Tazewell, TN-September 6, 2009- The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Graphic Impressions concluded its 2009 Triple Header Championship Weekend and season on Sunday evening at Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN and Billy Ogle, Jr. would lead all 44 laps of the Buddy Rogers Memorial event in route to the win at the Gary Hall promoted 1/3 mile super high-banked racing facility.

The win by Ogle, Jr. was his first career series win, making him the eighth different series winner in 2009 and the 57th different winner in series history. Ogle, Jr. drove the Mike Kittrell owned Calhoun Restaurants/Kilby Trucking Equipment/Grady and King Construction/Gabby’s Alternator and Battery sponsored #201 GRT Race Car, Competition Engine machine to the win.

Vic Hill of Morristown, TN would finish second in his Pilot Travel Center/Land-Air Transport sponsored GRT/Vic Hill powered unit, with Mike Weeks of Friendsville, TN taking third in the Lester Weeks owned 321 Storage/Boland Performance sponsored Trackstart/Pro Power mount. Jimmy Crabtree of Ravenna, KY would score his best career series finish in the Jesse Puckett owned Rayburn/Roush-Yates powered machine, while Chad Ogle of Seviersville, TN completed the top five in the Rick Ogle owned Brooks Builders/Sammy’s Hardware sponsored GRT/Vic Hill entry.

The remainder of the top ten in the Buddy Rogers Memorial would be David Payne, Dustin Linville, Scott Sexton, 18th starting Justin Rattliff, and Tommy Bailey. The 44 lap, $5,000 to win event would slowed by four caution flags.

The drop of the green flag for the fast-paced action would see Billy Ogle, Jr. immediately go to the race lead, followed by Bryan Hendrix, Ricky Weeks, Jason Trammell, and Chad Ogle. The front five would motor away and already begin to work slower traffic on lap 4 and Vic Hill would pressure Ogle for fifth before taking the spot on lap 6. The ultra-fast pace would be slowed on lap 11 when Aaron Hatton would see his night end in a shower of sparks at the flagstand and roll to a stop atop turn two. When racing resumed, Mike Weeks would go to second out of the Delaware double-file restart, with Vic Hill take fourth from Trammell.

Top qualifier Rick Rogers would make his way past Trammell and into the top five on lap 13 as Hill battled with Weeks for third and took third on lap 16 after a hard battle. Hill was beginning to make progress at this point and began to challenge Hendrix for the runner-up when the caution waved on lap 19 for a spin by Dennis Barton in turn one. This restart would see Hill take second from Weeks and immediately pressure Ogle, Jr. for the lead as Rogers took fourth from Hendrix one trip later on lap 20. Caution would wave again on lap 22 for a stopped Andy Wilder at the top of turn three. The restart would be a mess as Justin Rattliff, Tommy Bailey, Marty Calloway, and Dennis Barton would all end up tangling in turn four as the race was resuming and this would eventually lead to a red flag period to clear the track.

During the red flag period, the fourth and fifth place machines of Rogers and Hendrix were placed at the rear of the field for rough-driving each other during the start of the caution period. So as action resumed at the midpoint of the race, Ogle, Jr. would be the race leader, followed by Hill and Weeks, with Jimmy Crabtree and Chad Ogle now fourth and fifth. With what would be the final restart, Ogle, Jr. and Hill would pull away from the pack and attempt to settle the issue among themselves, while the trio of Weeks, Crabtree, and Ogle held secure to the third, fourth, and fifth spots. Hill would challenge Ogle, Jr. on two occasions on laps 33 and 36, but as Ogle, Jr. once again started working traffic on lap 37, it would begin to give him some breathing room and Ogle, Jr. would not be challenged again in the six circuits to take the win, followed by Hill, Weeks, Crabtree, and Ogle.

In preliminary action, Rick Rogers was the Racing Optics top qualifier with a time of 11.080 seconds among 24 entries. Heat race checkered flags went to Hendrix in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Weeks in Graphic Impressions heat two, and Ogle, Jr. in C.J. Rayburn Race Cars heat three.

Victor Lee of Danville, KY is the 2009 O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series champion and Dustin Linville of Bryantsville, KY is the 2009 O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Rookie of the Year.

The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series sanctions regional Super Late Model events at tracks in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. For more information about America’s most competitive regional racing series, visit the series webpage on the world wide web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (502) 762-1606 or (502) 931-5068.

O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Division

Tazewell Speedway-Tazewell, TN-September 6, 2009

Racing Optics Top Qualifier- Rick Rogers 11.080

Wayne Bowen Racing Supply Heat #1- Bryan Hendrix, Jason Trammell, Rick Rogers, Jimmy Crabtree, Scott Sexton, Marty Calloway, J.J. Templeton, Dennis Barton

Graphic Impressions Heat #2- Mike Weeks, Victor Lee, Vic Hill, Dustin Linville, Tommy Bailey, Travis Fultz, Brian Smith, Andy Wilder

C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Heat #3- Billy Ogle, Jr., Chad Ogle, Steve Smith, David Payne, Aaron Hatton, Justin Rattliff, Danny Yoder (DNS-Josh Fields)

Buddy Rogers Memorial 44 Finishing Order
1.201 Billy Ogle, Jr.
2.5 Vic Hill
3.22 Mike Weeks
4.88 Jimmy Crabtree
5. 10 Chad Ogle
6. 8 David Payne
7.D8 Dustin Linville
8.25 Scott Sexton
9.16 Justin Rattliff
10.11 Tommy Bailey
11.5 Bryan Hendrix
12.14 J.J. Templeton
13.44 Rick Rogers
14.35 Dennis Barton
15.90 Jason Trammell
16.7 Marty Calloway
17.2 Danny Yoder
18.3 Steve Smith
19.24 Andy Wilder
20.T0 Travis Fultz
21.11 Josh Fields
22.55 Victor Lee
23.33 Aaron Hatton
24.7 Brian Smith

Total Entries- 24

Lap Leaders- 1 (Ogle, Jr. 1-44)

Cautions- 4 (Laps 11, 19, 22, 22 restart)

Red Flags- 1 (Lap 22 restart)

PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- Justin Rattliff (started 18th-finished 9th-advanced 9 positions)

Earlier in the evening three of East Tennessee's dirt racing legends were unducted into the Tazewell Speedway Hall of Fame, Charles Trammell, H.E. Vineyard and Jim Arnwine. Charles Trammell of Knoxville had over 60 wins in the 60's and 70's and won one championship at Tazewell Speedway. Over the years he has had the pleasure of watching his son Jack Trammell win dozens of races and several championships in the area. Charles has also watched his grandson Jason find sucess in his racing career.
H.E. Vineyard of Knoxville is a 4 time Volunteer Speedway Champion and a 2007 inductee into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Throughout the 70's and into the 90's Vineyard was a favorite to win wherever he raced, collecting over 500 victories. "Mr. Tazewell Speedway" Jim Arnwine has always been a crowd favorite at The Taz in his famed number 11. Arnwine competed at the first ever race at Tazewell Speedway and earned 4 track championships and dozens of wins.

It was no surprise that the wildest action of the the night would come in the Modified Street Feature. Jody Horton of Sneedville would record a new qualifying record of 13.386 seconds and shared the front row with points leader Brad Davis. After taking the green and racing side by side into turns one and two, Horton and Davis would make contact exiting turn two. Horton's car veered down in front of Davis's and sent Horton sideways down the back stretch and head on into the inside wall, suffering heavy damage and ending Horton's night. Davis was able to continue and hold off Tony Horton and Clyde Overholt for his sixth win of the season.

Modified Street Finishing Order
1.88 Brad Davis
2.56 Tony Horton
3.24 Allen Holt
4.31 Greg Estes
5.69 Shannon Emery
6.4 Clyde Overholt
7.7 Dustin Shaver
8.M7 Mike Simpson
9.77 Chris Collinsworth
10.54 Larry Burke
11.20 Scottie Atkins
12.26 Anthony Morgan
13.9 Daniel Saylor
14.56J Jody Horton
15.33 Warren McMahan
16.P21 Donnie Petty

Kevin Smith of Barbourville passed Eddie Stewart early in the Pure Street feature and hold off his Steve Smith for his first victory of the season.

Pure Street Finishing Order
1.11 Kevin Smith
2.2 Steve Smith
3.15 jason long
4.56 Jordan Horton
5.12 Michael Daniels
6.97 Aaron Guinn'
7.C9 Cecil Stewart
8.66 Daniel Reece
9.10 Tony Spoon
10.16 Will Carey
11.22 Charles Davidson
12.Z9 Eddie Stewart
13.41 Jonathan Miracle
14.1 Brian Carpenter

Kurt Owens of Newport collected win number three of 2009 in the 4 Cylinder Feature.

4 Cylinder Finishing Order
1.7UP Kurt Owens
2.X Chuck McMahan
3.13 Scottie Frazier
4.19 Brad Pressley
5.7 Bubby Braden
6..J5 Jamie James
7.007 Hayston Collett
8.28 Justin James
9.10 Bobby Lovin

Gary Kelley of Del Rio, TN celebrated in Victory Lane as the Classic Cars made only their second feature at Tazewell Speedway

Classic Cars Finishing Order
1.18 Gary Kelley
2.6 Logan Dukes
3.007 Matt Shockley
4.51 Matt McCarter
5.8 Joe Keck
6.68 Andy Ogle
7.2 Ron Rudder
8.7 Bart Baxter
9.22 Michael Holbert
10.23 Wayne Holbert
11.17 Robbie Sands
The next race at Tazewell Speedway will be on Saturday night September 19 as we present the Modified Madness 35 which will pay $700 to win. For more information check out www.TazewellSpeedway.net