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BUTLER BATTLES FOR THE REGIONAL POINTS LEAD AT "AMERICA'S HOMETOWN TRACK"

South Boston, VA."America's Hometown Track" would not be denied its chance to provide the very best in short track racing on Saturday night. Rains came and rains went, but track staff kept the faith, dried the asphalt and set the stage for one of the hottest contests in all of Virginia's Racing Region. The Nabisco Nilla Night of Racing presented by Gatorade brought out the Textilease Late Model Stocks and American General Finance Limited Sportsman for their critical points races.

Brandon Butler

Brandon Butler (#29 Chester, VA) captured the RACERAP.com Pole Award with a 15.981 and led the field in his Bailey's Tabacco Chevrolet. Scott Worley (#88 Long Island, VA) lined up on the outside pole with Wayne Grubb (#4 Mechanicsville, VA) right behind him. After 10 "hot laps" to test the track, a 22 car pack slowed to line up, then turn the burners back up to boil. Butler burned up the inside lane and bested Worley for the lead, after an intense doorside battle, on lap four.

Caution waved for a multi-car tangle on lap 12 with only one car retiring. Butler continued to lead after the restart, as runner-up in points by a margin of two, Timothy Peters (#2 Providence, NC) charged from the fifth position. Lap traffic became a factor and held up many close battles around the track as Butler pulled to a comfortable lead and felt no heat from Worley. Butler lit the smoking lamp in Victory Lane and worked on regaining the Atlantic Seaboard Regional points lead. Worley took second, followed by Jim Sink (#94 Chesterfiled, VA), Grubb, Peters, and Johnson.

Butler powered his winning machine from the pole for a second 75 lapper with a grid that looked very close to the first. The Bailey's machine slipped on the second turn and Worley blasted onto the backstretch with the lead. Caution waved for a single car spin in turn four and brought the charge to a halt. Worley pulled a two car lead on the restart, but Butler quickly gathered him back in. Worley held his ground on the high side and forced Butler to fall in line.

Another one car spin tightened the field yet again. Worley worked to the outside again, as Butler dipped down low. Side-by-side for more than 10 laps, brought the crowd to its feet. Battling back and forth from lap to lap, Butler closed by lap 25. With Worley slipping in turn two, Butler moved under Worley on lap 30. After clearing the hard charging Worley, Butler stretched his lead to half the straightaway. Grubb battled with Johnson for third and began to close on second. After five laps, Grubb made it to Worley and made his move to the inside. Worley held the charge by going back to the nether reaches of the high side, as Johnson closed to make it a three-way war for second.

Johnson challenged Grubb with his bumper and gave Worley a two- car advantage, but Grubb worked back to Worley with five laps to go, as Butler pulled away. Grubb nudged Worley on the last lap, but Worley held on and finished second by inches at the line. Butler captured a sweep of the Late Model Division events with Worley finishing a hard fought second both times. Grubb finished third, followed by Johnson and Peters.

On the start of the Limited Sportsman event, polesitter Ryan Francisco spun on the backstretch and collected eight cars before the first lap was completed. Richard Hylton (#31 Danville, VA) led the wreck-shortened field to the green. Hylton pulled out front but was slowed by the spinning machine of Chris King. On the restart, Hylton lost power and Chris Blalock (#2 South Hill, VA) inherited the lead. Bill Moshenek (#27 Providence, NC) powered into the rear bumper of Blalock causing him to spin with only four laps to go. Moshenek was given the "Black Flag", but refused to answer it. Rich Fitzgerald (#6 Lynchburg, VA) took the checkered flag and his first win of the season.

Chris King captured the lead from Rich Fitzgerald on the first lap of the second 40 lap event. Jonathan Bailey (#89 Keysville, VA) pressured Fitzgerald for the second position and made the pass on lap 15. Bailey, with a torch burning under his car, attempted to close on the leader while Francisco made his presence felt in third. With a pack of traffic behind him, Bailey closed on the lead. Stacked from the leader back to sixth, King led a train of challengers with only five laps to go. Francisco checked his notes from the Late Model event and made a move for second on the outside. King (#13 Durham, NC) led the way to the white flag and slid his way across the stripe as Francisco tapped his bumper in an attempt to make a move. King held on for the ride and claimed his first victory at South Boston Speedway. Francisco, Moshenek, and Billy Myers made the Top 5 a very close race.

The Atlantic Seaboard Regional title and South Boston Speedway Championship will be decided for the Bailey's Race of Champions on September 15th. Racing for the Textilease Late Model Stock Division will feature a 150 lap "Double Points" dual for Brandon Butler and Timothy Peters.

Late Model Race 1

FINISH POS CAR# DRIVER


1 29 BRANDON BUTLER
2 88 SCOTT WORLEY
3 94 JIM SINK
4 41 WAYNE GRUBB
5 2 TIMOTHY PETERS
6 57 EDDIE JOHNSON
7 83 H.C.SELLERS, III
8 46 BUBBA URBAN, JR.
9 1 RODNEY COOK
10 80 KENNY BOWES
11 4 KIRK STEWART
12 45 GREG DAVIS
13 58 BUSTER CARROLL
14 05 TONY KEEN
15 36 MARK PARKS
16 51 MATT CARTER
17 82 OWEN MILLER
18 47 MARK CROPP
19 01 PHILIP VAN VEER
20 07 TIM PINION
21 21 STEVE STALLINGS
22 33 TOM WORLEY
23 28 DANNY WILLIS, JR.
24 8 STEVE WORLEY


Late Model Race 2

FINISH POS CAR# DRIVER
1 29 BRANDON BUTLER
2 88 SCOTT WORLEY
3 41 WAYNE GRUBB
4 57 EDDIE JOHNSON
5 2 TIMOTHY PETERS
6 94 JIM SINK
7 46 BUBBA URBAN, JR.
8 1 RODNEY COOK
9 83 H.C.SELLERS, III
10 80 KENNY BOWES
11 4 KIRK STEWART
12 58 BUSTER CARROLL
13 45 GREG DAVIS
14 01 PHILIP VAN DER VEER
15 36 MARK PARKS
16 28 OWEN MILLER
17 07 TIM PINION
18 47 MARK CROPP
19 05 TONY KEEN
20 51 MATT CARTER
21 82 DANNY WILLIS, JR.
22 21 STEVE STALLINGS
23 33 TOM WORLEY
24 8 STEVE WORLEY

Limited Sportsman Race 1

FINISH POS CAR# DRIVER

1 6 RICH FITZGERALD
2 13 CHRIS KING
3 71 WAYNE ROACH, JR.
4 72 RANDY BLANKENSHIP
5 05 BILLY MYERS
6 11 RAY ELLINGTON, JR.
7 2 CHRIS BLALOCK
8 31 RICHARD HYLTON
9 18 JOEY JONES
10 30 TIM HOGAN
11 81 RYAN FRANCISCO
12 55 JIMMY SEAY
13 07 JONATHAN CASH
14 56 GLENN HUDDLESTON
15 1 JEREMY RATLIFF
16 12 GWYNN HAVENS
17 7 CHARLES BARNES
18 27 BILL MOSHENEK
19 89 JONATHAN BAILEY

Limited Sportsman Race 2

1     13 CHRIS KING
2     81 RYAN FRANCISCO
3     31 RICHARD HYLTON
4     05 BILLY MYERS
5     27 BILL MOSHENEK
6     6 RICH FITZGERALD
7     71 WAYNE ROACH, JR.
8     11 RAY ELLINGTON, JR.
9     30 TIM HOGAN
10     72 RANDY BLANKENSHIP
11     18 JOEY JONES
12     89 JONATHAN BAILEY