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CHUCK CRUMP SAVORS FIRST SWEET LATE MODEL VICTORY

If there was ever one guy that a lot of racing fans wanted to see take home a trophy from the Coca-Cola Cup Late Model Stock Car wars at Concord Motorsport Park, that guy was Chuck Crump of Mount Gilead, NC. The Coca-Cola Cup Points Leader did indeed pick up his first ever Late Model Stock win Saturday night in the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Night at the Races for the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. Chuck has sort of “grown up” at Concord Motorsport Park, starting his racing career years back racing go-karts on the quarter mile that sits in the shadows of the high bank of Turns One and Two of the “World’s Fastest Half Mile TriOval”. His next conquest was a patient pursuit of the Mini Stock Car Division title before moving up the Late Model Stock Division in 1999, the year he laid claim to “Rookie of the Year” status.

Everyone was standing an cheering as Crump’s #8 Monte Carlo came slipping off Turn Three on the last of the fifty laps with Brad Kurth of Kernersville, NC giving enthusiastic chase and challenge just inside Crump’s rear bumper. It was a fantastic finish and win for the twenty-two year old Montgomery County native.

Kevin Love on Midland had proved to be the man to beat in the afternoon qualifying sessions after a lap at 16.785 seconds or 107.239 miles per hour for his eleventh Hedgecock Racing Pole award of the year, but Love’s luck in the #6 Ford Taurus has not been the greatest this season, and he drew a seven after qualifying. This inverted the top seven qualifiers, giving the pole to Monroe’s Shaun Mangum with Ryan Thigpen out of Charlotte on the outside front row. The second row consisted of Buster Bennet of Monroe and J. P. Morgan of Ether, NC. Chuck started his race from the inside of the third row with Mr. Kurth to his immediate right.

Mangum led the first eight circuits with Bennet second and Crump third. Crump moved to second on lap five and first on lap nine. J. P. Morgan's race ended with a slide off Turn Three and into the inside front straight wall trying to avoid the spinning mounts of Steven Barfield of Norwood, NC and Thigpen. Kevin Love and Shane Brafford met similar ends after Brafford tangled with Darrell Bobzin exiting Turn One on the twenty-ninth lap, then Love climbed over Brafford’s mount as Brafford turned towards the pit entrance. Bot Brafford and Love would later return to competition, but neither was a serious threat for the rest of the run.

Brad Kurth ran the last ten laps under the green with a furious challenge on Crump. On lap forty-five Kurth managed to squeeze to the inside in Turn Three but Chuck used the momentum on the outside to hold him off. Then, again, on the last turn of the last lap Kurth was underneath coming to the straight, but again Crump stayed high and claimed the checkers. Kudos to Brad Kurth for a clean run to second with Buster Bennet finishing third.

“We ran good all day! We’ve been working hard each and every week. It feels good to get that first one. Maybe now we can get us a few more! I knew Brad (Kurth) was coming and I probably overdrove the car some. I guess I’m going to learn to turn the mirror down!” Crump said in the D R P Performance Products Victory lane.

Chuck now holds 894 points after nineteen races, seventy-six ahead of Concord’s Shane Brafford and eighty-four ahead of Shaun Mangum.

The AAR Roofing Hard Charger Award went to Jerry Reary of Matthews, NC in the #43 Monte Carlo and Denny Bennet of Monroe was awarded the Mel’s Ignition Mechanic of the Race Award for his efforts on the #7 Chevy of son Buster.

Next Saturday, August 11 is the CT Communications SUPERSHOW with a 150-lap Late Model Stock Car feature taking the green flag at 7:30 PM. The Limited Stocks go for 25 laps, Pro Trucks 30 laps, Mini Stock Cars 25 laps and the X-Carz 8 laps in an “Interstate Construction” race. Pizza Hut Junior Fan Club Members will receive a FREE “Pitstop the Raceasaurus” T-Shirt.

General admission is just $15 for adults and FREE for Pizza Hut Junior Fan Club Members and all children eleven and under. Top Row Reserved Seating is $17 per person.