Virginia Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Mclanan Comes from Fourteenth to Get First Late Model Win at Virginia Motor Speedway

No Photo Available.


by Dave Seay

SALUDA, Va. -- If you’re going to get your first win… do it in style. That’s exactly what rookie Neil McClanan of Moyock, NC did as he drove his #80 First Team Superstore, Coastal Lighting Pontiac Grand Prix Rocket from his fourteenth place starting position to his first Victory Lap Late Model division win at Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway.

Eddie Groome and Donnie Marshall Jr. led the field to green with Groome winning the drag race to turn 1 and lead lap 1. Groome and Marshall battled for the lead with Groome holding on each occasion.

On lap 14 Sommey Lacey dove under Marshall out of turn 2 with the two racing side by side back to the line and Lacey taking second. It didn’t last long as Marshall retook second out of turn 2. On lap 17 Stevie Long took third from Lacey. Caution would fly for a spin by Tyler Bailey. On the restart, fifteenth starting Jamie Lathroum took fifth from Lacey.

On lap 25 the race for second got heated with Marshall sliding up the track allowing Long and Lathroum to drive under him. The three raced into turn 4 three wide with Marshall spinning and bringing out the caution. On the restart Lathorum dove under Long heading into turn 1 with the two making contact and Lathroum spinning in turn 2.

On the restart Neil McClanan took second as Long began to back up quickly with an ill handling car. With three to go McClanan looked inside Groome in turn 1 but couldn’t make the pass. Entering turn 4 McClanan got a great run off the bottom and took the lead at the line. Groome battled back to the outside in turn 2 but couldn’t take back the lead. McClanan would take the victory by 1.092 seconds over Groome.

“This is great, we’ve had a lot of bad luck this year so this feels awesome, we love coming here to race,” commented a very happy McClanan in victory lane.

Rounding out the top five were Eddie Groome, Walker Arthur, Sommey Lacey and Larry Grimstead, Jr. Arthur picked up the Thurston Spring Service Dirt Series Rookie of the Race Award with his third place finish.

In other action Bret Hamilton of Powhatan, VA took the lead on lap 2 and never looked back to take his sixth win of the season. Donnie Owens of North, VA took the lead on lap 1 of the Truckin Thunder Sportsman 30 lap feature and led flag to flag but had to hold off both Walker Arthur and Roger Jamerson to get the win. In the Dixie Chopper All American 15 lap feature Dustin Owens of North, VA held off point leader Marty Coltrain of Richmond, VA for his fifth win of the season. In the Al’s Auto Parts Charger 25 lap feature James Givens of New Kent, VA led flag to flag in a hotly contested race to pick up his first win of the season.

In the Budweiser Modified 25 lap feature Brian Dobie of Partlow, VA set fast time and inverted the top eight with the pill draw. That put Craig Ramich and James Snead on the front row and leading the field to green. Snead took advantage out of turn 2 to only to give up the lead to Bret Hamilton the following lap.

Once in front Hamilton began to pull away from the field sporting a ten car length advantage at the halfway point. With Hamilton leading the man on the move was Dobie, working his way from his eighth place starting position.

A caution on lap 5 closed the field with Snead, Brent Bordeaux, Dobie and Ramich behind Hamilton. On the restart Dobie dove under Bordeaux for third and went to work on Snead for second. It took twelve laps for Dobie to get by Snead having to do it with a pass on the outside in turn 1. Dobie would get a break with a caution on lap 22 when Tim Hamlet came to rest against the turn 4 wall and closing him up on the bumper of Hamilton.

On the restart Dobie tried to get inside Hamilton to no avail as Hamilton held on to the top spot. With Hamilton in control the battle was for fourth between Eric Erwin, Page Harrison and Ramich with Erwin winning the battle. Hamilton held on for his sixth win of the year. Rounding out the top five were Brian Dobie, James Snead, Eric Erwin and Page Harrison. Craig Ramich picked up the Thurston Spring Service Dirt Series Rookie of the Race Award with his sixth place finish.

In the Dixie Chopper All American 15 lap feature Dustin Owens and Marty Coltrain led the twenty seven car field to the green with Owens grabbing the lead followed closely by Coltrain and Adam Hale. The three pulled away from the field, battling nose to tail for most of the fifteen lap affair.

With two to go and the top three nose to tail, Hale went inside Coltrain out of turn 2 to take second but then spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Coltrain tried several times to get past Owens but Owens held him off for his fifth win of the season. Rounding out the top five were Marty Coltrain, Byard Harris, Lee Overstreet and Brian Maines.

With his son already visiting victory lane, Donnie Owens had a bit of pressure on him heading into the 30 lap Truckin Thunder Sportsman feature. On the drop of the green flag Owens shot to the outside of William King and Mark Smith to take the lead out of turn 2 form his third place staring position.

With Owens leading, all eyes turned to see how fast Walker Arthur and Roger Jamerson could get to the front. By lap 4 Arthur was in second with Jamerson close behind. The trio raced nose to tail each looking for an opening.

On lap 25 Arthur looked inside Owens for the lead but couldn’t make the pass. He tried once again on lap 28 this time having to defend his position with Jamerson looking outside. At the white flag you could throw a blanket over the top three. Owens had just enough to hold off Arthur and jamerson for the win, his first of the season. Rounding out the top five were Walker Arthur, Roger Jamerson, Daren Bolac and Doug Johnson. Michael Green picked up the Thurston Spring Service Dirt Series Rookie of the Race Award with his sixth place finish.

Rookie Ernie Dettbarn of Richmond, VA and James Givens of New Kent, VA led the Al’s Auto Parts Chargers to the green flag with Givens taking the lead out of turn 2 followed closely by Brian Maxey, Dettbarn, Bob Terry and Davis Lipscombe.

On lap 3 Terry took third in a battle with Dettbarn and Lipscombe. With Givens on the fly and in another zip code the battle for second on back was hot and heavy. On lap 17 Dettbarn and Lipscombe swapped the fourth spot back and fourth with Dettbarn in control. Caution on lap 20 brought Givens back to the field and on the restart Terry looked inside Givens but couldn’t make the pass as Lipscombe went outside to no avail. As they raced into turn one Terry slid up into Lipscombe sending both spinning and to the rear of the field.

On the restart Dettbarn went outside Givens into turn 1 but Givens cut off his path allowing Maxey to take second. With one to go Maxey and Dettbarn battled side by side into turn 1 as they exited turn 2 the made contact sending both spinning and bringing out the caution and checkers and the win to Givens. Rounding out the top five were thirteenth starting Davey Pullen, seventeenth starting Chris Tatum, ninth starting John Kirby and Mark Wright. Ernie Dettbarn picked up the Thurston Spring Service Dirt Series Rookie of the Race Award with his tenth place finish.

Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway will be the place to be once again Saturday Night, August 5th as it hosts WRAR / WNNT Night featuring Round 3 of the Victory Lap Late Model $25,000 Challenge presented by BB&T. Jared Powell of Charlottesville, VA and Tom Eriksen of will be trying to keep alive their for the $15,000 bonus for winning three of the four series events.

The Victory Lap Late Model $25,000 Challenge will pay a $5,000 bonus to anyone winning two of the four events with it ballooning to $15,000 if a driver wins three of four events. With two winners in two races no one can win the $25,000 bonus for winning all four races. Track rules for the Victory Lap Late Model Division will apply. Remaining tentative date for the four race series will be Friday night September 1st.

Also scheduled to race along with the Late Models on Saturday will be the Truckin Thunder Sportsman, Al’s Auto Parts Charger and the Dixie Chopper All American divisions.

Competitor gates for Saturday, August 5th will open at 3pm with spectator gates opening at 4pm. On track activities will begin at 6:15pm with hot laps. Divisions scheduled to race on Saturday: Victory Lap Late Models (40 Laps); Truckin Thunder Sportsman (30 laps); Al’s Auto Parts Chargers (25 Laps) and the Dixie Chopper All Americans (15 Laps). Late Model, Sporstman, and Charger divisions will run Hot Lap Time Trials and Features only. All Americans will run heats and feature.

Admission price for Adults $10, Seniors and Military $8; Students 13 – 17 years old $7, Children 7 – 12 years old $4 and Children 6 and under admitted free. The speedway offers a $2 discount coupon on the Speedway’s Website, good on any Adult, Senior and Military tickets only. Fans need to have a coupon for each ticket purchased. The speedway also offers a “Family Pack” that includes two adult admissions and two children 12 and under admissions for only $20.

Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway, an ASA Member Track affiliate, is a 1/2-mile, dirt oval. The track is located on U.S. Route 17, eight miles north of Saluda, VA and 25 miles south of Tappahannock, VA. The speedway is just a short drive from Richmond, Fredericksburg, Southern Maryland and the Hampton Roads area.

To learn more about Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway and its 2006 schedule of events, fans and competitors may call the Speedway office at (804) 758-1VMS or visit the track online at www.vamotorspeedway.com.

RESULTS FOR BUDWEISER NIGHT

SATURDAY JULY 29, 2006

1. Neil McClanan, Moyock, N.C.

2. Eddie Groome, Stuarts Draft

3. Walker Arthur, Forest

4. Sommey Lacey, Jr. Clements, Md.

5. Larry Grimstead, Jr., Virginia Beach

6. Austin Hubbard, Seaford, Del.

7. Donnie Marshall Jr., Gloucester

8. Max Anderson, Friendship, Md.

9. Jamie Lathroum, Mechanicsville, Md.

10. Jared Powell, Charlottesville

11. Stevie Long, Mechanicsville, Md.

12. Vaughan Haywood, Deltaville

13. Mike Woodall, Mechanicsville, Md.

14. Tyler Bailey, Chesterfield

15. Allen Canter, Newburg, Md.

16. Donnie Daniel, West Point

17. Joe Bounds, Partlow

18. Ronald Cusic, California, Md.

19. Scott Adams, Chester

20. Brandon Galloway, Gloucester

21. David Parker, Powhatan

22. Jason Cahall, Cordova, Md.

23. Tom Cohick, Gloucester

DNS: Louis Timberlake, Mechanicsville

FAST TIME HOT LAP QUALIFYING:

Walker Arthur – 20.427 seconds, 88.119mph.

1. Donnie Owens, North

2. Walker Arthur, Forest

3. Roger Jamerson, Glen Allen

4. Daren Bolac, Moyock,N.C.

5. Doug Johnson, Hayes

6. Michael Green, North

7. Gene Snow Sr., Richmond

8. Larry Bradsher, Saluda

9. Mark Smith, Virginia Beach

10. William King, Norfolk

11. David Pfeiffer, Suffolk

12. Jack Foulkes, Fairfax

13. Davis Lipscombe, Mechancisville

14. David Otey, Williamsburg

15. Paul Gardner, Spotsylvania

16. Dave Savage, Mattaponi

17. J.D. Satterly, Port Haywood;

DNS: Steve Owens, Barco, N.C.

FAST TIME HOT LAP QUALIFYING: Roger Jamerson – 22.062 seconds, 81.588mph.

1. Bret Hamilton, Powhatan;

2. Brian Dobie, Partlow;

3. James Snead, Colonial Beach;

4. Eric Erwin, Beaver Dam

5. Page Harrison, Jetersville

6. Craig Ramich, Fairfax

7. Brent Bordeaux, Fredericksburg

8. Donnie Medlin, Newport News

9. Wayne Barricks, Chesterfield;

10. Brad Bowling, Mechanicsville;

11. Bill Atkins, Chesterfield

12. Kelly Samuels, Richmond

13. Joey Polevoy, Powhatan

14. Tim Hamlet, Halifax

15. Chuck Marks, Bryans Road, Md.

16. Lance Grady, Maidens

17. Chris Moore, Walkerton

18. Tommy Shiflet, Richmond

DNS: Francis Jarrelle III, Powhatan; Gary Conner, Powhatan; Jamie Lathroum, Mechanicsville, Md.

FAST TIME HOT LAP QUALIFYING: Brian Dobie – 21.525 seconds, 83.624mph.

1. James Givens, New Kent;

2. Davey Pullen, New Kent;

3. Chris Tatum, Hanover;

4. John Kirby, Sandston;

5. Mark Wright, Mechanicsville;

6. Jim Ridings, Gloucester;

7. Davis Lipscombe, Mechancisville;

8. Mario Quattrociocchi, Port Tobacco, Md.;

9. Brian Maxey, King George;

10. Ernie Dettbarn, Richmond;

11. Lee Oldaker III, Suffolk;

12. Steven Carter, West Point;

13. Rusty Steele, Williamsburg;

14. Bruce Wilson, Quinton;

15. Wesley Givens, New Kent;

16. Bob Terry, Stafford;

17. Scott Stewart, Fredericksburg;

18. John Imler, Edgewater, Md..

FAST TIME HOT LAP QUALIFYING: Bob Terry – 23.547 seconds, 76.443mph.

1. Dustin Owens, North

2. Marty Coltrain, Richmond

3. Byard Harris, Goucester

4. Lee Overstreet, Midlothian

5. Brian Maines, West Point

6. Gene Jamerson Sr., Richmond

7. Herbert Seay, St. Stephens Church

8. Alan Jordan, Aylett

9. Jon Helwig, Dunnsville

10. Jessie Wilson, Quinton

11. Charles Duke II, Gloucester

12. Johnny Brooks Jr., Mechanicsville

13. Ashley Meyers, Ark

14. Raymond Harper, Gloucester

15. Jerry Newman, Saluda

16. Adam Hale, Dutton

17. Thomas Rose, Port Haywood

18. William Dunn, Dunnsville

19. David Bowler, Gloucester

20. Steven Atkins, Chesterfiled

21. Jacob Helwig, Dunnsville

22. John Rhoades, Hayes

23. Gregory Packett, Tappahannock

24. Brandon Bowler, Gloucester

25.Thomas Meadows, Newport News

26. Ryan Hutchens, Toano

DNS: Brandon Cohick, Gloucester.

HEAT RACE WINNER: Dustin Owens, Marty Coltrain

Source

Remember When Sports Photo Album