LateModelStock.com - News

Rookie Rhodes Captures First Late Model Victory

KENLY _ Ryan Rhodes, in the words of veteran competitors, discarded his status as a rookie in the Late Model Stock division at Southern National Speedway during Saturday night’s Goldsboro Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep 260 auto racing program.

The 19-year-old Sanford driver, who has leaped from the Four-Cylinder Stock ranks, outdueled veterans Jamey Caudill of Four Oaks and Billy Ray Lucas of Wilson in seizing the checkered flag in just his second Late Model Stock start.

Rhodes was joined in Victory Lane by Big Jim Kelley of Newport in Late Model Sportsman, Ron Langley of Elm City in Super Stock, Andy Smith of Goldsboro in Four-Cylinder and Jon Howell of Goldsboro in Stock Look-Alike.

The delayed season-opening Late Model Sportsman 100-lapper was marred by 13 cautions. Howell triumphed in just his fourth Southern National race.

Smith owns all three Four-Cylinder top finishes this season, while Langley has crossed the stripe first in both Super Stock 35-lappers.

Billy Ray Lucas

In the Late Model Stock 75-lapper, the Monte Carlos of Rhodes, Caudill and Lucas were bunched up front the final 50 laps. Caudill, in quest of his second straight win, started on the pole, while Rhodes was situated on the outside front row. Lucas started sixth.

On numerous occasions, Rhodes darted low in an attempt to get around Caudill. On the rear bumper of Rhodes’ car was Lucas’ racer. Lucas often dipped low in an attempt to work around Rhodes and even tried the outside.

Rhodes finally seized the point for keep on lap 72 and brought Lucas with him. Rhodes then fended off Lucas to earn the unexpected opportunity to pour out his emotions and celebrate in Victory Lane.

“We were really, really content following Jamey,” the beaming Rhodes said. “I enjoyed learning from his experience. He was showing me around the track. But Billy Ray was on top of me and I figured that, if I didn’t do something, we was going to pass me.”

Rhodes described his winning move as impulsive and spur-of-the-moment.

“I gave it a shot and it worked out,” Rhodes said. “I can’t explain why. This one is definitely for Harry Creech (a veteran Four-Cylinder driver who died in January).”

Rhodes realized he was tangling with two of the division’s premier drivers.

“I just tried to place myself just like I was racing in Four-Cylinder _ just in a bigger car,” Rhodes said of his approach.

“He’s a rookie and I gave him a break,” Lucas said of his duel with Rhodes. “I could have passed him but, if I had knocked him out, I would have never heard the last of it it.

“He got his last break. He may be a rookie in this division, but he’s not a rookie. He’s a mighty fine driver and he’s going to be good for this division.”

But Lucas found his performance encouraging.

“We’re back,” he said. “I’ve got my confidence back and I have finally gotten over Dale Earnhardt. I had been thinking about that a lot. We were about 75 percent tonight.”

Caudill noted that he occupied the point as long as he could and also credited Rhodes.

“It was just not the last few laps; it was the whole race,” Caudill said of his Monte Carlo. “We had a tight race car. We just missed on the set-up. We stayed there as long as we could.

“But he (Rhodes) is a great driver and we knew he had a good race car in qualifying. He ran a good race.”

Rhodes was left flattered that veteran peers no longer consider him a rookie.

“That makes me feel really good,” he said. “To accomplish what we have accomplished in this short period of time is overwhelming.”

Caudill settled for third, with rookie Sherman Davis Jr. of Fayetteville fourth in a Monte Carlo and 2000 champion Kelley fifth in a Monte Carlo.

Jim Kelley

In the Late Model Sportsman 100-lapper, Kelley claimed career victory No. 167 after 13 cautions and an hour and a half on the track.

Starting on the outside front row, Kelley challenged the Monte Carlo of pole sitter Steven Mendenhall of Clayton before forging the lead on lap 77.

“I was biding my time,” Kelley said. “I didn’t want to burn up my tires like I did last week (in the Late Model Stock feature). I was taking it easy off the corner and waiting for him (Mendenhall) to get his tires hot. It worked out pretty much like we planned.”

The lengthy cautions irritated Kelley and Mendenhall.

“Ridiculous,” Kelley said. “I believe we ran 100 laps under caution.”

Mendenhall noted, “I couldn’t get a green-flag run. On green-flag runs, I could ease up, but we kept having cautions. That hurt me. We missed the set-up a tad and the car kept tightening up.”

But Mendenhall was pleased with a career-best Late Model Sportsman finish in a 20-car field that included not only Kelley but Freddie Query of Mooresville, 2000 champion Shelton McNair Jr. of Plymouth, Ricky Marshall of Mooresville, Mark Cash in the Pig Rig Thunderbird and Fuquay-Varina’s Randy Renfrow, a former NASCAR Craftsman Trucks competitor.

“Kelley had the best handling car,” Mendenhall said. “But what this shows me is that we had an excellent car for 70 laps. Now we’ve got to fix the last 30 laps.”

Three cautions were prompted by multi-car pile-ups. And late tangling nixed opportunities of a top-five finish for Cash, McNair, Dean Clattenburg of Kannapolis, Jimmy Simpson of Concord and Eddie Massengill of Goldsboro.

Query salvaged third, with Carnell Lee Jr. of Zebulon fourth in a Grand Prix and Marshall fifth in a Monte Carlo.

“The race track was pretty slick and everybody was eager,” Marshall said. “You had a lot of aggression out there, a lot of adrenaline and a lot of flared tempers. On a slick race track, that’s not a good combination.”

Langley, in a Cutlass, led all 35 Super Stock laps from the pole. Benson’s Stacy wood, in a Monte Carlo, registered a career-best finish of second. Gary Gardner of Wilson, in a Monte Carlo, took third after finishing second in the opener.

Completing the top five, respectively, were Gary Davis of Kinston in a Grand Prix and JohnWhaley of Goldsboro in a Grand Prix.

The 53-year-old Langley stated his intent with a decisive burst at the drop of the green flag.

“I good a good start; I jumped out,” Langley said. “I was ready and I don’t think they (his competitors) were quite ready. But that was OK. I knew the 08 car (Wood) was going to be there and I wanted to get out ahead of him. I think the 08 car and Gardner were racing each other and not concentrating on me.”

“I thought I did pretty good, but I’ve got to do a little bit better,” Wood said “The car handled good, but it was a little tight in the middle. It looks like Ron is going to do pretty good, but I hope I can move up one more position pretty soon.”

Smith’s third Four-Cylinder top finish was marked by another duel with Mike Bridgers of Goldsboro. Smith started on the pole in his Mustang, while Bridgers sat on the outside front row in his Toyota.

Smith’s biggest concern, however, was lap traffic.

“He (Bridgers) ran up on me in lap traffic,” Smith said, “but I didn’t want to do anything crazy. I appreciate him running me like he did. The handling was absolutely perfect on my car.”

Bridgers lamented over “one bad lap.”

“We were good all but one lap,” he said. “That one little slip made a difference. He has a little better set-up getting through the bottom of the corners, but I feel like we can run with him.”

Following Smith and Bridgers to the stripe, respectively, were Ricky Mitchell of Kenly in a Mustang, Al Lane of Wilson in a Pinto and Lee Kozikowski of Clayton in a Celica. Mitchell, Lane and Kozikowski registered top-five finishes for the second straight week. The top five was unchanged until Kozikowski took over fifth place the 18th of 25 laps.

In Stock Look-Alike, Howell, starting on the outside front row in his Camaro, chased the TransAm of polesitter Terry Lancaster of Goldsboro until steering out front for keps on lap 17.

“This is a new experience for me and it feels excellent,” said Howell, who finished third the previous week. “The car was awesome. John Whaley built us a good car. He (Lancaster) kept getting loose in the corners and kept pushing up coming out of them. I was able to get under him.”

While Howell ran out front, mishaps behind him took a toll. Lancaster tangled with first-race winner Junior Mewborn of LaGrange. A late spin involved several cars, including the Monte Carlo of runner-up Brandon Gray of New Hope.

“It started in turn one and ended up in turn two,” the 19-year-old Gray said of the incident.

However, Gray was not complaining about his second-place finish.

“I am very surprised,” he said. “We have struggled and tested a lot.”

Depsite back-to-back top-five finishes, Gray said his team will not compete for the division championship this season.

“We are looking possibly for a Trucks ride,” Gray said. “We are young enough and able to adapt.”

Scott Davis of Goldsboro finished third in a Camaro, followed, respectively, by Muriel Brock of Grantham in a Camaro and Andy Carter in a Camaro.

Southern National Speedway racing resumes Saturday night, featuring a 30-lap national points Baby Grands race. Features are also planned in Foss Auto Salvage Stock Look-Alike, Super Stock, Late Model Sportsman and the Budweiser Pro Trucks. For additional information or directions contact the speedway office at 919 284 1114 or visit www.southernnatlspeedway.com.