A bright, sunny day, gorgeous if a bit breezy weather greeted drivers and fans alike last weekend at Veterans Motorplex. Seven divisions packed the pits. There was plenty of action to see, and when the last checkered flag of the night flew everyone was just a little bit breathless…

LEGENDS
It was a wild twenty five lap feature race for the Legends. Fast qualifier Hunter Wright looked like he had the race well in hand, even though Justin Maxwell was staying close enough to keep Wright honest. Then, with just two laps to go, the unthinkable happened…the leaders came up on the twice-lapped 21 of David N0ble, who did his part by moving to the inside to get out of the way. Problem was, Wright had already committed to the inside line, and in an instant Maxwell made his move, darting past on the outside to grab the lead. Worse still, Adam Roberson and Bryson Shaffer also went by, dropping Wright to fourth, with Travis Oliver ending up fifth. Wright did take the trophy dash over Maxwell and Roberson. 

Feature Race Finish
1. Justin Maxwell (20) 25 laps
2. Adam Roberson (28) 25 laps
3. Bryson Shaffer (12) 25 laps
4. Hunter Wright (29) 25 laps
5. Travis Oliver (07) 25 laps
Other finishers: 6. Paul Jones (36) 7. David Noble (21) 8. Tad Barker (3c) 9. Rod Nelson (35) 

Legends Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Hunter Wright (29) 10 laps
2. Juston Maxwell (20) 10 laps
3. Adam Roberson (28) 10 laps
4. Bryson Shaffer (12) 10 laps
5. Travis Oliver (07) 10 laps

BABY GRANDS
Baby Grands put in their usual superb show, with Ronnie Binkley taking home the win in honor of his uncle Ken Binkley, who passed away a week or so ago. He had to fight to do it, after a late caution that put trophy dash winner Joe McCloud and his flying 15 into play. Binkley’s stout restarts made the difference though, and while McCloud managed to get past Trent Key for the runner up spot, he ran out of time to challenge for the win. Key was a competitive third, with Tim Vinsant a fighting fourth, and Mark Cole fifth. Points leader Justin Shanes had a early out after a good run in the trophy dash.

Baby Grand Feature Race Finish
1. Ronnie Binkley (25) 25 laps
2. Joe McCloud (15) 25 laps
3. Trent Key (18) 25 laps
4. Tim Vinsant (14) 25 laps
5. Mark Cole (50) 25 laps
Other finishers: 6. Randy Roper (3) 25 laps 7. Justin Shanes (24) 14 laps

Baby Grand Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Joe McCloud (15) 10 laps
2. Justin Shanes (24) 10 laps
3. Trent Key (18) 10 laps
4. Ronnie Binkley (25) 10 laps
5. Mark Cole (50) 10 laps

PULL-A-PART PRO 8 LATE MODELS
For a while in the feature for the Pull-A-Part Pro 8 Late Models, it looked like Jonathan Wilhite was going to make his 2019 break through, holding onto the lead confidently for the first ten laps. Then Mark Day asserted himself, coming through to take the point… till Hunter Wright eased past. They ran that way for some time, Wright managing to move away slightly till Day got the bit between his teeth and finally grabbed the lead back. By this time we’d lost Garrett Dies, Walt Garrison, and Jamie Holmes to mechanical difficulties. Wilhite had managed to hang onto third throughout, but things went wrong for him in turn two and he looped himself out of contention. Mike Barrett got another solid finish with a third, trophy dash winner Bobby Terry took fourth, and Larry Speakman was a solid fifth.

Pull-A-Part Pro 8 Late Model Feature Race Finish 
1. Mark Day (8) 50 laps
2. Hunter Wright (29) 50 laps
3. Mike Barrett (98) 50 laps
4. Bobby Terry (5) 50 laps 71 05 4 152. 
5. Larry Speakman (8S) 50 laps 
Other finishers: 6. Jonathan Wilhite (71) 50 laps 7. Dylan Jones (05) 50 laps 8.Dustin Arms (4) 50 laps 9. Jake Scogin (15) 50 laps 10. Walt Garrison (5.3) 32 laps 11. Garrett Dies (27) 12. Jamie Holmes (51)

Pull-A-Part Pro 8 Late Model Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Bobby Terry (5) 10 laps
2. Mark Day (8) 10 laps
3. Jonathan Wilhite (71) 10 laps
4. Garrett Dies (27) 10 laps
5. Dylan Jones (05) 10 laps

ROAD WARRIORS
In a race that—as ever!—featured three and four abreast racing, Ray Gann snagged his first Road Warriors feature by outrunning Justin Dickens to the line. Point leader David Lassiter ended up third, Mark Appleby was fourth, with Kasey Williams fifth. Trophy dash winner Derrick Bissinger cut a tire and had to retire. Literally!

Road Warrior Feature Race Finish
1. Ray Gann (31) 20 laps
2. Justin Dickens 20 laps
3. David Lassiter (6) 20 laps
4. Mark Appleby (91) 20 laps
5. Kasey Williams (K3) 20 laps
Other finishers: 6. Tony Chambers (43) 10 laps 7. Dustin Goodwin (95) 20 laps 8. Jason Jarvis (11) 20 laps 9. Ricky Gammons (413) 20 laps 10. Nate Allen (01) 20 laps 11. Gerald Jackson (19) 20 laps 12. Jerry Langston (3) 20 laps 13. Derrick Bissinger (469) 15 laps 14. Lynne Newcomb (55) 14 laps

Road Warriors Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Derrick Bissinger (469) 10 laps
2. David Lassiter (6) 10 laps
3. Mark Appleby (91) 10 laps
4. Dustin Goodwin (95) 10 laps
5. Tony Chambers (43) 10 laps

PEST DOCTOR RIDGE RUNNERS
In the Pest Doctor Ridge Runners, it didn’t appear that anyone had anything for the 411 of Josh Harrell. The race was originally scheduled to go thirty laps, but was cut due to the dearth of entries. Still, things got really, really, REALLY interesting when stand-in flagman David Brown (also known as the Race Director) decided he would throw a caution flag with five laps to go and offer Harrell an additional $25 if he’d take the restart last and still win. “Red Beard” was equal to the challenge, started last, and passed Michael Pannell with one lap to go. It made for a wildly entertaining finish!

Pest Doctor Ridge Runners Feature Race Finish
1. Josh Harrell (411) 15 laps
2. Michael Pannell (8) 15 laps
3. Josh Dufresne (63) 15 laps
4. Tony Chambers (43) 15 laps

TUNERS
The Tuners were back, and they had a hard-fought twenty five laps, with Donald Ayers, Justin Martin, and Chris Brown running in formation the Blue Angels would’ve been proud of for pretty much the entire distance. Ayers managed to maintain the even strain and snagged the win, with Martin and Brown just avoiding a major wreck off the last turn. Chris Carter retired early, and pity David Gilliland, who didn’t even make it past the pace laps when he broke an axle.

Tuners Feature Race Finish
1. Donald Ayers (99) 25 laps 
2. Justin Martin (711) 25 laps
3. Chris Brown (25A) 25 laps
4. Chris Carter (7) 21 laps
5. David Gilliland (21) 0 laps

PURE STOCKS
Pure Stocks started with a bang…a couple of them, actually, with Willie Coats and Ronnie Upchurch tangling in turn 4, collecting Charlie Briley. Amazingly, Briley got less damage that the backside of Upchurch, who retired on the spot. Briley kept going for a while but eventually took it in to the pits as well. On the restart “Sally Mae” resumed the lead with Cody Jackson pursuing and Josh Hood seemingly headed for third, but on the last lap Jackson made a wild attempt to grab the win in the last turn, looped his number 11 and dropped to the end of cars on the track. That left Hood second, Coats third and Carl Porter Sr, who endured a difficult race, collected fourth as his reward. Spin or no spin, Cody Jackson ended up fifth. 

Pure Stock Feature Race Finish
1. Michael Williams (91) 30 laps
2. Josh Hood (08) 30 laps
3. Willie Coats (71) 30 laps
4. Carl Porter Sr (98) 30 laps
5. Cody Jackson (11) 30 laps
Other finishers: 6. Jackson McLerran (29 laps) 7. Charley Briley (19) 17 laps 8. Ricky Bobby Groves (125) 13 laps 9. Brandon Ladd (40) 12 laps 10. Ronnie Upchurch (08) 4 laps 11. Donold Webb Jr (27) 0 laps 12. Derrick Harrington (12) 0 laps

TOMORROW! TOMORROW! It’s School’s Out/Veterans Race Night, featuring 50 laps for the Super Stocks, 30 for the Pure Stocks and the Pest Doctor Ridge Runners, 20 for the always wild Road Warriors, and a special Memorial Day Salute to the Troops…and a race for Veterans as well! All this and more at Veterans Motorplex at the Rim, where Family Action is the Attraction!

No, it didn’t start out like your typical race day at Veterans Motorplex at the Rim. First of all, it was Sunday, the result of a steady rain that washed out any chance of racing on Saturday. Second, the skies were kinda drab: overcast and gray. But wouldn’t you know, almost as soon as the cars hit the track for practice, things began to warm up (coincidence? we think not!) and eventually the sun broke through and blessed us with a wonderful afternoon, which was only appropriate considering the action that followed…

PEST DOCTOR RIDGE RUNNERS
We were treated to a thrilling 25 lap feature for the Pest Doctor Ridge Runners, and for the first 23 circuits it looked like Josh Harrell and his 411 Honda would be taking home the hardware. But on the 24th go-round his CRX skittered up the banking just high enough to give Daniel Harper an opening, and The Beard didn’t need any urging, getting a run down the back stretch and snagging the lead by the time they reached turn 3. Harrell tried a crossover but didn’t have the oomph, and Harper hung on for the win. Harrell settled for second, with Steve Akey third, Josh Garvin looked solid early but faded to fourth, with newcomer Korie Dufresne hanging on for fifth.

Feature Race Finish
1. Daniel Harper (95) 25 laps
2. Josh Harrell (411) 25 laps
3. Steve Akey (99x) 25 laps
4. Josh Garvin (25) 24 laps
5. Korie Dufresne (63) 23 laps
Also classified: 6. Jerry Langston (3) 19 laps 7. Josh Brown (44) DNS

Fast qualifier: Josh Harrell (411) 15.436

Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Daniel Harper (95) 10 laps
2. Josh Harrell (411) 10 laps
3. Josh Brown (44) 10 laps
4. Steve Akey (99) 10 laps
5. Josh Garvin (25) 10 laps

ROAD WARRIORS
Road Warriors races tend to inspire wild emotions, and the fact that we were racing on a Sunday didn’t seem to make a difference. In the end it looked like it would be settled by a battle between Michael Meadows and Derrick Bissinger, but they ran high in turn four ON THE LAST LAP which left just enough room for last week’s winner David Lassiter to squeak through and take his second straight win! Meadows and Bissinger hung on for second and third, with the 95 car fourth and Jerry Langston fifth. After the checkered Bissinger and the 95 came together hard in turn 2 but both were okay…and then things got strange. It transpired that the 95 had been wheeled in the event not by usual driver Austin Jacobs, but instead by Thomas Meadows…who, as a Late Model driver, is not eligible to run in Road Warriors! That elevated a deserving Jerry Langston to fourth, with Gerald Jackson a solid fifth.

Feature Race Finish
1. David Lassiter (6) 20 laps
2. Michael Meadows (12) 20 laps
3. Derrick Bissinger (469) 20 laps
4. Jerry Langston (3) 20 laps
5. Gerald Jackson (19) 20 laps
Also classified: 6. Ray Gonzales (83) 20 laps 7. Kasey Williams (K3) 16 laps 8. Michael Pannell (8) 13 laps 9. Marc Deist (423) DNS

Fast qualifier: Michael Pannell (8) 17.032

Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Derrick Bissinger (469) 10 laps
2. David Lassiter (6) 10 laps
3. Michael Pannell (8) 10 laps
4. Michael Meadows (12) 10 laps
5. Jerry Langston (3) 10 laps

TUNERS
Justin Martin backed up a win in the Trophy Dash by capturing the checkered in the feature, JUST managing to hold off fast qualifier Daniel Harper by less than a car length in an awesome display of competitive driving. Sean Frederick led early before giving in to the flying twosome and had a solid run for third, with Chris Carter and Chris Brown soldiering to fourth and fifth.

Feature Race Finish
1. Justin Martin (711) 25 laps
2. Daniel Harper (95) 25 laps
3. Sean Frederick (56) 25 laps
4. Chris Carter (7) 25 laps
5. Chris Brown (25A) 25 laps
Also classified: 6. Steve Akey (99X) 24 laps 7. Donald Ayers (99)

Fast Qualifier: Daniel Harper (95) 14.794

Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Justin Martin (711) 10 laps
2. Donald Ayers (99) 10 laps
3. Chris Brown (25A) 10 laps
4. Daniel Harper (95) 10 laps
5. Sean Frederick (56) 10 laps

PURE STOCK
It’s hard to top a really wild Road Warrior feature for pure entertainment value, but the Pure Stocks did it…in spades! Ricky Bobby Groves looked like he had a solid shot at a win till he looped it in turn four, collecting Travis Ryman along the way. That’s right…Travis Ryman, who arrived late, got a couple of laps of practice in, and had run a powerful race to challenge for the top spot. After the sportsmanlike Ricky Bobby tapped out to acknowledge his responsibility, by rule Ryman regained his position, now in the lead…and held that lead the rest of the way for a dominant win. “Rocketman” Carl Porter Sr, last week’s winner, chased but was unable to close and settled for second, with fast qualifier Willie Coats third, Derrick Herrington fourth, and Groves ended fifth after a fine recovery drive. Early retirees included Cameron Choate, Michael Williams, Donald Webb Jr, and James Gentry, who would certainly have been in the hunt and was running second when his white #48 lost all its water and ended his day.

Feature Race Finish
1. Travis Ryman (6) 50 laps
2. Carl Porter Sr (98) 50 laps
3. Willie Coats (71) 50 laps
4. Derrick Herrington (12) 50 laps
5. Ricky Bobby Groves (125) 50 laps
Also classified: 6. Charlie Briley (19) 46 laps 7. 13. Charles “Spurt” Goddard (13) 46 laps 8. Josh Hood (08X) 37 laps 9. Michael Williams (91) 27 laps 10. Donold Webb Jr (27) 25 laps 11. James Gentry (48) 13 laps 12. Cameron Choate (82) 9 laps 13. Bubba Turner (14) DNS

Fast qualifier: Willie Coats (71) 14.987

Trophy Dash Top Five
1. Charlie Briley (19) 10 laps
2. Donold Webb Jr (27) 10 laps
3. Carl Porter Sr (68) 10 laps
4. Travis Ryman (6) 10 laps
5. Derrick Herrington (12) 10 laps

NEXT WEEK: It’s MEDIA NIGHT as representatives from all of our major TV broadcasters will be racing…along with the Sportsman, Pure Stocks, Road Warriors, and the return of the Pro 4 Oval Asphalt Series! All that and the usual unusual surprises…only at Veterans Motorplex at the Rim…where Family Action is the Attraction!

There are wonderful days, and then there are days when the weather is so perfect as to seem to be preordained. That’s what it was like this past weekend at VMR: sunny, a few clouds dotting an otherwise clear blue sky, with temperatures in the mid seventies and just a little breeze to keep things pleasant. We even had a special guest on hand, champion wrestler Gary “The Boogie Woogie Man” Valiant, and the pits were once again loaded with some fine-looking racing machines. Even a major traffic backup on I-65 didn’t dampen the spirits or the car count…though a few machines were seen arriving late! The action kicked off with…

BABY GRANDS
“Damn I’m Good” read the t-shirt Justin Shanes was seen wearing to the drivers meeting. Outrageous? Not really, not if you can back it up…and in the Baby Grand qualifying race Shanes did just that, starting dead last but quickly working his way to the front to claim the win, holding off Joe McCloud and early leader Tim Vinsant.

Baby Grand Qualifying Race Results
1. Justin Shanes (25) 10 laps
2. Joe McCloud (15) 10 laps
3. Tim Vinsant (14) 10 laps
4. Mark Cole (50) 10 laps
5. Jessie Binkley (25) 10 laps

That feature though…well, yes, once again, it was Justin Shanes bringing home the hardware. But Tim Vinsant had to be happy after giving Shanes all he wanted in second, with Joe McCloud closely trailing in third. An improving Jessie Binkley fourth. Mark Cole retired early but still got credited with fifth. The Baby Grands get closer and closer every week…

Baby Grands Feature Race Finish
1. Justin Shanes (24) 25 laps
2. Tim Vinsant (14) 25 laps
3. Joe McCloud (15) 25 laps
4. Jessie Binkley (25) 25 laps
5. Mark Cole (50) 18 laps

PEST DOCTOR RIDGE RUNNERS
In the first-ever qualifying race for the all-new Pest Doctor Ridge Runners, Daniel Harper took the checkered flag with Steve Akey second and Jamie Shaw third.

Pest Doctor Ridge Runner Qualifying Race Finish
1. Daniel Harper (95) 10 laps
2. Steve Akey (99) 10 laps
3. Jamie Shaw (03) 10 laps
4. Derrick Bissinger (469) 10 laps
5. Josh Garvin (25) 10 laps
Other finishers: 6. Kevin Figueroa (14) 7. Josh Harrell (411)

The Pest Doctor Ridge Runners feature race debut was thoroughly ruled by Daniel Harper and his flying 95. Steve Akey tried to keep him honest, but every time there was a caution on the return of the green the Beard promptly put room between himself and the rest of the field. Kevin Figueroa survived a wild slideways moment in turn two early on to claim third, with Derrick Bissinger putting a toe in the Ridge Runners water and coming away with fourth. Justin Dickens had a patient run in fifth. Huge thanks to Roger Kidd for the welcome support of this growing division.

Pest Doctor Ridge Runner Feature Race Finish
1. Daniel Harper (95) 50 laps
2. Steve Akey (99) 50 laps
3. Kevin Figueroa (14) 50 laps
4. Derrick Bissinger (469) 49 laps
5. Justin Dickens (73) 48 laps
Other finishers: 6. Josh Garvin (25) 7. Mark Cummings (A1) 8. Jamie Shaw (03) 

ROAD WARRIORS
For the second straight weekend there were loads and loads of Road Warriors…but the winner was the same as the previous event two weeks ago as Godzilla stomped ‘em again, Derrick Bissinger taking the win in the qualifying race over a resurgent Marc Deist and Chris Zentz.

Road Warriors Qualifying Race Finish
1. Derrick Bissinger (469) 10 laps
2. Marc Deist (423) 10 laps
3. Chris Zentz (77) 10 laps
4. David Lassiter (6) 10 laps
5. Megan Allen (14) 10 laps
Other finishers: 6. Mark Cummings (A1) 7. Tony Chambers (43) 8. Kasey Williams (K3) 9. Ricky Calkins (413) 10. Jerry Langston (3) 11. Ray Gonzales (83) 12. David Ray Bates (88) 13. Austin Jacobs (95) 14. Lynne Newcomb (55) 15. Landin Dickens (73) 16. Gerald Jackson (19)

Lots and lots of action came off in the Road Warriors feature, and so did a lot of STUFF. First it was the bumper cover off Kasey Williams’ K3, then the entire driver’s side door from Derrick Bissinger’s 469 (causing his retirement) and finally the right rear wheel off Marc Deist’s 423. When the debris was finally all collected, the race had to be shortened from its scheduled 20 laps due to time constraints, and ultimately a joyous Chris Zentz–who grew up playing with toys cars at this track!–ended up winning a three lap dash to the finish over Williams, with David Lassiter a close third. Megan Allen and Michael Meadows rounded out the top five in an abbreviated but still hugely entertaining race.

Road Warriors Feature Race Finish
1. Chris Zentz (77) 10 laps
2. Kasey Williams (3) 10 laps
3. David Lassiter (6) 10 laps
4. Megan Allen (14) 10 laps
5. Michael Meadows (12) 10 laps
Other finishers: 6. Landin Dickens (73) 7. Jerry Langston (3) 8. Ricky Calkins (413) 9. David Ray Bates (88) 10. Austin Jacobs (95) 11. Ray Gonzales (83) 12. Lynne Newcomb (55) 13. Marc Deist (423) 14. Mark Cummings (A1) 15. Derrick Bissinger (469) 16. Tony Chambers (43) 17. Gerald Jackson (19)

SUPER STOCKS
In the first Super Stock event of 2019 we saw seven cars go at it for 50 entertaining laps, and at the end it was Carl Porter Jr holding on for the win. But it wasn’t without some significant drama, and while it’s not unusual that no one wants to be second, tonight it was especially true. Ricky Bobby says, “If you ain’t first, you’re last…” and if you were anywhere else, oh my. First it was Matt Fuqua, who suffered some kind of engine malady and eventually retired. Next it was Jonathan Dishman, who had similar issues and left the track a mess. Then Brian Frazier, the night’s fast qualifier, had a right front tire go down while he was trying to close up on Porter. He managed to get the tire changed and recovered for third, but by then Mike Mitchell had gotten the Sterling #48 into the runner up spot, which he kept. Jason Moody ended up fourth, and Cory Jones, who had issues of his own and failed to finish, still was classified in fifth.

Super Stocks Feature Race Finish
1. Carl Porter Jr (465) 50 laps
2. Mike Mitchell (48) 50 laps
3. Bryan Frazier (12) 50 laps
4. Jason Moody (5) 50 laps
5. Cory Jones (00)
Other finishers: 6. Jonathan Dishman (67) 7. Matt Fuqua (93)

PULL-A-PART PRO LATE MODELS
In the first feature race of 2019 for the Pull-A-Part Late Models, Clarksville’s own Mark Day picked up where he left off in 2018 and snagged the win over defending champion Hunter Wright. Garrett Dies came back from a late race incident on the front stretch to take third, while Dylan Jones ran second most of the race but lost out during restarts and ended a disappointed fourth. Jake Scogin continued to improve with a fifth. Day also posted the fast time of the night. The biggest shame of the night though was Thomas Meadows, who was running well till he got caught out spin on the front stretch and sustained enough damage to his Team Tabitha 49 to be forced to retire.

Pull-A-Part Pro Late Models Feature Race Finish
1. Mark Day (8) 50 laps
2. Hunter Wright (29) 50 laps
3. Garrett Dies (27) 50 laps
4. Dylan Jones (05) 50 laps
5. Jake Scogin (15) 50 laps
Other finishers: 6. Simon Yates (33) 7. Thomas Meadows (49) 8. Walt Garrison (5.3) 9. Jonathan Wilhite (71)

PURE STOCKS
Everybody, it seems, has a Pure Stock this Spring, and once again we had a great crop appear at Veterans Motorplex, 17 cars taking the green in the qualifying race. When the dust cleared it was Carl Porter Sr the winner, with James Shaw second and Ronnie Upchurch third.

Pure Stock Qualifying Race Finish
1. Carl Porter Sr (65) 10 laps
2. James Shaw (13) 10 laps
3. Ronnie Upchurch (08) 10 laps
4. Cameron Choate (82) 10 laps
5. Donold Webb Jr (27) 10 laps
Other finishers: 6. Cody Jackson (11) 7. Terry Jackson (21) 8. Willie Coats (71) 9. Everett Turner III (88) 10. Landin Dickens (331) 11. Josh Hood (08X) 12. Michael Williams (91) 13. Bryson Russell (5) 14. Jackson McLerran (7) 15. Bubba Turner (69) 16. Shane Wales (77) 17. Frankie Turner (14)

The Porter family well and truly swept the board tonight, with Carl Porter Sr seeing his second checkered flag of the night and grabbing the third for the family in taking the feature in the Pure Stocks. He wasn’t seriously challenged, slicing through traffic like a hot knife through butter and putting a full straightaway and several lapped cars between himself and second place Donold Webb Jr. The two 08s fought it out for third, with first night feature winner Josh Hood just edging out Ronnie Upchurch for the spot with Cameron Choate getting another solid finish in fifth.

Pure Stock Feature Race Finish
1. Carl Porter Sr (68) 30 laps
2. Donold Webb Jr (27) 30 laps
3. Josh Hood (08X) 30 laps
4. Ronnie Upchurch (08) 30 laps
5. Cameron Choate (82) 30 laps
Other finishers: 6. Everett Turner III (88) 7. Landin Dickens (331) 8. Willie Coats (71) 9. Terry Jackson (21) 10. Michael Williams (91) 11. Cody Jackson (11) 12. Jackson McLerran (7) 13. Bryson Russell (5) 14. James Shaw (13) 15. Shane Wales (77) 16. Bubba Turner (69)

NEXT RACE…ROUND THREE, APRIL 20
SEE: 50 exciting laps for the Pull-A-Part Late Models and the return of the Tuners…the Pest Doctor Ridge Runners are back…the wild Pure Stocks and those zany Road Warriors will be there, along with the wheel to wheel action of the Legends…all of this, AND…a MYSTERY!

WHAT IS IT? 

Well…it’s big…
…it’s a MACHINE…
…and it’s got MONEY…
WHAT IS IT?
Watch this space!

It was as if it had been special ordered by everyone concerned…the weather for Opening Day at the newly renamed and refurbished Veterans Motorplex at the Rim was about as nice as one could expect for late March: sunshine and low to mid 60s temperatures at the start…getting a bit chilly as the night went on, but the on-track action certainly heated things up. It all began with Bryn Wright’s fine rendition of the National Anthem and the presentation of Colors by American Legion Post 45, and then the racing began in earnest, starting with…

LEGENDS
In the Legends qualifying race, Oliver Cordell picked up where he left off last season by leading flag to flag with defending champion Hunter Wright coming up through the field for second, and last year’s first feature winner Bryson Shaffer third.

Legends Qualifying Race Finish
1. Oliver Cordell (17) 10 laps
2. Hunter Wright (29) 10 laps
3. Bryson Shaffer (12) 10 laps
4. Adam Roberson (28) 10 laps
5. Justin Maxwell (20) 10 laps

It was a different story come feature time…and there is no other way to put this: Hunter Wright had this one well in hand. Once he took the lead from Justin Maxwell, he was not seriously challenged. Maxwell held on for second, with Adam Roberson third, Bryson Shaffer in fourth, and Oliver Cordell fifth.

Legends Feature Race Finish
1. Hunter Wright (29) 25 laps
2. Justin Maxwell (20) 25 laps
3. Adam Roberson (28) 25 laps
4. Bryson Shaffer (12) 25 laps
5. Oliver Cordell (17) 25 laps

BABY GRANDS
The Baby Grands qualifier saw Justin Shanes leading flag to flag, shadowed closely by Chris Willis. Mark Cole had a strong run to take third.

Baby Grands Qualifying Race Finish
1. Justin Shanes (24) 10 laps
2. Chris Willis (08) 10 laps
3. Mark Cole (50) 10 laps
4. Joe McCloud (15) 10 laps
5. Jessie Binkley (25) 10 laps

Justin Shanes got the first sweep of 2019, taking the feature win over Chris Willis and Joe McCloud. The three leaders hot lapped through traffic with a few laps to go and things got VERY tight. Shanes slid through the lapped pair of Tim Vinsant and Randy Roper leaving Willis and McCloud to fight it out behind. Mark Cole had another solid run for fourth, and Jessie Binkley took fifth.

Baby Grands Feature Race Finish
1. Justin Shanes (24) 25 laps
2. Chris Willis (08) 25 laps
3. Joe McCloud (15) 25 laps
4. Mark Cole (50) 25 laps
5. Jessie Binkley (25) 25 laps

ROAD WARRIORS
Same as it ever was…three wide racing was the rule in the Road Warriors qualifier, but in the end it was Tony Chambers taking the win over Landin Dickens, with Derrick Bissinger making his return a successful one in third.

Road Warriors Qualifying Race Finish
1. Tony Chambers (43) 10 laps
2. Landin Dickens (73) 10 laps
3. Derrick Bissinger (469) 10 laps
4. Jaclyn Barnett (17) 10 laps
5. Gerald Jackson (19) 10 laps

In the feature…well, let’s just say that Tokyo was in serious jeopardy tonight as the Godzilla #469, wheeled by Derrick Bissinger, took a wild first win of the Road Warriors season over Landin Dickens, Jaclyn Barnett, Tony Chambers, and David Lassiter. It was an exceptional race, paused briefly by Jesse Pedigo’s leaking machine coming to a stop on the front stretch, but it was 2-3 wide racing throughout, with breathless action for a 15 car field. AWESOME!!!

Road Warriors Feature Race Finish
1. Derrick Bissinger (469) 20 laps
2. Landin Dickens (73) 20 laps
3. Jaclyn Barnett (17) 20 laps
4. Tony Chambers (43) 20 laps
5. Mark Cummings (A1) 20 laps

PURE STOCKS
A very healthy field of Pure Stocks took the green for the Pure Stock qualifier, with Josh Hood leading from flag to flag. Donold Webb Jr pursued him throughout in his sharp new #27, and Willie Coats had a good run for third in another very nicely painted machine.

Pure Stock Qualifying Race Finish
1. Josh Hood (08) 10 laps
2. Donold Webb Jr (27) 10 laps
3. Willie Coats (71) 10 laps
4. Carl Porter Sr (68) 10 laps
5. Bubba Turner (14) 10 laps

It had been a pretty clean night of racing up to the Pure Stock feature…then things kinda went south. Mind you, it was still Josh Hood up front–he led from flag to flag–but several spins and wrecks made things very interesting. Carl Porter Sr and Donold Webb Jr had great runs spoiled by flat tires, ditto Ronnie Upchurch who looked for sure to have second or third, and Ricky Bobby Groves had a good run ruined as well, but Bubba Turner made things tight at the end, while Willie Coats recovered from a wreck to place third. Terry Jackson claimed fourth and Jackson McLerran had a solid run in fifth.

Pure Stock Feature Race Finish
1. Josh Hood (08) 30 laps
2. Bubba Turner (14) 30 laps
3. Willie Coats (71) 30 laps
4. Terry Jackson (21) 30 laps
5. Jackson McLerran (7) 30 laps

SPORTSMAN
Tre Ashworth made his return to the Veterans Motorplex bullring a successful one, taking the win in the Sportsman qualifier, with Ricky Sanford moving up to second at the finish and defending champion Tim Gay running third.

Sportsman Qualifying Race Finish
1. Tre Ashworth (8) 10 laps
2. Ricky Sanford (145) 10 laps
3. Tim Gay (1) 10 laps
4. Jonathan Wilhite (71) 10 laps
5. Justin Dubay (81) 10 laps

Come feature time, Ricky Sanford grabbed the lead on lap two and never looked back. Tim Gay had to work hard to hold off Jonathan Wilhite and Tre Ashworth, who were nipping at his heels throughout. Justin Dubay had himself a good run to take home fifth.

Sportsman Feature Race Finish
1. Ricky Sanford (145) 40 laps
2. Tim Gay (1) 40 laps
3. Jonathan Wilhite (71) 40 laps
4. Tre Ashworth (8) 40 laps
5. Juston Dubay (81) 40 laps

TUNERS
It was a wild qualifying race for the Tuners, with Donald Ayers JUST clinging to the top spot, while Justin Martin took the outside route to run second. Daniel Harper was third.

Tuners Qualifying Race Finish
1. Donald Ayers (99) 10 laps
2. Justin Martin (711) 10 laps
3. Daniel Harper (95) 10 laps
4. Chris Brown (25A) 10 laps
5. David Gilliland (21) 10 laps

Come feature time, things did NOT work out like anybody figured. Sure, Chris Brown did lead from flag to flag, but it did look like Justin Martin had something for him…till his throttle cable came off, weirdly at the exact same time that third place Donald Ayres rolled into the pits. That set up a five lap shootout, which Brown handily won, with David Gilliland a happy second and Daniel “The Beard” Harper in third. Martin repaired his issues to take fourth and Steve Akey was fifth.

Tuners Qualifying Race Finish
1. Chris Brown (25A) 30 laps
2. David Gilliland (21) 30 laps
3. Daniel Harper (95) 30 laps
4. Justin Martin (711) 30 laps
5. Steve Akey (9) 30 laps

THIS WEEKEND AT VETERANS MOTORPLEX…TRIPLE 50s! Three HUGE feature races featuring the 2019 debut of the Super Stocks and the ALL-NEW Pest Doctor Ridge Runners, plus THE RUMBLE ON THE RIDGE…50 laps for the wild Pure Stocks! Throw in the Baby Grands and the incredible Road Warriors and you have a terrific night of exciting Family Friendly action that can’t be beat! Gates open at 4:30, first race at 6, at VETERANS MOTORPLEX, where ACTION is the ATTRACTION!

Veteran’s Motorplex at The Rim :

*** WEATHER PERMITTING ***
Weekly Thursday Practice Session starts this Thursday March 14th … 3pm till dark ..$20 per person or $50 Test & Tune Pack ( Driver plus 3 crew members ) Team package : All crew MUST enter with car and driver at the same time.
Also : March 16th : we will be having a Special Saturday Practice Session Noon till dark : $20 per person or $50 Test & Tune Pack ( driver and 3 crew members ).

Due to today’s weather conditions the test and tune session scheduled for 3/9/19 at Veterans Motorplex at The Rim has been canceled.

GREENBRIER, TENN. (February 21, 2018) – Racing every Saturday night returns to The Rim March 23 with the Winter Thaw 75 Sportsman event. Along with the main event, there will be a Big 50 Lap Tuner, 30 Lap Pure Stock, 20 Lap Road Warriors, 25 Lap Baby Grand. Qualifying races will be ran in all divisions. The Rim provides an excellent evening of entertainment for the entire family and on most nights the racing is over by 9:00 pm to 9:30 pm so everyone can make it home at a decent hour.

Gates Open will open at 3:00 pm Saturday, March 23 with the 2018 Awards Presentations at 5:00 pm. The Awards Presentation is a great chance to meet and see the drivers up close and get autographs. A Racing Action begins immediately after the Awards Presentations.

 

Long time Robertson County citizen and business man Jerry Criswell and his family announced an ownership change for Highland Rim Speedway. Roger Cunningham, Criswell’s former business partner, sold his portion of the speedway to Criswell. The Criswell family are now the sole owners of the historic facility. Cunningham’s decision was based on wanting to spend more time with his family and the increasing demand for his time at his business, Centurion Stone.

With the new ownership now in place, the historic facility will be renamed for the 2019 Racing Season. Criswell grew up around The Rim and changing the track’s name was a very hard decision. The new name will be Veterans Motorplex at The Rim.

 

Criswell stated that he wanted to keep some of the original name in honor of everyone that had made this such a great facility in the past. “For 40 plus years this place has been known as The Rim to me personally and that is why this new name is special to me”. The new name provides a fresh start to a new era of racing at the speedway while still preserving some of the historic past. A lot of families have grown up at this place knowing it as “The Rim” and now with the new name they’ll feel right at home every Saturday night.

 

According to Criswell, “We have a lot of Veterans that support our facility on a weekly basis and this is just another way we have chosen to recognize them by renaming this facility after them. Criswell a veteran himself states our service men and women pay a huge debt every day for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and many times they are forgotten as Veterans. Those same freedoms they provided allows us the opportunity to enjoy the sport of Stock Car Racing and during theracing season we plan to recognize our Veterans in attendance on a regular basis.”

Over the last few years Cunningham, Criswell and their families have worked diligently with the local Veterans, non-profits, and community to provide a clean family style facility for all race fans to come out and enjoy some great racing action every Saturday night.

 

The Criswell family has a lot of long range plans and additional activities that will be introduced along with the speedway facilities. They will be announcing those plans as they materialize.

The New Veterans Motorplex at The Rim is located at 6801 Kelly Willis Road in Greenbrier TN.

Hunter Wright Racing