August 11, 2012 - A beautiful, East Tennessee sky greeted drivers and fans alike on a crisp, August evening. The kids, once again, were center stage with a candy and toy scramble and $1 hot dogs for all to enjoy. Cooler air, a fast, smooth race surface, and the draw inversion made up all the ingredients for a great night at the Taz. The track surface was prepped, proving to be “bad fast.” Qualifying got under way with all the drivers looking for the top spot. Tazewell Late Models taking their turn first, with several drivers in the 11 second bracket. Brian Hendrix of Powell, TN charmed the top honor with 11.576. Modified Street drivers all shooting for the fast time, came out with Jason Sizemore on top with 13.282. Four cylinders received an opportunity to run time trials in their race machines. Josh Fields won those trials with 14.421. Pure Street wrapped up qualifying events with J.J. Greene taking the pole with 14.652.
Opening ceremonies from Pizza Inn Victory Lane signaled the four cylinders to the front stretch. After the inversion was drawn, the field would remain in the original order. Josh Fields and Randy Dyke led a large group to the flag stand with the first attempt waved off. On the restart, Dyke took the point with Fields and Pressley ready to pounce. James Collett found the turn two wall, bunching up the field. The top three of Dyke, Fields, and Pressley would run nose to tail until lap 7. Fields and Pressley made the pass and began to pull away on the rest of the field. Josh Fields help off a fast Brad Pressley for the win.

Four Cylinder Results:
Position Car # Driver Name
1 11 Josh Fields
2 19 Brad Pressley
3 44J Jeromy Collins
4 B7 Bubby Braden
5 99 Chuck McMahan
6 1 Mark Wallace
7 D17 Daris Braden
8 33 Shane Taylor
9 111 Randy Dyke
10 72 Rufus Collett
11 38 James Collett Jr.
12 7UP Kurt Owens

The Modified Street class fell victim to the inversion draw. Clyde Overholt took over the pole from fast qualifier, Jason Sizemore, after the top two machines were inverted. Overholt, the trigger man, set to fire off a lightning fast pack of cars. Coming to the green, Sizemore seized the opportunity to put his ride into the top spot. The first yellow flag, caused by David Clark’s flat tire, set up the single file restart. Sizemore brought the star studded field to the green flag just before Warren McMahan overtook Tony Horton for second. On lap 10, Sizemore and McMahan took their duo duel away from the pack, setting a blistering pace. The checkered flag flew as Sizemore held off McMahan for the win with David Clark, Jordan Horton, and Robbie Buchanan rounding out the top five.

Modified Street Results:
Position Car #
1 44C Jason Sizemore
2 33 Warren McMahan
3 1 David Clark
4 56H Jordan Horton
5 P21 Robbie Buchanan
6 56 Tony Horton
7 20S James Weaver
8 55 Howie Sturgil
9 14 Clyde Overholt

Bryan Hendrix and Travis Fultz making up the front row in their lightning quick, Tazewell Late Models. Veteran racers and rookies alike watched for the chance to prove their skill as the field rolled to a green flag at the “Bad Fast Taz.” Side by side racing caused lap one to decide who would take the point. Travis Fultz in his Mopar powered T0 would find himself in front of a hard charging field. The caution on lap 9 brought about a single file restart as the field unleashed a high horsepower assault on the high banks. Jason Trammel in the third position began applying pressure to the rear of Hendrix. Fultz paced the field to the front stretch, holding off a low pass from Hendrix. On lap 25, using lap traffic for assistance, Hendrix would take over the lead from Fultz in one of the most exciting battles this season. Bryan Hendrix was the driver in front at the most important time, when the checkers dropped. Hendrix gave a salute to his dad and credit to Fultz for a great race. Hendrix was protested and refused to tear down. Fultz was awarded the win.

Late Model Results:
Position Car Driver Name
1 T0 Travis Fultz
2 90J Jason Trammell
3 51 Mack McCarter
4 56J Jody Horton
5 97 Keith Chapman
6 111 J. Allen
7 34 Phillip Shockley
8 24 Allen Holt
9 24 Andy Wilder
10 22 Matthew Holt
11 G7 Daryl Gordon
12 2 Donnie Cameron
13 19 Steve Rouse
14 OO7 Matt Shockley
15 11 Anthony Arnwine
DQ 5 Bryan Hendrix

Pure Street action rounded out the action for the night. A two car invert moved Jason Long to the pole ahead of J.J. Greene. At the green flag, Green rocketed to the lead. On lap 6, the field regrouped and a single file restarted was put in place. Green, once again, put his machine in the wind. The top four machines ran nose to tail with anyone of them within striking distance. With ten laps in the books, Jason Saylor moved into fourth putting his name in the run for the top spot. J.J. Green and Jason Long began to pull away, out of reach of the pursuing field. Greene claimed the victory over Long with Dustin Eldridge, Jason Saylor and Jonathan Miracle making up the top five.

Pure Street Results:
Position Car # Driver Name
1 12 J.J. Green
2 15 Jason Long
3 94 Dustin Eldrige
4 5 Jason Saylor
5 41 Johnathan Miracle
6 79 Jesse Wilder
7 28 Buster Cupp
8 97 Dan Hurst
9 18 Jr. Cody
10 11 Tim Stevens
11 39 Johnny Miller
12 14 Josh Smith DNS

Tazewell Speedway would like to invite you to join us next week for a regular racing program with the addition of an open wheel modified feature.