With the 2012 racing season at Kingsport Speedway concluding during the hot heat at end of summer last August with local schools back in session, following a long, cold winter around East Tennessee and Southwest Virigina, both race fans and competitors alike are ready for the first green flag of 2013 to wave at “The Concrete Jungle” on Saturday afternoon, March 9.
Beginning the third season with former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series competitor Robert Pressley promoting Kingsport Speedway, Dalton Direct Carpets Day at the Races at the .375-mile banked concrete oval will feature exciting racing action in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock (60 laps), Street Stock (30 laps), Pure 4 (25 laps), Legends (20 laps) and Rookie Pure 4 (12 laps) divisions on Saturday.
One thing is certain, a new Late Model Stock champion will be crowned in 2013, with the decision of two-time defending track and also Tennessee State NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion Nate Monteith stepping into the car-owner role and handing driving duties over to protege Blake Jones of Sevierville. Along with the 16-year-old Jones, other Late Model Stock drivers expected to be in action Saturday include Zeke Shell of Johnson City, Paul Nogradi Jr. of Clinton, Ryan Stiltner of Grundy, Va., Daniel Pope II of Smyrna, Austin Peters of Kingsport (2012 Tennessee State NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rookie-of-the-Year), Lee Tissot of Asheville, N.C., Hayden Woods of Piney Flats, Anthony Anders of Easley, S.C., Joey Trent of Gray, Adam Long of Pounding Mill, Va., Chad Finchum of Knoxville, Royce Peters of Kingsport, Wayne Hale of Bluff City, Robbie Ferguson of Jonesborough, Rick Pannell of Kingsport, Kres VanDyke of Claypool Hill, Va., Mark Christian of Blountville, plus several others. Competing for rookie honors in 2013 will be 18-year-old Erika Schmidt of Greenback, along with Taylor Coffman of Bean Station and Adam Gray of Kingsport.
Defending Street Stock champion Roger Neece of Clintwood, Va., will have a bull’s-eye on him as several competitors look to wrestle the title away from the veteran driver. Among those will be Rob Austin of Castlewood, Va., John Harrell of Surgoinsville, Chris Tunnell of Wise, Va., Jared Broadbent of Spruce Pine, N.C., Nick Cole of Bristol, Paul Shull of Church Hill, Tony Ward of Kingsport, Tony Vance of St. Paul, Va., Jeff Counts of Castlewood, Va., Rick Smith of Kingsport, Greg Grindstaff of Bakersville, N.C., along with others.
Defending Pure 4 champion Jason Ketron of Kingsport will see among others trying to dethrone him as champion his father, John and brother, Billy. Also throw into the mix Model City-based racers Chris Neeley, Keith Helton, Kenny Absher, David Trent, Glenn Hughes, William Hale and Todd Cross, plus several others.
Seventeen-year-old Daniel Boone High School student Tyler Goodwin totally dominated Legends racing action in 2012 by recording 17 feature wins in 19 starts and easily winning the championship. Who will challenge Goodwin and possibly dethrone him as champion, could it be Drew Shortridge of Abingdon, Va., Zack Walton of Blountville, Greg Turner of Nickelsville, Va., Hubert Whitehead of Burnsville, N.C., Jacob Owens of Bean Station, Tony Wiggins of Kingsport, or some other chauffeur?
Also racing in 2013 will be the Rookie Pure 4 division for beginning drivers, where Knoxville’s Jimmy Hillard captured the championship in 2012; along with the Mod 4 class tentatively slated to be in action for seven events.
The pit gate will open Saturday, March 9 at 9 a.m., with both grandstand and tier-parking gates opening at 11:30 a.m.
Practice will begin at 11:30 a.m. Qualifying is set for 1 p.m. and the season-opening green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:30 p.m.
Adult grandstand admission $10, with kids 12-and-under admitted free. Adult tier-parking admission $10 per person, plus a $10 vehicle parking spot fee. Pit passes are $25 with a NASCAR license, $35 without a license. NASCAR license forms are available at the track office during the week, and they will also be available at pit sign-in the day of event.
Tell your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers all about the exciting, action-packed weekly racing programs at Kingsport Speedway. You don’t want to miss it!
Kingsport Speedway PR
