Capital City Speedway

March 22, 2008

For Immediate Release

Ashland, VA

-Round two of the Capital City 2008 campaign went off without a hitch on Saturday, as 147 entries flocked to the newly renovated facility for an exciting day of racing action. Mother Nature graced us with intermittent sprinkles during our heat races, but nothing heavy enough to halt the racing for any extended period of time. The track was fast, and the action was intense. We had some thrilling finishes, a few flared tempers, and one very excited Andy Reeves of King William, who won the first CCS Crew Chief Dream Race, the featured event of the day, and took home the winner's trophy and a pair of new Maxxis tires for his effort.

The first feature of the evening was the Stock Heavy division. Dougie Young of Highland Springs would lead the eleven racer field to the green flag, with David "Speed" Meade right on his bumper. An early spin by David McArthur would bring out the yellow flag on lap two of the event. After the restart, the early mover of the event seemed to be Brandon Comer, who wheeled his Dirty Don's Motorsports backed Phantom Icon up to the fourth position with a daring three wide maneuver on the backstretch. Meade, who was still sitting in second at the time, slipped off the exit of turn four. By the time he could get back in line, he found himself in the sixth position. By this time, the top two of Young and Josh Tapscott had broken away from the pack. Meade wasn't going to settle for sixth today, as he was able to quickly regain track position and move himself back up to third. Comer would try to latch on to the rear bumper of Meade, but Meade's #10 machine was too strong, and Comer slowly began to fade. Tapscott would take the lead from Young on lap 10 of the event, allowing Young to tuck in on his bumper and draft. The top four ran in this order until the last lap, when Young ran into turn three hard, catching the rear bumper of Tapscott's machine and turning him around. Young would be disqualified for unsportsmanlike driving for this move, allowing David Meade to collect the victory. Following Meade to the stripe were Comer, Kevin McArthur, Corey McGuire, and Josh Ayer, who rounded out the top five. On the cool down lap, Tapscott let Young know he wasn't too fond of his driving by running into Young's machine approaching the scale area. The two drivers and crews would have candid words with each other at the scale area, which would result in Tapscott being DQed as well for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Junior Champ was next on the agenda, With J.D. Eversole leading the field to green. Eversole would pull away from the field until a lap eight yellow was brought out by Timmie Bottoms and Tyler Davis in turn two. On the restart, Davis would be able to get back up to the second position, but there was no catching Eversole today, who took the checkered flag in dominating fashion. Davis, Tyler Warriner, and Bottoms would round out the field.

The Amateur division was next on the track, and it was Chesterfield's Charlie Simmons leading the fourteen racer field to green. A hard flip by Cliff Williams in turn two would bring out the early red flag, and bring about a single file complete restart. Simmons and Martin Coberly would lead the restart, with Kevin Ayer and Michael Jordan battling for third. Jordan and Ayer would hook up early, powering past Coberly to assume second and third on lap two. Jordan and Ayer put the moves on Simmons on the next circuit, relegating him back to third. Coberly, who looked strong early, would quickly begin to fade from the leaders. Jordan, who seemed to be cruising to an easy victory, slipped off of turn two and into the outside retaining fence hard on lap six, bringing out the yellow flag and placing Jordan at the rear of the field. Ayer and Simmons would lead the field on the restart, but the kart to watch was Jordan, who powered his machine from deep in the field back into the top five in three short laps. Next it was Ayer's turn to slip out of the racing groove, which allowed Steve Parrock to now assume the top spot. Parrock and Randy Allen would begin to put a little distance on the field with five to go, bringing Wayne Wright with them. Coming off of turn four on the last lap, Wright would lose the grip on his #2 machine, relegating him to the fifth position. Parrock would be the victor, with Allen, Jordan, and Cliff Williams, who came back from his initial wreck, following him to the stripe, with Wright rounding out the top five.

Next onto the speedway was the Kid Kart division. Joey Powers would lead Garrett Manes and Curtis Martin on the start. Martin would quickly regain the second position on lap one, and set his sight on Powers. Martin would slowly reel in powers, taking the lead from him on lap four of the ten lap event. Martin seemed to have the victory all but wrapped up, but a costly slip in turn four with only three laps to go allowed Powers to regain the lead, bringing Manes with him. Manes would stalk the leader's bumper for the next circuit, and make a daring pass for the lead on the outside of turn three with two laps to go. Manes would go on to earn the victory, with Powers and Martin rounding out the field.

Junior Sportsman 2 rolled out onto the speedway next, and it was Delaware's Alex White leading the field to green. Kevin Hart would start in the second position, but would quickly be overtaken by Timothy O'Connor and J.B. Loomis. White and O'Connor would begin to put distance on the field, with the two swapping the lead three times before a caution on lap twelve for an incident involving Adam Simon. O'Connor and White would pull away on the restart, with Hart regaining third from Loomis. From here it was all O'Connor, who took the checkered flag over White. A good battle ensued for the third position, with Loomis prevailing over Hart, who came across fourth, followed by Ryan O'Connor and Simon, who rounded out the six racer field.

Next on the track was the Senior Champ Flathead division. Troy Martin of Mechanicsville led the eleven racer field to the green flag. On the initial laps, Andrew Mosher had some mechanical trouble, and Tanner Aman got crossed up trying to avoid him, which brought out the yellow. On the restart, Aman was a man on a mission, passing multiple karts per lap until he got back to the second position, some twenty kart lengths behind Martin. A spin by Aaron Carde on lap five brought out the second yellow, allowing Aman to close on Martin's rear bumper. On the restart, Aman tried to jump to Martin's outside, and the two began rubbing wheels, causing Martin to spin and resulting in Aman receiving a black flag. Martin was placed back at the head of the field, and the race resumed. Aaron Carde seemed to not have the handle on his machine this day, as he would spin three more times within the next five laps of the race. All of the spins were out of harm's way, however, and the race stayed under green. From there, Martin was able to cruise away to the victory, followed by Linwood Folds, John Sharp, Garrett jones, and Aaron Cox, who rounded out the top five.

Next out on the speedway was the Stock Super Heavy division. with Timmy Hall of King and Queen leading the field to green. Hall would quickly relinquish the lead, however, as Rob Matthews powered past him, bringing most of the rest of the field along. It didn't take long for Billy Tweeden and Mike Matthews to hook up and catch Rob Matthews. Tweeden took the lead on lap four, bringing Mike Matthews along, and dropping Rob Matthews to third. It looked like Mike Matthews had the kart to beat today, as he took the lead from Tweeden at halfway, although a costly slip three laps later allowed Tweeden to reassume the top spot. From there it was all Tweeden, who stretched his lead and cruised to the win followed by Mike Matthews, a hard charging Timmy Hall who got back up to third, and Rob Matthews in fourth. Matt Crews and Anthony Doggett rounded out the six racer field.

The next class on the track was the race everybody had been waiting for, the first ever CCS Crew Chief Dream race, which was the Junior Sportsman 1 Champ division. Dylan Jackson of Lakeside led the strong sixteen racer field to the green flag, with Andy Reeves and Camden Testerman in tow. Reeves seemed to be sizing up the competition, just choosing the time that he was going to make a run at the lead. The move came on lap six, when Reeves slipped his machine under Jackson to take the lead. Jackson would drop into the second position, and ride there for a few more circuits, until contact with a lapped kart brought out the caution on lap nine. Jackson and Testerman hooked up on the restart and drafted by Reeves to stake their claim at the head of the pack, shuffling Reeves back to third. Reeves was hungry for the segment one victory, however, and quickly wheeled his machine back to the top spot. Jackson seemed to have the faster kart in the closing laps, but Reeves knew how to make the bumper wide and take the segment one victory. After the first segment, the karts were lined up on the frontstretch, and frantic work began to take place on the karts. Some teams opted to change right side tires, while others chose to simply prep the previously ran set. Some drivers chose to exit their caged machines during the pitstop, while others remained in the cockpit, keeping focus on the task ahead. With the ten minute time limit to make adjustments up, the karts were refired and it was back to racing for a second twenty lap segment. On the restart, Jackson was able to quickly reassume the lead over Reeves. A quick yellow rebumched the field, and on the restart Reeves took the lead back from Jackson, with Testerman watching the action ahead. Jackson seemed to once again have the strongest kart, peeking everywhere he could to try to make a run on Reeves, but lapped traffic began to hinder his efforts to take the top spot. Lapped traffic made a huge impact on the middle portions of this race, with the top three drivers constantly maneuvering around slower vehicles. Jackson was able to briefly reassume the lead, but Reeves was not going to be denied, getting Jackson loose once again and bringing Testerman with him. Jackson and Testerman continued to battle for the remaining three circuits, allowing Reeves to take the checkered flag and the two Maxxis tires for his efforts. Testerman would finish the race a well earned second, with Jackson, Hunter Rumberg and D.J. Cunningham rounding out the top five finishers.

Restricted Junior Heavy was next on the track, with Delaware's Brandon White leading the eleven racer field to green. J.D. Eversole gave early chase to White, but a slip in turn four sent him back to the fourth position. Richard Parks assumed the second position, and began reeling in White's #09, with Gilson Fearnow in tow. Fearnow slipped off of turn four, allowing Eversole to regain the third position. Meanwhile, Parks was running down the leader quickly, until a tangle with lapped traffic in turn four sent him spinning off the speedway. Eversole, whose kart seemed to be the quickest in the latest stages of the race, regained the second position, but it wasn't enough today to catch White who took the checkered flag. Fearnow, Bradley Sacra, and Parks rounded out your top five.

Junior Sportsman 2 Champ was next to hit the speedway, with Timothy O'Connor leading the eight racer field to green, followed by Ryan O'Connor and Logan Willis. Ryan O'Connor assumed the lead on lap two, bringing Willis to second and sending Timothy O'Connor to third. Willis would take the lead on lap five in turn one, but slip off of turn two, allowing the O'Connor's to draft back around him. While all this was going on, Ryan Fisher was in fourth and gaining ground fast. The top four were nose to tail by the halfway point in the race. Fisher seemed to have the kart to beat, taking third and doing everything he could to make a move on second. At this point, the entire top four got crossed up in turn four, but no caution was brought out. When the dust cleared, it was Willis taking the victory, followed by Timothy O'Connor. G.R. Waldrop snuck up to third in the late race scramble, followed by Taner Rumberg and Ryan O'Connor who claimed the top five positions.

The Stock Medium division lined up next, with James Williams leading the eleven racer field to green, followed by Dougie Young and David Meade, who began to stretch away from the rest of the field. Young wasted no time, taking the lead on lap two, bringing Meade along with him. Brandon Comer, who began the race in midpack, had the strongest kart early on, passing Williams to take the third position on lap four. Young and Meade, however, were able to use the draft to inch away from Comer's machine. Corey McGuire, all the while, was lurking in the fourth position, and seemed to be getting faster and faster. A quick yellow brought out by Jonathan Easter bunched the field back up near the halfway point. Young and Meade began to move away from the field, until a costly mistake by Young in turn four sent his #01 machine spinning off the speedway and out of contention. This allowed to Meade to take the lead, with McGuire slipping around Comer for the runner up spot. They would stay in this order, with Meade taking his second victory of the night, followed by McGuire and Comer. Josh Ayer and Jeremy Williams rounded out the top five.

Junior Sportsman 1 was the next division on the speedway, with Troy Schill leading the pack to the stripe, with Joe Hall and Ashley Hayes in hot pursuit. The top three would tangle early in turn four, bringing out the caution. On the restart, it was Justin Kirby leading the field. Dylan Jackson, with a fast kart, tried to take the second position from Joe Hall on the high side, but his machine would not stick and he would slip back to the fourth position. A spin in turn one by Kayla Hart brought the field under a quick yellow on lap twelve. On the restart, Schill was able to regain the second position with a quick maneuver on Hall. Meanwhile, Jackson and Jace Stanley began battling hard for the fourth position. Stanley would cut down on Jackson, sending both competitors off road through the infield and resulting in a black flag for Stanley. Meanwhile out front, it was Kirby holding off a hard charging Schill for the victory. Hayes, Hart, and Jackson would round out your top five.

The always exciting Yamaha division was next on the racing agenda with Nick Hall leading the ten racer field to green. Joey Powers rocketed to the lead on the restart, bringing Conner Ezzell with him and putting Hall back to third, with Richard Taylor and John Decker following closely. Hall, who had a bad start, seemed to be able to start to gain ground back around the lap six mark. The top three were nose to tail at halfway, with Ezzell letting Powers know he was there with a tap in turn three. Pete Decker, with a spin in turn two, brought out the yellow on lap thirteen and regrouped the field. On the restart, Powers and Ezzell were able to gain a small gap on the rest of the field. Ezzell stalked the leader for two laps before making the pass for the lead going into turn one. Powers, not ready to give up yet, tucked into the second position and put intense pressure on Ezzell. Pete Decker again spun off the second turn with two laps remaining, bringing out a yellow and setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Ezzell and Powers quickly jumped away from the field for the two lap dash. Nick Hall, running a strong third, slipped and spun off the track on the last lap, putting him out of contention. Ezzell would go on to take the victory, followed by Powers and Decker. Richard Taylor and Bubba Carter would round out the top five positions.

Senior Champ Animal was the next class on the speedway. Tanner Aman led the nine racer field to green, but a spin by James Folds brought out the first yellow and set the field up for a single file restart. Aman, Wes Simmons, and David Henderson led the complete restart, Simmons and Henderson teamed up early to take the top two positions, pushing Aman back to third, with Matt Smith and Troy Martin close behind. Matt Smith and Tanner Aman made contact just after halfway in turn one, bringing caution on the speedway. On the restart, it was Simmons leading Henderson and Martin. Martin would make a run for second in turn one, bringing Matt Ashworth with him. Meanwhile, Tanner Aman was charging through the field, and regained the third position with five to go. Aman and Martin, who had controversy earlier in the evening, would collect each other again in the last lap of this event, opening the gap for Wes Simmons who took the victory. Henderson would finish second, with Ashworth, Josh Jones, and Aman rounding out the top five.

Next onto the speedway was the Stock Light division, with Cameron Wood and Craig Schill leading the field to green. Thomas Roach took a hard flip in turn one, bringing out the immediate red flag. On the restart, it was Cameron Wood jumping out to a huge lead, with Bryan Nixon quickly assuming the second spot from Schill. Wood would march away from the field, earning a convincing victory over Nixon. Jonathan Wharton, Schill, and Roach would round out the five racer field.

The next class on the agenda was the powerful Limited division. Kyle Ezzell of Louisa led the three racer field to the stripe, with Larry Winstead and Justin Burton battling for the second position. Winstead would make an early charge up through the field, and take the lead from Ezzell, who was battling early motor issues. Ezzell would drop out of contention on lap six, and Justin Burton would follow suit at the halfway mark, leaving the track all to Winstead who took the victory.

TAG Sprint was next onto the track, with Ernest Jones leading the field to green with Nick hall and Nathan Woodson in tow. Hall would spin on lap three, bringing out a quick yellow. On the restart, Hall would be able to jump back into the second position, but would soon give the position back up to Woodson. The three would remain in this order for the rest of the event, with Jones pulling away to a huge gap and taking the victory over Hall and Woodson.

The final feature of the evening was the Champ Over 35 division. Jack Taylor led the seven racer field to green, followed by Lee Martin and John Sharp. D.E. Thomas took a hard roll on the initial lap, bringing the field quickly back under yellow. The field would bunch up again on the second attempt at a start, but the third time would finally be the charm. Taylor was caught sleeping on the start, which allowed David Knighton to jump out to an early lead. Martin and Taylor would make contact and spin early on the frontstretch, but the field would remain under green. All of this allowed Knighton to put a nice gap on the second place machine of Wes Simmons. Knighton would extend his lead all race long, taking a commanding thirty kart length victory over Simmons. John Sharp would place third, with Aaron Mosher and Martin rounding out the top five finishers.

Capital City Speedway would like to thank each and every person that came out and made our raceday a huge success! Please join us again for our next race, scheduled for April 5th, when we will go to our traditional (night race) schedule. As always, you can keep up with the latest information via our website at www.capitalcityspeedway.net

This article is submitted weekly by Steve Minson, Capital City Speedway Race Reporter. You can reach Steve Minson for comments, suggestions, etc at

sminson@gmail.com