In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stocks, Tommy Lemons Jr. came into the weekend all but assured of a championship, providing he started all of the races. In Friday’s 35 lap sprint race the starting order was by a random draw, putting Melvin Langley on the pole. Langley led the first lap, but was quickly ousted by David Garbo Jr. Garbo held the lead until Lap 9, when Myatt Snider took over for good. Lemons would battle through the field, but could do no better than second. Garbo finished third.
Saturday saw twin 75 lap races for the Late Model Stocks, and Mike Darne was the fastest in qualifying, putting him on the pole for Race 1 with Jamey Caudill to his outside. Caudill would lead from the outside early, but Darne settled in as the leader. A Lap 43 caution re-racked the field, and on the resumption of racing, Caudill took over, pulling away to win, with Darne second and Lemons third. The win was the 100th of Caudill’s career.
In the second race, a five-car invert placed Myatt Snider on the pole. A three-wide battle for the lead put Lemons out front early, where he stayed until Caudill once again used a restart to take the lead. Caudill took the sweep, but Lemons finished second, claiming the 2014 Late Model Stock championship in the process. Snider finished third in the race, but second in the overall championship, while Mike Darne finished third in track points.
Four Limited Late Model Stock races peppered the weekend’s action, with three happening on Sunday. Of those four, Chris Chapman was the class of the field, winning three of the four. Haley Moody and Dillon Spain battled for the track championship, with Moody solidifying her title by the fourth race of the weekend. With her title, Moody becomes the second female champion in the history of Southern National Motorsports Park (Ashley Smith being the first). Spain finished the final race, as well as his season, in second place. Andrew Grady finished the second third in points, also scoring the most wins (5).
Wayne Goss and Gerald Benton came into the final two races of the Charger division separated by a total of nine positions on the track. In the first race, Benton managed to stay ahead of Goss early, but involvement in a mid-race spin moved Benton back in the field. Benton was unable to make up enough ground to keep pace with Goss, and by starting the second race, Goss found himself as the 2014 Charger champion. Benton finished the season tied for the most wins (5), but second overall. Michael O’Brien and Joe Heigl split the three races between Friday and Sunday, with O’Brien taking two wins and Heigl one.
The race for the Ultimate Body Shop UCARS came down to a handful of positions on the track, with James Stroud and Tyler Horne having battled all season for the top spot. Stroud won the first half of their double-header, while Horne finished third. In the second race, Stroud couldn’t hold back AJ Winstead (who took his first win at SNMP of the year), but held off Horne to take his first ever track championship. Horne finished second, and tied for the most wins with Stroud.
Marc Jones won his first Street Stock race of the season Sunday afternoon. Greg Barnett won the Friday evening competition, just ahead of Chet Christman. The Legends division track championship was clinched as soon as the green flag dropped, with Will Bristle taking the overall title. Alex Pacheco won Sunday’s race, with Billy Hall finishing second. Blaise Brinkley dominated the 2014 Bandolero season, taking the track title while winning all but two races (Kade Lambert and Kailey Murray the other two winners). Murray led all of the laps on Sunday, while Lambert finished second.
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour returns to the high banks of Southern National Motorsports Park for the Southern National 150, along with the Southern Vintage Race Car Nationals. The NASCAR Modifieds take to the track once again as spring race pole sitter and current point leader Andy Seuss tries to hold off Burt Myers, George Brunnhoelzl III and the rest of the Southern Modified Tour, while the Southern Vintage Race Car Nationals bring the best in vintage stock car racing to Kenly and Lucama. Tickets for this special event are $20 for adults (16+), $17 for seniors, military and students (13-15), $11 for kids 6-12, while children 5 and under are free. For more information, contact the track office at (919) 284-1114 or surf to www.snmpark.com.
Track Champions:
Late Model Stocks: Tommy Lemons Jr.
Limited Late Models: Haley Moody
Chargers: Wayne Goss
Street Stocks: Greg Barnett
Ultimate Body Shop UCARs: James Stroud
Legends: Will Bristle
Bandoleros: Blaise Brinkley
SNMP PR
- AM Racing | Hailie Deegan Dover Motor Speedway April Xfinity Preview - April 25, 2024
- RACE ADVANCE: Corey Heim at Dover Motor Speedway - April 25, 2024
- Rick Ware Racing: Justin Haley/Kaz Grala Dover Race Advance - April 25, 2024