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Navy Yard Credit Union Night

CAPRON, Va. (Sept. 14) — Doug Godsey of Richmond, Va., posted his 10th victory of the season in the Navy Yard Credit Union 100 for the RaceWorld.com Late Model Stock Cars, part of Friday’s NASCAR Weekly Racing Series program at Southampton Motor Speedway.

Godsey earned the pole for the event, qualifying at 96.103 mph, and grabbed the lead on the opening circuit. Brandon Butler of Richmond, who shared the front row with Godsey, settled into second place, followed by Denny Hamlin of Chesterfield, Va.

Throughout the event, which was interrupted by seven caution flags, Godsey was unable to pull away from Butler by more than a couple car-lengths.

For Godsey, the anxious moments came on the restarts when he and Butler put some distance between themselves and Hamlin, who was debuting a new car. After a few green-flag laps, though, Hamlin’s machine came to life and he was able to pressure Butler, dividing the runner-up’s attention between going for the lead and protecting the second spot.

Perhaps, Butler’s best opportunity to wrest the lead from Godsey came a lap after the restart following the race’s sixth caution period. Exiting Turn 4 on lap 61, Butler slipped a fender to the leader’s inside. When they reached Turn 1, though, Godsey forcefully slammed the door and Butler dropped back in line as Hamlin began to fill his mirror.

As the race entered its final 10 laps, Godsey appeared ready to ease away from Butler, increasing his lead to two car-lengths. Butler, however, gathered himself for one final charge.

By lap 99, Butler had pulled up on Godsey’s rear bumper. That’s as far as the bid went, however, and the two crossed beneath the Stars and Stripes (just one of many observances of the events of the week) in nose-to-tail formation. Godsey’s margin of victory was 0.147-second.

Hamlin was third to the line, followed by Emporia, Va.’s Mike Shearin and Stafford, Va.’s Jack Bailey Jr.

In Victory Lane after the race, Godsey commented on the run: “Brandon ran a great race. It was probably the toughest one we’ve had this year. We got super-loose and I think Brandon looked like — I was watching him in the mirror — he looked like he was getting a little loose. I thought, if we could hold him off after the cautions, we got a little bit better than him on 15- to 20-lap runs. Kept having the cautions, though, and I kept worrying.”

With the win, Godsey trimmed two points from Butler’s division lead and now trails by 12 — 928-916. Of the title chase, Godsey remarked, “We’ve had a terrific year. We’ve got 10 wins this year and that was our goal — to come out and win races. The points fall where they do. Whatever happens with the points happens. We’ve had the best year we’ve ever had and we’re tickled to death and look forward to the last two races here.”

Second-place Butler, who will try to sew up the 2001 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Atlantic Seaboard Region title on Saturday night at South Boston Speedway, noted, “Doug ran a good race. He was a little bit off and I was actually a little bit better. I just couldn’t run exactly where I wanted to to try and get by him. If we could’ve ever got clear of him, I think we could have had a good run, but second’s not bad. Hats off to Doug and Denny Hamlin had a great run — his first time out here in a while.”

Third-place Hamlin was pleased with his outing: “I couldn’t ask for a better-handling car. We needed a longer green run. We’d be really fast on long greens. This is a brand-new car, brand-new motor, so it’s gonna take a little while to get it exactly right, but it’s pretty close tonight.”

Looking ahead to SMS’s season-ending, $15,000-to-win OktoberFAST 250, which will be run on Sunday, Oct. 21, Hamlin was filled with anticipation: “We’re looking to run real good here. We ran good last year. I believe we finished ninth. But, with this new car, there’s no telling what we can do.”

Race Results
Friday, Sept. 14, 2001 - 
Navy Yard Credit Union Night

   LATE MODEL STOCK CARS - 100 laps

1.  Doug Godsey - Richmond, Va., 100
2.  Brandon Butler - Richmond, Va., 100
3.  Denny Hamlin - Chesterfield, Va., 100
4.  Mike Shearin - Emporia, Va., 100
5.  Jack Bailey Jr. - Stafford, Va., 100
6.  Jim Williams - Chesapeake, Va., 100
7.  Bugs Hairfield - Chesterfield, Va., 100
8.  Chris Hopkins - Petersburg, Va., 100
9.  Andy Bell - Norfolk, Va., 100
10. Terry Allison - South Mills, N.C., 100
11. Ken Rountree - Gates, N.C., 100
12. Mike Conner - Gloucester, Va., 99
13. Max Smith - Roanoke Rapids, N.C., 86
14. Bud Kenny - Virginia Beach, Va., 66
15. Buck Godsey - Richmond, Va., 55
16. Ty Miller - Mineral, Va., 55
• Pole: D. Godsey - 96.103 mph.
• Hard Charger Award: Bell.
• Hard Luck Award: Kenny.