LateModelStock.com - News

Wolfe captures emotional Kingsport Late Model victory in father’s memorial event

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (Sept. 14) – Matt Wolfe of Johnson City passed Danny O’Quinn for the lead on lap 18, and at the finish held off a hard-charging Kres VanDyke to capture not only the biggest win of his young racing career – but an emotional victory in taking the checkers in the "2nd Annual Jim Wolfe Memorial 100."

Wolfe, an 18-year-old freshman at East Tennessee State University, recorded his fourth career NASCAR Late Model Stock Car win at Galaxy Kingsport Speedway in a race remembering his late father, Jim Wolfe, a prominent local businessman and founder of Wolfe Racing for young Matt and teammate Wade Day.

Michael Chaney, a three-time Late Model winner this season at GKS, set fast-time over the 18-car field in qualifying, but was relegated to a third row starting position after a roll of the inversion dice. O’Quinn and VanDyke led the field to the green flag from the front row and, back around to the start-finish line to complete the opening lap O’Quinn was holding down the point with VanDyke in second. Running third through fifth were Wolfe, Adam Dean and Reece Milton.

The event’s only caution waved on lap 3 when Milton spun in turn one with Chaney, Butch Jarvis and Wayne Hale also getting collected in the accident. Jarvis, missing the whole right-side of his body, continued after action from his pit crew, while Milton, Chaney and Hale were forced to call it a night.

The top five on the restart were O’Quinn, VanDyke, Wolfe, Dean and Jeff Berry. With Wolfe riding in VanDyke’s rear view mirror back under green, Q’Quinn pulled out to a seven car-length advantage over the duo. Crossing the stripe side-by-side on lap 8, Wolfe moved under VanDyke for second place between turns one and two, setting his sights on the race leader O’Quinn.

Wolfe quickly closed the gap and tucked in line behind Q’Quinn. Sneaking peeks under the race leader racing off the corners on both ends of the track for three circuits, Wolfe dropped to the inside of O’Quinn racing into the first turn on lap 18 to grab a lead he would never relinquish.

Once out front and settled into a comfortable rhythm, Wolfe began to distance himself over O’Quinn and VanDyke, pulling out to an eight car-length lead before VanDyke finally moved into the runner-up spot with a pass of O’Quinn on lap 30. Mounting a strong run to the front, the old "Coal Miner" Mike Porter moved into fifth place with a pass of Berry on lap 33, up from his 14th starting position.

With Wolfe holding almost a full-straightaway lead over VanDyke halfway into the 100-lapper, and also experiencing brake problems on his Smith Wholesale/Race-Scan Communications/Townsend Race Cars/Joey Robinson Race Engines/Wolfe Racing/No. 99 Monte Carlo – lapped traffic allowed VanDyke to pull up on the race leader’s rear bumper on lap 54. Once there, VanDyke now was in the hunt to possibly win his first career Late Model race, after recording five second-place finishes this season on the 3/8-mile concrete oval.

Wolfe and VanDyke continued to run nose-to-tail headed for a showdown, but Wolfe was carefully guarding the bottom of the track. An anxious moment for Wolfe only 10 laps from the finish with a lapped car saw VanDyke make slight contact with Matt’s rear bumper entering turn one.

Gathering his mount back quickly and determined to not be denied the "thrill of victory," Wolfe held his ground over the final circuits to capture the win over VanDyke, Dean, O’Quinn and Tommy Spangler. Dean nosed out O’Quinn for the third spot with a pass off (turn) four headed to the checkered flag.

Completing the top 10 finishers were Porter, Berry, Wade Lopez (the final car on the lead lap), Bill Garrett and Rick Pannell.

"Oh, man, I can’t believe we won this race," said Matt after climbing from his car in victory lane to the cheering crowd. "You just don’t know how good this feels to me, winning this race remembering my dad. Man, how I wish he could have been here tonight. He would have been going crazy those last few laps with VanDyke on my tail. Unfortunately my mom couldn’t be here tonight, either, because my grandfather is not doing very well. But I gave her a call on the cell phone after climbing out of the car and she was so excited.

"We had a great car tonight from start-to-finish. I need to give a big thanks to my Wolfe Racing teammate, Wade Day, because he sure stayed on my butt (spotting from on top the team’s hauler) the whole race. He guided me through the lapped cars and kept telling me to run my own race, also telling me to protect the bottom of the track there at the end, too. Man, you wouldn’t believe how I was having to pump the brakes those final 20 laps or so. On the right front, they were gone. I couldn’t even do a ceremonial burnout because I had no brakes."

VanDyke, driver of the Modern Chevrolet/Matney’s Construction/Woodmen of the World Insurance/Lone Pine Exterminators/Vansant Happy Mart & Taco Bell/Matthew Rogers CPA/WMJD Radio/Townsend Race Cars/Darrell Poe Race Engines/No. 15 Monte Carlo – could still manage a smile after his strong second-place run.

"Yeah, I kind of thought we were gonna get around Matt there on the end, but he really protected the bottom of the track well. And I don’t blame him for doing that, because if I would have been leading that’s what I would have done too. Hey, we’ve had enough of these runner-up finishes, I believe it’s about time for us to finally get our first win. Really, I’m glad to see Matt win this race remembering his dad."

NASCAR LATE MODEL STOCK CAR "JIM WOLFE MEMORIAL 100"

   1.Matt Wolfe #99-Johnson City, TN 
   2.Kres VanDyke #15-Abingdon, VA 
   3.Adam Dean #81-Bristol, VA 
   4.Danny O’Quinn #01-Coeburn, VA 
   5.Tommy Spangler #82-Bristol, TN 
   6.Mike Porter #3-Princeton, WV 
   7.Jeff Berry #61-Kingsport, TN 
   8.Wade Lopez #83-Abingdon, VA 
   9.Bill Garrett #4-Johnson City, TN 
  10.Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, TN 
  11.Mike Memmer #36-Fall Branch, TN 
  12.Clyde Jones #7-Kingsport, TN 
  13.Butch Jarvis #53-Blountville, TN 
  14.Allen Hawkins #77-Kingsport, TN 
  15.Eric McClure #4-Abingdon, VA 
  16.Reece Milton #16-Blountville, TN 
  17.Michael Chaney #24-Abingdon, VA 
  18.Wayne Hale #19-Piney Flats, TN