Vance County Friday Night Football On-Air Schedule

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WIZS will provide double coverage of tonight’s Vance County Friday Night Football matchups.

Both the Raiders and the Vikings are at home this week. Southern takes on Bartlett Yancey High School out of Caswell County. Northern defends home against an old southern rival in Franklinton.

The pregame broadcast begins at 6:45 with the kickoff of both games set for 7:00. WIZS provides the broadcast over the airwaves of 1450 AM, as well as online at WIZS.com and the free TuneIn Radio App.

This season’s broadcast schedule is below. Please tell a friend, like and share on Facebook and re-tweet on Twitter! The links to share on social media are just below the schedule.

Oxford Prep Women’s Golf participates in Inaugural Match

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The OPS Griffins Women’s golf team began their inaugural season yesterday 8/17 with a conference match at Henderson Country Club. Conference schools in attendance were Oxford Prep, Falls Lake, Voyager Academy, East Wake Academy and Franklin Academy. Kerr-Vance Academy also joined the NCAC for yesterdays match.

In team competition for the match KVA took 1st with a 161, followed by Falls Lake in second with 181, and East Wake Academy in 3rd with 188.

Hannah Brewer was the top scorer for OPS with a 66, followed by Jadyn Cooper with a 70. Rorie Brewer and Jordan Jones both had a 72.

 

Rick Kenner, M.A.A.Ed.

 

SSG (Ret), US Army

NIAAA Registered Athletic Administrator

NFHS Certified Interscholastic Coach

Visual Art Instructor

 

Oxford Preparatory School

6041 Landis Rd

Oxford, NC, 27565

Steven Wallace and Deac McCaskill take home Mid-Atlantic Classic

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ROUGEMONT, NC (July 23, 2017) – Steve Wallace made the most of a late-race restart to muscle Bubba Pollard out of the way and fend off Matt Craig’s aggressive advances in the final two laps of Saturday night’s inaugural Mid-Atlantic Classic at Orange County Speedway, a $10,000-to-win event which drew a near-capacity crowd to the track outside of Durham, N.C., despite heat indexes above 100 degrees. Deac McCaskill dominated the late model stock portion of the event, a 100-lap dash to checkered which preceded the super late model feature.

LATE MODEL STOCK RECAP

Josh Berry blistered the Orange County Speedway for yet another Hedgecock Racing Pole Award and earned the right to lead the field to the green flag for the 100-lap late model stock car race.

No sooner than the race began, chaos ensued when Stefan Parsons and Tommy Lemons, Jr., got together in turn three on lap 8, bringing out the first caution of the night. Parsons and Lemons continued while Terry Dease was eliminated from the race due to crash damage.

Six laps later, a multi-car incident in turn three sparked by contact between Chris Denny and Ryan Repko eliminated Denny and Chris Davis while damaging the ride of Brandon Grosso.

After the last early-race restart, McCaskill motored around Berry and began to pull away from the field. During the mid-race run, Ronald Hill clawed his way to the front in the best run of his CARS Tour career and began to close in on McCaskill for the race lead.

McCaskill began to pull away from the field until lap 91 when Stefan Parsons and Ty Gibbs were involved in the scariest incident of the night. The pair made contact on the exit of turn two while racing inside the top ten and the aftermath sent Gibbs onto his roof, sliding the length of the backstretch in a shower of sparks and ultimately bursting into flames once the car came to a stop. Gibbs emerged from the accident unscathed. 

With nine laps to go, McCaskill was forced to fend off Ronald Hill on a restart, a task he handled with precision. As he pulled away to his fourth career CARS Late Model Stock Tour win, Hill dealt handily with Berry, Jared Fryar and Layne Riggs as he led them across the line to complete the top five.

“We had such a great racecar, and it kept getting better,” a clearly exhausted McCaskill said in Edelbrock Victory Lane. “It started to get a little tight in one and two, but I just had to back my corner up. We just had killer drive off tonight. I just can’t thank my guys for all their hard work yesterday when we got the car driving good, but it seemed like we worked on it more today to try to get the drive off the corner and it paid off. We’ve been working our butts off on this car, and we’ve been off and I haven’t been my normal self, but this race is special. I grew up racing here and learned from a lot of those guys. I think it’s been 2003 since I’ve won a late model stock race here.

“Ronald’s a tough guy and he’s hungry, he’s definitely hungry for a win” he continued when asked about his earlier days where he raced Hill and his father, among others, during weekly shows at the track. “We were up there talking about our age earlier, but this was a good run for him here with his hometown crowd, and he needed this living just a few miles from here. We really appreciate the CARS Tour and all these fans coming out, what a great turnout with all this hot weather.”

SUPER LATE MODEL RECAP

After winning his first career super late model race at Orange County a month ago, Cole Rouse picked up where he left off by winning the Mahle Pistons Pole Award in qualifying, placing him on the front row with Brandon Setzer for the start of the super late model race. In a new, unique format to super late model racing, the event was scheduled with four varying-length stages with breaks in between for adjustments and pit stops.

Rouse easily led the opening 35-lap segment from start to finish, but his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Christopher Bell was not so lucky. Racing with Brandon Setzer for third, Bell and Setzer made minor contact in turn three, sending Bell’s No. 4 into a spin which resulted in contact with the outside wall. Though able to continue, he was not a factor the rest of the night.

Rouse shot out to the lead once again in stage two until Stephen Nasse lost control of his car on the frontstretch and pounded the outside wall. On the ensuring restart, Rouse spun the tires and stacked up the field, giving Bubba Pollard the opportunity to lead for the first time on the night. Pollard held the top spot until the lap 100 break, earning an extra $500 for the mid-race stage win.

The vast majority of the field took tires during the lap 100 break to prepare them for the 50-lap dash to the finish. Those who took fewer tires started ahead of those who more, leaving Jeff Batten (none) and Tate Fogleman (two) on the front row. Chase Purdy and Brandon Setzer took three tires and restarted in row two ahead of a plethora of others who bolted on four sticker Hoosiers.

Fogleman quickly rocketed to the lead but it was short-lived when Bubba Pollard reeled in the No. 8 Ford and reassumed command of the race on lap 110. Pollard continued to set the pace handily over Steve Wallace who finished the penultimate stage in second prior to the final break on lap 135.

On the restart, Pollard nearly missed his turn-in point in the first corner, allowing Wallace and others to challenge for the lead, but he quickly gathered himself to begin pulling away for what appeared to be a $10,000 payday until a last-lap caution slowed the field prior to the checkered flag. Per CARS Tour rules, the entire field must take the white flag for the race to complete and a small handful of cars had not when Kodie Conner and Lucas Jones tangled in turn one to facilitate the final caution period of the night.

With two laps remaining, Pollard gave Steve Wallace the bottom lane into turn one and Wallace took full advantage of it. Pollard turned into the first turn early, making minor contact with Wallace, sending Pollard’s car up the hill and opening the door for Wallace, Matt Craig and others to shuffle around the Georgian as the field came to the white flag. Craig made a last-corner desperation attempt to steal the lead in turn three, door-slamming Wallace and sending both cars into a slide, but the No. 66 Ford of Wallace won the drag race to the checkered flag and the richest payday in CARS Tour history ahead of Craig, Rouse, Spencer Davis and Pollard.

“That was good, hard racing, man,” an exhausted and overheated Steve Wallace said in Edelbrock Victory Lane. “Me and Bubba have raced really hard over the last few years, but it is what it is, it’s a big win, we’re racing for 10,000 bucks right here. It just feels good to win. These Jet Tools guys work so hard, and it’s just me at the race shop, and we dig as hard as we can. All these boys come in and work their tails off for me, and we couldn’t do it without Jeff Fultz and Fury Racecars, they built me one hell of a machine. I’ve raced my whole life and never been this hot. It was scorching out there, but we won the race, and we sure as hell are going to win the party, I’ll promise you that. 

“I like Bubba, he’s a really good friend of mine, but I came here with all the friends I need and I’m going home with ’em too and I ain’t worried about it,” he continued when asked about recent scuttlebutt from Pollard on the way he has been raced across the country. “That’s just racing, man. All these fans paid a good amount of money to come see this race and I feel like we gave ’em one hell of a show tonight.”

The CARS Tour visits Hickory Motor Speedway for the inaugural Throwback 276 on August 5, an event featuring over two dozen throwback-themed paint schemes and at least a half-dozen NASCAR legends including Ned Jarrett, Waddell Wilson, Harry Gant, Robert Pressley, Robert Huffman and Jack Ingram. Fans are encouraged to don their own throwback attire for the race, a tribute to short track racing’s past by the stars of the future.

For more information on the CARS Tour, visit their website at www.carsracingtour.com. Fresh content and updates can also be found on the series Facebook page (@carstour), Twitter (@carstour), Instagram (@cars_tour), Snapchat (@carstour) and YouTube channel (/carstour). The series Roku app is also available for installation to see live and on-demand events by following the instructions available at www.carstour.tv.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

–          How popular was the race at Orange County in its inaugural format? Series officials pushed the start of the event back 15 minutes to accommodate the exceptionally long line at the ticket gate. Fans continued to fill the facility even after the green flag, reiterating the quality show they have come to expect from the series at Orange County.

–          With only three races remaining, the late model stock title fight drew even closer at Orange County. Unofficially, Layne Riggs, Anthony Alfredo and Josh Berry are separated by a mere 6 point margin heading into the Throwback 276. Alfredo won both duels at Hickory earlier this season despite a dominant performance by teammate Berry early.

–          The upcoming Throwback 276 has already had a number of schemes revealed including liveries paying tribute to the early careers of Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Richard Petty, Alan Kulwicki and more. A number of other regionally and nationally-famous schemes will be unveiled in the weeks leading up to the event.

 

THE FINISHES:

CARS Late Model Stock Tour
Mid-Atlantic Classic
Orange County Speedway – July 22, 2017

POS        NUM     DRIVER LAPS      REASON OUT
1.            08           Deac McCaskill  100
2.            74           Ronald Hill           100
3.            88b         Josh Berry           100
4.            81           Jared Fryar          100
5.            99           Layne Riggs         100
6.            8             Anthony Alfredo 100
7.            14           Ryan Repko        100
8.            32           Brandon Grosso 100
9.            28           Chris Hudspeth 100
10.          2              Myatt Snider      100
11.          98           Stefan Parsons  91           Accident
12.          18           Ty Gibbs               91           Accident
13.          44           Justin Johnson  60           Mechanical
14.          61           Justin Hicks         53           Mechanical
15.          42           Tommy Lemons 53           Mechanical
16.          1              Craig Moore       16           Mechanical
17.          2d           Chris Denny        14           Accident
18.          88           Chris Davis          14           Accident
19.          06           Terry Dease        8              Accident
CARS Super Late Model Tour
Mid-Atlantic Classic
Orange County Speedway – July 22, 2017

POS        NUM     DRIVER LAPS      REASON OUT
1.            66           Steve Wallace    151
2.            54           Matt Craig           151
3.            51           Cole Rouse         151
4.            55           Spencer Davis    151
5.            26           Bubba Pollard    151
6.            8              Tate Fogleman  151
7.            97           Chase Purdy       151
8.            6W         Matt Wallace     151
9.            99           Raphael Lessard 151
10.          49           Jeff Batten          151
11.          34           Nolan Pope        151
12.          4              Christopher Bell 151
13.          37           Mike Speeney   151
14.          16           Lucas Jones        149         Accident
15.          45           Kodie Conner     149         Accident
16.          5              Trevor Noles      147         Mechanical
17.          6              Brandon Setzer 131         Mechanical
18.          51N        Stephen Nasse  74            Accident
19.          118         Bradley McCaskill 61       Mechanical
20.          98           Jody Measmer  56           Mechanical
21.          28           Jared Irvan          10           Engine

Article Via CarsRacingTour.com

Photos by Jeremy Tyndall

Florida State Leads ACC Football Preseason Poll

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Florida State is the preseason favorite to claim the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, according to a poll of 167 media members held in conjunction with last week’s 2017 ACC Football Kickoff.

The Seminoles, who posted a 10-3 overall record last season and defeated Michigan in the Capital One Orange Bowl, are also picked to capture the Atlantic Division, while Miami received the nod as the likely Coastal Division winner.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville was chosen to repeat as ACC Player of the Year after a record-setting 2016 campaign in which he averaged 393.4 yards per game of total offense and accounted for 51 touchdowns, both ACC single-season records. His 1,571 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns were also ACC records for a quarterback.

Jackson, a rising junior from Pompano Beach, Florida, who is the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy, also was named the 2016 National College Football Player of the Year by the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp, the Sporting News and CBS Sports.

Florida State was named the likely 2017 ACC champions on 118 ballots, followed by defending national champion and two-time defending ACC champion Clemson with 35 votes. Louisville received seven votes, followed by Virginia Tech and Miami with three each and Duke with one.

In the Atlantic Division preseason voting, Florida State led the way with 121 first-place votes and 1,108 total points. Clemson followed with 37 first-place votes and 1,007 points, while Louisville received nine first-place votes and checked in with 843 total points.

NC State (658 total points) was tabbed for a fourth-place Atlantic Division finish, followed by Wake Forest (415), Syracuse (362) and Boston College (283).

Miami, beginning its second season under head coach Mark Richt, was selected the likely Coastal Division winner by 103 voters and amassed 1,065 total points. Defending division champion Virginia Tech followed with 40 first-place votes and 932 points. Georgia Tech placed third with nine first-place votes and 708 points.

Pitt (seven first-place votes) totaled 673 points, followed by North Carolina (four first-place votes) at 606, Duke (four first-place votes) at 473 and Virginia at 219.

The Atlantic and Coastal Division winners will meet in the 2017 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 2, at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. If this year’s media predictions prove correct, it will be a first-ever title game matchup of teams from the Sunshine State and a rematch of an early regular-season showdown. The Seminoles and Hurricanes meet in Tallahassee on September 16.

Florida State owns 15 ACC championships since joining the league in 1992, just behind leader Clemson’s 16 conference crowns. Head coach Jimbo Fisher will welcome back 20 starters this season, including talented sophomore quarterback Deondre Francois and a deep defensive secondary led by Tavarus McFadden, Nate Andrews and Derwin James, a redshirt sophomore who returns after being sidelined by a knee injury in the second game of last season.

Louisville’s Jackson led the preseason ACC Player of the Year balloting with 113 votes, while Florida State’s Francois was listed on 23 ballots and Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins on 11.

Boston College defensive end Harold Landry received eight ACC Preseason Player of the Year votes, followed by NC State all-purpose standout Jaylen Samuels with seven and Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey with two. Miami linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, Miami wide receiver Ahmmon Richards and Duke quarterback Daniel Jones each received one vote.

 

ACC Championship

  1. Florida State – 118
  2. Clemson – 35
  3. Louisville – 7

4-t. Virginia Tech – 3

4-t. Miami – 3

  1. Duke – 1

 

Atlantic Division  

(First place votes in parenthesis)                  

  1. Florida State (121) – 1,108
  2. Clemson (37) – 1,007
  3. Louisville (9) – 843
  4. NC State – 658
  5. Wake Forest – 415
  6. Syracuse  – 362
  7. Boston College – 283

 

Coastal Division

(First place votes in parenthesis)                  

  1. Miami (103) – 1,065
  2. Virginia Tech (40) – 932
  3. Georgia Tech (9) – 708
  4. Pitt (7) – 673
  5. North Carolina (4) – 606
  6. Duke (4) -473
  7. Virginia -219

 

ACC Player of the Year

  1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville – 113
  2. Deondre Francois, QB, Florida State – 23
  3. Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson – 11
  4. Harold Landry, DE, Boston College – 8
  5. Jaylen Samuels, AP, NC State – 7
  6. Eric Dungey, QB, Syracuse – 2

7-t. Shaquille Quarterman, LB, Miami – 1

7-t. Ahmmon Richards, WR, Miami – 1

7-t. Daniel Jones, QB, Duke – 1

Gullie slips as Dease goes back to back at Orange County

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by Jim Cribbs

Photos by Jeremy Tyndall

Kid’s Bike Race Night, Orange County Speedway, July 8 & 9

Thanks to the weather, Kid’s Bike Race Night on Saturday became a two-day affair, concluding Sunday afternoon. Only the Grand American Modifieds  (and the kids on bicycles) completed their scheduled racing, thus did not return on Sunday. The remaining divisions, minus a few drivers on day 2, competed both days.

The Late Model Stock two-day 75 lap race was a heartbreaker for more than one driver.  But for Terry Dease it was a welcome, but somewhat surprising, second consecutive win.  Camden Gullie, who had the lead in front of Dease with four laps remaining, appeared to be headed to his first ever OCS win.  His car suddenly got sideways out of turn four, letting Dease out front for good, and leaving a disappointed Gullie with a second place finish.  Daniel Moss settled for third.  Another victim of hard luck, but hard racing, Chuck Lawson took the fourth place spot, almost forty laps in arrears.  The cars of Chris Denny, Saturday’s pole winner, (94.937 mph, 14.220 sec) and newcomer Brad Kurth were unable to return on Sunday but were credited with a fifth and sixth place finish respectively, with only twelve laps completed.

When the rain put a stop to Late Model Stock competition, Lawson held the lead, having stolen it from Denny at the start of the race.  Kurth was in second after a daring pass by Denny while Dease held the fourth place spot.  When the green flag fell for the Sunday restart, it was Lawson, Dease, Moss and Gullie first through fourth in that order.  After more than 20 laps of intense side by side racing between Lawson and Dease, not to mention Moss and Gullie, Lawson’s luck turned on him.  Coming out of turn four, determined to keep Dease behind him, Lawson slammed up against the front stretch wall, putting him out of the race thirty-six laps in.  The rest, as they say, is history.

In the first of twin 20 lap races for the Limited Sportsman drivers, Boo Boo Dalton, truly the class of the field, ran uncontested green to checkered to take the win.  Daryl Carver, winner of three consecutive races, was the top qualifier but his repeated success relegated him to a 6th place start per race officials. Carver still worked his way back to third at the finish with the car of Gary Young Jr sandwiched between those two for second.  Brent Evans took the fourth spot and Richard Hayden ended up fifth.

On day 2, race 2 for Limiteds, Dalton was required to draw his starting position, having won race 1. That unlucky pick landed him way back in sixth for the green flag.  Not a problem for the 2016 Limited division champ.  Lining up first through fifth were the cars of Hayden, Evans, Carver, Austin Purnell and Corey Purnell.  Tracey Chambers started behind Dalton in seventh.  A dizzy second lap saw Chambers lose control and spin her car out of turn four while Hayden and Carver did their own pirouette out of one, bringing out the caution.  By that time, Dalton had worked his way to second and, at the restart, proceeded to dominate the race for his second consecutive win.  Evans collected second, followed by Carver in third and Hayden in fourth. Chambers took a hard-fought fifth place finish from Corey Purnell.  Austin Purnell finished behind those two in seventh.

Pure Stock cars competed in twin 15 lappers with pole-sitter Danny Winstead leading from start to finish for the win in the first one.  Despite missing the last few races, Chase Sandefur qualified second and finished there.  Bobby Clayton, after taking the green in fifth, took the third finishing spot while Brandon Watson piloted his machine to fourth, right where he qualified.  Trevor Winstead, son of 2016 division winner Danny, occupied fifth at the checkered.  Finishing sixth through ninth in the mainly single file event were the cars of Jamie Kerr, Taylor Tolar, Lonnie Glosson and Thomas Penny in that order.

Per track rules, the winner of race one was required to draw for starting position in race two, placing Danny Winstead in the fourth place spot at the green flag. Inverted from the first race, Brandon Watson started out front, Clayton beside him and Sandefur beside Danny in the second row.  At the start, something broke in Clayton’s right front suspension, putting him out of the race and bringing out the caution.  On the next restart, the car of Glosson inexplicably slammed the inside turn one wall, ending his day and bringing out another caution.  On the ensuing restart, recently married Sandefur held the top spot with Watson to his outside.  Trevor lined up beside his dad Danny in row two.  At the checkered, it was Watson taking the win, Sandefur finishing second once again and Trevor beating dad for third.  Danny, apparently having used up his car a little the night before, held on for a fourth-place finish.  Jared Gillis, absent from race one, took fifth, followed by the cars of Kerr, Penny, Glosson and Clayton, sixth through ninth.

No surprise, John Comstock was the fastest qualifier as usual for the Hill’s Complete Carpet Care Super Mini-Trucks 20 lap race.  However, he did not finish there. Outnumbered by the rest of the field, who all happened to have the last name Martin, Comstock had to settle for third at the checkered.  Jeffrey Martin outdueled second place finisher Kiser Martin for the win.  Another Martin, Wesley came home in fourth with family members Dalton and Scott occupying fifth and sixth respectively. Comstock’s finish was the result of a missed shift on the restart and a bump from the truck of Wesley Martin. That sent Comstock’s truck for a spin down the front stretch half way through the race.

Quality Collision Solutions of Graham Grand American Modified division planned to run 35 laps but it was not to be.  A big pile-up on lap 15 resulted in only two cars out of seven running at the end of the shortened 18 lap race.  Todd Massey took the photo finish win from points leader Richard Thomas.  Remarkably, Massey was able to restart his car after being involved in the turn two crash that appeared to leave only the car of Thomas on track and ready to finish the race.  Finishing third through fifth three laps down, victims of the turn two crash, were Dillon Harville, winner of the last race, John Barilka and Michael Roney. One lap behind the crash victims, and apparently the cause of the crash after a radiator hose blew, was OCS first-timer, Eddie Gibson.  Another OCS newbie, Rich Kilmarchuk, completed five laps and finished seventh.

Kenneth Smith grabbed his second consecutive win in the Carolina Collector Auto Fest Vintage Sportsman race.

Mike Bledsole Mechanical Heating & Air Late Model Stock 75 laps

1) Terry Dease

2) Camden Gullie

3) Daniel Moss

4) Chuck Lawson

5) Chris Denny

6) Brad Kurth

Limited Sportsman 20 laps, Race 1

1)  Ross “Boo Boo” Dalton

2) Gary Young Jr.

3) Daryl Carver

4) Brent Evans

5) Richard Hayden

6) Gage Painter

7) Holden Kurth

8) Austin Purnell

9) Corey Purnell

10) Tracey Chambers

11) Jerry Hinesley

Limited Sportsman 20 laps, Race 2

1) Ross “Boo Boo” Dalton

2) Brent Evans Jr.

3) Daryl Carver

4) Richard Hayden

5) Tracey Chambers

6) Corey Purnell

7) Austin Purnell

Pure Stock 15 laps, Race 1

1) Danny Winstead

2) Chase Sandefur

3) Bobby Clayton

4) Brandon Watson

5) Trevor Winstead

6) Jamie Kerr

7) Taylor Tolar

8) Lonnie Glosson

9) Thomas Penny

Pure Stock 15 laps, Race 2

1) Brandon Watson

2) Chase Sandefur

3) Trevor Winstead

4) Danny Winstead

5) Jared Gillis

6) Jamie Kerr

7) Thomas Penny

8) Lonnie Glosson

9) Bobby Clayton

Hill’s Complete Carpet Care Super Mini-Trucks 20 laps

1) Jeffrey Martin

2) Kiser Martin

3) John Comstock

4) Wesley Martin

6) Dalton Martin

7) Scott Martin

Quality Collision Solutions Grand American Modifieds 16 laps

1) Todd Massey

2) Richard Thomas

3) Dillon Harville

4) John Barilka

5) Michael Roney

Carolina Collector Auto Fest Vintage Sportsman, 10 laps

1) Kenneth Smith

2) Jacob Clayton

3) Paul Blalock

Cars Tour Gearing up for visits to Orange County Speedway

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Mooresville, NC 6/13/17- Just prior to the CARS Tour first race of 2017 at Orange County Speedway on June 24th, the series is proud to announce the format for the $10,000 to win Mid Atlantic Classic on July 22nd. The major event at North Carolina’s fastest 3/8th mile track will feature 100 green flag laps for Late Model Stocks and 150 green flag laps with four different segments for the Super Late Models. The first three segments will pay $500 to win with the final segment paying $10,000.

The inaugural Puryear Tank Lines-Thrifty Tire Centers “Mid Atlantic Classic” pres. by The Grilling Store will award $10,000 to the winner and a minimum of $1,000 to each competitor taking the green flag. Along the way each segment will pay $500 to win on lap 35, 100, and 135. The eight tire optional race will allow competitors a choice to change zero, one, two, three, or four tires under a five minute break period, before being lined up in position based on their strategic tire change choice. In addition, the winners of each segment will be awarded a guaranteed top eight starting position in the final fifteen lap segment to the finish, with the exact positioning to be determined by tires taken.

“I love this format and how it creates strategy and choice for the race teams. It’s very similar to what they use to do at SpeedFest, down in Cordele, for those that were familiar with that format. The only difference is we are creating the opportunity to make that tire change at the conclusion of each segment,” explained Chris Ragle, CARS Tour Series Director. “I think this format creates hard racing early rather than just at the end. A driver could easily win the first segment settle in and make a strategic tire move to battle for the win. The winning move could be winning that first segment. Another plus for Super Late Model competitors is the only thing that increased is the entry by $50, that’s it. Everything else is the same as a normal event. If that’s not value, and big money bang for your buck I don’t know what is!”

The CARS Tour will host a 150 lap tune up race at Orange County Speedway on Saturday June 24th in Rougemont, North Carolina for Late Model Stock and Super Late Models leading up to the big event. Entry forms, event schedule, and advance ticket purchase for the Puryear Tank Lines-Thrifty Tire Centers “Mid Atlantic Classic” pres. by The Grilling Store are available at www.carsracingtour.com. Tickets are $17 in advance and $25 at the gate for this major event.

Shumate Named Next Voice of the Duke Blue Devils

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DURHAM, N.C. – David Shumate has been named the Director of Broadcasting for the Blue Devil IMG Sports Network and will serve as the play-by-play voice for Duke football and men’s basketball games, announced on Monday by Pat Streko, General Manager of Duke’s IMG property.

Behind the microphone, Shumate replaces Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Harris, who retired in March following 41 years as the Voice of the Blue Devils.

“I am extremely thankful for this incredible opportunity as I’ve admired and respected the Duke brand from afar for many, many years and could not be more excited to join two championship caliber programs,” Shumate said.  “I will strive to represent Duke University and IMG in the same manner as the legendary Bob Harris – his legacy as the Voice of the Blue Devils is unrivaled and I’m humbled to follow him.  I’m grateful to Pat Streko of IMG and Dr. White, Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Krzyzewski at Duke for their support and I can’t wait to get to work.” 

A native North Carolinian, Shumate spent the last five years as IMG’s Director of Audio Operations.  His broadcasting experience includes play-by-play duties for the Mid-American Conference championship football game (2010-16), SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament (2011-17) and SEC Baseball Tournament (2013-17).

Shumate, who also has handled basketball play-by-play responsibilities for Auburn, Connecticut, Duke, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Washington and West Virginia, graduated from Appalachian State University in 2006 with a bachelor of science degree in communication with a concentration in electric media and broadcasting.

“Our search to replace Bob Harris brought many excellent candidates into the fold, and David’s lengthy list of attributes placed him at the top,” Streko said.  “We are confident Duke fans worldwide will come to admire and enjoy David’s broadcasting style as he shares his view with great passion and poise.  We are absolutely thrilled about David joining the Blue Devil IMG Sports Network.”

Shumate will begin his duties on July 1.  Duke opens the 2017 gridiron season on Saturday, September 2 at home against N.C. Central.

Radio broadcasts on the Blue Devil IMG Sports Network can be heard on a network of stations across the state of North Carolina, on GoDuke.com and TuneIn Radio.  A complete listing of network affiliates may be found on GoDuke.com.

“To be sure, David Shumate will be a terrific addition to the Duke radio broadcasts. We lost a legend when Bob Harris retired from his position after more than four decades of brilliant service to Duke. We believe David can provide the same acute insight and unwavering integrity that Duke fans have come to expect, while providing his own unique voice and perspective to the broadcasts. This is an outstanding hire, and one that will benefit Duke student-athletes, coaches and fans alike for years to come!”

— Dr. Kevin White, Vice President and Director of Athletics, Duke University

“All Duke fans are in for a treat with David Shumate calling the action as his demeanor, consistency and passion will easily translate over the airwaves.  We could not be more thrilled to have David join the Blue Devil family – I am confident he will represent Duke with the highest level of professionalism and integrity.  We’ve made a home run hire.”

— David Cutcliffe, Head Football Coach, Duke University

“We are excited that David Shumate is joining the Duke family.  His tireless work ethic, abundant humility and professional patience have led him to this point. We know of his outstanding work first hand, and look forward a long relationship developing between our fans and David as he brings the games to life to those following Duke across the country. We’re confident they’ll like what they hear. And we know, as a basketball program, that we’re going to enjoy working closely with David on a daily basis.”

— Mike Krzyzewski, Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Duke University

Oxford’s Terry Dease Scores First Win Since 2014 at Orange County Speedway

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by Jim Cribbs

An eery, orange full moon hanging above the turn one fence may have been prophetic as quite a bit of trouble for the drivers occurred in that turn.  Before the night’s racing began, what looked to be hundreds of kids got a thrill when all the drivers, loaded with several kids in each car, made a few easy laps around the track on Kids Ride Along Night at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont Saturday night.  After that, six racing divisions provided plenty of short track action.

When the checkered flag flew at end of the Mike Bledsole Mechanical Heating & Air Late Model Stock 75 lap race, the 2016 Track Champion for that division, Terry Dease, had his first win of the season and his first since the 2014 season.

At the start of the race, Chris Denny was on the pole as the fastest qualifier (14.414 sec, 93.659 mph) and Chuck Lawson was to his outside.  Dease was the third place starter with Daniel Moss beside him.  Starting fifth was the car of Stefan Parsons, son of former NASCAR racer Phil Parsons, and Camden Gullie was beside him.  Jonathan Hall took the green behind those two.  When the race was complete, it was Dease out front, followed by Parsons in second.  Denny had to settle for a third place finish, Moss was fourth and Hall came in fifth.  Taking sixth was Gullie and Lawson, the victim of motor problems 33 laps in, settled for seventh.

 

Before the field could get to turn one, Lawson snatched the lead from Denny and looked to be in a class of his own.  Fate would not see it that way as his car slowed drastically near the halfway point, then regained speed, only to drop back again and eventually retiring from the race with a smoking machine.  With Dease in the lead, caution on lap 38 brought the field back together.

 

On the restart, it was the cars of Dease, Denny, Parsons and Moss, first through fifth respectively.  Parsons made quick work of Denny, getting by him before that lap was complete.  However, it didn’t stay that way with Moss battling side by side with either Parsons or Denny for second place throughout the rest of the race.

 

Starting on the pole for the second time this season proved to be the charm for Daryl Carver in 35 laps of Limited Sportsman racing as he picked up his second consecutive win.  Brent Evans, the second place starter, finished in that spot.  The third and fourth place starters, Barry Beggarly, Jr and Gage Painter respectively, decided to change spots for the finish.  Painter, who hails from Statesville and was competing in his first OCS race, drove the number 12 car.  His nickname is 12 gauge and remarkably, he’s only twelve years old.

Back in the pack could have arguably been the best racing of the night as fifth place starter Tracey Chambers first defended charges by the car of Gary Young, Jr, who started seventh, and appeared to run Chambers up the track in turn 4 to take that spot fourteen laps in. A few laps later, Jerry Hinesley, from a sixth place start, did some fender rubbing with the car of Richard Hayden, who began the race behind him.  Hinesley, apparently suffering mechanical woes, left the race six laps from the end, finishing 10th.  At the finish, it was Chambers taking fifth after some contact with Hayden, who finished behind her.  The cars of Austin Purnell and Corey Purnell settled for seventh and eighth.

 

In the third start of his career and after inheriting the first place starting spot, Taylor Tolar improved on his fourth place finish a couple of weeks ago, earning his first win in the 25 lap Pure Stock event.  Danny Winstead was the fastest qualifier but was required to start sixth, the result of two consecutive wins this year.  He looked to have a third straight win until faltering on a lap 15 restart and getting a not-so gentle push from the front bumper of third place starter Bobby Clayton, spinning Winstead’s car into the first turn wall and out of the race for a sixth place finish.  Clayton ended up finishing in third with Jamie Kerr, who started behind Clayton, getting around him for the second place spot.  Trevor Winstead followed in fourth with OCS first-timer Lonnie Glosson’s car the fifth place finisher.

 

The Super Mini Trucks competed for ten laps, not once, but twice.  Jeffrey Martin, one of four Martin family members in the race, walked away with the win, not once, but twice.  John Comstock was the fastest qualifier for his third consecutive race but was relegated to a sixth place starting spot, the result of two consecutives wins this year.  At the end of race one, it was Martins taking second, third and fifth, Wesley, Scott and Kiser, with Devin Parrott sandwiched between the last two.  After taking the win for the first race, Jeffrey started fourth in race two, as the top four finishers from race one were inverted.  That didn’t prove to be a problem for Jeffrey, as he quickly motored to the top spot, holding for his second win of the night. Comstock faired a little better this time around, taking second.  Then it was the trucks of Wesley, Kiser and Scott finishing third through fifth.  Parrott, after spinning on the last lap, took sixth.

 

The Quality Collision Solutions Grand American Modifieds competed in twin 20 lap races.  Newcomer Dillon Harville, not only proved to be the fastest qualifier for the first race, but turned out to be the dominant driver, taking the win in both races.   Gary Young, Jr, the next quickest qualifier, was required to start sixth after winning the previous two races of the season.  Starting second through fifth were Richard Thomas, Todd Massey and Roy Cook, in that order.  Michael Roney and Larry Cook started behind those two.

 

At the finish of race one, it was Thomas, Roney and Cook, taking second through fourth.  Larry Cook and Todd Massey finished in the next two spots.  Young, Jr took the checkered in second but post-race inspection led to a disqualification.  That problem was fixed, allowing Young, Jr to start the second race.

 

Harville started fourth in the second race, as the top four finishers from race one were inverted.  After contact with second place starter Thomas going into turn one on the second lap, Harville bolted out front and never looked back for his second win of the night.  Thomas recovered to take second.  Finishing third through sixth were Young, Jr, Roney, Massey and Larry Cook.  Roy Cook did not start the race.

 

Kenneth Smith was the winner of the ten lap Carolina Collector Auto Fest Vintage Sportsman ten lap event.

Cover and Above Photos by Jeremy Tyndall

Mike Bledsole Mechanical Heating & Air Late Model Stock 75 laps

1) Terry Dease

2) Stefan Parsons

3) Chris Denny (Pole)

4) Daniel Moss

5) Jonathan Hall

6) Camden Gullie -1 (lap down)

7) Chuck Lawson -42

Limited Sportsman 35 laps

1) Daryl Carver (Pole)

2) Brent Evans

3) Gage Painter

4) Barry Beggarly, Jr

5) Tracey Chambers

6) Austin Purnell

7) Cory Purnell

8) Richard Hayden

9) Gary Young, Jr -4

10) Jerry HInesley -7

Pure Stock 25 laps

1) Taylor Tolar

3) Jamie Kerr

4) Bobby Clayton

5) Lonnie Glosson

6) Danny Winstead -10 (Pole) (started 6th, 2 consecutive wins)

Hill’s Complete Carpet Care Super Mini-Trucks 10 laps, First Race

1) Jeffrey Martin

2) Wesley Martin

3) Scott Martin

4) Devin Parrott

6) Kiser Martin

7) John Comstock (Pole) (started 6th, two consecutive wins)

Hill’s Complete Carpet Care Super Mini-Trucks 10 laps, Second Race

1) Jeffrey Martin

2) John Comstock

3) Wesley Martin

4) Kiser Martin

5) Scott Martin

6) Devin Parrott

Quality Collision Solutions Grand American Modifieds 20 laps, First Race

1) Dillon Harville (Pole)

2) Richard Thomas

3) Michael Roney

4) Roy Cook

5) Larry Cook

6) Todd Massey

Gary Young, Jr (started 6th, 2 consecutive wins) (disqualified post-race inspection)

Quality Collision Solutions Grand American Modifieds 20 laps, Second Race

1) Dillon Harville (Pole)

2) Richard Thomas

3) Gary Young, Jr

4) Michael Roney

5) Todd Massey

Military Appreciation Night, May 27, Orange County Speedway, Rougemont, NC

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by Jim Cribbs

Like father, like son was the theme of the night for the Mike Bledsole Mechanical Heating & Air Late Model Stock division.  Brandon Setzer, the son of Late Model great Dennis Setzer, took the top starting spot.  To his outside was the car of Chris Denny, winner of the season’s first Late Model race.  The second row of starters was comprised of Chuck Lawson and Thomas Beane his outside in the fourth place starting spot.  The fifth place starting spot belonged to last year’s track champion Terry Dease with Daniel Moss to his outside.  The seventh and eighth place starting positions belonged to Camden Gullie, son of short track specialist, Jason Gullie, and Dean Fogleman, respectively.  Tripp Massengill, second place finisher and pole winner in the night’s earlier Limited Sportsman race, started in ninth.

As the race started, Denny took the lead from Setzer momentarily but Setzer squeezed back in front.  Intense pressure from Lawson’s front bumper led to Denny getting loose, forcing his car to fall to third behind Lawson, all of this action in the first few laps.  Lap four saw Beane and Dease running side by side for fourth with Moss doing his best to get by those two.  Beam, on 35 lap older tires than those two, fell back to sixth, leaving Dease in fourth and Moss in fifth.

The first caution of the night came on lap 15 when the car of Fogleman grenaded a motor.  That problem resulted in the car of Gullie sustaining right front damage, after bouncing off Fogleman’s car in the blinding smoke.  After a lengthy pit stop repairing the damage, Gullie returned to the race still on the lead lap.  Caution laps not counted in a 75 lap race.  Lining up for the restart, with Setzer holding the top spot, the cars of Lawson, Denny, Dease, and Moss, occupied second through fifth respectively. Beane had to settle for restarting in sixth, with Massengill outside of him.

As the cars came to the green, Lawson appeared to momentarily jump the start.  Realizing that, he slowed a bit, inadvertently allowing the cars of Denny and Dease to go by, one on each side of Lawson.  From there, loose, sideways race cars continually changing positions gave fans the fender to fender action they came for.  Unfortunately for Beane ended up retiring his car with only a third of the race completed.  After things settled down a bit, a caution flag on lap forty brought the field back together.   Setzer was still in the lead, Dease was in second, with Lawson and Denny behind them in third and fourth.  Moss and Massengill occupied the next two spots as the fifth and sixth place cars.  Gullie brought up the rear.

A sloppy restart led to a re-do.  On the next restart, the top four cars of Setzer, Dease, Lawson and Denny were all over each other, bumper to bumper, fender to fender.  Two laps later, Moss had to retire his car with apparent engine problems.  At the checkered, it was Setzer with the win, having finished second to Denny in the first race of the season.  Dease finished second, followed by Lawson, the third place car, and Denny in fourth.  Massengill took the fifth spot, with Gullie taking sixth.

Limited Sportsman division began their 35 lap race with Tripp Massengill starting in the top spot and Daryl Carver to his outside as the second place starter.  Carver started in his backup car, having wrecked his primary in the first race of the season.  On the next row, third place starter Barry Beggarly, Jr was flanked by Jerry Hinesley, the fourth place qualifier.  Row three belonged to Brent Evans, the fifth place starter and Richard Hayden in sixth.  The next three spots were occupied by Tracey Chambers, Austin Purnell and Corey Purnell, in that order.

As the green flag fell, Carver bolted to first in front of Massengill.  The car of Beggarly began to back peddle through the field, apparently having a mechanical issue, leading to his exit from the race eleven laps in and a ninth place finish.  Corey Purnell had his own problems, ending up parking his machine on lap 19, finishing ahead of Beggarly in eighth.

As the race unfolded, Massengill continued to hound Carver for the lead, with those two staging an intense side by side battle for the last third of the race.  At the checkered, Carver prevailed for his first win of the season.  Massengill settled for a second place finish with Hinesley behind him for third. Hayden held on for a fourth place finish and Evans behind him in fifth.  Chambers and Austin Purnell did their own share of jousting.  Eventually, Chambers prevailed giving her the sixth place spot over Purnell, who wound up seventh.

In Victory Lane, Carver thanked the other drivers for their hard charging, sometimes fender rubbing, but courteous driving.  Overwhelmed by emotion, Massengill was quite appreciative of his finish.  Missing-in-action from tonight’s event was the winner of the last Limited Sportsman race and a recent Ace Speedway winner, Boo Boo Dalton.

Smokey Dave’s BBQ Mod4s twenty lapper provided some fender bendin’ action.  Michael Cooper started on pole with Harold Summey on the outside of row one.  Behind them were the cars of Corey Purnell and Mike Herron with Herron on the outside.  Starting fifth through seventh were Randy Ayers, Timmy Wilder and Dennis Capps, in that order.  With three laps of green flag racing completed, the car of Herron had a problem, putting him out of the race.  After a brief caution on lap eleven, the field took the restart with Cooper out front, followed by Summey, Purnell, Wilder and Capps, who had recovered from a lap down thanks to the Lucky Dog Pass.  Ayers restarted last one lap in arrears.  One lap from the finish, the cars of Summey and Purnell came together coming out of turn 4, bringing out the caution and putting them out of the race.  On the restart for a green-white-checkered finish, the car of Cooper was out front, Wilder behind him, followed by Capps and the lapped car of Ayers.  However, Cooper missed a gear on the restart, giving Capps an opening to take the lead and the win. Cooper settled for second followed by Wilder in third and Ayers in fourth, one lap down. 

The Quality Collision Solutions of Graham Grand American Modifieds roared to life with Gary Young Jr out front, having taken his second consecutive pole this season.  Richard Thomas occupied the outside front row, with first-time OCS starter Issac Wright and Jonathan Cook behind those two.  When the checkered flag flew at end of thirty laps, Young, Jr had his second consecutive win, followed by Thomas in the second place car and Cook in third.  Wright ended up fourth, followed by Larry Cook in fifth.

Once again, John Comstock did a dance on the Martin family in 20 laps of competition for the Hill’s Complete Carpet Care Super Mini-Trucks.  Comstock started on pole with Wesley Martin, Kiser Martin and Jeffrey Martin occupying the second through fourth place starting positions.  Devon Parrott started fifth followed by, yes, you guessed it, another Martin named Scott in sixth.  As the race started, the Martins battled as Comstock held the lead.  A competition caution was deployed on lap 12.  The following restart saw leader Comstock falter just a bit, allowing Wesley Martin to get by, then Kiser Martin grabbed the lead.  From there, Kiser and Comstock were side by side for several laps with Comstock getting back out front three laps from the end.  At the finish, Comstock had his second consecutive win.  The Martin family settled their differences with Kiser taking second, Scott in third, Wesley in fourth and Scott in sixth, with Parrott sandwiched between those two for fifth.

Twenty-five laps of Pure Stock racing provided few surprises as Danny Winstead, last year’s track champ, went from green to checkered to pick up his second consecutive win.  Bobby Clayton was the second place finisher, followed by Trevor Winstead and Tyler Tolar, in third and fourth respectively.  James Kerr and Les Aliff rounded out the field, a distant fifth and sixth.