On Friday night twenty-two Crate Late Model hotshoes from all around the region gathered at the steep banks of Tazewell Speedway for round two of the United Championship Racing Alliance campaign for 2021. Local favorite Aaron Guinn of Russelville, TN was quickest in time trials with a lap of 11.851 seconds with Tazewell Speedway veteran Brian Smith of Barbourville, KY recording the second quickest time. Guinn, Smith and Mack McCarter of Gatlinburg, TN would win their respective heats races to earn the top three starting spots for the forty lap feature.
Bringing the twenty car starting field to the green, Guinn quickly took the point on his home track as Smith and McCarter jockeyed for position. By lap 15 Guinn had the tail end of the field in his sights and began plotting the moves to weave through the traffic. Using the flawless track surface Guinn was able to work the high and lows grooves yet McCarter stayed within striking distance.
With less than seven laps to go Guinn had caught up to the back bumper of the machine of Tyler Smith and was looking to put him quickly a lap in arrears. As the leaders were coming out of turn four Smith’s car would drift up right in front Guinn’s which set a pick for McCarter to dive low in turn one to take the lead. With the laps clicking down Guinn stayed right in the tracks of McCarter. Leading the rest of the way McCarter picked up the $2,500 top prize piloting the McCarter Brothers Racing, West End Package Store, Tennessee Homemade Wines, Loose Gruff II, Parkway Liquor Store, Beeman Lumber, Hoosier by Pup sponsored CVR Race Car.
UCRA Crate Late Model
- 51 Mack McCarter
- 97 Aaron Guinn
- 144 Josh Collins
- 95 Brandon Williams
- 0 Kenny Kizzar
- 7 Brian Smith
- 90 Jason Trammell
- 171 Kyle Courtney
- 32 Tyler Smith
- 317 Mike Bargo
- C7 Jason Card well
- 2 John Llewellyn
- B00 Josh Henry
- 4 Clyde Overholt
- 00 Chris Raines
- 9 Zach Side
- 11 Josh Fields
- 29 Rusty Ballenger
- 8C Jacob Owens
- 4 Michael Smith
DNS 17 Matt Melton
Also on showcase were the Sportsman Late Models in an $800 to win feature. Looking to pick up where he left off on April 3, Tazewell’s Odie Overholt turned the fastest lap in qualifying of 12.038 seconds yet would pull the two on the invert draw. This would place former Modified Street champion Robbie Buchanan on the pole of the twenty lap feature alongside Overholt.
Using the outside pole starting position to his advantage, Overholt took the lead on the back stretch on the opening circuit. Behind the leader Buchanan, Heath Alvey, Jerry Boling and Addison Cardwell, in his first ever start at Tazewell Speedway, gave chase. On the sixth lap Alvey squeezed his way past Buchanan for second and threw out the line to try and reel in Overholt. Diving low in the turns Alvey used everything he had to take away the lead.
A caution with three laps to go would give the leaders a chance to reset and bunch up the field. Overholt would hold off Alvey in the closing laps for his second win of the season and third in a row going back to last season’s finale driving the Petty’s Wrecker Service, Wallace Auto Sales, Bailey Body Shop, Clyde Overholt Racing, Pizza Inn of New Tazewell, Tazewell Drug & Express Care, Tim Fletcher Heating & Cooling, The Realty Group-Debbie Fields, Tolliver Tree Service sponsored, Phantom Race Engine powered Rayburn Race Car.
Sportsman
- 14 Odie Overholt
- 7 Heath Alvey
- 5 Jerry Boling
- 07 Addison Cardwell
- 52 Troy Eads
- 13 Robbie Buchanan
- 12 Matt Shockley
- 76 Joe Bray
- 50 Jonathan Miracle
- 00 Chris Raines
- 000 Greg Goins
- 24 Andy Wilder
- 43 Harve Gregory
- 115 Wade Howerton
- 22B Tyson Britt
- 17 Logan Seal
- 28J Justin James
- 28 Richard Cox
DNS 21 Bryan Howerton
In Modified Street action, Morristown’s Gary Blanken would post the fastest lap in qualifying of 12.425 seconds yet would pull the four on the invert draw. This would put Tyler Haynes and Kurt Owens on the front row of the twenty lap, $500 to win feature. Using the preferred outside line Owen would take the point on the first lap as Blanken and Buchanan shoved their way into second and third. In one of the most exciting racing of the night the top three battled hard for the lead in the opening laps. On lap ten Blanken peeked inside Owens in turn four and would muscle his way into the lead on the following lap. Buchanan would also work his way past Owens to take way second place. With Buchanan hounding him in the closing laps Blanken used his years of racing experience to power his way to the win in the BNB Tool, David’s Machine Shop, FK Rod Ends sponsored Monte Carlo.
Modified Street
- 05 Gary Blanken
- 13 David Clark
- 44 McKenlee Hall
- 10 Colby Long
- 14 Kurt Owens
- XP21 Brad Davis
- P21 Jonathan Miracle
- 21H Tyler Haynes
Jesse Hickman would turn fast time in Classic Car time trials and pull the one on the invert draw to earn the pole for the $500 to win feature. On the opening lap Hickman would get into a three-wide tussle for the lead with Will Carey and Josh Chesney. Going into the third turn Carey would take the lead with Chesney falling into second.
Throughout the feature the top three stayed under a blanket until lap fifteen when Chesney and Hickman would tangle in turn one. Both cars would go to the tail of the field with Chesney clawing his way back through the field. Carey would go flag-to-flag for his first win of the season in the Smith’s Diesel Performance & Repair, Cars Etc, Consider It Done Handyman Services, Loyston Mafia sponsored coupe.
Classic Car
- 16 Will Carey
- XXX Josh Chesney
- 88 Richie Overholser
- 5 Jason Saylor
- 11 Tim Bounds
- 86 Rusty Welch
- 8 Eli Keck
- 69 Jesse Hickman
- 18 Joe Keck
- 3E David Brogdon
- 78 Quincy Arnwine
- 52 Kevin Crane
DNS 7 John Stevens
Knoxville’s Derik Duggan turned the quickest lap in 4 Cylinder qualifying and drew the pole for the twenty lap feature alongside Hayston Collett. With the flash of the green flag Duggan and Hayston began the battle for the lead. Collett would take the lead on the back stretch with Duggan and Chad Manning giving hot pursuit. On lap ten Duggan pulled even with Collett as they drag raced down the front stretch and they would continue the hard racing in the latter half of the race.
With the white flag waving in the air Duggan mounted one last challenge for the win. Going into turn three the Collett and Duggan would make heavy contact yet both drivers managed to keep control. Collett would take the checkered flag yet a post race inspection found an improper engine part and his car was disqualified. This would give the win to Duggan in the Turpin’s Auto Repair & Wrecker Service, Double H Racing Fabrication, Shorty’s Shock Service, MRT Logging, Full Moon Graphics, Bob-Mart sponsored Mustang.
4 Cylinder
- 5 Derik Duggan
- 99 Chuck McMahan
- 111 Chad Manning
- 40 Tommy Cameron
- 5 Robert Fox
- 13 Terry Boshears
- 70 Greg Everhart
- 2 Bryan Campbell
- 18 Damien Holt
DNS 4 Jacob Callebs
DNS 6 Phillip Gerding
DNS 1 Mark Dalton
DQ’d after protest 21 Hayston Collett
Logan Cobb of Mohawk, TN picked up his first of the season in the Street Stock feature. The win didn’t come easy as he had to battle a hard charging James Weaver and Austin Atkins in the opening laps. Cobb wheeled the Dough Boy’s Graphics sponsored Monte Carlo.
Street Stock
- C4 Logan Cobb
- 14 Austin Atkins
- 20S James Weaver
- 1 Jamie Whitt
- 26 Zach Campbell
- 51 Brett Cupp
- 77B Bradley Bean
