00 mount to a convincing win over Tyler James, Jeff Akard and Jeff Fox.

PRO LATE MODEL (30 laps)
1. John Tweed #5-Greeneville, TN
2. Mike Smith #4-Rogersville, TN
3. Dale Ball #2-Johnson City, TN
4. Jerry Broyles #72-Jonesborough, TN
5. John Harrell #H19-Surgoinsville, TN
6. Tim Maupin #T2-Johnson City, TN
7. Tim Byrd #24-Jonesborough, TN
8. Todd Brooks #T1-Greeneville, TN
9. Ricky Moore #75-Mosheim, TN
10. Richard Adkins #73-Bristol, TN
11. Brian Cox #c75-Greeneville, TN
12. Bobby Mays #19-Jonesborough, TN
13. Tyler Dixon #00-Greeneville, TN
14. Wes Johnson #57j-Bristol, TN
15. Brian Westmoreland #54-Morristown, TN
16. Chuck Price #82-Johnson City, TN
17. Greg Burchett #5g-Church Hill, TN
18. Jackie Hughes #27-Johnson City, TN
Did Not Start: Forrest Trent #4Q-Morristown, TN

MODIFIED HOBBY (25 laps)
1) Shannon Emery #m2; 2) Jamie Whitt #1; 3) Dennis Metcalf #55; 4) Terry Dean #47; 5) Shorty Ledford #41; 6) Jason Long #15; 7) Tyler Smith #32; 8 ) Jesse Wilder #79; 9) Clynis Phillips #77; 10) Kaleb Trent #3; 11) Danny Helton #14; 12) Landon Williams #25; 13) Kimberly Allen #15; 14) Jon Cook #0z; 15) Dale Reed #52; 16) Blake Kelley #K5; 17) Eddie Adams #9 – Did Not Start: Ray Jarnigan #77; R.J. Mayes #6m

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED (10 laps)
1) Stanley Donahoo #00; 2) Tyler James #420; 3) Jeff Akard #00; 4) Jeff Fox #2