Final Regularly Scheduled 2016 Season Race Takes the Checkers at Huntsville Speedway
09/03/2016
By Kevin Neal
With a hint of cool in the air, the final checkered flags flew over the 2016 season of rebirth at Huntsville Speedway in a year that has to be considered a resounding success. Fifty lap features were the theme of the night, giving the Mini Modified, Buzz, Pro Buzz, Hot Shot, Tennessee Pure Stock, and Super Stocks a chance to let it all hang out in headliner length events with a mandatory halfway caution and pit stop.
In qualifying, fast time awards went to Chase Spradlin (15.000) in Mini Modified, Matthew Robbins (15.598) in Pro Buzz, Kassey Rogers (16.889) in Amateur Buzz, Josh McElhone (16.735) in Hot Shot, Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. (16.317)in Tennessee Pure Stock, and Bradley Malone (15.365) in Super Stock.
The evening kicked off with the Mini Modified division, where fast qualifier Chase Spradlin drew a three on the inversion, placing Joel Collier on the pole alongside multiple feature winner Chris Brown in the 89 car. Collier would take the early advantage while Brown seemed to fall back through the field, but it wasn’t long before the 38 car of Adam Gunter stormed to the lead, passing Collier on lap 28 and never looking back. Chris Brown’s night was an eventful one for all the wrong reasons as The Purple People Eater was involved in no fewer than three cautions that left hostilities high by the end of the race. Adam Gunter would take the checkered flag for the 50 lapper, but would later be disqualified in post-race technical inspection, giving the victory to Joel Collier.
The Pro Buzz/Amateur Buzz came to the green with Jay Harmening on the pole after Matthew Robbins drew a four on the inversion. Harmening was flanked by Birmingham driver Floyd Brown, who has also captured feature wins at Huntsville in 2016. Harmening held his own before Michael Neely went to the point, leading a number of laps before the mandatory halftime pit stop. Neely and Robbins would collide exiting turn 4 while fighting for the lead, giving the lead back to Harmening at the break. Neely would once again find himself in front in the second half of the race before being overtaken without incident by Robbins, who went on to take the win. Brandon Thornton went for a wild ride at lap 9 when he lost a left rear wheel on his Steammaster Carpet Cleaning machine. The damage ultimately ended Brandon’s evening. Also of note, in the Amateur Buzz division, were the efforts of Kassey Rogers who turned times rivaling some of the Pro Buzz cars, and captured the victory in the Amateur Buzz division.
The Hot Shot 50 lapper was a rough and tumble affair with plenty tough racing and bumper tapping on hand for most of the race. The field was led to the start by previous feature winner Jeremy Price, alongside Matthew Tucker’s Petty inspired number 43 car. Price and Josh McElhone, who won the lion’s share of Hot Shot features at Huntsville in 2016, did a copious amount of rubbing and racing while battling for the lead, but McElhone might have ruffled the feathers of Tucker as the the two traded paint earlier in the race while battling for position. On lap 45, the 43 car veered directly into the path of the 01 in turn 3 causing a violent collision with the outside wall. Fortunately both drivers will live to race another day, but the liquids spilled onto the racing surface caused a significant delay in finishing the remaining five laps of the race which saw Bart Eichorst taking home the biggest Hot Shot prize of the season, followed by Jeremy Price, Joshua Rose, and Paul Frazier.
The Tennessee Pure Stocks never fail to bring outstanding racing when they make the journey down from Highland Rim and Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville and Saturday night was no exception. Fast qualifier Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. drew a two on the inversion, putting Tink Jackson on the pole, but it wouldn’t take long for the 01 car of Austin Wilson to find his way into the lead. Wilson’s car was fast, allowing him to lead until lap 16 when Hendrixson, Jr. regained the top spot. Wilson would be forced to retire two laps after the halfway pit stop with a fluid leak.
Hendrixson, Jr. would continue to pace the field with a fierce battle playing out for second through fourth between Jason Plunkett, Jr. Matt Adams, and Tink Jackson in the final 10 laps. Jackson would be eliminated from contention at lap 42 with a broken suspension part and neither Plunkett or Adams were able to muster a challenge to race winner Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. In the 50 lap Super Stock feature, Bradley Malone had the worst possible inversion scenario play out as he drew a 6, placing the returning Caleb Thornberry on the pole alongside the number 49 of Timothy Hopkins. Thornberry took the early lead with Hopkins making a valiant effort in the high groove to hold his ground before getting freight trained by the cars in the low groove. Malone would make his move on the outside to capture the lead from Thornberry and would cruise to the victory after Thornberry and Junior Jordan were involved in caution incidents that sent them to the rear of the field. David Dean, Jr., driving the number 29 machine in lieu of his regular number 21 Mustang, recovered from a spin in turn 4 that brought out the halfway caution to finish in the runner-up spot.
Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. We’ve all heard that maxim before right? Well that’s how the other ladies in the Gina Dean Bagwell Memorial Powder Puff race must have felt when they took to the track for their 10 lap race against Debbie Tuck in the very competitive Chuck Tuck Motorsports STAR SuperTruck. Debbie lead every lap of the race, followed by Beth Ann Lee, Jana McGuire, and Lynn Ponzini.
The evening was capped off by a demolition derby on the frontstretch, that saw two Chris Frost prepared cars make the journey from Dora to Huntsville to try to take the money. Ultimately when the smoke and debris cleared, Jon Kemp of Madison was the last man standing.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action in the 2017 season! Stay tuned to the website at www.huntsvillespeedway.com and the Huntsville Speedway Facebook page for information and any potential announcements about possible special event races this fall.
Mini Modified Division:
1. 71 – Joel Collier
2. 89 – Chris Brown
3. 121 – Charles McKee
4. 5 – Doug Emerson
5. 00 – Jimmy Rowe
6. 85 – Jeremy Davis
7. 4 – Devan Stanley
8. 5B – Alex Campbell
9. 48 – Chase Spradlin
10. 38 – Adam Gunter
11. 19 – Jacob Hill
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 48 – Matthew Robbins
2. 92 – Michael Neely
3. 1 – Jay Harmening
4. 84 – Floyd Brown
5. 192 – Steve Jones
6. 16 – Brandon Thornton
Amateur Buzz Division:
1. 18 – Kassey Rogers
2. 8 – Dakoda Emerson
3. 77 – Scott Howell
Hot Shot Division:
1. 7 – Bart Eichorst
2. 00 – Jeremy Price
3. 71 – Joshua Rose
4. 15 – Paul Frazier
5. 01 – Josh Mac
6. 43 – Matthew Tucker
7. 0 – David Betz
Tennessee Pure Stock Division:
1. 33 – Jerry Hendrixson, Jr.
2. 19 – Matt Adams
3. 38 – Jason Plunkett, Jr.
4. 71 – William Coates
5. 43 – Tyler Ridings
6. 21 – Terry Jackson
7. 7 – Randy Clemons
8. 11 – Tink Jackson
9. 77 – William Wales
10. 125 – Ricky Groves
11. 01 – Austin Wilson
Super Stock Division:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 29 – David Dean, Jr.
3. 95 – Junior Jordan
4. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
5. 98 – Todd Cagle
6. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
7. 12 – Tyler Adams
8. 6 – Terry Doss
9. 57 – Billy Byrd
Powder Puff Event:
1. Debbie Tuck
2. Beth Ann Lee
3. Jana McGuire
4. Lynn Ponzini
Brazier Returns to Victory Lane in the Late Model Division; Stuart Dunn Threepeats in the Open Wheel Modifieds; Jacob Stephens Holds Court in STAR SuperTrucks
By Kevin Neal
08/27/2016
In the penultimate event of the season for Huntsville Speedway, every single division that races at the high banked quarter mile track was called into action Saturday night and it made for a short track racing marathon that welcomed a new day (Sunday) but some familiar faces to the First Impressions Printing Victory Lane.
In qualifying, the Fast Time Qualifying Award went to John Thomas (13.833) in the Open Wheel Modifieds, Johnny Brazier (13.777) was the fastest qualifier for the Limited Late Models, Thomas Pannell (14.892) was fastest in the Sportsman division, Jacob Stephens (14.734) was fastest in the STAR SuperTrucks, and Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. (16.473) was the fast qualifier for the Tennessee Pure Stocks.
The Late Models took to the Speedway as Saturday became Sunday, but there was no fatigue in any of these drivers as the fastest laps of the day closed out a night of exciting action with fast qualifier Johnny Brazier, of Lick Skillet, Alabama, driving his Moody Monday’s/Taylor Farms Ford Fusion, started outside the front row with the TruckSouth machine of Morris, Alabama’s Edwin Gurley on the pole. Brazier and Gurley battled wheel to wheel for a handful of laps before Brazier took the advantage down the backstraightaway and captured the top spot all for himself. Brazier would hold off Edwin Gurley who notched yet another runner-up finish, followed by a strong rally for Chuck Tuck who recovered from a spin in qualifying to get a podium finish in third, and Hunter Boyd, who regularly competes at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, finishing fourth. Boyd showed a lot of speed and car control in his first visit to the Rocket City. The win is Brazier’s second of the season in a race that closes out the year for the Limited Late Models at Huntsville Speedway.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division John Thomas of Harvest, Alabama drew a five on the inversion putting Troy Gray on the pole for their 50 lap feature alongside Stuart Dunn on the front row. At the drop of the green, Dunn would take the advantage over Gray as Troy dropped back through the field and into the clutches of Bradley Carter. Carter and Gray did battle for many laps before the two made contact. Carter would find a way around Gray only to wind up in as fierce a battle with race leader Stuart Dunn, before the two made contact on the backstretch, flattening one of the tires on Carter’s machine and sending him to the pits for repairs. A late race caution set up a duel between the wily veterans as John Thomas rallied to the rear Nerf bar of Stuart Dunn’s number 181. Dunn was able to seal the deal and capture the win in the final Open Wheel Modified race for 2016. John Thomas had to settle for the runner-up spot, followed by Troy Gray, Parker Pugh, Bradley Carter, Brian Lambert, Jr., and Will Brown.
The STAR SuperTrucks also made their final laps for the 2016 season on Saturday night with an interesting twist developing in the ongoing battle to claim the bounty on dominating Daniel Bradford. The $300 bounty, posted by Landers McLarty Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM and accountant D. Mark Holman, was for any driver who could unseat Bradford in the winner’s circle without taking him out of the event, i.e. Bradford must also finish the race. If Bradford could win the race, given it is the last event of the season, he would pocket the bounty money.
The drama further escalated when Bradford had to start at the rear of the field after failing to get in line for qualifying in accordance with the three minute rule for entering the qualifying line once the division is called. Wesley Davis and Parker Henegar would lead the field to green after Jacob Stephens drew a three on inversion. A number of early cautions actually made the field easy picking for Bradford who only had to lie in wait for his fellow competitors to send themselves to the back of the pack. Barely 8 laps into the race, Bradford restarted outside of race leader Wesley Davis, and over took him for the lead from the outside line entering turn 3.
Normally this would be the part of the story where we tell you about Bradford checking out on the field, but a new sheriff, or at least deputy, has shown up in the SuperTrucks, and his name is Jacob Stephens. Stephens managed to keep pace with Bradford for a number of laps before a late race caution involving Robbie Elledge, caused a red flag to be displayed, stopping the field on the frontstretch. Bradford was unable to restart his truck when vehicles were refired. He even had additional time to try to rectify the issue while track officials waited for Track Pro Safety Team and the Monrovia Body Shop wreckers to return to the pits after dealing with the disabled Elledge vehicle. Bradford was unable to finish the race, and Jacob Stephens held off Parker Henegar to take the win. Since Daniel Bradford did not win the race, but also did not finish the event, neither he nor Jacob Stephens captured the bounty money.
The Sportsman division saw one of its larger fields of the season as several drivers from Highland Rim Speedway and Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville made the journey to Huntsville to compete in the final Sportsman race for 2016. Fast qualifier Thomas Pannell didn’t allow much breathing room for the rest of the field as he drew a two on the inversion, putting himself alongside Eddie Gibbs, making a return to racing in his familiar yellow number 63. Pannell and Gibbs would make contact on a restart causing Fast Eddie to have to pit to change a flat tire.Pannell would hang on to the lead for the balance of the race, challenged by Billy Sisco of Nashville who could get close, but was unable to pass Pannell up for the victory. Pannell was followed by Sisco, Byron Westbrooks, Scott Hollis, and Scott Gay rounding out the top five.
In the Super Stock division, the 03 machine of Tennessee driver James Shaw started upfront alongside multiple feature winner Brad Malone. Shaw proved he was up for the challenge racing wheel to wheel with Malone before David Dean, Jr. and Todd Cagle jumped into the mix with Dean knocking fenders with Malone before dropping back to fourth as Junior Jordan sailed up through the field to the runner-up spot. Jordan would challenge Malone for the top spot but was unable to collect, as Brad Malone hung on to take the victory. Also of note in the feature was the debut of Nicholas Reed, a third generation racer and son of former late model competitor Adam Reed. Nicholas’s grandfather John Reed was the longtime crew chief of multiple time late model track champion Dan Beddingfield.
The Tennessee Pure Stock division never disappoints when it comes to side-by- side racing action when they make the three hour journey from their home track at Highland Rim to Huntsville. James Shaw, who did double duty in the Super Stock feature, started the Pure Stock feature from the pole alongside Tyler Ridings. Fast qualifier Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. drew a four on the inversion, placing him outside second row alongside Austin Wilson in the 01 car. The entire field was a hornet’s nest of side-by side racing with remarkably only one caution thrown for the 28 car of Jason Plunkett, Jr. when he spun his car exiting turn 2. Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. was able to battle his way to the front and capture the win, breaking the lock that Matt Adams had on Huntsville since the Pure Stocks initial visit earlier in the season. We certainly hope to see a lot more Pure Stock racing in the 2017 season!
Ryan Hovik and Daniel Sylvester started on the front row for the Hot Shot division feature, but it didn’t take long for previous feature winners Josh Mac and Jeremy Price to find their way around the front row starters as they maintained their own fierce battle for superemacy. Josh and Jeremy drove the wheels (and bumpers) off their vehicles before Jeremy Price took the final lead, holding off Josh Mac, Ryan Hovik, Daniel Sylvester, and Paul Frazier for the win.
The 20 lap Mini Modified feature was a race of attrition that saw Locust Fork driver Tommy Robinette returning to victory lane over Jeremy Davis, Kevin Harrison, Charles McKee, Doug Emerson in a new race car, Lance Campbell, and Mark Sabin who experienced issues in practice with some type of mechanical issue that caused bright white smoke to spew from the rear of his Plymouth Aero. The Purple People Eater of Chris Brown was unable to start the feature after dropping a valve in practice.
Courtney Gibbs and Jay Harmening led the field to green to start the night of racing in the Pro Buzz/Amateur Buzz 15 lap feature, and in consistent fashion, it didn’t take long for the Birmingham based duo of Matthew Robbins and Floyd Brown to work their way to the front. Gibbs, who continues to show improvement week in and week out, held her own for a fourth place finish while Jay Harmening held off the Acura power of Brown and Robbins to take the win. Dakoda Emerson picked up the win for the Amateur Buzz portion of the race.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night for its 2016 season finale with big 50 lap races for the Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Amateur Buzz, and Hot Shots along with a 10 lap Powder Puff Race for ladies who have never raced previously, and a huge Compact Car Demolition Derby. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Late Model:
1. 71 – Johnny Brazier
2. 27 – Edwin Gurley
3. 17 – Chuck Tuck
4. 38 – Hunter Boyd
5. 24 – Keith Rankin
6. 9 – Brian Bentley
7. 14 – Bobby Castleberry
8. 47 – Chad Caldwell
9. 8 – Larry Speakman
10. 45 – Phil Renfroe
11. 72 – Ronald Evans
12. 6 – Alan Callaway
Open Wheel Modified:
1. 181 – Stuart Dunn
2. 47 – John Thomas
3. 74 – Troy Gray
4. 31 – Parker Pugh
5. 23 – Bradley Carter
6. 21 – Brian Lambert, Jr.
7. 58 – Will Brown
STAR SuperTruck:
1. 5 – Jacob Stephens
2. 35 – Parker Henegar
3. 85 – Wesley Davis
4. 62 – Jody Anderson
5. 92 – Michael Neely
6. 12B – Bryan Faulkner
7. 67 – Daniel Bradford
8. 6 – Robbie Elledge
9. 75 – Cameron Berry
10. 12 – Dusty Gore
11. 16 – Brandon Thornton
Sportsman:
1. 8 – Thomas Pannell
2. 16 – Billy Sisco
3. 5 – Byron Westbrooks
4. 98 – Scott Hollis
5. 01 – Scott Gay
6. 316 – Johnathan Campbell
7. 11 – Gary Adcock
8. 63 – Eddie Gibbs
9. 41 – Ricky Goins
Tennessee Pure Stock:
1. 33 – Jerry Hendrixson, Jr.
2. 13 – James Shaw
3. 01 – Austin Wilson
4. 43 – Tyler Ridings
5. 38 – Jason Plunkett, Jr.
6. 48 – James Gentry
7. 05 – Charlie Caldwell
8. 40 – Brandon Ladd
Super Stock:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 95 – Junior Jordan
3. 98 – Todd Cagle
4. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
5. 03 – James Shaw
6. 57 – Billy Byrd
7. 93 – Nicholas Reed
Hot Shot Division:
1. 00 – Jeremy Price
2. 01 – Josh Mac
3. 7 – Ryan Hovik
4. 27 – Daniel Sylvester
5. 15 – Paul Frazier
Mini Modified Division:
1. 9 – Tommy Robinette
2. 85 – Jeremy Davis
3. 31 – Kevin Harrison
4. 121 – Charles McKee
5. 5 – Doug Emerson
6. 29 – Lance Campbell
7. 11 – Mark Sabin
8. 89 – Chris Brown
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 1 – Jay Harmening
2. 84 – Floyd Brown
3. 48 – Matthew Robbins
4. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
5. 16 – Austin Thornton
6. 192 – Shane Jones
7. 8 – Dakoda Emerson (Amateur Buzz)
Jacob Stephens Takes the Win in STAR SuperTruck Division; Byron Westbrooks Victorious in Sportsman Division; Matt Adams Is the Victor in Tennessee Pure Stocks
08/14/2016
By Kevin Neal
After a brief delay caused by a passing summertime shower, another beautiful night for racing developed at Huntsville Speedway on a night that featured the STAR SuperTruck Series, Sportsman, Mini Modifieds, Super Stock, Hot Shots, Buzz (Pro and Amateur), and the Tennessee Pure Stocks with their largest field of the season visiting Huntsville from Highland Rim Speedway and Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville.
In qualifying for the STAR SuperTrucks, Pure Stock, and Pro Buzz, Parker Henegar (14.639) in STAR SuperTrucks, Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. (16.384) in the Pure Stock, and Matthew Robbins (15.722) in Pro Buzz turned in the fastest times of the night.
In the SuperTruck division, fast qualifier Parker Henegar drew the five on the inversion putting the Bama Parts number 92 of Michael Neely on the pole alongside the number 5 truck of Jacob Stephens in his second start of the season. Cameron Berry, already a winner in the series this season started third alongside the TLC Automotive truck of Bryan Faulkner who looked to have solved some of the issues he has been dealing with on his race truck posting a fast qualifying time. From the drop of the green flag, Stephens would waste no time in assuming the lead from his outside front row starting spot. Stephens would maintain that lead for the remainder of the race holding off Faulkner, Henegar, Wesley Davis, driving the Norton Flooring number 85 usually driven by Joe Davis, and Jody Anderson for the win. Cameron Berry would see his chances of another win evaporating when he clipped the prone truck of Jody Anderson and suffered substantial front end damage to his number 75. Veteran driver and pit announcer Louie Robinett drove in relief of an ailing Matthew Tucker after making a driver change on the first caution, but was unable to muster better than an eighth place finish in the unfamiliar vehicle. The STAR SuperTrucks will make their final run of the season on August 27 th .
In the abbreviated 15 lap Sportsman feature, Scott Hollis started on the pole after the draw alongside the number 5 car of Byron Westbrooks and flanked by Johnathan Campbell. Hollis would mount almost a straightaway lead before a rearend failure took him out of the race. Westbrooks and Campbell were left to battle it out for the win with Westbrooks edging Campbell for the victory.
In the Mini Modified division, Tommy Robinette returned to his winning ways, taking the win over Chris Brown in the 20 lap feature. Last week’s winner Jeremy Davis started shotgun on the field and was unable to mount a challenge to the leaders this week. Doug Emerson returned in fine form after having to make substantial repairs to his 86 machine to score a podium finish in third.
The Pro Buzz/Amateur Buzz 15 lap feature had a rough time getting rolling after a collision between the 48 of fast qualifier Matthew Robbins and the 92 of Michael Neely, driving for his daughter Kirsty this week, sent both to the pits with flat tires before a lap had been completed.
Jay Harmening and Courtney Gibbs collided on the next start attempt and suffered the same fate. When the smoke had cleared, Austin Thornton stood tall in victory lane taking the number 16 to the win in a car co-driven by sister Sierra. Michael Neely rallied back to finish a close second, followed by Floyd Brown, Shane Jones, and Courtney Gibbs. Dakoda Emerson was the winner for the Amateur Buzz division.
In the 20 lap Super Stock feature, David Dean, Jr. and Todd Cagle lead the field to the green in a race that saw the return to action of long time track competitor Billy Byrd. Dean would hold on to the lead briefly, but a hornet’s nest was brewing behind him in the form of Junior Jordan and Brad Malone. Jordan claimed the top spot and did not relinquish it, holding off a fast Brad Malone for the win.
In the 15 lap Hot Shot feature, Josh Mac and Paul Frazier led the field to green, with Josh Mac taking the lead on the initial start. The hunt was on from that point as last week’s winner Jeremy Price sought to track down the leader. Price and Mac would battle side by side before Price took the advantage and the spot, going on to win yet another Hot Shot division feature.
Josh Mac was rallying to hold on the runner up position but was edged at the line by the number 7 car of Bart Eichorst.
The Tennessee Pure Stocks brought a swarm of vehicles to Huntsville Speedway with a special $100 winners bonus presented by USFA of Tennessee. Fast qualifier Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. drew a five on the inversion, putting last race winner Matt Adams alongside the 01 car of Austin Wilson for the start. Adams would claim the lead but Wilson remained glued to his rear bumper until the 11 machine of Tink Jackson arrived on the scene, surpassing Wilson for the runner-up spot. Wilson looked to have a run under Adams on multiple occasions, but was unable to complete this pass on this night with Adams holding on to take the win over Jackson, Wilson, Hendrixson, Jr., and Jason Plunkett, Jr. to round out the top 5. The Pure Stocks put on a whale of a show for the fans and we hope to have them back at Huntsville Speedway on a more regular basis in the 2017 season.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with the Limited Late Models, Open Wheel Modifieds, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Buzz and Pro Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 4PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Supertruck Division:
1. 5 – Jacob Stephens
2. 12 – Bryan Faulkner
3. 35 – Parker Henegar
4. 85 – Wesley Davis
5. 62 – Jody Anderson
6. 92 – Michael Neely
7. 32 – Andrew Whitaker
8. 43 – Matthew Tucker
9. 75 – Cameron Berry
10. 6 – Robbie Elledge
11. 14 – Cody Thomason
Sportsman Division:
1. 5 – Byron Westbrooks
2. 316 – Johnathan Campbell
3. 98 – Scott Hollis
Mini Modified Division:
1. 9 – Tommy Robinette
2. 89 – Chris Brown
3. 86 – Doug Emerson
4. 85 – Jeremy Davis
5. 11 – Mark Sabin
6. 31 – Kevin Harrison
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 16 – Austin Thornton
2. 92 – Michael Neely
3. 84 – Floyd Brown
4. 192 – Shane Jones
5. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
6. 1 – Jay Harmening
7. 48 – Matthew Robbins
8. 88 – Toby Vintson
Amateur Buzz Division:
1. 8 – Dakoda Emerson
Super Stock Division:
1. 95 – Junior Jordan
2. 15 – Brad Malone
3. 98 – Todd Cagle
4. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
5. 57 – Billy Byrd
6. 49 – Clayton Hopkins
Hot Shot Division:
1. 00 – Jeremy Price
2. 7 – Bart Eichorst
3. 01 – Josh Mac
4. 27 – Christopher Gunter
5. 15 – Paul Frazier
Tennessee Pure Stock Division:
1. 19 – Matt Adams
2. 11 – Tink Jackson
3. 01 – Austin Wilson
4. 33 – Jerry Hendrixson, Jr.
5. 38 – Jason Plunkett, Jr.
6. 71 – Willie Coats
7. 43 – Tyler Ridings
8. 05 – Charlie Caldwell
9. 77 – Shane Wells
10. 32 – Roy Porter
Brazier Breaks Through in the Late Model Division; Stuart Dunn Returns to Victory Lane in the Open Wheel Modifieds
By Kevin Neal
08/06/2016
The racing season at Huntsville Speedway may be approaching its close, but you’d never know it by the action on track Saturday night in an evening of racing headlined by the Limited Late Models and Open Wheel Modifieds.
In qualifying, the Fast Time Qualifying Award went to John Thomas (13.930) in the Open Wheel Modifieds, Johnny Brazier (13.699) was the fastest qualifier for the Limited Late Models, and Brad Malone (15.410) for the SuperStock division.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division John Thomas of Harvest, Alabama drew a four on the inversion putting Stuart Dunn on the pole alongside open wheel legend Billy Melvin of Trussville, Alabama, making his first start at Huntsville this season. Dunn would capture the advantage on the green flag with Melvin in pursuit, but Melvin would quickly be freight trained by the cars of Thomas and a very fast Parker Pugh. Melvin would eventually settle into fourth and for the majority of the race you could have thrown a blanket over the top four as they battled it out nose to tail. Thomas would look to have a run on Dunn multiple times in the closing laps, but would be forced to settle for second as Union Grove’s Stuart Dunn made his second trip to victory lane in as many races.
The Late Models would put on just as competitive a race with fast qualifier Johnny Brazier, of Lick Skillet, Alabama, driving his Moody Monday’s/Taylor Farms Ford Fusion, drew a three on inversion putting previous race winner Brian Bentley of Athens, Alabama on the pole alongside the TruckSouth machine of Morris, Alabama’s Edwin Gurley. Gurley put up a valiant fight in a very fast car, but an early spin would take him out of contention and trap him in traffic for the remainder of the race. Brazier would assume the lead at lap 4, making the pass of Brian Bentley down the backstretch. Brazier would not look back, leaving Bentley, Chattanooga’s Keith Rankin, and Bobby Castleberry to battle for second through fourth. Points leader Alan Callaway of Locust Fork, Alabama rallied to a fifth place finish after cutting an oil line and hitting the wall in a practice session Friday evening. Brazier’s victory came in his third start at Huntsville this season.
The 20 lap Mini Modified feature was a wild and wooly affair with chaos erupting on lap 2 when the 86 car of Doug Emerson of Athens collided with the 9 car of Tommy Robinette when a suspension part seemed to break on Robinette’s car causing him to lose control. The Purple People Eater, number 89 of Chris Brown was collateral damage in the wreck and was wedged against the frontstretch inside retaining wall, causing damage to his left front fender. Emerson’s car had to be cradled to the pits on a wrecker and Robinette was also done for the evening.
Chris Brown was able to soldier on but ran into more troubles later in the race when he and the 31 machine of Kevin Harrison made contact exiting turn 2. Meanwhile, Jeremy Davis watched the melee in his rearview mirror as he took his second win of the season in the Mini Modifieds followed by Mark Sabin, a rallying Chris Brown, Lance Campbell, and Harrison to round out the top five.
In the Super Stock division, Butch Rogers and Todd Cagle would lead the field to the green, but it wouldn’t be long before a hard charging Timothy Hopkins made his presence felt at the front of the field. Hopkins charged from his fourth place starting position to challenge Rogers for the lead with the two battling down the backstretch for the point. Unfortunately, neither car would make it to turn 3 as they collided in a shower of sparks, leaving both cars disabled for the remainder of the event. Todd Cagle would suffer a serious case of wrong place at the wrong time as his front clip was also collected in the wreck. Cagle would be able to soldier on as most of the damage proved cosmetic after a pit stop. Fast qualifier Brad Malone found his way to the lead and battled nose to tail with Junior Jordan for the win. A post-race protest of Malone’s engine found him to be in compliance with speedway rules and his victory was upheld.
Shane Jones and Kirsty Neely led the field to green to start the night of racing in the Pro Buzz/Amateur Buzz 15 lap feature, but it didn’t take long for the Birmingham based duo of Matthew Robbins and Floyd Brown to work their way to the front. Jones and Jay Harmening put up a great fight in their Saturns, but the Acuras of Robbins and Brown proved too much to handle on this night. Ty Whisenant, making his first start of the year in an 18 car previously driven by Mark Collins, looked to have the field well in hand, passing cars at will before his engine expired, eliminating him from competition. Dakoda Emerson picked up the win for the Amateur Buzz portion of the race.
Hearts were heavy for the Hot Shot Division feature as our thoughts and prayers go out to multiple race winner Josh McElhone’s wife Della who was involved in a vicious crash on I-65 south of Birmingham on Saturday. Josh was already at the track getting ready to bring his car to the pits when he received the news and left to be by her side. We ask the racing community to continue to pray for Della McElhone as she recovers from her injuries. Though the car count was down, Jeremy Price and Christopher Gunter had a whale of a race for the win with Price picking up his second victory of the season, minus the flour shower he suffered on his first trip to victory lane.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night at regular times with races featuring the STAR SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Late Model:
1. 71 – Johnny Brazier
2. 9 – Brian Bentley
3. 24 – Keith Rankin
4. 14 – Bobby Castleberry
5. 6 – Alan Callaway
6. 27 – Edwin Gurley
7. 22- Mike Barrett
8. 47 – Chad Caldwell
9. 8 – Larry Speakman
10. 72 – Ronald Evans
Open Wheel Modified:
1. 181 – Stuart Dunn
2. 47 – John Thomas
3. 31 – Parker Pugh
4. 16 – Billy Melvin
5. 21 – Larry Smith
6. 58 – Will Brown
7. 0 – Jordan Key
Mini Modified Division:
1. 85 – Jeremy Davis
2. 11 – Mark Sabin
3. 89 – Chris Brown
4. 29 – Lance Campbell
5. 31 – Kevin Harrison
6. 86 – Doug Emerson
7. 9 – Tommy Robinett
8. 121 – Charles McKee
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 48 – Matthew Robbins
2. 84 – Floyd Brown
3. 192 – Shane Jones
4. 1 – Jay Harmening
5. 92 – Kirsty Neely
6. 16 – Sierra Thornton
7. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
8. 18 – Ty Whisenant
9. 8 – Dakoda Emerson (Amateur Buzz)
Super Stock Division:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 95 – Junior Jordan
3. 98 – Todd Cagle
4. 27 – Guile Hornbuckle
5. 31 – Jeremy Pate
6. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
7. 72 – Butch Rogers
Hot Shot Division:
1. 00 – Jeremy Price
2. 27 – Christopher Gunter
3. 7 – Kelly Christiansen
Bradford Seemingly Unstoppable in STAR SuperTruck Division; Henry Wade Battles to Repeat in Sportsman Division
07/30/2016
By Kevin Neal
The rains stopped and the skies parted producing a beautiful night for racing at Huntsville Speedway featuring the STAR SuperTruck Series, Sportsman, Mini Modifieds, Super Stock, Hot Shots, and Buzz (Pro and Amateur).
In qualifying for the STAR SuperTrucks, Super Stock, and Sportsman Daniel Bradford (14.554) in STAR SuperTrucks, John Thomas (15.326), driving the number 27 car of Guile Hornbuckle in the Super Stock, and Scott Hollis (14.954) in Sportsman turned in the fastest times of the night.
In the SuperTruck division, fast qualifier Daniel Bradford drew the five on the inversion putting the 32 truck of Andrew Whitaker on the pole alongside the number 5 truck of rookie driver Jacob Stephens. Mitchell Walls, starting third on the field would quickly find his way to the point, hotly pursued by the 5 of Stephens. Stephens tried several times to get a nose under Walls before the two made contact exiting turn 4 which opened the door for the lurking Daniel Bradford, who only needed an open door to put his truck into the lead. A subsequent caution at lap 21 for the 62 truck of Jody Anderson allowed Michael Neely to take advantage of the cone to restart alongside Bradford and challenge for the top spot. The battle was a short lived one as Bradford returned to the lead. Mitchell Walls and Jacob Stephens would again find themselves in each others crosshairs as the two made hard contact with each other, and then the turn 4 wall, decimating the truck of Mitchell Walls, a former truck series track champion. Bradford would face a slight challenge from Parker Henegar, who has made dramatic strides with his truck in recent races, but would be unable to wrest the victory from Bradford. The bounty on Daniel Bradford , $300 courtesy of Landers-McLarty Chrysler-Jeep- RAM and accountant D. Mark Holman for any driver who could cleanly defeat Bradford without crashing him out of the event, remains unclaimed and rolls over to the next STAR SuperTruck race, with just two races remaining in the season.
In the 30 lap Sportsman feature, fast qualifier Scott Hollis drew five on the inversion, giving him the unsavory task of fighting from deep in one of the largest Sportsman fields of the season to try to add another trophy to his collection. Newcomer to the division Stan McClure started on the pole alongside the familiar number 15 car of Brad Malone who most fans are accustomed to seeing in the Super Stock division. McClure would make an excellent accounting in his first start of the season, leading several circuits, as the 48 machine of Michael MacKay, a previous feature winner this season, made steady progress through the field. MacKay and Byron Westbrooks would trade paint at lap 16 bringing out the caution. Westbrooks was none too happy with the contact and showed his displeasure with MacKay by bumping his car in the rear under caution, and earning a stern warning from track officials. On a subsequent restart, the 98 of Scott Hollis seemed to miss a shift, stacking up practically the entire field in a wild melee that saw scoring giving everyone their position back because of the number of cars involved.
Michael MacKay’s eventful evening was not yet over as he and Scott Hollis seemed to lock up on the frontstretch causing a flat tire for Hollis and ending his evening. Meanwhile at the front of the field, Stan McClure and Henry Wade battled to the last lap with Wade edging McClure by a fender for the win, his second of the season.
Jeremy Davis was just carrying on an old family tradition as he piloted the familiar number 85 Mini Modified car to his first victory of the season Saturday night. Davis had the opportunity to start on the pole when the cars of Lance Campbell and Mark Sabin elected to start in the rear of the field. Davis started the race alongside Doug Emerson, who has also found victory lane this season. Lance Campbell, making his first start of the year had an impressive showing, racing up to challenge the leaders before retiring near the end of the race with unknown issues. Last race winner Tommy Robinett, “The Purple People Eater” of Chris Brown, and the 25 machine of Derrick Moore, waged a fierce battle enroute to Robinett challenging Davis for the win, but Jeremy would not be denied this evening and captured the checkers.
Birmingham driver Floyd Brown and Jay Harmening paced the field for the Pro Buzz/Amateur Buzz 15 lap feature. On the start, Brown took off for the hills with Harmening falling into the clutches of Austin Thornton and the 48 of Matthew Robbins. Robbins would ultimately best both Harmening and Thornton for the runner-up spot, but could mount no challenge for Brown who took the victory. Dakoda Emerson was the winner for the Amateur Buzz division.
In the 20 lap Super Stock feature, fast time qualifier John Thomas was also the victim of a unlucky draw as his five placed him at the rear of the field. Butch Rogers would start on the pole alongside the Mustang of David Dean, Jr. Rogers would quickly drop back through the field as he was split three wide between Junior Jordan and David Dean, Jr. Dean would suffer problems and be forced to retire from the race, one that Jordan seemed to have well in hand after taking the lead at lap 11 before the 49 machine, piloted this week by Brad Malone, made a late race charge to surpass Jordan and beat him back to the line by a nose to take the win.
Josh Mac’s streak in the Hot Shot division finally came to an end Saturday night with Jeremy Price taking the victory in the 15 lap Hot Shot feature. The feature race got off to a shaky start as rookie drivers Johnny Reb and Kelly Christiansen found themselves on the front row via the draw. Eventually, Reb moved to the rear of the field, giving Price the point on the start. Joshua Rose was unable to mount a challenge for Price, and Josh Mac ran out of time, making his way back to third place from the rear of the field.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with the Limited Late Models, Open Wheel Modifieds, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Buzz and Pro Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 4PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Supertruck Division:
1. 67 – Daniel Bradford
2. 35 – Parker Henegar
3. 92 – Michael Neely
4. 85 – Joe Davis
5. 32 – Andrew Whitaker
6. 43 – Matthew Tucker
7. 93 – Drew Uptain
8. 62 – Jody Anderson
9. 5 – Jacob Stephens
10. 23 – Mitchell Walls
11. 12 – Bryan Faulkner (DNS)
Sportsman Division:
1. 60 – Henry Wade
2. 00 – Stan McClure
3. 15 – Brad Malone
4. 48 – Michael MacKay
5. 24 – Wayne Pugh
6. 316 – Johnathan Campbell
7. 5 – Byron Westbrooks
8. 55 – Richard Blenkinsop
9. 98 – Scott Hollis
10. 4 – Tommy Williams
Mini Modified Division:
1. 85 – Jeremy Davis
2. 9 – Tommy Robinett
3. 89 – Chris Brown
4. 25 – Derrick Moore
5. 11 – Mark Sabin
6. 61 – Jerry Mills
7. 86 – Doug Emerson
8. 29 – Lance Campbell
9. 121 – Charles McKee (DNS)
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 84 – Floyd Brown
2. 48 – Matthew Robbins
3. 16 – Austin Thornton
4. 1 – Jay Harmening
5. 192 – Shane Jones
6. 92 – Kirsty Neely
7. 50 – Wesley Schuffert
Amateur Buzz Division:
1. 8 – Dakoda Emerson
Super Stock Division:
1. 49 – Brad Malone
2. 95 – Junior Jordan
3. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
4. 27 – John Thomas
5. 72 – Butch Rogers
6. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
Hot Shot Division:
1. 00 – Jeremy Price
2. 71 – Joshua Rose
3. 01 – Josh Mac
4. 43 – Matthew Tucker
5. 10 – Curtis Thornberry
6. 13 – Jamie Bradford
7. 27 – Johnny Reb
8. 7 – Kelly Christiansen
Heath Hindman Sweeps The Late Model Glory, Wins Ardent Mills 75;
Stuart Dunn Captures the Bulkmatic Transport Open Wheel Modified 75
By Kevin Neal
07/24/2016
In an evening touted as the biggest race of the season at Huntsville Speedway, the on-track action lived up to the hype with a phenomenal driver turnout for the Ardent Mills 75 Late Model feature and the Bulkmatic Transport 75 Open Wheel Modified feature.
In qualifying, the Valley Overhead Door Fast Time Qualifying Award went to Stuart Dunn (13.810) in the Open Wheel Modifieds, Heath Hindman (13.832) was the fastest qualifier for the Limited Late Models, Chris Brown (15.214) in the Mini Modified division, and Junior Jordan (15.418) for the SuperStock division.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division, Stuart Dunn drew a five on the inversion putting Bradley Carter on the pole alongside Chase Oliver to make up the front row for the Bulkmatic Transport 75. Carter has shown his team is getting a better handle on their number 23 machine throughout the season and has put together an impressive string of finishes while looking for the elusive first win. Carter would capture the point after a fierce side by side battle with Chase Oliver and would lead the first 40 laps of the event. Restarts would prove costly for Carter as he received a warning from lead flagman Brandon Thornton about firing before the indicated restart zone. A second offense forced track officials to relegate Carter to the rear for the restart. This put the duo of John Thomas and Stuart Dunn up front to battle it out for the top spot. Ironically, both Dunn and Thomas would each receive a warning from the flag stand about their restarts, before a clean start finally saw Dunn capture the point and hold on to take the victory over John Thomas who was literally nipping at Dunn’s rear Nerf bar.
The Ardent Mills 75 for the Late Model division had to be moved to earlier in the evening than scheduled due to a pesky weather system that delayed action at the track for almost an hour. Fans would not be disappointed though, as track officials, keeping a close eye on local weather radar, were intent on running the event in its entirety out of respect for the loyal fans and drivers who traveled from out of town to compete for the big cash prize. Fast qualifier Heath Hindman of Chattanooga, Tennessee, driving a Rick Coulter prepared machine proved he was a serious contender early in the evening, capturing the Valley Overhead Door Fast Time Qualifying Award and winning the special White Oak Transportation and Logistics 15 lap Late Model Shootout where drivers who opted to compete would challenge for a $500 top cash award where only first place gets paid. Hindman held off a ferocious Justin Ashburn of Nashville, Tennessee who was solidly at his rear bumper for the entire 15 laps to take the bonus money.
Hindman drew a five on the inversion that put Mike Barrett’s number 22 and returning former Late Model track champion Brad Lemley in his Window World Mustang on the front row for the main event. Lemley and Barrett duked it out side by side in the opening laps before Barrett assumed the lead and Lemley was forced back in the pack from his outside row starting spot, opening the door for Justin Ashburn, fresh off his runner-up finish in the Shootout, to challenge Barrett for the lead. Challenge he did! Ashburn ran nose to tail with Barrett until lap 37, when Barrett’s car spun exiting turn four off the nose of Ashburn’s 31-W Insulation Camaro. The speedway spin rule related both drivers to the rear of the pack putting Brad Lemley back into the lead. Lemley would hold the most commanding lead of the night and looked to be unstoppable until he dropped off the pace and came to pit road at lap 56. Waiting in the wings was none other than fast qualifier Heath Hindman. Hindman took the reins and would not relinquish the lead again, although he faced stiff competition in the form of veteran Late Model driver Johnny Brazier of Lick Skillet, Alabama who has won more than his fair share of late model events at Huntsville and throughout the Southeast. Brazier was unable to chart a course around Hindman, however, who captured the victory as the fireworks erupted in the Ardent Mills 75.
Finishing behind Hindman and Brazier were Justin Ashburn, who rallied back for a third place finish, regular late model division competitor Edwin Gurley who has been on the brink of a win all season, and pole sitter Mike Barrett to round out the top five.
In the 20 lap CentiMark Mini Modified feature, fans of “The Purple People Eater” driven by Chris Brown, had to be happy to see their driver returning to action after a brief hiatus in his trademark Mike Lowery prepared number 89. Brown drew a four on the inversion after winning the Valley Overhead Door Fast Time Qualifying Award putting Doug Emerson of Athens on the pole alongside Tommy Robinett. Emerson would be forced to retire with a mechanical failure on the pace lap moving Jeremy Davis alongside Robinett for the start. Robinett was able to fend off the stout challenge of Brown for the win followed by Jeremy Davis and Charles McKee who struggled with oil pan issues on his Buster’s Pawn number 121.
The Super Stock division never fails to disappoint in the action department, and Saturday night’s Alabama Farmer’s Cooperative 30 lapper was no exception. Junior Jordan, fast time qualifier, was relegated to inside second row after drawing a three on the inversion, putting fierce competitors David Dean, Jr. and Bradley Malone on the front row. Malone and Dean duked it out for the win with Malone taking the victory this week in his Camaro. Unfortunately for Junior Jordan, his night would go from bad to worse after breaking an axle and having to retire from the event. Todd Cagle would rally for another strong third place finish after having to pit twice to replace flat tires.
A post-race protest was filed by Dean Racing against the 15 car of Malone, but track officials found the engine to be legal in post-race technical inspection that involved a full tear down of the engine.
Girl power was in the house as Courtney Gibbs started from the pole in the CentiMark 15 lap Buzz/Pro Buzz feature alongside the 92 Bama Parts car of Shane Jones. Gibbs would show her growth as a driver this year, fending off the challenge of Jones and Jay Harmening before Matthew Robbins would make a pass around Gibbs using the outside lane, opening the door for Harmening to follow. Jay Harmening would make a challenge at the lead, but at the checkers, it was Matthew Robbins taking home the big money in the CentiMark feature followed by Harmening, Gibbs, and Floyd Brown of Birmingham, Alabama rounding out the top five. Dakoda Emerson would take the win in the CentiMark Amateur Buzz portion of the race followed by Wayne Burnett.
Josh Mac proved he was too legit to lose in the Barnhart Cranes 15 lap Hot Shot feature. McElhone, quickly becoming more famous for his weekly “Redneck Racing Show” on Facebook, turned back the challenge of Matthew Tucker and Joshua Rose to take the win. Following the top three were Bart Eichorst, Jamie Bradford, Josh Barnett, Curtis Thornberry, and Jeremy Price.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night at regular times with races featuring the STAR SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Ardent Mills 75 – Late Model:
1. 12 – Heath Hindman
2. 71 – Johnny Brazier
3. 98 – Justin Ashburn
4. 27 – Edwin Gurley
5. 22- Mike Barrett
6. 56 – Craig Bell
7. 9 – Brian Bentley
8. 55 – Jared Smith
9. 8 – Larry Speakman
10. 8 – Phil Renfroe
11. 14 – Bobby Castleberry
12. 2 – Brad Lemley
13. 6 – Alan Callaway
14. 53 – Kyle Ivey
15. 39 – John Henegar, Jr.
16. 4 – Jered James
17. 47 – Chris Whorton (DNS)
Bulkmatic Transport 75 – Open Wheel Modified:
1. 181 – Stuart Dunn
2. 47 – John Thomas
3. 23 – Bradley Carter
4. 15 – Michael Halbrooks
5. G37 – Austin Finley
6. 10 – David Wright, Jr.
7. 21 – Brian Lambert, Jr.
8. 74 – Troy Gray
9. 5 – Chase Oliver
10. 02 – Butch Wade
11. 38 – Brad Sands
12. 37 – Garrett Finley
13. 58 – Will Brown
CentiMark 20 Mini Modified Division:
1. 9 – Tommy Robinett
2. 89 – Chris Brown
3. 85 – Jeremy Davis
4. 121 – Charles McKee
5. 86 – Doug Emerson
CentiMark 15 Buzz Division:
1. 48 – Matthew Robbins
2. 1 – Jay Harmening
3. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
4. 84 – Floyd Brown
5. 16 – Sierra Thornton
6. 92 – Shane Jones
7. 88 – Tobi Vintson
8. 8 – Dakoda Emerson (Amateur Buzz)
9. 19 – Wayne Burnett (Amateur Buzz)
Alabama Farmers Cooperative 30 – Super Stock Division:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
3. 98 – Todd Cagle
4. 27 – Guile Hornbuckle
5. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
6. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
7. 21m – John Munroe
8. 72 – Butch Rogers
9. 95 – Junior Jordan
Barnhart Cranes 15 – Hot Shot Division:
1. 01 – Josh Mac
2. 43 – Matthew Tucker
3. 71 – Joshua Rose
4. 7 – Bart Eichorst
5. 13 – Jamie Bradford
6. 27 – Josh Barnett
7. 10 – Curtis Thornberry
8. 00 – Jeremy Price
A Little Rain Can’t Keep the Racing Away – Huntsville Speedway Waits Out a Thunderstorm for a Raucous Night of Action; Bradford Prevails Yet Again for the STAR SuperTruck Victory, Henry Wade Breaks through in Sportsman Division
07/16/2016
By Kevin Neal
A typical afternoon thunderstorm threatened to sideline the action once again at Huntsville Speedway, but the persistence of the management , drivers and crews, and loyal fans in attendance paid off, as the track was able to hold its Saturday night racing program featuring the STAR SuperTruck Series, Sportsman, Mini Modifieds, Super Stock, Hot Shots, Buzz (Pro and Amateur), and the Full Throttle Auto Parts Pure Stock division from Highland Rim Speedway and Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville.
Qualifying sessions were held for the STAR SuperTrucks, Super Stock, and Pure Stock with Bradley Malone in the Super Stock, Daniel Bradford in STAR SuperTrucks, and Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. in the Full Throttle Pure Stocks taking the fast time awards.
In the SuperTruck division, fast qualifier Daniel Bradford started deep in the field after drawing the six on the inversion putting the 62 truck of Jody Anderson on the pole alongside the number 85 truck of Joe Davis. Bradford’s stranglehold on the STAR SuperTrucks division this season continued to be challenged with the added bonus of a $300 bounty courtesy of Landers-McLarty Chrysler-Jeep- RAM and accountant D. Mark Holman for any driver who could cleanly defeat Bradford without crashing him out of the event. Joe Davis would make the most of his front row starting position and break for the lead, holding the point for several circuits before succumbing to the hard charging Bradford. Both Cameron Berry and Parker Henegar would have a go at the leader, taking advantage of the cone restart procedure to flank him on the front row for several caution induced restarts, but Bradford would prove up to the task and hang on to claim the win. The $300 bounty on Bradford will roll over to the next STAR SuperTruck event.
In the 30 lap Sportsman feature, melee was the name of the game as the race barely got underway when the 14 car of Caleb Thornberry, fresh off a run in the Super Stock event and the 6 car of Greg Kruse made contact with Kruse careening into the outside wall. Kruse’s damage was terminal and eliminated him from the race. The cars of Wayne Pugh and Brandon Walker would also fail to finish the race, Pugh unable to start with engine issues, and Walker after a ferocious impact with the inside frontstretch wall when a part seemed to fail on his car during a restart. Previous feature winner Scott Hollis tried his best to track down the race leader, Henry Wade, but Hollis would fall victim to a persistent overheating issue and retired his car in lieu of expending his engine. Johnathan Campbell would pilot his John 3:16 machine to a
runner-up finish behind winner Henry Wade, followed by Thornberry, Timothy Hopkins, also doing the double in Super Stock and Sportsman, Walker, Hollis, and Richard Blenkinsop, making his second start of the year.
Tommy Robinett took the win in the 20 lap Mini Modified feature but it wasn’t in his traditional dominant style. In fact, it looked on the last lap like Robinett would be forced to settle for no better than third place as the cars of Jeremy Davis and Charles McKee dominated the top of the field. A last lap calamity saw McKee looking to make the winning pass of Davis coming through turn 4, but he over drove the corner pushing both cars towards the outside wall and opening the bottom lane for Robinett, who was happy for the opportunity to mark another victory.
Mark Sabin, coming off a third place run last week, spun hard into the inside pit wall at the finish. Fortunately, Mark was cleared as being uninjured by the Track Pro Safety Crew on the scene.
Austin Thornton and freshman racer Kirsty Neely started on the front row for the Pro Buzz/Amateur Buzz 15 lap feature. On the start, Thornton would rocket away from Neely who seemed to have difficulties coming up through the gears. Neely would fall through the field opening the door for Jay Harmening to challenge Thornton. Ultimately, Shane Jones who was lurking near the leaders all race would be the benefactor of incidental contact between Thornton and Harmening, giving him the opening he needed to seal the deal and take the victory. Wayne Burnett was the winner for the Amateur Buzz division over Dakoda Emerson.
In the 20 lap Super Stock feature, fast time qualifier Bradley Malone had to start at the rear of the field due to his previous race win, putting Guile Hornbuckle and Wayne Pugh on the front row for the start. Hornbuckle would put up a valiant effort before losing the top spot to David Dean, Jr. whose Ford Mustang was on a rail. Dean would eventually be challenged by Malone in a side by side battle that saw copious amounts of fender rubbing and hard racing, with Malone making contact with the outside wall on the front straightaway. Dean held on to take the win, surviving the challenge of Caleb Thornberry enroute to the checkers. Todd Cagle would finish third after surviving a couple of on track encounters, including a collision with Junior Jordan on the backstretch and Timothy Hopkins in turn 4.
(UPDATE: 7/17/2016 – After the time of this writing, a protest and counter-protest were filed with speedway officials regarding the finish of the Super Stock feature. Timothy Hopkins protested the race winner David Dean, Jr. Dean complied with the protest and was disqualified following his complete teardown. Dean filed a counterprotest against Hopkins who failed to comply with the protest and was also subsequently disqualified. The official race winner is Caleb Thornberry.)
Josh Mack continued to add to his trophy collection in the 15 lap Hot Shot feature turning back yet another strong challenge from Joshua Rose who kept his car right at McElhone’s rear bumper for most of the race. Curtis Thornberry, Jamie Bradford, and Jeremy Price rounded out the field.
In the 20 lap Full Throttle Auto Parts Pure Stock division, fast time qualifier Jerry Hendrixson, Jr. drew a three, putting Jason Plunkett, Jr. and Matt Adams on the front row. Plunkett and Adams put on a clinic racing side by side, lap after lap, with Adams finally taking the point from the outside lane. Hendrixson would take the runner-up spot followed by Plunkett, Randy Clemons, and Tyler Ridings.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with the biggest event of the season as Ardent Mills presents 75 laps of action for the Limited Late Models with $2000 available for the win, Bulkmatic Transport 75 lapper for the Open Wheel Modified with $2000 to win, the Alabama Farmers Cooperative 30 for the Super Stock with $500 up for grabs, the CentiMark 25 Mini Modifieds for $400, and the CentiMark 15s for Pro Buzz and Buzz for a $200 prize. Barnhart Cranes will present a 15 lap race for the Hot Shot division with $250 going to the winner.
The Pit gates will open at 2PM, front gates at 4PM, with qualifying beginning at 5:30PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
If you only make one race at Huntsville Speedway this season, this is the one you do not want to miss!
Supertruck Division:
1. 67 – Daniel Bradford
2. 35 – Parker Henegar
3. 92 – Michael Neely
4. 85 – Joe Davis
5. 32 – Andrew Whitaker
6. 75 – Cameron Berry
7. 40 – Gerald Turner
8. 62 – Jody Anderson
9. 47 – John Thomas
10. 12B – Bryan Faulkner
11. 12 – Dusty Gore (DNS)
Sportsman Division:
1. 60 – Henry Wade
2. 316 – Johnathan Campbell
3. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
4. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
5. 77 – Brandon Walker
6. 98 – Scott Hollis
7. 55 – Richard Blenkinsop
8. 6 – Greg Kruse
9. 24 – Wayne Pugh (DNS)
Mini Modified Division:
1. 9 – Tommy Robinett
2. 121 – Charles McKee
3. 86 – Doug Emerson
4. 85 – Jeremy Davis
5. 11 – Mark Sabin
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 192 – Shane Jones
2. 16 – Austin Thornton
3. 1 – Jay Harmening
4. 92 – Kirsty Neely
Amateur Buzz Division:
1. 19 – Wayne Burnett
2. 8 – Dakoda Emerson
Super Stock Division:
1. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
2. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
3. 98 – Todd Cagle
4. 27 – Guile Hornbuckle
5. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
6. 15 – Brad Malone
7. 21R – Junior Jordan
8. 72 – Butch Rogers
9. 24 – Wayne Pugh
Hot Shot Division:
1. 01 – Josh Mack
2. 71 – Joshua Rose
3. 10 – Curtis Thornberry
4. 13 – Jamie Bradford
5. 00 – Jeremy Price
Full Throttle Auto Parts Pure Stock Division:
1. 19 – Matt Adams
2. 33 – Jerry Hendrixson, Jr.
3. 38 – Jason Plunkett, Jr.
4. 7 – Randy Clemons
5. 43 – Tyler Ridings
John Thomas Takes the Victory in Open Wheel Modified before Mother Nature Ends the Evening Prematurely
By Kevin Neal
07/09/2016
Huntsville Speedway was back in action on Saturday night as drivers and fans battled the heat and the limited late models and the open wheel modified divisions came back to do battle on the track after a disappointing rainout during their last scheduled event. Unfortunately, Mother Nature would again rear her ugly head with rain cutting the program for the evening short at the halfway point.
In qualifying, fast time awards went to Parker Pugh in the Open Wheel Modifieds, Keith Rankin was the fastest qualifier for the Limited Late Models, and Brad Malone for the SuperStock division.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division Parker Pugh drew a five on the inversion putting Troy Gray on the pole for the 50 lap feature. Gray would do battle with Michael Halbrooks who put on his best showing of the season, leading several laps before John Thomas would make his way to the point at lap 37 from the outside lane on a restart. The race was stopped by the red flag following a collision between Jordan Key and Jim Wall that found the two locked together in turn 4 blocking the track. Lap 41 would mark the end of the race with Thomas maintaining the lead as the heavy rains set in.
In the Limited Late Model division, fast qualifier Keith Rankin, who has a feature win to his credit already this season, drew a three which placed long time speedway competitor Phil Renfroe on the pole. The weather would not cooperate however, as the relentless heavy rain forced management to scrub the race without a start. The Late Models will return for the upcoming SuperShow on July 23 rd .
In the 20 lap Mini Modified feature, Tommy Robinett took the win but it wasn’t without a fight. Doug Emerson and Jerry Mills started the race from the front row, and it was apparent that Mills liked the view as he held on to the top spot lap after lap before Robinett was finally able to wrest the position away with two laps remaining when Mills bobbled exiting turn two.
Matthew Robbins was victorious in the 15 lap Buzz/Pro Buzz feature, but he also had to come from the back of the pack to pick up the checkers. Wesley Schuffert, making his first start of the season started on the pole alongside the always tough Jay Harmening. Schuffert proved he had come to compete, fending off multiple challenges for his lead before succumbing to Robbins late in the race.
Both the Super Stock and Hot Shot features had to be scrubbed due to the inclement weather.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Open Wheel Modified:
1. 47 – John Thomas
2. 15 – Michael Halbrooks
3. 74 – Troy Gray
4. 22 – Ryan Weirich
5. 31 – Parker Pugh
6. 21 – Brian Lambert, Jr.
7. 0 – Jordan Key
8. 91 – Jim Wall
9. 81 – Stuart Dunn
10. 23 – Bradley Carter
11. 38 – Brad Sands
Mini Modified Division:
1. 9 – Tommy Robinett
2. 61 – Jerry Mills
3. 85 – Jeremy Davis
4. 11 – Mark Sabin
5. 86 – Doug Emerson
Buzz Division:
1. 48 – Matthew Robbins
2. 50 – Wesley Schuffert
3. 16 – Austin Thornton
4. 1 – Jay Harmening
5. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
6. 84 – Floyd Brown
7. 92 – Kirsty Neely
Huntsville Speedway Celebrates the Fourth of July with Epic Fireworks; Bradford Survives a Bounty for the STAR SuperTruck Victory, Scott Hollis Wins in Sportsman Division
07/02/2016
By Kevin Neal
There were fireworks on and off the track as Huntsville Speedway celebrated Independence Day with the STAR SuperTruck Series, Sportsman, Mini Modifieds, Super Stock, Hot Shots, Buzz (Pro and Amateur), Kids Bike and Power Wheel racing, and a gigantic fireworks display to top off the night.
Qualifying sessions were held for the STAR SuperTrucks and Super Stock with Bradley Malone in the Super Stock, and Daniel Bradford in STAR SuperTrucks taking the fast time awards.
In the SuperTruck division, fast qualifier Daniel Bradford started the race in fourth after drawing the four on the inversion putting the number 85 truck of Joe Davis on the pole. Bradford has commanded the STAR SuperTrucks this season and the ante was upped this week as the $200 bounty courtesy of Landers-McLarty Chrysler-Jeep- RAM for any driver who could cleanly defeat Bradford was increased to $300 with the contribution of former speedway driver and accountant D. Mark Holman. Bradford would have to fend off new challenges as well with the return of former track SuperTruck champion Mitchell Walls who started outside front row alongside Davis. The biggest challenge of the night for Bradford would come in the form of Parker Henegar who would closely pursue Bradford and challenge for the lead on several occasions, but was unable to seal the deal, handing Bradford yet another victory. The $300 bounty on Bradford will roll over to the next STAR SuperTruck event.
In the 30 lap Sportsman feature, Scott Hollis would return to his winning form after turning back the challenge of division newcomer Henry Wade who made Hollis work hard for the top spot in the first third of the event. Hollis would hold on to capture the win with Wade in pursuit, along with Caleb Thornberry turning in a double duty performance in both Sportsman and Super Stock, and Johnathan Campbell.
Tommy Robinett held on for the win in the 20 lap Mini Modified feature surviving a strong performance from an improving Kevin Harrison and a hard charging Mark Sabin, who survived an early race spin in turn 4 to improve to a podium finish. Long time Huntsville Speedway driver Wesley Davis returned to action in the Mini Modifieds but suffered from mechanical issues and was unable to challenge for the win.
Birmingham driver Floyd Brown won the Buzz/Pro Buzz feature after a ferocious contest with Jay Harmening that saw the two get together early in the race sending the duo to the rear of the field. Kirsty Neely, making her first ever start in racing was poised to make her first trip to victory lane in her first race, but last lap contact with Shane Jones but the kibosh on those plans allowing Brown and Harmening to surpass them exiting turn 4 on the last lap to give Brown the victory. Jacob Barnett was the winner for the Amateur Buzz division.
In the 20 lap Super Stock feature, fast time qualifier Bradley Malone drew a worst case scenario six on the inversion, leaving him with plenty ground to make up. Malone was able to hold off the challenge of Caleb Thornberry and previous winner Junior Jordan to continue his winning ways.
Josh Mack had to pedal double time in 15 lap Hot Shot feature to hold off Joshua Rose who challenged him right up to the checkered flag. Mack and Rose crossed the start/finish line under a blanket with Curtis Thornberry. Jeremy Price, and Timothy Hopkins in pursuit.
Kids Bike Racing and Children’s Big Wheel and Powerwheel Racing were a special attraction for the evening as a swarm of eager kids took the legendary quarter-mile oval by storm. The big wheel racers competed on a special track made by cones on the frontstretch that featured one aspiring driver who didn’t want to make the hard left turn on the big wheel track, but wanted to take on the big track on his big wheel. The Powerwheel racers got that opportunity to make the full lap on the big track as the plastic wheel chariots struggled to find grip on the asphalt, but the race turned more into a cardio session for some parents as batteries lost their charge before making it back to the checkers. Competition got serious with the older kids and their bikes as they stretched their legs out on the same track where Richard Petty took one of his 200 wins. The Huntsville Speedway management and crew thank all of the kids and parents for participating and were thrilled to see the smiles and excitement on the faces of our next generation of race fans.
That….is truly what it is all about.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with action from the Limited Late Models, Open Wheel Modified, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Supertruck Division:
1. 67 – Daniel Bradford
2. 35 – Parker Henegar
3. 75 – Cameron Berry
4. 85 – Joe Davis
5. 93 – Drew Uptain
6. 92 – Michael Neely
7. 62 – Jody Anderson
8. 43 – Matthew Tucker
9. 32 – Andrew Whitaker
10. 12 – Dusty Gore
11. 23 – Mitchell Walls
12. 47 – John Thomas
13. 16 – Brandon Thornton
Sportsman Division:
1. 98 – Scott Hollis
2. 60 – Henry Wade
3. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
4. 316 – Johnathan Campbell
Mini Modified Division:
1. 9 – Tommy Robinett
2. 31 – Kevin Harrison
3. 11 – Mark Sabin
4. 61 – Jerry Mills
5. 81 – Charles Dodd
6. 85 – Wesley Davis
7. 86 – Doug Emerson
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 84 – Floyd Brown
2. 1 – Jay Harmening
3. 92 – Kirsty Neely
4. 36 – Matthew Robbins
5. 192 – Shane Jones
6. 16 – Sierra Thornton
Amateur Buzz Division:
1. 19 – Jacob Barnett
2. 24 – Larry Lang
Super Stock Division:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
3. 95 – Junior Jordan
4. 98 – Todd Cagle
5. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
6. 27 – Guile Hornbuckle
7. 72 – Butch Rogers
8. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
9. 47 – Johnny Goodman
10. 13 – Wayne Pugh
Hot Shot Division:
1. 01 – Josh Mack
2. 71 – Joshua Rose
3. 10 – Curtis Thornberry
4. 13 – Jeremy Price
5. 15 – Timothy Hopkins
Huntsville Speedway Holds Giant Night with 200 Laps of Racing;Bradford Fends Off His Fiercest Challenge for the STAR SuperTruck Victory, Michael McKay the Winner in Sportsman Division
06/18/2016
By Kevin Neal
Huntsville Speedway returned to action Saturday night for a giant night of racing with over 200 laps of action with the STAR SuperTruck Series, Sportsman, Mini Modifieds, Super Stock, Hot Shots, Buzz (Pro and Amateur), Pure Stock and Baby Grands.
Qualifying sessions were held for the STAR SuperTruck, Sportsman, Super Stock, Pure Stock, and Baby Grands divisions with Ronnie Binkley in Baby Grands, Austin Wilson in Pure Stock, Junior Jordan in Super Stock, Scott Hollis in the Sportsman, and Cameron Berry in STAR SuperTrucks taking the fast time awards. The Super Stock, Sportsman and STAR SuperTruck drivers received Fast Time Qualifying Awards from Gardendale Performance.
In the SuperTruck division, fast qualifier Cameron Berry started the race in second after drawing the two on the inversion putting the number 67 truck of Daniel Bradford on the pole.
Bradford’s dominance in the division has drawn more than a little attention leading to a $200 bounty courtesy of Landers-McLarty Chrysler-Jeep for any driver who could cleanly defeat Bradford in the 50 lap feature. Bradford looked to have the race well in hand until a caution setup a restart with Cameron Berry starting to the outside of Bradford. Berry held the outside line and closed the door on Bradford to take the lead at lap 32. Berry was able to maintain the lead until lap 45 when Bradford flexed his muscle and was able to slide back underneath Berry to seal the victory. The $200 bounty to hand Bradford his first defeat will roll on to the next race.
In the 20 lap Sportsman feature, Scott Hollis turned the fastest time in qualifying but started in the rear of the field after winning the previous feature. Richard Blenkinsop and Michael McKay started on the front row, but Blenkinsop appeared to spin his tires on the start and fell back through the field. Scott Hollis made it up to second and was able to challenge McKay on two restarts following cautions that involved Richard Blenkinsop and Mark Stewart. McKay was up to the task and was able to fend off the challenge of Hollis to capture his first Sportsman victory of the season.
Chris Brown took the victory in the 20 lap Mini Modified feature besting Tommy Robinett Mark Sabin and Doug Emerson for the win.
Matthew Robbins won the Buzz/Pro Buzz feature holding off Austin Thornton and Jay Harmening in the Pro Buzz division while Jeremy Price took the victory for the Amateur Buzz division.
In the 20 lap Super Stock feature, fast time qualifier Junior Jordan drew a two on the inversion putting him on the outside pole alongside David Dean, Jr. The two would finish the race one-two after a wild race of attrition that saw previous race winner Caleb Thornberry develop issues with an oil leak that took him out of contention and a significant difference of opinion between Timothy Hopkins and David Dean, Jr. that resulted in Hopkins being blackflagged for the night. Junior Jordan was able to hang on and capture his first win of the season.
Josh Mack was the car to beat in the 15 lap Hot Shot feature. Josh took the lead over at lap 3 and was able to hold off Matthew Tucker, Bart Eichorst, and Jamie Bradford for the victory.
The Baby Grands cars put on a great show in their 30 lap feature with Ronnie Binkley picking up the checkers after making his way up through the field from fifth position. Binkley captured the point after a duel with Justen Dubay and Christopher Willis. A lap 28 caution setup a final single file battle between Binkley, Christopher Willis and Joseph McCloud, but Binkley was able to hold on for the win.
The Full Throttle Auto Parts Pure Stock division put on quite a show in their 20 lap feature with the 01 of Austin Wilson starting from the pole alongside the 19 of Matt Adams. Adams worked to the inside of the 01 entering turn 1 on lap 14 and with a quick bump and run assumed the lead. Adams held on for the remaining laps with capture the win.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with action from the Limited Late Models, Open Wheel Modified, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Supertruck Division:
1. 67 – Daniel Bradford
2. 75 – Cameron Berry
3. 17 – Chuck Tuck
4. 35 – Parker Henegar
5. 85 – Joe Davis
6. 62 – Jody Anderson
7. 14 – Andrew Whitaker
8. 43 – Matthew Tucker
9. 16 – Brandon Thornton
Sportsman Division:
1. 48 – Michael McKay
2. 98 – Scott Hollis
3. 6 – Greg Kruse
4. 55 – Richard Blenkinsop
5. 65 – Mark Stewart
6. 3 – Johnathon Campbell
Mini Modified Division:
1. 89 – Chris Brown
2. 9 – Tommy Robinett
3. 11 – Mark Sabin
4. 86 – Doug Emerson
Pro Buzz Division:
1. 36 – Matthew Robbins
2. 16 – Austin Thornton
3. 1 – Jay Harmening
4. 192 – Shane Jones
5. 84 – Floyd Brown
Amateur Buzz Division:
1. Jeremy Price
2. Keith Gaither
3. Dakoda Emerson
Super Stock Division:
1. 95 – Junior Jordan
2. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
3. 15 – Brad Malone
4. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
5. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
Hot Shot Division:
1. 01 – Josh Mack
2. 43 – Matthew Tucker
3. 143 – Bart Eichorst
4. 46 – Jamie Bradford
5. 10 – Curtis Thornberry
6. 13 – Larry Lang
7. 18 – Wayne Burnett
Baby Grands Division:
1. 125 – Ronnie Binkley
2. 08 – Christopher Willis
3. 15 – Joseph McCloud
4. 51 – Tommy McPherson
5. 14 – Tim Vinsant
6. 40 – Jamie Holmes
7. 81 – Justen Dubay
8. 1 – Justin Shanes
9. 00 – Tim Gresham
Pure Stock Division:
1. 19 – Matt Adams
2. 01 – Austin Wilson
3. 43 – Jerry Hendrixson, Sr.
4. 38 – Jason Plunkett, Jr.
5. 33 – Jerry Hendrixson, Jr.
Chase Oliver Victorious in Open Wheel Modified; Keith Rankin Breaks Through for the Win in Late Models
By Kevin Neal
06/11/2016
The racing on track was hotter than the balmy weather as Huntsville Speedway returned to action with 50 lap features for both the limited late models and the open wheel modified divisions.
In qualifying, fast time awards went to Chase Oliver (14.067) in the Open Wheel Modifieds, Nathan Davis (13.970) was the fastest qualifier for the Limited Late Models, and Brad Malone (15.323) for the SuperStock.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division Chase Oliver drew a one on the inversion putting him on the pole for their 50 lap feature. Oliver was able to hold off a determined Bradley Carter who has put together an impressive string of runner-up finishes this season.
Most impressive was the performance of John Thomas who started shotgun on the field after missing qualifying due to the passing of a family member charged back through the field to finish fourth. Returning driver and former truck competitor Jim Wall also made an impressive showing but suffered from a tire rub from the midsection of the race on and was unable to improve beyond sixth position.
In the Limited Late Model division, fast qualifier Nathan Davis also drew pulled the one on the draw placing himself on the pole alongside second fastest qualifier Chuck Tuck. Davis and Tuck dueled for several laps with Nathan Davis holding the advantage over Tuck. Behind the lead two, last race winner Brian Bentley and Keith Rankin were duking it out for third and fourth.
Bentley would eventually win that battle and set his sights on leader Nathan Davis. Davis was holding his own until lap 46 when his engine expired putting Bentley on the point with Chuck Tuck in pursuit. The battle was far from over as on the subsequent restart Tuck and Bentley would make contact entering turn 1 sending both cars careening into the outside retaining wall.
Both cars were forced to retire leaving Keith Rankin and Edwin Gurley to battle it out for the victory on the final restart. Keith Rankin would hold on to capture the win while Edwin Gurley would have contend with Brandon Parker to hold on for the runner-up spot.
In the 20 lap Mini Modified feature, Tommy Robinett led all 20 laps of the feature but it was anything but a runaway as he held off a hard charging Doug Emerson and Butch Minor for the win. **(AMENDED FINISH)**: Tommy Robinett was disqualified in post-race inspection for being too light at the scales, giving the win, his first of the season, to Doug Emerson.
Super Stock division fast qualifier Brad Malone once again drew a 2 on the inversion but won the previous race putting the 14 car of Caleb Thornberry and the 21 car of David Dean, Jr. on the front row for the 20 lapper. David Dean cut down a tire early and would have to pit, placing him on the rear of the field. Thornberry would maintain the lead with fierce challenges from Junior Jordan and Brad Malone, but would relinquish the top spot after having to pit following a botched restart. Brad Malone assumed the point and was able to fend off Junior Jordan on the green-white- checkered finish.
Floyd Brown his first win of the season over Jay Harmening, Courtney Gibbs, and Austin Thornton after an exciting two lap, three wide battle between Harmening, Gibbs, and Thornton as they all attempted to close on Brown in the final two laps of the 15 lap Buzz/Pro Buzz feature event.
Matthew Tucker captured another win in the 15 lap Hot Shot feature with Josh Mack finishing a close second. The best battle on the track was for third and fourth however with Curtis Thornberry and Ray Tucker attempting innumerable crossover maneuvers on one another throughout the race. Thornberry held on to the spot over Tucker at the checkers.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Limited Late Model Division:
1. 24 – Keith Rankin
2. 27 – Edwin Gurley
3. 1 – Brandon Parker
4. 6 – Alan Callaway
5. 56 – Craig Bell
6. 07 – Lonnie Watson
7. 9 – Brian Bentley
8. 17 – Chuck Tuck
9. 05 – Nathan Davis
10. 47 – Troy Gray
Open Wheel Modified:
1. 5 – Chase Oliver
2. 23 – Bradley Carter
3. 74 – Troy Gray
4. 47 – John Thomas
5. 17 – Chuck Tuck
6. 91 – Jim Wall
7. 15 – Michael Halbrooks
8. 07- Blake Ferguson
9. 21 – Brian Lambert, Jr.
10. 13 – Kenny Andrews
11. 37 – Garrett Finley
12. 0 – Jordan Key
13. 38 – Brad Sands
Mini Modified Division:
1. 86 – Doug Emerson
2. 89 – Chris Brown
3. 81 – Eddie Dodd
4. 11 – Mark Sabin
5. 61 – Jerry Mills
6. 31 – Kevin Harrison
7. 57 – Butch Minor
8. 9 – Tommy Robinett (DQ – too light)
Buzz Division:
1. 84 – Floyd Brown
2. 1 – Jay Harmening
3. 16 – Austin Thornton
4. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
5. 192 – Shane Jones
6. 4 – David Adams (Amateur Buzz)
7. 19 – Jacob Barnett (Amateur Buzz)
Super Stock Division:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 95 – Junior Jordan
3. 98 – Todd Cagle
4. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
5. 77 – Brandon Walker
6. 72 – Butch Rogers
7. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
8. 92 – Michael Neely
9. 47 – Johnny Goodman
10. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
11. 13 – Wayne Pugh
Hot Shot Division:
1. 43- Matthew Tucker
2. 01- Josh Mack
3. 10 – Curtis Thornberry
4. 143 – Ray Tucker
5. 18 – Wayne Barnett
Huntsville Speedway Celebrates Memorial Day by Honoring Military;
Bradford Captures the STAR SuperTruck Victory, Scott Hollis Victorious in Sportsman Clash
05/28/2016
By Kevin Neal
Huntsville Speedway returned to action Saturday night for a Memorial Day celebration with the STAR SuperTruck Series, Sportsman, Mini Modifieds, Super Stock, Hot Shots, and Buzz (Pro and Amateur).
Qualifying sessions were held for the STAR SuperTruck, Sportsman, and Mini Modified divisions with Chris Brown in Mini Modified, Scott Hollis in the Sportsman, and Daniel Bradford in STAR SuperTrucks taking the fast time awards.
In the SuperTruck division, fast qualifier Daniel Bradford started the race in fifth after drawing the five on the inversion putting the number 16 SteamMaster Carpet Cleaning truck of Brandon Thornton on the pole. It didn’t take long for Bradford to charge to the front, however. Bradford would fend off challenges from Chuck Tuck, Thornton, and Cameron Berry who had a fantastic run after spending the greater majority of the evening making repairs to his truck in the pit area. Bradford proved too much to handle and took the victory in the Memorial Day 50 lapper.
In the 20 lap Sportsman feature, Scott Hollis turned the fastest time in qualifying but started shotgun on the field after winning the previous feature. Byron Westbrooks and Jonathan Campbell started on the front row with Greg Kruse and Scott Hollis in tow. Westbrooks and Hollis waged a nose to tail war for 17 laps before Westbrooks suffered a mechanical failure that put him in the pits and allowed Scott Hollis to take yet another Sportsman victory.
Chris Brown took the victory in the 20 lap Mini Modified feature but not without a challenge. Brown started last on the field after winning the previous feature, putting Doug Emerson on the pole. Emerson would hold onto the lead through a caution at lap 4 that saw the 9 car of Tommy Robinett, the 61 of Jerry Mills, and the 89 of Chris Brown suffer damage. Chris Brown was undaunted and made the pass for the lead around Tommy Robinett at lap 9 and hanging on for the victory.
Jay Harmening won the Buzz/Pro Buzz feature after battling with Courtney Gibbs in the combined class 15 lap feature. The 48 car of Matthew Robbins lost an engine on the white flag lap causing several cars including the runner up car of Gibbs to spin coming to the checkered flag, sealing Brad Malone was victorious yet again in the 20 lap Street Stock feature that featured a close battle with Caleb Thornberry who was in hot pursuit for the duration of the event.
The Hot Shot feature had a rough time getting going after the 27 car of Jacob Barnett had his hood fly up on the first lap and the following restart saw both the 27 and the 42 of Josh Barnett exit the race as the 42 of Barnett lost an engine and spread oil all the way from the backstretch gate to the start/finish line. Josh mack was able to navigate the slippery surface when racing resumed and take the win over Matthew Tucker and Chris Edwards.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with a special event show featuring a demolition derby and longer races in the Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Supertruck Division:
1. 67 – Daniel Bradford
2. 75 – Cameron Berry
3. 17 – Chuck Tuck
4. 16 – Brandon Thornton
5. 93 – Drew Uptain
6. 85 – Joe Davis
7. 62 – Jody Anderson
8. 92 – Michael Neely
9. 43 – Matthew Tucker
Sportsman Division:
1. 98 – Scott Hollis
2. 3 – Johnathan Campbell
3. 5 – Byron Westbrooks
4. 6 – Greg Kruse
Mini Modified Division:
1. 89 – Chris Brown
2. 9 – Tommy Robinett
3. 57 – Butch Minor
4. 11 – Mark Sabin
5. 61 – Jerry Mills
6. 86 – Doug Emerson
Buzz Division:
1. 1 – Jay Harmening
2. 192 – Shane Jones
3. 16 – Sierra Thornton
4. 84- Floyd Brown
5. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
6. 48 – Matthew Robbins
7. 4 – David Adams (DNS)
Super Stock Division:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
3. 47 – Johnny Goodman
4. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
5. 98 – Todd Cagle (DNS)
Hot Shot Division:
1. 01 – Josh Mack
2. 43 – Matthew Tucker
3. 143 – Chris Edwards
4. 71 – Joshua Rose
5. 15 – Allen Gunter
6. 10 – Curtis Thornberry
7. 42 – Josh Barnett
8. 27 – Jacob Barnett
Huntsville Speedway Honors a Legend with 37 Lap Open Wheel Shootout;
Brian Bentley Captures His First Win of the Season in Late Models
By Kevin Neal
05/21/2016
Huntsville Speedway set out to pay tribute to the legendary Gary Wade Finley, Sr. with a 37 lap shootout in the Open Wheel Modified division that would have made Big Gary proud.
Meanwhile, the Limited Late Model drivers welcomed back some Speedway veterans to its ranks as Johnny Brazier and Chuck Tuck returned for a 50 lap feature.
In qualifying, fast time awards went to John Thomas (14.025) in the Open Wheel Modifieds, Edwin Gurley (13.888) was the fastest qualifier for the Limited Late Models, Matt Adams (16.496) for the Highland Rim Pure Stock, and Brad Malone (15.259) for the SuperStock.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division John Thomas drew a two on the inversion putting the X02 car of Butch Wade on the pole for the special 37 lap feature in memory of Gary Wade Finley, Sr. Bradley Carter was able to surpass Wade for the runner-up spot and came close to challenging Thomas for the top spot but ran short on laps. John Thomas also picked up a leader bonus from Ardmore Athletics and More for his efforts to lead at halfway.
In the Limited Late Model division, fast qualifier and late model veteran Edwin Gurley pulled his own number when he pulled the one on the draw placing himself on the pole. Gurley relinquished the lead to Johnny Brazier who held on to the top spot until a lap 20 restart when he collected Chuck Tuck who was restarting in the outside front row. Both Keith Rankin and Edwin Gurley were also involved with Gurley suffering significant damage and having to retire.
Rankin did not have to pit and assumed the race lead when both Brazier and Tuck were relegated to the rear under the track’s spin rule. Tuck battled back valiantly after being involved in another spin with the 114 car of Brian Malone but succumbed to the cumulative damage his car had suffered at lap 37 and had to retire. Johnny Brazier and Larry Audry suffered a violent collision on the front stretch when Audry got loose, collecting both he and Brazier into the inside front stretch wall. Perennial speedway competitor Brian Bentley would claim the lead from Rankin on the subsequent restart to capture his first win of the season in just his second race back in action.
In a special 20 lap feature, the Pure Stock division from Highland Rim Speedway hit the high banks of Huntsville. Matt Adams took the checkered flag in a nose to tail top three battle with Everett Turner and James Shaw.
In the 20 lap Mini Modified feature, Chris Brown took the win after an exciting duel with Tommy Robinett that found Brown taking the lead at lap 12 exiting turn 4. Brown and Robinett would duke it out on subsequent restarts with Brown holding on to capture the victory.
Super Stock division fast qualifier Brad Malone drew a 2 on the inversion putting the 14 car of Caleb Thornberry on the pole for the start. Thornberry had a mirror full of Malone for the entirety of the race and the two drivers put on a great show as they challenged for the lead.
Thornberry was able to hold off the challenge of Malone for the victory.
Austin Thornton took the checkered flag over Jay Harmening, Shane Jones, and David Adams in the 15 lap Buzz/Pro Buzz feature event.
Matthew Tucker captured another win in the 15 lap Hot Shot feature after battling Josh Mack, Chris Edwards, and a returning Jamie Bradford who exited the race early with mechanical failure.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Limited Late Model Division:
1. 9 – Brian Bentley
2. 24 – Keith Rankin
3. 6 – Alan Callaway
4. 114 – Brian Malone
5. 19 – Larry Audry
6. 71 – Johnny Brazier
7. 47 – John Thomas
8. 17 – Chuck Tuck
9. 21 – Jason Welch
10. 27 – Edwin Gurley
Open Wheel Modified:
1. 47- John Thomas
2. 23 – Bradley Carter
3. 15 – Michael Halbrooks
4. X02 – Butch Wade
5. 25 – Kyle Moore
6. 17 – Tristan Morgan
7. 21 – Brian Lambert, Jr.
8. 02 – Gary Nix
9. 10 – David Wright, Jr.
10. 0 – Jordan Key
11. 38 – Brad Sands
12. 74 – Troy Gray (DNS)
13. 37 – Garrett Finley (DNS)
Mini Modified Division:
1. 89 – Chris Brown
2. 9 – Tommy Robinett
3. 25 – Derrick Moore
4. 86 – Doug Emerson
5. 21 – Charles McKee
6. 61 – Jerry Mills
7. 11 – Mark Sabin
Buzz Division:
1. 16 – Austin Thornton
2. 1 – Jay Harmening
3. 192 – Shane Jones
4. 4 – David Adams (Amateur Buzz)
Super Stock Division:
1. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
2. 15 – Brad Malone
3. 49 – Timothy Hopkins
4. 47 – Johnny Goodman
Hot Shot Division:
1. 43- Matthew Tucker
2. 01- Josh Mack
3. 143 – Chris Edwards
4. 46 – Jamie Bradford
Pure Stock Division:
1. 19 – Matt Adams
2. 14 – Everett Turner
3. 13 – James Shaw
4. 48 – James Gentry
5. 05 – Charlie Caldwell
Daniel Bradford Captures the STAR SuperTruck Victory, Scott Hollis Conquers the Sportsman Field, Ronnie Binkley is the Winner in Baby Grands Special Event
05/14/2016
By Kevin Neal
Huntsville Speedway returned to action Saturday night with the STAR SuperTruck Series, Sportsman, and a special show with the super-fast Baby Grands division.
Qualifying sessions were held for the STAR SuperTruck, Baby Grands, Sportsman, and Mini Modified divisions with Tommy Robinett (14.855) in Mini Modified, Thomas Pannell (14.816) in the Sportsman, Ronnie Binkley (14.571) in Baby Grands, and Daniel Bradford (14.222) in STAR SuperTrucks taking the fast time awards.
In the SuperTruck division, fast qualifier Daniel Bradford started the race in the catbird seat after drawing the 1 on the inversion. Bradford was able to keep outside polesitter Cameron Berry at arms length for the first 22 laps until Berry was forced to retire. Meanwhile, Brandon Thornton was blazing a path up through the field after passing his teammate Michael Neely, but stalled out at fifth on the evening. The real mover and shaker of the race was a returning Chuck Tuck who made a run at eventual race leader Bradford in the final three laps, but was unable to close the gap leaving Daniel Bradford to capture the victory.
In an exciting 30 lap Sportsman feature, Scott Hollis was able to gain a little retribution in his victory over Byron Westbrooks who passed Hollis for the win in the previous event. Fast qualifier Thomas Pannell had an impressive third place run after having to pit to change a flat tire that occurred following contact with a lapped car when he and Hollis were battling for the lead in the early laps.
Chris Brown took the lead from the point and never looked back in the Mini Modified division with last week’s winner Tommy Robinett battling back from his fifth starting position to take the runnerup honors. First time starter this season Charlie McKee managed an impressive fourth place finish with a brand new car.
Jay Harmening won the prize after an excellent duel with Austin Thornton in the Pro Buzz division while David Adams took the win in the Amateur Buzz division in the combined class 15 lap feature.
Brad Malone captured the win over a hard charging Junior Jordan after an eventful 20 lap Street Stock feature that saw multiple caution periods and hard fought battles for position.
Journeyman driver and pit announcer Louie Robinett took the hard fought win in the Hot Shot division after making a pass to the outside of Josh mack with two laps to go. The two battled cleanly for the final two laps with Robinett holding the advantage at the checkered flag.
In a special Baby Grands exhibition race, Ronnie Binkley of Nashville, TN took the checkers in their 25 lap event after an exciting side by side battle with Christopher Willis for almost half of the race. The mini-speedsters powered by motorcycle engines put on a fantastic display of speed and driving ability and we hope to welcome them back to Huntsville Speedway soon.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the Open Wheel Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Mini Modified Division:
1. 89 – Chris Brown
2. 9 – Tommy Robinett
3. 25 – Derrick Moore
4. 121 – Charlie McKee
5. 61 – Jerry Mills
6. 11 – Mark Sabin
7. 86 – Doug Emerson
8. 57 – Butch Minor
Baby Grands Division:
1. 125 – Ronnie Binkley
2. 08 – Christopher Willis
3. 81 – Justen Dubay
4. 15 – Joseph McCloud
5. 40 – Jamie Holmes
6. 51 – Tommy McPherson
7. 20 – Greg Gresham
8. 00 – Tim Gresham
Supertruck Division:
1. 67 – Daniel Bradford
2. 17 – Chuck Tuck
3. 35 – Parker Henegar
4. 62 – Jody Anderson
5. 16 – Brandon Thornton
6. 92 – Michael Neely
7. 75 – Cameron Berry
8. 85 – Joe Davis
9. 43 – Matthew Tucker (DNS)
Buzz Division:
1. 1 – Jay Harmening
2. 16 – Austin Thornton
3. 99 – Courtney Gibbs
4. 4 – David Adams (Amateur)
5. 19 – Jacob Barnett (Amateur)
Super Stock Division:
1. 15 – Brad Malone
2. 95 – Junior Jordan
3. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
4. 98 – Todd Cagle
5. 21 – David Dean, Jr.
6. 47 – Johnny Goodman
Sportsman Division:
1. 98 – Scott Hollis
2. 5 – Byron Westbrooks
3. 8 – Thomas Pannell
4. 6 – Greg Kruse
5. 11 – Gary Adcock
6. 16 – Steven Shaw
7. 4 – Curtis Oakley
Hot Shot Division:
1. 143 – Louie Robinett
2. 01 – Josh Mack
3. 43 – Matthew Tucker
4. 71- Joshua Rose
5. 27 – Jacob Barnett
6. 52 – T.J. Baker
Mother’s Day Spectacular at Huntsville Speedway Finds John Thomas in Victory Lane in the Open Wheel Modifieds and Alan Callaway Taking His First Win in Late Models
By Kevin Neal
Huntsville Speedway celebrated Mother’s Day with some Thunder by the River and twin 50 lap features for both the Open Wheel Modified and Limited Late Model divisions.
In qualifying, fast time awards went to John Thomas (13.840) in the Open Wheel Modifieds for the second consecutive open wheel event, and Keith Rankin (13.966) was the fastest qualifier for the Limited Late Models.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division John Thomas drew a three on the inversion putting Bradley Carter on the pole for the 50 lap feature. Carter, in a car that seems to be improving every race, put up a valiant battle with both Thomas and last race winner Troy Gray,
but could hang on for no better than third as John Thomas captured the victory.
In the Limited Late Model division, fast qualifier Keith Rankin drew a two on the inversion, placing the number 6 of Alan Callaway on the pole for the 50 lap feature. On the start, Rankin was on a rail, leading the first 33 laps before Callaway reeled the Tennessee driver back down to recapture the lead. Brandon Parker, the returning Huntsville LM veteran Brian Bentley, and Nathan Davis battled the majority of the race nose to tail for third through fifth, with Parker holding the advantage over that trio, but it was Alan Callaway holding tough at the top to capture his first late model victory of the 2016 season.
In the 20 lap Mini Modified feature, a multiple car collision on the opening lap set the field up for a complete restart. Tommy Robinett would not be denied as he started from the rear and won a wild battle with Chris Brown and Eddie Dodd to take the win.
The Super Stock division might have had the fewest cars on Saturday night, but there was no shortage of action. Caleb Thornberry and Brad Malone put on an epic show for the lead with Michael Mackay and Junior Jordan running side by side for the lead for practically the entire race for third and fourth. Thornberry and Malone came sideways off of turn four on the last lap, with Thornberry taking a narrow victory over Malone.
In her first race ever, Sierra Thornton took the checkered flag over Jay Harmening, Shane Jones, and Louie Robinett who returned to the driver’s seat after a four year hiatus from driving. Toby Vintson took the win in the amateur ranks of the Buzz division feature.
Matthew Tucker took the win in the 15 lap Hot Shot feature after assuming the lead at lap 9 when Josh Mack opened the door exiting turn 4, sliding up the hill and allowing Tucker to take the point.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the
first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Limited Late Model Division:
1. 6 – Alan Callaway
2. 24 – Keith Rankin
3. 1 – Brandon Parker
4. 9 – Brian Bentley
5. 05 – Nathan Davis
6. 21 – Jason Welch
7. 27 – Edwin Gurley
8. 47 – John Thomas
9. 56 – Craig Bell
10. 114 – Brian Malone
11. 19 – Larry Audry (DNS)
Open Wheel Modified:
1. 47- John Thomas
2. 74 – Troy Gray
3. 23 – Bradley Carter
4. 81 – Jeremy Williams
5. 07 – Blake Ferguson
6. 21 – Brian Lambert, Jr.
7. 0 – Jordan Key
8. 38 – Brad Sands
9. 18 – Gary Sanford, Jr.
10. 50 – Chase Oliver (DNS)
11. 5 – Phillip Price (DNS)
Mini Modified Division:
1. 9 – Tommy Robinett
2. 89 – Chris Brown
3. 81 – Eddie Dodd
4. 57 – Butch Minor
5. 11 – Mark Sabin
6. 61 – Jerry Mills
7. 86 – Doug Emerson
8. 25 – Derrick Moore
Buzz Division:
1. 16 – Sierra Thornton
2. 1 – Jay Harmening
3. 192 – Shane Jones
4. 19 – Louie Robinett
5. 16B – Toby Vintson (Amateur Buzz)
6. 7 – Jimmy Hudson (Amateur Buzz)
Super Stock Division:
1. 14 – Caleb Thornberry
2. 15 – Brad Malone
3. 44 – Michael Mackay
4. 95 – Junior Jordan
5. 21 – Butch Rogers
6. 47 – Johnny Goodman
Hot Shot Division:
1. 43- Matthew Tucker
2. 01- Josh Mack
3. 27 – Josh Barnett
4. 143 – Ray Tucker
5. 42 – Josh Barnett (DNS)
Troy Gray Takes the Victory in Open Wheel Modifieds, John Thomas Victorious in Late Models
By Kevin Neal
Huntsville Speedway’s fastest divisions returned to action Saturday night with exciting duel 50 lap features for both the Open Wheel Modified and Limited Late Model divisions.
In qualifying, fast time awards were claimed by John Thomas (13.624) for the Open Wheel Modifieds, and Alan Callaway (14.107) for the Limited Late Models.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division John Thomas drew a four on the inversion but would better that spot by one to finish third behind Troy Gray who captured his first win of the 2016 season.
The Limited Late Model division returned to action with fast qualifier Alan Callaway drawing a four on the inversion, placing the number 21 of Jason Welch on the pole for the 50 lap feature.
Welch would battle back from the back of the pack after a spin that placed John Thomas in the top spot. Thomas would fend off a tremendous challenge from the pole winner Callaway to capture the feature win.
In the 20 lap Mini Modified feature, Tommy Robinett held off a hard charging Chris Brown to take the win. Butch Minor looked like he might have the car to beat early on, but a broken suspension part sent him careening into the turn 3 wall on lap 18, ending his evening.
Junior Jordan bested an impressive field of Super Stock cars to take the win in a caution filled 30 lap battle that saw some of the best racing of the night between Caleb Thornberry and Todd Cagle deep in the field. The two exchanged positions multiple times and put on a Super Stock driving clinic before taking the checkers behind Jordan.
Jay Harmening captured the win in the 15 lap feature for the Pro Buzz division followed by Austin Thornton. Jacob Barnett took the win in the amateur ranks of the Buzz division feature.
Josh Mack racked up a decisive win in the 15 lap Hot Shot division feature over Jacob Barnett, T.J. Baker, and Josh Barnett.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Limited Late Model Division:
1. John Thomas
2. Alan Callaway
3. Edwin Gurley
4. Jason Welch
5. Larry Autry
6. Terry Myers
7. Bobby Castleberry
8. Brian Malone
9. Keith Rankin
Open Wheel Modified:
1. Troy Gray
2. Chase Oliver
3. John Thomas
4. Michael Halbrooks
5. Blake Ferguson
6. Brian Lambert, Jr.
7. Brad Sands
8. Bradley Carter
9. Garrett Finley
10. Cameron Berry
Mini Modified Division:
1. Tommy Robinett
2. Chris Brown
3. Mark Sabin
4. Jerry Mills
5. Butch Minor
Buzz Division:
1. Jay Harmening
2. Austin Thornton
3. Shane Jones
4. Donna Thornton
5. Jacob Barnett (Amateur Buzz)
Super Stock Division:
1. Junior Jordan
2. David Dean, Jr.
3. Brad Malone
4. Caleb Thornberry
5. Todd Cagle
6. Kenny Morrow
7. Butch Rogers
Hot Shot Division:
1. Josh Mack
2. Jacob Barnett
3. T.J. Baker
4. Josh Barnett
Daniel Bradford Shines in SuperTrucks, Chaos in Exciting HotShot Finish
By Kevin Neal
Thus far in the still young 2016 racing season at Huntsville Speedway, the SuperTruck division
has been high on action and excitement. Saturday night was no exception with several side by
side battles throughout the field and a first time feature winner.
Qualifying sessions were held for the SuperTruck, Super Stock, and Mini Modified/Rimrunners
divisions with Tommy Robinett (15.195) in Mini Modified, David Gilliland (15.867) in the
Rimrunners, Junior Jordan (15.355) in Super Stock, and Daniel Bradford (14.312) in SuperTrucks
taking the fast time awards.
In the SuperTruck division, polesitter Cameron Berry and Michael Neely race side by side for the
top spot for the fist 6 laps before caution flew for the spinning truck of Jody Anderson. Two laps
later, last race feature winner Cameron Berry would find himself on the wrong side of the luck
when his engine expired entering turn 1 on lap 8. Michael Neely and Daniel Bradford ran side
by side for several grueling laps before Bradford successfully passed for the lead when Neely
slid into the slick upper groove where Cameron Berry’s truck had oiled down the track. Neely
would again drive into the slick stuff at lap 21, this time losing control and spinning, forcing him
to the rear of the field for the restart. Daniel Bradford would hold off all challenges to capture
his first SuperTruck feature of the season.
Tommy Robinett put on a stout performance to win the Mini Modified division with Sean
Frederick taking the honors for the Rimrunners in the 20 lap Mini Modified/Rimrunner
combined feature.
Austin Thornton won his debut race after a hard fought battle with Jay Harmening in the Pro
Buzz division while Jacob Barnett was victorious in the Amateur Buzz division in the combined
class 15 lap feature.
Brad Malone took the win over David Dean, Jr. with a crafty pass with three laps remaining in
the 20 lap Super Stock feature. Byron Westbrooks and Scott Hollis put on a phenomenal show
in the Sportsman division with Westbrooks taking advantage of lapped traffic to make a daring
last lap pass on Hollis to take the victory.
Josh Barnett took the win in the Hot Shot division after a wild three way finish that saw
Matthew Tucker and Ray Tucker flanking the 42 as all three slid sideways across the start/finish
line. Tempers flared briefly between all involved parties before Barnett made his way to Victory
Lane.
In a special exhibition race, the Rimrunners from Highland Rim Speedway put on a 10 lap
shootout won by Josh Brown after an exciting duel with Aaron Ashcroft down the backstretch
with two to go.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the Open
Wheel Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot
Shot divisions. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at
6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Mini Modified Division:
1. Tommy Robinett
2. Jerry Mills
3. Doug Emerson (DNS)
Rimrunner Division:
1. Sean Frederick
2. Aaron Ashcraft
3. Chris Brown
4. David Gilliland
5. Josh Brown
Supertruck Division:
1. Daniel Bradford
2. John Thomas
3. Michael Neely
4. Will Dudley
5. Brandon Thornton
6. Jody Anderson
7. Parker Henegar
8. Cameron Berry
9. Matthew Tucker (DNS)
Buzz Division:
1. Austin Thornton
2. Jay Harmening
3. Shane Jones
4. Courtney Gibbs
Amateur Buzz Division:
5. Jacob Barnett
6. Larry Lang
7. Tobi Vintson
8. David Adams
Super Stock Division:
1. Brad Malone
2. David Dean, Jr.
3. Todd Cagle
4. Kenny Morrow
5. Johnny Goodman
6. Caleb Thornberry
7. Junior Jordan
8. Colby Guthrie (DNS)
Sportsman Division:
1. Byron Westbrooks
2. Scott Hollis
3. Greg Kruse
Hot Shot Division:
1. Josh Barnett
2. Matthew Tucker
3. Ray Tucker
4. Josh Rose
5. Jacob Barnett
6. T.J. Baker
7. Josh Mack
Double the Thunder with Modifieds and Late Models
April 9, 2016
By Kevin Neal
Two of Huntsville Speedway’s premier divisions took center stage Saturday night on an evening where the racing action was infinitely hotter than the unseasonably cool temperatures.
In qualifying, fast time awards were claimed by a duo of track champions: former Open Wheel Champion John Thomas for the Open Wheel Modifieds, and former Late Model Track Champion Chris Whorton for the Limited Late Models.
Fast qualifier in the Open Wheel Modified division John Thomas drew a five on the inversion putting long time Huntsville Speedway competitor Phillip Price, in his Dixie Derby Girls sponsored machine, on the pole alongside former Super Stock Track Champion Bradley Carter who made his debut in an Open Wheel. Troy Gray brought out the first caution at lap 4 with a spin off of turn 4. Bradley Carter would maintain his lead through the next caution at lap 12 when Brian Lambert, Jr. made contact with the wall braking an upper A-frame on his machine and ending his evening. Jason Miller would exit the race on the subsequent restart after colliding with the turn 4 wall. Under the same caution, race leader Chase Oliver had to retire to the pits to repair a broken sway bar. Phillip Price surged back into the lead at the green using the outside groove to surpass Bradley Carter to retake the lead. John Thomas and Phillip Price put on a driving clinic in the next green flag stretch racing side by side until John Thomas took the lead from the high groove on lap 36. Parker Pugh would draw the final caution at lap 46 when he hit the turn 4 wall, giving Phillip Price a final shot at leader Thomas. Price would spin attempting a pass on Thomas out of turn 2, with John Thomas miraculously holding onto the lead and taking the win over Troy Gray and Chase Oliver.
The Limited Late Model division made its 2016 season debut with a 50 lap feature. Fast qualifier Chris Whorton drew a five which placed the number 27 of veteran driver Edwin Gurley on the pole for the race. Larry Audry took the lead from Gurley early on when Gurley had to pit with a flat tire. Audry held the lead until he spun exiting turn 2 on lap 23, placing Alan Galloway in the top spot with Chris Whorton in hot pursuit. The duo collided in turns 3 and 4 at lap 23 with Whorton sustaining heavy damage to the nose of his Austin Hinds Motors vehicle. The aftermath put another former late model track champion John Henegar, Jr. in the lead alongside Billy Brock. Henegar’s advantage was shortlived as Larry Audry of Columbia, TN returned from the back of the pack to claim victory. In a post-race interview, Audry praised track owner Robbie Edger’s decision to place the late models on an 8” racing tire for the 2016 season. Audry stated, “it’s the only way to put the racing back in the driver’s hands and make it worthwhile to race.”
In the 15 lap Mini Modified feature, the field was shorter on cars this week, but there was ample action after a lap 6 caution when Butch Minor lost his top radiator hose and had to return to the pit area for repairs. Carl Griffith also had to retire to the pits after a spin on the frontstretch at lap 8 to bring out a second caution. Chris Brown took the lead at lap 9 and didn’t look back to seemingly capture his second consecutive victory. Unfortunately, Brown was disqualified in post-race technical inspection giving the win to Tommy Robinett.
Caleb Thornberry looked like he might have the car to beat in the 20 lap Super Stock feature but issues with his new engine forced him from the race just before halfway giving the lead to the number 15 of Bradley Malone. Malone and his team, who swapped an engine prior to last week’s feature, held on to take the win over Kenny Morrow.
Jay Harmening captured the win in the 15 lap feature for the Pro Buzz division followed by Shane Jones. David Adams took the win in the amateur ranks of the Buzz division feature.
Matthew Tucker captured the victory for the second consecutive week in the 15 lap Hot Shot division finale over Josh Mack, and Josh Barnett.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the SuperTrucks, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions.
The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Limited Late Model Division:
1. Larry Audry
2. John Henegar, Jr.
3. Brian Malone
4. Jason Welch
5. Billy Brock
6. Alan Galloway
7. Chris Whorton
8. Lonnie Watson
9. Edwin Gurley
Open Wheel Modified:
1. John Thomas
2. Troy Gray
3. Chase Oliver
4. Michael Halbrooks
5. Bradley Carter
6. Phillip Price
7. Jacob Wyatt
8. Parker Pugh
9. Kenny Andrews
10. Jason Miller
11. Brian Lambert, Jr.
Mini Modified Division:
1. Tommy Robinett
2. Butch Minor
3. Carl Griffith
4. Chris Brown (DQ)
Buzz Division:
1. Jay Harmening
2. Shane Jones
3. Donna Thornton
4. Corey Morrow
5. David Adams (Amateur Buzz)
Super Stock Division:
1. Bradley Malone
2. Kenny Morrow
3. Michael Mackay
4. David Dean, Jr.
5. Todd Cagle
6. Junior Jordan
7. Michael Neely
8. Butch Rogers
9. Caleb Thornberry
10. Johnny Goodman
Hot Shot Division:
1. Matthew Tucker
2. Josh Mack
3. Josh Barnett
Huntsville Speedway Roars to Life After Two Year Hiatus
By Kevin Neal
Two years had passed since the sounds of racing engines filled the air at the legendary quarter mile high-banked asphalt track at the foot of Green Mountain. On Saturday night, that changed as a new era began in local racing with new owners Robbie and Karen Edger at the helm.
In the past weeks, Edger had asked for support from the local racing community via social media, radio, and television interviews and the racing community responded in resounding fashion for the inaugural event of the 2016 racing season.
Drivers in the SuperTruck, Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Modified, Hot Buzz, Pro Buzz, and Buzz classes christened the track for a spectacular return to action for the track that first hosted racing in the Rocket City back in 1959.
Qualifying sessions were held for the SuperTruck, Sportsman, Super Stock, and Mini Modified divisions with Chris Brown in Mini Modified, Junior Jordan in Super Stock, Byron Westbrooks in Sportsman, and Daniel Bradford in SuperTrucks taking the fast time awards.
The SuperTruck division put on an outstanding show in their 50 lap feature. Caution flew at lap 16 as pole sitter Cameron Berry was holding his own against second place Michael Neely when the field was bunched behind the slower trucks of Parker Henegar and Will Dudley who were fighting to stay on the lead lap. Neely made contact with Berry who spun exiting turn 4. Both Berry and Neely were sent to the rear of the field, per division rules. Fast qualifier Daniel Bradford was the beneficiary of Berry and Neely’s bad luck inheriting the lead via caution, but the luck was fleeting as he lost his drive shaft at lap 30 and was forced to retire from the event.
Michael Neely was battling side by side with Bobby Guthery for the race lead with ten laps remaining when the two made contact down the backstraightaway sending the 41 truck of Guthery careening into the outside wall. Cameron Berry was the good luck recipient of that caution as it propelled him back to his starting position where he was able to hold on to capture the victory.
Scott Hollis managed to hang on and capture the victory in the Sportsman feature over fast qualifier Byron Westbrooks, Greg Kruse, and Jonathan Campbell.
Chris Brown held off a thrilling last lap challenge from Adam Gunter to capture the win in the 20 lap Mini Modified feature.
David Adams captured the win in the Amateur Buzz division while Shane Jones took the honors in the Buzz division 15 lap feature.
Third generation racer David Dean, Jr. bested division veteran Junior Jordan for the win in a raucous 30 lap Super Stock feature that featured judicious use of the fenders and front nosepieces.
Matthew Tucker captured the victory in the 20 lap Hot Shot division nightcap over Josh Barnett, Josh Mack, T.J. Baker, and Jacob Barnett.
Huntsville Speedway will return to action next Saturday night with races featuring the Open Wheel Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Super Stock, Mini Modifieds, Pro Buzz, Buzz, and Hot Shot divisions. The Pit gates will open at 3PM, front gates at 5PM, with qualifying beginning at 6PM and the first green flag of the evening flying at 7PM.
Mini Modified Division:
1. Chris Brown
2. Adam Gunter
3. Tommy Robinett
4. Butch Minor
5. Jerry Mills
6. Doug Emerson
Sportsman Division:
1. Scott Hollis
2. Byron Westbrooks
3. Greg Kruse
4. Jonathan Campbell
Supertruck Division:
1. Cameron Berry
2. Brandon Thornton
3. Michael Neely
4. Will Dudley
5. Jody Anderson
6. Bobby Guthery
7. Daniel Bradford
8. Parker Henegar
9. John Thomas
10. Matthew Tucker (Did Not Start)
Buzz Division:
1. David Adams
2. Shane Jones
3. Donna Thornton
4. Courtney Gibbs
5. Corey Morrow
Super Stock Division:
1. David Dean, Jr.
2. Junior Jordan
3. Todd Cagle
4. Johnny Goodman
5. Caleb Thornberry
6. Bradley Malone
7. Butch Rogers
Hot Shot Division:
1. Matthew Tucker
2. Josh Barnett
3. Josh Mack
4. T.J. Baker
5. Jacob Barnett
NO COOLERS ALLOWED IN GRANDSTANDS OR PITS
Sponsor boards are going up! If you want to sponsor the Huntsville Speedway, please let Karen or Robbie know. Time and space is running out!
Huntsville Speedway roared back to life on March 5, 2016. The speedway hosted the first practice of the year. We had about 15 cars attend the practice.
The next practice will be March 12, 2016.
Big thanks to Dave Cooper for shooting video from the practice. Here’s a different view of the track. Great job.
Rusty Wallace Racing Experience has canceled the event scheduled for March 20th at Huntsville Speedway.
The new owners of Huntsville Speedway, Robbie and Karen Edger, have been invited on the air today to talk to Thom Abraham about Huntsville Speedway and our plans for the 2016 season. Tune into 103.9 WUMP radio between 2:00 till 6:00 pm to stay on top of what’s happening at the south’s fastest 1/4 mile high banked race track!
2016 Schedule has been posted. The schedule is subject to change.
Tell the EPA to Withdraw Its Proposal to Prohibit the Conversion of Vehicles Into Racecars
The American love affair with automobiles includes watching and participating in motorsports. For decades Americans have converted their street vehicles into racecars, from pre-World War II classics to modern era performance cars. It has brought joy and jobs to millions. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a proposed rule that would do away with this time honored tradition. It would outlaw the conversion of any type of emissions-certified vehicle into a racecar, and make it illegal to sell any emissions-related parts for those cars. The Clean Air Act prohibits the EPA from regulating racecars. Tell EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to remove this provision from the “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- & Heavy-Duty Engines-Phase 2″ rule.
Work has begun on the scoreboard!
The Huntsville Speedway staff would like to thank everyone that attended the rules meetings, we learned a lot from your input. We are reviewing and adjusting the rules, based on your votes, to better each division.
Rules for the lower divisions are posted, and the upper divisions should be posted within the next week.
We had 8-15 representing each class we plan to run. We hope that everyone in attendance will have their car at the track on opening day. Huntsville Speedway’s future is in the hands of the owners/drivers. With your support, we will do everything possible to keep the track open and provide a great venue for you to enjoy racing.
We plan to have our first practice around the first of March and racing stating in April.
Thanks
Robbie & Karen Edger
HUNTSVILLE SPEEDWAY RULES MEETING:
SATURDAY JAN. 23 AT THE TRACK
SUPER STOCK at 2:00
MINI MODIFIED at 3:00
BUZZ & PRO-BUZZ at 4:00
HOT SHOT at 5:00
SATURDAY JAN. 30 AT THE TRACK
SUPER TRUCK at 2:00 driver and owner only, we will be voting on rules
LIMITED LATE MODEL at 3:00
SPORTSMAN at 4:00
OPEN WHEEL at 5:00
All division open to everyone except the super trucks.
Hope to see you there. Thank You!
We were just made aware of rumors that the Speedway was not going to open this year. We want to put these rumors to rest. Edger Motorsports, LLC has secured the lease from Martin Pierce until 2035. The track will be open for the 2016 season.
We are very close to finishing up the rules now and will post them soon. Soon after, we will post the schedule. We apologize for not keeping everyone informed on all the behind the scenes details involved to get this track in our name and going.
We would like everyone to realize that we only agreed 90 days ago to take on the adventure, it was not a turn key operation. Due to the track being closed for several years, it is like starting a new business. New license, new accounts, new dealers, new laws, new insurance, new everything.
On the flip side of all of this, we’re very happy about all the volunteer help and positive feedback that we have received from our big racing family. Can’t wait to see a smile on everyone’s face when the first green flag flies for the 2016 season.
We are knocking the dust off a few of the race cars and will be at Village of Providence Sunday from 1pm to 5pm. This is to bring awareness that Huntsville Speedway will be up and running for the 2016 season. Bring the kids by, take their picture in one of the race cars and enjoy the car show while you are there.
Thanks to everyone that helped with the clean up. The facility is getting better, but we still have a lot of work to go.
