Jerry Battle's Georgia Motorsports ............. Alan Hastings' Report

GEORGIA STOCK CAR RACING APRIL 16-23, 2009 Readers, we've done it. We've got the schedule for this week for all 15 GA tracks, and six from AL and SC too - and that's not easy. Two of those - Sugar Creek and 441/Dublin - are returning from dormancy. There are also eight GA tracks not open this week. Keep sending in those results, news releases, and story ideas. Thanks, Dale Terry ddrrtt@earthlink.net ---- schedule ---- April 17 (Fri.) Anderson (SC) Georgia Asphalt Series Upstate 100 presented by Thomas Concrete. http://www.andersonmotorspeedway.com/ http://www.lanierspeedway.com/GAS.html April 17 (Fri.) Modoc (SC) $1000 to win Crate Late Models - Plus 3rd Annual 2009 King of Stock V-8 Challenge $1000 to win http://www.modocspeedway.com April 17 (Fri.) Lavonia Full Race Program http://www.lavoniadirttrack.com April 17 (Fri.) Boyd's The King of Crates Challenge, $2500 to win, 40 laps http://www.boydsspeedway.com/ April 17 (Fri.) Sugar Creek Season Opens Adm. $12 http://www.sugarcreekraceway.net/ April 17 (Fri.) Oglethorpe Late Models, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, and 440's, Races @ 8pm, $12 for Adults http://www.ospracing.net/ April 18 Lanier Southern Modified Tour http://www.lanierspeedway.com April 18 441 Speedway, near Dublin, Road Warriors, Pure Stocks, Super Streets, and Late Models. Admission is $10. http://www.441speedway.com/ April 18 Screven Regular season/points race begins http://www.screvenmotorspeedway.com/ April 18 Toccoa Southern All Stars LM Series $5000 to win http://toccoaspeedway.info/ April 18 East Alabama United Dirt Late Model Series, plus Limited Sportsman, Hobby, Bomber, Modified & Pure Stock racing www.eamsdirt.com April 18 Montgomery (AL) Motor Speedway Opening night Southern Pro Late Model Series 100 laps. www.splmseries.com www.montgomerymotorspeedway.net April 18 West Georgia local divs. April 18 Talladega Short Track Full stock car program Adm. $10 http://www.talladegashorttrack.com/ April 18 Winder Barrow Local divs., plus Slingshots and kids foot races. April 18 Cochran Racing All Divs. http://www.cochrangaspeedway.com April 18 Watermelon Capital weekly show http://www.watermeloncapitalspeedway.com/ April 18 Albany racing all classes http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=albanymotorspeedway April 18 Swainsboro All divisions http://www.swainsbororaceway.com/ April 18 Waycross All local divs. http://www.wayxspeedway.com April 18 Cleveland Top Tracks Challenge Crate LM Series $2000 to win http://clevelandspeedway.com April 24 (Fri.) Talladega Short Track NASCAR Weekend Super LMs $2000 to win http://www.talladegashorttrack.com/ April 24 (Fri.) Boyd's Steel-head Late Model BORDER WARS, $2,000 to win http://www.boydsspeedway.com/ April 24 (Fri.) Oglethorpe Pure Stock Special + Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, and 440's, Races @ 8pm, $12 for Adults http://www.ospracing.net/ April 25 Talladega Short Track NASCAR Weekend Southern All Stars $5000 to win http://www.talladegashorttrack.com/ April 25 South Georgia USARacing Pro Cup Series 250 laps http://www.sgmpracing.com/ April 25 Golden Isles Natl. Late Model Series + Local classes http://www.goldenislesspeedway.com April 25 West Georgia local divs. April 25 Cleveland Late Models + full racing program http://clevelandspeedway.com April 25 Watermelon Capital weekly show http://www.watermeloncapitalspeedway.com/ April 25 Cochran Racing All Divs. http://www.cochrangaspeedway.com April 25 Dixie open practice http://www.dixiespeedway.com April 25 Gordon Park Regular Race http://www.gordonparkspeedway.net April 25 Hartwell Carolina Clash http://www.hartwellspeedway.com April 25 Montgomery Motor Speedway Southern Super Stars Super LM Series 100 laps www.superstarsracing.com www.montgomerymotorspeedway.com April 25 East Alabama Late Model, Limited Sportsman, Hobby, Bomber, Modified & Pure Stock racing 8:00 www.eamsdirt.com ---- TV ---- < ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour on SportSouth: Five Flags: 4/21 4:00, 4/23 3:00, 4/26 1:30 a.m., May 5 4:00, May 26 4:00 Lanier: 4/28 4:00, 4/29 7:00, 4:30 1:00 a.m., 4/30 3:00, 5/19 4:00 Dillon: 5/12 4:00, 6/9 4:00, 7/28 4:00 Addl. times and cable outlets: http://www.asasoutheast.com/09_stories/TV_Times.html < The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has a special two-hour broadcast of the SuperClean Diamond Nationals airing just two weeks after the May 8-9th event at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO. Lucas has 14 TV race dates scheduled and a Best of "Year in Review Show" for a total of 15 TV air dates. www.lucasdirt.com < SPEED will show a one-hour condensed version of NASCAR Camping World East and West races tape-delayed Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. May 28 (Thurs.) 3:00 p.m. SPEED Camping World, Iowa Speedway Oct. 1 (Thurs.) 3:00 p.m. SPEED Camping World East, Dover (DE) Oct. 8 (Thurs.) 3:00 p.m. SPEED Camping World West, All American (CA) Speedway < ARCA RE/MAX Carolina 200 at Rockingham Speedway Sunday, April 19 LIVE on SPEED at 1:00 PM ET. < ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway Friday, April 24 LIVE on SPEED at 5:00 PM ---- Radio ---- Sat. 2:00-4:00 WSB 750 am Alan Vigil Ford 120 Racing Show with Capt. Herb & Doug Turnbull ---- ---- ---- ---- Beau Slocumb Update, from his sister Maggie: Monday, April 13, 2009 Round Three cont'd... ... they are hoping Beau will go home today or tomorrow. His last bag of chemo was started early Sunday morning. He got sick a good bit this round... I thought they were figuring out how to manage the nausea better after the second round but I guess it's different every time. Mom says they have been giving him something to help boost his white blood count and that puts him in a good bit of pain. Please pray that his counts come back up like they are supposed to after this treatment. When they dip too low, they make Beau come in every day for blood work and I think he gets pretty tired of doing that. Keep the prayers coming and keep the pictures coming, too! The ones I've gotten so far are great! beaupictures@gmail.com Macon racer Beau Slocumb has a rare form of soft-tissue sarcoma called Synovial Sarcoma. He had surgery in Macon Jan. 28, and is now at the Univ. of Texas Medical Center for six weeks of chemo treatments. Get well cards: >Beau Slocumb >c/o Sam & Dave Mosley >16407 Canyon Chase Dr. >Houston, TX 77095 Updates and reports from sister Maggie: http://beauslocumb.blogspot.com/ Slocumb’s racing career had gotten a boost from NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and he had tested an ARCA car at Daytona in December, reaching 182 mph. http://beauslocumb.blogspot.com/
GEORGIA STOCK CAR RACING APRIL 9-16, 2009 ---- schedule ---- April 11 Greenville-Pickens (SC) NASCAR Camping World Series East http://www.greenvillepickens.com April 11 Gordon Park Regular Race http://www.gordonparkspeedway.net April 11 Golden Isles LOCAL CLASSES http://www.goldenislesspeedway.com April 11 Lanier ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour http://www.asasoutheast.com http://www.lanierspeedway.com April 11 Hartwell racing at 7:00 http://www.hartwellspeedway.com April 11 Toccoa Opening night - Super Late Models, Limiteds, Hobby, Enduro, Stock 4's, Young Guns, and Bombers http://toccoaspeedway.info/ April 11 East Alabama Kids Easter Egg Toss, Plus Late Model, Limited Sportsman, Hobby, Bomber, Modified & Pure Stock racing www.eamsdirt.com April 11 West Georgia local divs. April 17 Modoc $1000 to win Crate Late Models - Plus 3rd Annual 2009 King of Stock V-8 Challenge $1000 to win http://www.modocspeedway.com April 18 Lanier Southern Modified Tour http://www.lanierspeedway.com April 18 Screven Regular season/points race begins http://www.screvenmotorspeedway.com/ April 18 Toccoa Southern All Stars LM Series $5000 to win http://toccoaspeedway.info/ April 18 East Alabama United Dirt Late Model Series, plus Limited Sportsman, Hobby, Bomber, Modified & Pure Stock racing www.eamsdirt.com April 18 Montgomery (AL) Motor Speedway Opening night Southern Pro Late Model Series 100 laps. www.splmseries.com www.montgomerymotorspeedway.net April 24 (Fri.) Talladega Short Track NASCAR Weekend Super LMs $2000 to win http://www.talladegashorttrack.com/ April 25 Talladega Short Track NASCAR Weekend Southern All Stars $5000 to win http://www.talladegashorttrack.com/ April 25 South Georgia USARacing Pro Cup Series 250 laps http://www.sgmpracing.com/ April 25 Golden Isles Natl. Late Model Series + Local classes http://www.goldenislesspeedway.com April 25 Dixie open practice http://www.dixiespeedway.com April 25 Gordon Park Regular Race http://www.gordonparkspeedway.net April 25 Hartwell Carolina Clash http://www.hartwellspeedway.com April 25 Montgomery Motor Speedway Southern Super Stars Super LM Series 100 laps www.superstarsracing.com www.montgomerymotorspeedway.com April 25 East Alabama Late Model, Limited Sportsman, Hobby, Bomber, Modified & Pure Stock racing 8:00 www.eamsdirt.com May 9 GARHOFA Family Picnic and Racing Reunion, at Minter’s Farm in Fayetteville. http://www.garhofa.org/ ---- ---- ---- ---- Lanier opens their summer season Sat., with the Matt Hawkins Memorial 100 for the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour’s late models. Hawkins, age 21, died in a gun accident Feb. 14. On the track, Hawkins had built up an amazing resume. He won in his first career starts in both the ARCA REMAX Series and USAR Pro Cup Series – a seemingly-impossible accomplishment that may never be matched - and was under the tutelege of the talented Mike Garvey. He also won numerous Pro Late Model races in the Southeast and finished in the top three of the Snowball Derby for the last two seasons. He won a late model race at Lanier Mar. 24, 2007, and won two GAS races at Peach State in 2006. One of the best races of 2008 was the ASA SAT show at Lanier Sept. 13, with 33 cars. Local favorite Jason Hogan, of Cleveland, has a Hamke chassis with a McGunegill Chevy sealed motor that had three wins on the ASA SAT tour in 2008, and he was second at Lanier’s Speedfest this winter. Also on the program are Lanier’s trucks, modifieds, street stocks, Legends, mini-stocks, and Pro Challenge cars. Next Saturday, the exciting NASCAR Southern Modified Tour races for 150 laps at Lanier. The Legends Nationals return Oct. 8-10. http://www.matthawkins.net/ http://www.asasoutheast.com/ http://www.jasonhoganmotorsports.com http://www.lanierspeedway.com This was messed up in last week’s newsletter, so we’ll try again: Officials with the Southern Pro Late Model Series is pleased to announce the series will open up Montgomery Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 18, after several years of being quiet. The 100 lapper will feature Pro Late Model drivers from throughout the southeast. "We are really excited about this opportunity to re-open this historic speedway," said Vince Whitmire SPLM Series owner and Promoter. "We welcome drivers to check out our rules and we welcome them to come compete with us." MMS has gone through some extensive renovations that drivers and fans can look forward to enjoying. In addition, the Pure Stock, Super Stock and Open Wheel Modified classes will compete. There will be an Open Practice on Saturday for all classes. www.splmseries.com www.montgomerymotorspeedway.net The action was hot at the 3/8ths mile New Senoia Raceway last Saturday evening. The event was the second installment of the ASA Late Models South Series/Southern Pro Late Model Series co-sanctioned events. Drew Bannon, of Miami, FL, bested the 19 car field to take his second win of the 2009 ASALMS season. Brannon was able to hold off challenges for the lead by ASA's David Odell of Lawrenceville, Georgia and Southern Pro's Ralph Carnes of Anderson, South Carolina. Keeton Hanks, of Auburn, KY, started 2nd and finished 5th in the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford. Hanks, a student at Western Kentucky University, is scheduled to drive John Wes Townley’s Late Model periodically throughout the season. < Georgia Showdown 100 - New Senoia Raceway April 4, 2009 Official Results 1) Drew Brannon 2) David Odell 3) Ralph Carnes 4) Scotty Ellis 5) Keeton Hanks 6) Brandon Johnson 7) Austin Kirkpatrick 8) James Nealis 9) Dustin Dunn 10) Casey Caudill 11) Ray Maylan 12) Stephen Nasse 13) Russell Fleeman 14) Justin Larson 15) Ross Chastain 16) Warren Mobley 17) Jeremy Gerstner 18) Rodney Benefield 19) James Kawahata http://www.splmseries.com Scott James, of Lawrenceburg, IN, for the second year in a row, picked up the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at Screven Motor Speedway Friday. It was his sixth career Lucas series victory. James and Dennis "Rambo" Franklin put on quite a show for the fans as they diced back and forth in the late stages with James crossing the finish line first to earn the $7,000 top prize. Franklin finished second followed by Jimmy Owens, Josh McGuire and Tyler Ivey. There were 45 cars signed in for the race program. Saturday Night's event scheduled for Swainsboro (GA) Raceway was postponed early in the day due to water pumping up from underneath the track that created an unsafe racing surface. The Swainsboro race will be held on Thursday Night, June 18, right before the shows at Cherokee and Fayetteville. The new Southern Super Stars Super LM Series and Montgomery Motor Speedway will honor Dennie & Lois Rewis with a 100 lap Super Late Model race on April 25. For 40 years, they served the speedway. www.superstarsracing.com www.montgomerymotorspeedway.com Due to the excessive amount of rainfall that we've received, Dublin 441 has been forced to postpone their much anticipated re-opening to April 18th. Golden Isles has racing in all classes Sat., with late models paying $1200.00 to win.Hot laps at 6:00 pm heat races at 7:00. Grandstans:$10.00 - Children twelve and under free. Winder Barrow Speedway Results (04-04-09) There was a outstanding attendence last nite at the track. I have never seen so many fans in my 10 years of working there. < Street Stock: #99 Ronnie Poole #3 Darryl Frady #20 Mark Chancey < Hobbie #98 Jimmy Johnson JR. #5 Shane Frady #84 Scott Cox < Limited Late Model #98 Jimmy Johnson JR. #18 Justin Sims #1k Ken Lampp < Adv. 4 Cylinder #w0 Wormy Gaddis #9 Perry Crowe #22 Shane Peppers < Stock 4 Cylinder #00 Matthew Roberts #14 ?????? Ridgeway #02 Justin Taylor In limited #c4 Chris Jones pole time was 14.79 sec. which is just a few hundredths shy of track record. This Sat.: Gates open @ 4pm, Drawing @ 6pm sharp, Drivers meeting @ 6:30pm, pack track and hot laps @6:45pm, Green flag by 7:15pm. Stands and trackside $10 or $12 and Pits $20. We have to be done racing by 11:30pm due to noise ordinance. Pictures: http://public.fotki.com/stargazer444/winder-speedway-3/ (from tyre at www.trackforums.com) The USAR Pro Cup Series, known for many years as Hooters Pro Cup, will run a 250-lapper at South Georgia Motorsports Park Sat., April 25. Qualifying is at 4:30, with racing (incl. two local divs.) starting at 7 p.m. South Georgia 4/4/09 < Late Models 1. #7 Darryl Shelnut 2. #82 Nelson Sweeney 3. #27 Jason Garver 4. #38 Randy Merwin 5. #32 Stuart Dutton 6. #04 Rusty Evans 7. #9 Jerred Bullard 8. #93 Marc Mitchell 9. #5 Jared Evans 10. #25 Carl Yoeman 11. #21 Marc Perdue DNS http://www.sgmpracing.com West Ga Sat nite 4-4 results (partial) < Sportsman: Glenn Mcwaters Rucker Orr Jody Knowles < Crate: Michael Keener Tony Kemp Jeremy Hall < Hobby: Jason Causey Jeff Carter Richie Taylor Very good car count. Big crowd in stands and around the fence Thanks to Dan Johnson supercomet32 posts on You Tube: “In the south we take our racing serious and if you want to run your mouth you better be prepared to get your ass punched whether you’re right or wrong. No official police officer nor bystander is going to stop the fight from starting and in the case of Dixie the police dont get involved near as much as the fire fighters.” Video from West Georgia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G28PevldoPU&feature=related Lavonia Speedway - Brad York and Brian Stewart would like to thank everyone for their support during the FASTRAK Crate Late Model Challenge. Official Results < Limited Late Model 1. Steven Segars 2. Parker Herring 3. Dustin Mincey 4. Bubba Russell 5. Brant Carey 6. Wesley English 7. Rodney Peters 8. Dale Timms 9. Mack English 10. Daniel Wilson 11. Daniel Fowler (DNF) 12. Brandon Haley (DNF) 13. Paul Byrum (DNF) 14. JR Headen (DNF) < FASTRAK Crate 1. David McCoy (Pending Protest check back Tuesday) 2. Carey Craft 3. Royce Bray 4. Brandon Haley 5. Clayton Turner 6. Brandon Overton (Overall points winner) 7. Chris Usry 8. Grant Jordan 9. Vince Fannello 10. Jonthon Taylor 11. Jody Farmer 12. Johnny Tucker Jr. 13. Chris Cape 14. Rodney Peters 15. Zach Weathers 16. Kenny Collins 17. Danny Sanders 18. Dale Vickory 19. Mike Garrett (DNF) 20. Chris Pendleton (DNF) 21. Brain Ligon (DNF) 22. Steven Segars (DNF) 23. Larry Timms (DNF) 24. Hot Rod LaMance (DNF) 25. Ty Lowe (DNF) The Legends Car action at Waterford Speedbowl (CT) - While trying to avoid a spinning car, Legends Masters racer Tommy Gray clipped that car, sending his own ride airborne. His car hit the wall roof first before bouncing back off many feet in the air, finally coming to rest on his wheels. The car sustained severe damage, including the roof's roll bars collapsing down, bending the top of his racing seat. Gray was able to exit his car, but did report to the hospital for evaluation. Jamie Williams, from Finish Line Photography, caught the wreck as it happened. http://www.legendsnation.com/2009_vault/legends/ Waterford_Speedbowl_Gray_wreck_photo_4-1.html Les legends cars font du ski http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeVq7ctwGH0 Dan Elliott, General Manager of Gresham Motorsports Park (formerly Peach State) has confirmed that the first 2009 race will be the 26th annual World Crown Weekend Nov. 12-15. Fans and racers will see a totally new speedway, with the grandstands moved to the back stretch and the old concrete stands and hill completly gone. The asphalt track will be totally refurbished, and they are adding a flat quarter-mile, suitable for Legends cars, in the infield. Plans for 2010 include a lot of racing, plus craft shows, farmers’ markets, concerts, and other community events. www.greshammotorsportspark.com GAS LM Series at The ‘Melon 4-4-09 RACE FINISH 1. 41-TJ Reaid-Actworth, GA 2. 38-Shane Sawyer-Buford, Ga 3. 39-Shane Sieg-Tucker, Ga 4. 19-Casey Roderick-Lawrenceville, Ga 5. 89-Jess Mattox-Waycross, Ga 6 #10 Greg Simpson 7 #9 Chase Elliott 8 #12 Joey Senter 9 #24H Dennis Harry 10 #15 Zach Reardon 11 #24 Parker Hammons (DNF) 12 #67 Bryce Walker (DNF) 13 #9W Will Prance (DNF) CRA South at Watermelon 125 April 4 1 26-Bubba Pollard-Senoia, Ga 2. 73-Korey Ruble Dothan, Al 3. 39-Ryan Sieg-Tucker, Ga 4. 12-Justin Drawdy-Ft. Pierce, Fl 5. 10-Danny Bagwell-Cordova, Al This Saturday, The Watermelon Capital Speedway begins its 2009 weekly racing program featuring Bandolero's, Legends, Mini Stock, Pure Stock, Super Street, and Claimers. Gates open at 4pm with practice at 4 p.m, racing at 7 p.m. and the program should be completed by 10:30p.m. http://www.watermeloncapitalspeedway.com Randal Regan is president of the Augusta International Raceway Preservation Society and they have a reunion and car show the second Saturday in September each year. This year they hope to add an event for the NVRA Vintage racers at a nearby raceway. www.augustainternationalraceway.com http://www.nvraracing.org/ Townville’s Brad Burdette will try to make it three in a row Friday night in the B Mini Stock division at Anderson (SC) Motor Speedway. Burdette currently pilots the lone Toyota in the four cylinder division. Racing will be held in six divisions including the C Mini Stock, Stock Four, BM Modified, Legends, Renegades, and Super Renegades divisions. Easter weekend activities for the AMS Jr Fan Club members will include an Easter Egg Scramble (Hunt), Easter Basket Giveaways and lots of great prizes (Velveteen Rabbit books and stuffed Easter animals). Free face-painting is always offered to kids under age 12. 8 PM. $10 for adults and kids under 12 are admitted FREE. April 17: GAS Series Upstate 100. www.andersonmotorspeedway.com. Some pictures from 1965 action at Valdosta’s 75 Speedway, including Sam McQuagg: http://www.saturdaynightthunder.com/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=55 Sunday morning at Douglas Motor Speedway, Lonnie started the motor grader and went to work on what seem to be an impossible task of getting a red clay mud hole ready to race on. After some long hard work and a lot of water pumped out the track was ready for another action pack day of racing. In the Thunder and Lighting class, new comer Benjamin Craft in the K9 car held off Buck Brown in the #12 in a Photo finish followed by #11 Dustin Griffin and # 48 Jerry Moore. Shane Weavers # 8 held off a field of 10 cars in Hobby Stocks. Finishing 2nd was Brian Grantham and Jeffery DeBerry 3rd. Jimmy Sloan #98 took another win in the super stock followed by Bum Nelson #11 and Brian Grantham #8. The Late models once again put on another spine chilling race, with the late comer Brandon Dewitt coming in from another track and starting last on the field on 11 late models. Brandon was on the hunt for up coming young driver Evan Becton who lead most of the race and finishing second after hard charging Dewitt took the lead. Beckton was followed by Justin Weeks #03 and Cole Exum # 26. The night finished out with Jarred Bullard winning in the skeeter car class followed by Lonnie Roberts. Next Race at Douglas Motor Speedway will be Saturday April 11, 2009 The season opener at 441 Speedway has been postponed until April 18. With all the rain this past week, the new racing surface just won't be ready. Gates open at 4 racing at 7 on April 18. In an effort to improve the safety of Bandoleros racing at Lanier Speedway, INEX has a new restrictor plate that will be mandatory beginning this Saturday. It is blue in color and they are in stock at Legeons of Georgia and will be on the Parts Trailer at Lanier this Saturday. Atlanta Motor Speedway will host the Bando Nationals July 24 and 25. The Blizzard Series Super Late Models open their 2009 season at Five Flags Speedway (Pensacola, FL) this Friday, April 10: “It’s going to be an all-star race,” says promoter Tim Bryant. “Of course, the two guys to beat would have to be Augie Grill, who is competitive everywhere he goes and has won two-straight Snowball Derbies, and Bubba Pollard, who just won last weekend at Cordele in the CRA South opener. Of course, Josh Hamner, our defending Blizzard Series Champion will be tough. So will the strong local contingent, such as Scott Carlson, a former series champion and Eddie Mercer, another former champion. Donald Long is set to go this weekend, along with his daughter Johanna who is really coming on the scene. Ryan Lawler is coming down, David Rogers, who won the World Series at New Smyrna will be here as well. Jeremy Colangelo will be making his Five Flags debut. We’ve got a couple of guys from Texas led by Casey Smith. Donnie Wilson’s coming from Oklahoma and we’ve got more coming from all over the country.” Bill Elliott Development Driver Mitch Cobb, a pole-winner last year, will start his 2009 season at Five Flags Fri. and at Mobile Sat. www.5flagsspeedway.com Six events are on tap in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region this weekend. Penton (AL) Raceway will hold its season opener this Friday night. On Saturday night, Tri-County Race Track in Brasstown, NC will also host its season opener. www.nesmithracing.com NASCAR REPORT: David Ragan ran very well in last week’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, but a blown motor late in the race relegated the No. 6 from a top 5 run to 37th place. Reed Sorenson finished 36th. The two Georgia drivers sit 29th and 30th in points, respectively. Dawsonville’s Bill Elliott has qualified for the three races he has attempted in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford this season, but Sunday’s struggles relegated the part-time veteran to a 28th place finish, three laps off of the winning pace set by Jeff Gordon. In the Nationwide Series race last Saturday, Ragan ran well without difficulty, finishing 4th. He sits 3rd in points, 146 markers behind leader Carl Edwards. John Wes Townley had an awful weekend in the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford, wrecking both before and during the race. He finished 36th and sits 34th in points, despite making all five races this year. A points penalty in Daytona really hurt Townley’s RAB Racing team. (from Doug Turnbull) International Speedway Corp. is feeling the impact of the economy as its revenues from admissions, corporate spending and food and merchandise sales all have dropped from a year ago. In releasing its results for the months of December, January and February (where the two main events were Speedweeks at Daytona and the NASCAR race weekend at Auto Club Speedway in California), ISC reported admissions revenue dropped 14.8 percent, while food, beverage, and merchandise revenue dropped 40.9 percent. Net income was down 31.5 percent. Doug Turnbull’s “Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup:” COLD: Joey Logano – Four straight finishes of 30th or worse do not bode well for the only rookie that now has competed in each Cup race this year. Sunday’s race started well for “Sliced Bread,” beginning the day by starting 10th, but he wasted no time falling back. Logano ran around 30th for most of the day and ended up finishing there. A scrape with the wall and an ensuing green flag pit stop only added to the misery of the last month for the Home Depot No. 20 team. http://www.frontstretch.com/dturnbull/23500/ At the ARCA RE/MAX Series Open Test at Talladega Superspeedway Wednesday, Mark Thompson, of Cartersville, in a Venturini Motorsports-prepared Toyota, was at the top of the speed charts posting a 51.03 second/187.654 mph lap. The Series returns to Talladega for the ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 on Friday, April 24. ARCA is at Rockingham Sun., April 19. There were no Georgians in ARCA’s last race at Salem, IN, but Texan Chris Buescher drove a Ford sponsored by DavidRagan.com to fifth place. http://www.arcaracing.com Safe America’s Teen Driving Academy is at the Atlanta Motor Speedway Sat., May 9. Free tickets: at the Pepsi display at Publix, at SafeAmerica.org, and at 770-973-7233. Racing legend Billy Moyer doesn't come to Cleveland Speedway often, but when he does he makes it pay. The racing legend from Batesville, AR was last at Cleveland Speedway in 1996 when he won the 2nd Annual SAS Shamrock. On his second visit to the tricky 3/8s mile clay oval, some 13 years later, he won the 14th Annual SAS Shamrock. Following Moyer and McDowell across the stripe were Madden, VanWormer and Mayo. More at http://www.georgiastockcarracing.com Randy Weaver used his track knowledge and lapped traffic to move past Chris Madden for the lead and the win in the Southern All Star Series Special at North Georgia Friday night. Madden would attempt to retake the lead in the final laps but came up short. Davenport finished third, Tony Knowles fourth and Ronnie Johnson fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Skip Arp, Anthony White, Brandon Kinzer, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth and Billy Mayo. More at http://www.georgiastockcarracing.com Shane Clanton was thrilled to add another big-money World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory to his rapidly expanding resume after capturing Saturday night's second annual ‘Illini 100' at Farmer City (IL) Raceway, which paid $20,600 to the winner. Surprisingly, however, that wasn't the part of his triumph that he was most excited about. “It's more relieving to win on black dirt,” said Locust Grove, Ga.'s Clanton, noting the distinctive clay surface on the quarter-mile Midwestern oval. “I've struggled so much on this black dirt in my career, so finally winning a big race on this stuff is a pretty big deal for me. “Normally I get so loose and over-work the tires on this kind of surface, but this weekend we changed some stuff on the car and I just bided my time tonight so I wouldn't use up the tires. I knew I had a good car, so I just said, ‘You just gotta be patient and if (leader Brian Birkhofer) makes a mistake, take advantage of it.' “For the last 25 laps I ran as hard as I could,” added Clanton, who registered his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series win of 2009. “Then once I got the lead, I said, ‘Now just be conservative.'” Next: April 17 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and April 18 at Virginia Motor Speedway. Results (partial) of WoO Late Model Series ‘Illini 100’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1. (1) Shane Clanton/100 $20,600 2. (2) Brian Birkhofer/100 $10,050 3. (4) Josh Richards/100 $6,500 4. (3) Jimmy Mars/100 $5,500 5. (7) Shannon Babb/100 $4,550 6. (6) Richie Hedrick/100 $3,000 7. (10) Darrell Lanigan/100 $3,350 8. (14) Jason Feger/100 $2,500 9. (18) Chub Frank/100 $2,800 10. (5) Rick Eckert/100 $2,700 11. (17) Tim Fuller/100 $2,400 12. (13) Clint Smith/100 $2,300 Point Standings as of April 4 - (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1. Josh Richards 1-5-6 -$36,050-787 (-0) 2. Darrell Lanigan 0-3-6-$42,700-771 (-16) 3. Shane Clanton 1-1-5-$31,010-769 (-18) 4. Steve Francis 2-4-4-$32,300-741 (-46) 5. Shannon Babb 1-3-4-$32,380-735 (-52) 6. (tie) Tim Fuller 0-0-2-$11,240-719 (-68) 6. (tie) Chub Frank 0-1-4-$13,650-719 (-68) 8. Rick Eckert 0-1-3-$12,895-717 (-70) 9. Brady Smith 0-2-3-$13,225-690 (-97) 10. Clint Smith 0-0-2-$10,270-685 (-102) http://www.worldofoutlaws.com Griffin’s Currie Pierce finished third Friday night in a 20-lap pro legends car feature at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s quarter-mile oval. “We’re planning on racing the Summer Shootout at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, N.C., every Tuesday, Thursday Thunder at Atlanta, Lanier on Saturdays and maybe some other traveling, too. It’ll be busy, but we’re looking forward to it just like we did last summer.” www.curriepierceracing.com More at http://www.georgiastockcarracing.com The Georgia Mini Sprints will be at Hartwell Sat. Rick Barregarye won at East Alabama last week. RESULTS - EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY GEORGIA MINI SPRINTS RACE 1.RICK BARREGARYE--87b 2.JIM TSOKATOS-----23 3.MATT McCULLOUGH--14 4.JIM HOLMER-------31 5.CLINT GARRISON---16 6.AUSTIN HUND------15 7.BOB TRAPINO------36 8.A.J.TRAPINO------98 9.DYLAN AMES-------77a 10.BRIAN WEIMER-----19 11.TOM MAUSHARDT----41 12.DALE HOLMER-------3 13.DANK CHAPMAN-----91 14.SHANE WERNER-----48 15.RAWLIN WEST DNF--38 16.DWIGHT PILGRAM DNF-73 17.BLAKE JOHNSON DNF-1a 18.SAM WILLIAMS DNF-78td 19.JIM WALL DNF-----77w 20.BILL HENRY DNF---88 21.TOMMY TYLER DNF--10