|
Clash PR
LANCASTER, S.C. (September 20) - Ricky Weeks showed up to Carolina Speedway with one thing on his mind Friday night. To collect as many points as he could in his toward collecting his fifth straight Carolina Clash championship. The best way to score points is to win and that is exactly what the Rutherfordton, NC veteran did as he led wire to wire to score the $5,000 win in the Hall of Fame 50 - A Tribute to 'Humpy' Wheeler.
Weeks entered the event just 15 points up on Dennis 'Rambo' Franklin and quickly flexed his muscle as he went out and set fast time in Mega Plumbing of the Carolina's Qualifying. Young Chris Ferguson's efforts put him alongside the veteran on the front row for the start of the 50 lapper.
As the green waved Ferguson got the jump on Weeks but Weeks powered back around the 18-year-old on the outside to take the early lead. Franklin, Ed Gibbons and Furman Parton rounded out the top five as they field completed lap number one.
Weeks was setting a blistering pace and was in lapped traffic by lap five. As he ran down Craig Shuffield and Brandon Ifft, Ferguson darted to the inside to take the point with an aggressive three wide pass but the move was negated when Justin Labonte rolled to a stop on the backstretch. This handed the lead back to Weeks. The field went back green with Ferguson staying within striking distance of the leader. Parton's strong run ended just six laps later when he slowed with mechanical problems.
Another caution waved on lap 18 for Clover, SC's John Pursley. On the restart Gibbons powered under Franklin to take third. The former Clash champion then turned his attention on Ferguson and began to pressure the Charlotte, NC resident for the runner up spot as Dan Breuer emerged in the top five. A long green flag run kept the leaders on their toes as they worked in and out of lapped traffic through the middle stages of the event.
After pressuring Ferguson for many laps, Gibbons was finally able to make the pass for second on lap 36 as Weeks continued to pace the field around the 4/10 mile oval. As the field raced through the white flag the leaders had to encounter the lapped car of leading PBM Performance Parts Rookie of the Year contender Scott Neighbors. Gibbons got hung up behind the Fayetteville, NC racer allowing Ferguson and Franklin to slip by as they chased Weeks across the stripe. Gibbons had to settle for fourth as Franklin nipped him by a few feet. Breuer came home in fifth.
Shuffield took the Heintz Brothers Performance Hard Charger of the Race. Jeff Smith was the Dirt Trax Motorsports Hard Luck Award Winner.
Feature
1 25 Ricky Weeks
2 22 Randle Chupp
3 2 Dennis Franklin
4 18M Jeff Smith
5 75 Jonathan Davenport
6 17 Tim Allen
7 22 Chris Ferguson
8 42 Doug Sanders
9 07 Ed Gibbons
10 44 Justin Labonte
11 10 Scott Shirey
12 1H Wayne Hughes
13 32 Larry Blankenship
14 5 Scott Neighbors
15 84 Randy Smith
16 421 Anthony Sanders
17 21X Bob Robertson
18 360 Craig Shuffield
|
