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Wheelie’s 285

KENLY N.C. _ Danny McDonald needed a late-race caution to have a shot at claiming the lead. Jamie Mozingo needed a late-race caution to protect the lead. Both were obliged in joining Raleigh driver Wil Smith in Victory Lane during Saturday night’s rain-abbreviated Wheelie’s SNS Debut 285 auto racing program at Southern National Speedway.

Lillington’s McDonald, in a Dodge, overtook pole sitter Hank Jarman of Kinston and took the checkered flag in the 100-lap Late Model Stock feature. Pikevillle’s Mozingo, in a Camaro, hung on for the triumph in the 25-lap Stock Look-Alike feature.

Smith dominated the Budweiser Pro Trucks feature and boosted his points lead. The program was delayed approximately an hour because of a shower and rain and lightning finally halted the evening’s proceedings after eight laps of the Super Stock feature. The scheduled 100-lap Late Model Sportsman event was not contested.

Only Late Model Stock and Late Model Sportsman drivers qualified via time trials. Pro Trucks, Super Stock and Stock Look-Alike divisions lined up according to the points standings.

With his first victory in approximately three years, McDonald became the first driver at SNS to take the checkered flag in a Dodge-powered racer. Pikeville’s Linwood Mozingo has won Pro Trucks races in a Dodge but his ride is equipped with a Chevrolet power plant.

Jamie Mozingo, Linwood Mozingo’s son, and Smith, a Pro Trucks rookie, each prevailed for the second time this season.

McDonald, who started seventh, claimed a crowd-stirring duel from Jarman. While Jarman’s Taurus ran out front, McDonald maneuvered into third place on lap 49. Five laps later, he took over second.

“I just bided my time,” McDonald said. “I was running behind (Newport’s Big Jim) Kelley and let him set the pace. But I saw he couldn’t get round him (second-place Tom Elliott of Roanoke Rapids); so I got around him. Once I got around him (Kelley), I tried to keep a good pace and catch up.”

And aided by a caution, McDonald not only caught Jarman but began racing door-to-door. McDonald nosed his Dodge into the lead on lap 83. But Jarman regained the point on the next lap. Until lap 98, the racers crossed the stripe virtually even. McDonald moved out front by a car length on lap 98 and then survived a final caution the next lap. He gained a decisive advantage on the restart.

Jarman assured the cautions were not to his advantage.

“We were both doing a lot of slipping and sliding,” Jarman said. “We started bumping a little bit one or two times. If we hadn’t touched, I might have gotten around him. But I got a little loose (on the last restart) and that’s all it took.”

“We knew, if we got around him (Jarman), we would be OK,” McDonald said. “But he’s a tough driver and drove a good, clean race. He’s a tough one.”

Elliott, after fading in the middle of the race, rallied to a season-best finish of third in his Monte Carlo. Kelley settled for fourth in his Monte Carlo and Goldsboro’s Brandon Head drove Stephen Rhodes’ Monte Carlo to a fifth-place finish.

“I’m so excited,” said the 30-year-old Elliott. “We finally finished one of these. Hopefully, tonight, we got this thing turned around. We were decent at the start but we would have green flag, then caution, and we never got hooked up after the second caution. At the end, we changed the line a little bit and found a line that made us a little better.”

But the victory loomed arguably as the most special for the veteran McDonald. “We have been working on this Dodge for about three years,” McDonald said. “We knew we had a good program and to do it (win) with the Dodge is very special. Everybody said we couldn’t do it.”

The Stock Look-Alike main event opened with Jamie Mozingo cruising out front and Scott Davis of Goldsboro and Junior Mewborn of LaGrange tangling for second in a Camaro and Monte Carlo, respectively.

However, the second position not only switched three times between Mewborn and Davis, but they also caught Mozingo. Then came the only caution with five laps remaining, providing the break Mozingo needed to celebrate his 41st career victory. “The longer we ran, the looser we got,” Mozingo said. “I knew they were coming and I was doing a little mirror driving. I was hoping we would have a caution, and it was a big blessing. When the tires cooled off, the car went right back to where it was. It was perfect the first 10-15 laps.”

While Mozingo strengthened his points lead, Davis won the battle for second place. Mewborn salvaged third. Davis was left with mixed emotions about the caution. “The caution helped me get around Junior,” Davis said. “But since we were running him (Mozingo) down, I wish the caution hadn’t come out.”

Davis described his duel with Mewborn as “a lot of fun,” but Mewborn suggested the contact between the cars was too aggressive on at least one instance. “But it was a good race,” Mewborn said. “Nobody’s car got beat up and nobody is mad. But the caution killed me. We were running Jamie down. I think Jamie’s tires were going away.”

Wayne County drivers Frankie Corbett and Terry Lancaster placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Smith, in his Ford, set a blistering Pro Trucks pace from the pole. Most prominent was Wilson’s Wayne Skinner quickly charging his Ford into third place and tapping Linwood Mozingo for second.

Smith explained he benefited tremendously from the situation of Pro Trucks drivers being permitted to run practice laps as the result of not qualifying. “That took the guessing out of the set-up. We got to go out there and play on new stickers (tires),” Smith said. “We gained an infinite amount of knowledge that we were able to capitalize upon. After about 20 laps, I was just chilling.”

That’s when Mozingo was fending off Skinner for the runner-up spot. “We had a really good truck in practice,” Mozingo said, “but we got a little bit loose at the end. Skinner was pushing me pretty hard. One time there, he tapped me a time or two.”

The veteran Mozingo got the message.

“They (crew members) told me that you’ve got to go or he’s going to take you out,” Mozingo said with a grin. “I told them I had rather go. We are happy with second tonight.”

Skinner, who started fifth, decided not to force the issue in the battle for second. “We got a good start,” the Wilson driver said. “I think we were a little quicker (tham Mozingo) most of the night. I was not going to take him out. If I had got by him early, we might have had something for Smith.”

Trailing Smith, Mozingo and Skinner, respectively, were John Jones of Goldsboro in a Ford and Donald Fowler of Garner in a Chevrolet.

SNS racing resumes next Saturday night with competition in four regular divisions and the Baby Grands. For additional information or directions call the speedway office at 919-284-1114 or visit www.southernnatlspeedway.com.