Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series
Columbus Speedway
July 12, 2014
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Thrash tames the field in State Series win at 'The Bullring'

by Bryan Wimberley
Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series correspondent

COLUMBUS, Miss. (July 12) - Polesitter Chad Thrash of Meridian, Miss., concluded a dominating performance, after surviving a early stage clash with David Breazeale, earning a $2,500 payday Saturday night at Columbus Speedway.

The victory secured Thrash's sixth career Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series triumph, tying him eighth on the all-time win list with former two-time champ, David Ashley Jr.

Second-place David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss., was game early, leading three laps in the feature, but Thrash's Rocket muscle was too much for all comers.

Third-starting Brian Rickman of Columbus, completed the podium of finishers, while older brother, Rick, finished fourth in the 50-lap main event.

A huge head of steam by Keith Miller of Sumerall, Miss., had the No. 291 becoming one of the feature's biggest movers, going from 15th-starting position to round out the top 5 finishers.

From the outset, Thrash led Breazeale, Brian Rickman, Josh Putnam and Jeremy Broadus to complete lap one.

Putnam moved door-to-door with Rickman, getting by him for third, as Thrash began to expand the lead on the front-runners.

Thrash's fast pace quickly had him approaching the back of the field on lap 7, but a caution for the spun car of Dean Carpenter of Coldwater, Miss., reshuffled the grid.

Back-to-back yellows flew on Carpenter after he looped the No. 51 car in turn one.

A tremendous restart, plus big forward bite exiting turn two, had Breazeale nipping Thrash by a nose at the flagstand of the ninth lap. Thrash fought back hard, squaring off in a side-by-side battle down the back straightaway. Three laps later, Thrash's nose edged the two-time Mississippi State Series' champion for the point.

A three-car, turn two accident, involving Leon Henderson, Chad McCool and Keith Miller, halted headway and brought out the race's third caution -Miller restarted at the tail end of the longest line.

Action resumed after a cleared racetrack, which saw the longest period of green flag racing of the feature -a total of 25 laps.

Points leader Rick Rickman of Columbus, slipped by Putnam for third behind Thrash and Breazeale, but Thrash's No. 1c began to get dialed in.

Near the halfway mark, almost the whole field, hugged the bottom in the corners, then took to the high line down the straights.

One lap car after another, Thrash started placing traffic between himself and second-running Breazeale, moving out to as much as a full straightaway advantage.

The top two in points started a duel on lap 31, as Rick Rickman had caught Breazeale for second, with Breazeale holding on by a narrow margin.

A couple laps later, a blanket could be thrown over 2nd through 6th of the running order, all mixing it up for position. Amid that slugfest, emerged the event's final yellow, when Chase Washington of Houlka, Miss., and Jeremy Broadus made contact in turn one, in a battle for 5th.

The incident claimed Broadus for the rest of the feature, retiring him to 19th, as Washington was charged with the caution.

Neil Baggett of Shannon, Miss., was sandwiched with no place to go on the start-up, sending him pit side under green -Baggett exited in 18th-place.

With 40 down, Thrash set his car on cruise control the remaining way as single file ruled the majority of the lead cars. Lap-by-lap, no one could get close enough to threatened Thrash's domination of the final countdown.

Thrash put multiple drivers between him and anyone posing a viable test. Under a glowing supermoon, Thrash precisely hit his marks to close out the feature's final corners, easily winning his first Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series race in almost 25 months.

NOTES: Thrash's Rocket Chassis Race Car is powered by a Jay Dickens Racing Engine and sponsored by Thrash Pest Control, Tomkat of Chunky, BASE Racing Fuels, Structural Steel Services, Miller Lite, X-Treme Graphics by J-Rod, Five Star Bodies.

The 30-minute feature ended at 11:35 pm, was slowed by four cautions, with nine cars on the lead lap.

Chad Thrash also received $100 put up by Jerry Wrench of Carl Hogan Automotive of Columbus, Miss., for becoming the fastest qualifier at 14.450 seconds.

The top 10 hard charger of the feature was Brett White of Kosciusko, Miss., who charged up from 19th-starting position to finish sixth. White recently won, besting (21) other super late model entries in a weekly show at Magnolia Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 6th.

From a championship standpoint, two things were proven following the Columbus Speedway feature on Saturday night; the first is a title chase that keeps intensifying after each race. The advantage is still at five points, but now 'The Ragin' Rebel' David Breazeale stands at the forefront. And the other is, if Chad Thrash hadn't missed June 7th at Greenville, it would be a four-horse show atop the standings, gauging his season's success.

After scoring two victories (Moulton and Arkadelphia Speedways), totaling $4,500 over the Fourth of July weekend, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, Ala., chose to scratch from the Columbus Speedway feature, citing having an off-night on the track -Hollingsworth would have started 8th in the 50-lap main event.

The locals were a buzz with the return of 'Fast' Eddie Rickman to the dirt, fielding the yellow No. 68 machine. The oldest Rickman snuffed out a top 10 at The Bullring, by taking home 8th-place, from 11th-starting spot.

Jason Milam of Fulton, Miss., piloted a No. 33c Bryson Motorsports entry at Columbus. Milam started 17th and managed little gain in the final tally, finishing 14th.

Next race: The Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series will return, Saturday, July 26th, for the third time this season to Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Mississippi.
David Breazeale took the win in the first state series' event on the gumbo in May, while Bub McCool found Victory Lane at Greenville in the tour's second visit to the speedway. The 50-lapper in two weeks, pays $2,500-to-win/$300-to-start.

MSCCS AT COLUMBUS: (1) Chad Thrash, (2) David Breazeale, (3) Brian Rickman, (4) Rick Rickman, (5) Keith Miller, (6) Brett White, (7) Mark Dodson, (8) Eddie Rickman, (9) Chase Washington, (10) Howard Means, (11) Chad McCool, (12) Clint Logan, (13) Dean Carpenter, (14) Jason Milam, (15) Kurt Radojcsics, (16) Allen Simmons, (17) Leon Henderson, (18) Neil Baggett, (19) Jeremy Broadus, (20) Josh Putnam, (SCR) Ronny Lee Hollingsworth.

Lap Leaders: Thrash 1-8, Breazeale 9-11, Thrash 12-50.
Total Laps Led: Thrash 47, Breazeale 3.
Margin of Victory: Three-seconds.

FASTEST QUALIFIER (among 21 cars): Chad Thrash at 14.450 seconds.

CONSOLATION RACE WINNERS: Rick Rickman, Clint Logan.

DASH WINNER: Chad Thrash.

B-Main 1 results: Rick Rickman, Eddie Rickman, Leon Henderson, Keith Miller, Jason Milam, Brett White, Allen Simmons.

B-Main 2 results: Clint Logan, Chad McCool, Mark Dodson, Howard Means, Dean Carpenter, Kurt Radojcsics.

Dash results: Chad Thrash, David Breazeale, Brian Rickman, Neil Baggett, Josh Putnam, Jeremy Broadus, Chase Washington, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth.

Group 1 (top 5) fastest qualifiers:

Chad Thrash at 14.450 seconds
Brian Rickman at 14.520 seconds
Neil Baggett at 14.550 seconds
Chase Washington at 14.560 seconds
Rick Rickman at 14.690 seconds

Group 2 (top 5) fastest qualifiers:

David Breazeale at 14.540 seconds
Josh Putnam at 14.680 seconds
Jeremy Broadus at 14.870 seconds
Ronny Lee Hollingsworth at 14.890 seconds
Clint Logan at 15.070 seconds