LateModelStock.com - News

LOVE NOTCHES NINTH WIN, CRUMP’S THIRD PLACE INCREASES POINTS LEAD

Kevin Love of Midland, NC was truly back on his old form Saturday night as he notched his ninth Coca-Cola Cup Late Model Stock Car Victory of the 2001 season at Concord Motorsport Park during the CT Communications Supershow.

Love had made it an even dozen Hedgecock Racing Pole Awards for the year with his qualifying effort in the afternoon time trials. Love, in his traditional style ran only one of the two allowed laps and posted a 16.631 seconds lap at 108.232 miles per hour around the “World’s Fastest Half Mile TriOval. The big however came at the post qualifying draw when Kevin pulled the number 8 pill out of the box and stuffed himself on the outside of the fourth row by inverting the top eight qualifiers.

Buster Bennet of Monroe, NC inherited the pole position in his number 7 Monte Carlo. Outside front row sat points-leader Chuck Crump of Mt. Gilead, NC in the number 8 Chevy. The second row was made up of Patrick Glover of Indian Trail, NC in the number 31 Monte Carlo and Monroe’s Shaun Mangum in the number 25 Chevy. The third row was comprised of the 94 Chevy of Brad Kurth of Kenersville, NC and the 15 mount of Ben Gable. Inside Love’s number 6 Ford Taurus in the fourth row was Concord’s Shane Brafford in the 56 Monte Carlo.

As the green flag flew on the Late Model contingent promptly at 7:30 PM the sky was displaying some of Mother Nature’s fireworks off in the distance and most everyone in attendance couldn’t help but glance to the horizon wondering if the rains would begin.

It had been a hot and muggy afternoon and an almost torrential downpour had cut off qualifying half way in the Pro Truck Division run and the Mini Stock Cars didn’t even have the opportunity to time laps. The Trucks and Minis would start by points later in the evening.

Chuck Crump wasted little time in proving that he could indeed run up front after his win last Saturday and put his Chevy on the point by the end of the first lap followed by Mangum, Bennet, Gable and Glover in the top five spots.

Newcomer A. J. Henrikson’s evening would end early as he came sliding off Turn Three and finished his race with a resounding thump into the outside retaining wall.

Crump slipped on lap 64, allowing four cars by, the point being taken by Ben Gable. Gable would lead until lap 84 when Wayne Grubb of Mechanicsville, VA made a monumental jump to the lead. Grubb had started 16th in the 20 car field after his car was found to be too low in post qualifying.

Kevin Love would finally work his way to the point on lap 112. Several caution periods came and went, but a caution on lap 146 would set the stage for the lead lap cars to line up nose to tail in front of the lapped cars for a five green flag laps shootout to the finish. The rulebook calls for the last five laps of any race over fifty laps to be run under green flag conditions, but they do not have to be consecutive laps.

The green flag came out on the finish of the 152nd lap, but the yellow waved again on lap 155 as several cars went loose in Turn One with the mount of Shaun Mangum taking a hard hit on the outside retaining wall of Turn One. The race was red-flagged as the medical staff attended to the shaken Mangum. He was transported to Northeast Regional Medical Center in Concord where x-rays showed no fractures, and he was released after treatment.

Now, we’re down to the last three laps, with the green coming out at the end of lap 161. However, J. P. Morgan went for a spin out of Turn Three, the caution comes out and we still need three green flag laps.

Green flag at the start of lap 170, but caution again on lap 171 as Morgan again spins, this time in Turn One. Time to retire for Mr. Morgan. Two more green flag laps to go. The restart comes on lap 174 with Love on the point, Grubb on his bumper, Crump on Grubb’s bumper, then Brafford, Gable and Bennet all inabunch. That’s the finishing order of the top five at the checkered flag at the end of lap 176. A hard-earned victory for Love.

“For the past two races Wayne (Grubb) has really raced me clean, but he’s really put the pressure on me. It’s tough driving against him in these 150-lap races. My car was really perfect tonight, but for some reason his car was better on long runs. I had enough to get the job done tonight, but we’re going to keep working” Love said to the TV camera in the DRP Performance Products Victory Lane.

Love also picked up the AAR Roofing Hard Charger Award by passing seven cars on his way to the front.

Jerry Brafford was awarded the Mel’s Ignition Mechanic of the Race Award for his labors on the 56 Monte Carlo of son Shane Brafford. The Blue Bunny Ice Cream Cool Move of the Race Award goes to J. P. Morgan in the number 1 Chevy and the Mega Power Oil Mega Power Move of the Race is awarded to Shane Brafford.

In the Coca-Cola Cup points chase, Chuck Crump continues to lead with 940 points after 20 events. Shane Brafford continues in second position, now 78 points back of Crump and Shaun Mangum sits third, 108 back.

With weather a threat all evening, the track officials kept things moving along and as soon as Kevin said made his celebratory statements the Carolina Pipe Cleaning Limited Stock Cars were off on a 25 lap chase won by Reggie Carroll of Concord, NC. Carroll was noticeably absent last week and when asked where he was he replied “just at the beach, taking some time off.”

Next Saturday Carolina Trailer Sales and Haulmark Race Trailers presents a Night at the Races including a 50 lap Late Model Stock Car, 40 lap Limited Stock Car, 30 lap Pro Truck, 25 lap Mini Stock Car and an 8 lap Forward / Backward contest for the X-Carz. Also on the card is the third annual UGLY VEHICLE contest. Adult General Admission is just $10, kids 11 and under free, Top Row Reserved seating is $12 per person. Grandstand gates open at 5:00 PM with racing scheduled for 7:30 PM.