On the restart, Hamlett again jumped out to a dominating lead while Summers began to make his way up through the field once again. By lap 18, Summers and Warner were again racing for fifth place. James Mehaffey of Lebanon, Tenn. was also in the pack, racing for position. He soon moved up to take on Moore for third, while Summers and Warner were trying to settle for fifth and sixth. Summers spun Warner again on lap 27 but Warner spun and kept going; therefore, no caution was thrown.
On the next lap, Summers spun Warner yet again. The fight was on. While the racing slowed and was eventually red flagged, Summers and Warner decided to take out their on-track dispute in their cars as they pushed and shoved each other from turn one through the back stretch, ending with an in-car pushing match going into three.
Along the way, sheet metal was ripped from Warner’s car. Warner drove off the track into the pits while Summers parked his car and walked back to the pits, flanked by security. When racing restarted there were only five cars left to battle it out for the lead. Hamlett took off at the green and left the rest of the pack to fight for the remaining spots. Mehaffey and Moore kept fighting for third, with Mehaffey taking the position on lap 31. Mehaffey soon moved up and began to race with Anthony Warner of Lafayette, Tenn. for second.
On lap 47 – with Hamlett – biding his time until the win, Mehaffey and Anthony Warner touched and both got loose, but managed to keep their cars going in the counter-clockwise direction. At the checkers it was Hamlett, Anthony Warner, Mehaffey, Moore, Jason Adams of Murfreesboro, Tenn., G.W. Warner and Jamie Summers.
After the race, Hamlett was flanked by his young son, Peyton, who exclaimed, “I love your race car, daddy.” Hamlett said young Peyton is his “good luck charm. He just started coming to the races this year,” he explained. “I’ve won four races and came in second in the other race.”
Pleased with his win, Hamlett said he’s especially happy with racing at Riverview. “(Track General Manager Roy Dies, Jr.) is fair,” Hamlett said. “If he says something’s going to be one way, then it’s that way. He respects us and I appreciate that.”
Moore’s father Gary, a former racer himself, was proud to point out that Mandy’s newest sponsor – Fight’n Rooster Pocket Knives – is now a second-generation sponsor of Stock cars. The company, based out of Lebanon, Tenn., was a sponsor on Gary’s car for years and came back to the family Saturday morning by agreeing to sponsor Mandy’s car.
“It’s nice to have them back on the car,” Gary said. “Sponsors are great and having a buddy sponsor is especially nice.”
In the Open Wheel division, Steve Mullinex was the fast qualifier for the evening but Jeff Letson of Harvest, Ala. had the pole, due to the inversion. Letson was followed by Greg Taylor of Baxter, Tenn., Roy Cantrell of Huntsville, Ala., Mullinex and John Thomas of Toni, Ala.
At the beginning of the race, Letson took off for the lead, while the rest of the pack jockeyed for position before settling in to single file pack. A caution was brought out on lap five when Taylor’s bumper was hanging off the car and had to be removed before racing could restart. On the restart Mullinex and Thomas raced for third place before a caution came out on lap 10 when Dale McKinney of Lebanon, Tenn., spun in turn two. On the restart, Letson again took off for the lead, while Mullinex and Thomas fought again for the third spot. Mullinex looked high and low around Thomas, but Thomas kept slamming the door on the position.
By lap 20, Letson had an eight car length advantage over Cantrell while Mullinex had pulled up beside Thomas for third. Finally, by lap 23, Mullinex was able to make the pass for the position. Cantrell was able to pull up to the back bumper of Letson by lap 27 but he didn’t have enough to take over the top spot and Letson won the race, followed by Cantrell, Mullinex, Thomas, Andy Brittian of College Grove, Tenn., Taylor, Mark Cole of La Vergne, Tenn. and Dale McKinney of Lebanon, Tenn.
In the Nas Karts division, Bobby Joe Lane of Donelson, Tenn. took the 30 lap event, followed by John Whittenmeier of Nashville, Tenn. Jonathan Foster of Hartsville, Tenn., Grant Denny of Nashville, Tenn, and Chase Roberson of Hartsville, Tenn.
In the 20-lap Dwarf division race, Allen Ring of Columbia, Tenn. took the win over David Ring, William Ring, Johnny Cothren and Robert Whitley, all of Columbia. The top two cars in the division lapped the field before the race was over. In the Mini Cup division, Joseph Meyer of Mt. Juliet took the win with a one and a half track lead over the rest of the field. He was followed by George Rubright III of LaFayette, Tenn., Brandon Nicholson of Nashville, Don Wals of Murfreesboro, Tenn. and Bubba Henderson of Hendersonville, Tenn.
Dustin Hamlett won his third race in a row in the 30-lap Four-Runners division. Hamlett, who was never challenged for the lead, took off at the beginning of the race and never looked back. At the end of the race, it was Hamlett Anthony Miller of Lebanon, Tenn., Tim Faulk of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., Jeff White of Hartsville, Tenn. and David Ray of Carthage, Tenn.
After the race, Hamlett’s car was torn down because it was his third win in a row. I n the Outlaw Sportsman division, Scott Thompson of Castialian Springs, Tenn. took the lead at the start of the race and battled Anthony Walker of Nashville for the lead by lap seven. Walker took the lead on lap nine and by the end of the race was a straightaway lead ahead of Thompson to take the checkers, followed by Jimmy Schuntt of Antioch, Tenn., Derrik Bartlett of Owensboro, Ky. And Chris Damian of Hartsville, Tenn.
In the Super Stock division, Michael Hunt of Smyrna, Tenn. took the lead at the beginning of the race but was eventually forced into the pits on lap 16 due to car problems. Scott Ezell of Leoma, Tenn. took the win in the division, followed by Joe Howard of Alexandria, Tenn., Frankie Turner of Pegram, Tenn., J.J. Ferguson of Alexandria, Tenn. and Hunt.
In the final race of the night – the Enduro division, Gregg Hiett of Pleasant Shade, Tenn., was on the pole, followed by Bobby Wix of Westmoreland, Tenn., Tony Wix of Westmoreland, Tenn., Lee Howard of Alexandria, Tenn., Josh Hood of Nashville and Butch Butner of Brush Creek, Tenn. The 30-lap race will filled with cars being black flagged due to smoking and cars loose on the track, trying to hold on until the checkers. At the end of the race, Hood took the win, followed by Bobby Wix, Hiett, Tony Wix, Howard, Hood and Butner.
Racing continues next Saturday at Riverview. Racing action begins at 7 p.m. with a number of divisions – including the Super Late Models – taking to the track. |
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