Reynolds makes it two straight at Tri-County

Tri-County Speedway hosted the Doug’s Auto Glass 305 on Saturday evening, June 20.

The action started with the Carolina Vintage Racers and their 20-lap feature. Duff Sams started on the pole in his No. 44 Ford and led the opening five laps. Marty Reid and his Mopar Duster led briefly on lap 6 before Sams retook the top spot. Jesse Martin then took the lead for two laps before Reid made the winning pass on the 12th lap to seal the victory. Martin settled for second place ahead of Sams.

The Leapfrog Outlaws race was next, and Sheldon Clay started on the pole and led every lap except the last one. Dakota Slagle raced Clay door-to-door for the final 10 laps, and the two made contact down the backstretch, allowing Slagle to make the winning pass and take the checkered flag. Clay finished second, and David Messer was third.

The Carolina Mini Stocks put on a great show for the fans. Jason Garwood started the race on the pole and led every lap, but it was a hard-fought victory. The top three drivers were separated by less than a half-second and the top six by less than two seconds. Jamison Whittington was second ahead of female driver Allison Houston of Hickory.

In the 35-lap Street Stock feature, Gary Ledbetter started on the pole. Before completing the opening lap, Duane Best lost control going into turn three, hit the inside wall, and destroyed his machine.

On the restart, Terrence Tucker decided to give up his inside front row starting position and elected to start on the outside behind Ledbetter. That allowed Connelly Springs driver Johnny Reynolds to start on the front row. Ledbetter led the opening laps before Reynolds made the winning pass on the third lap and drove to his second victory in a row, ahead of Cody DeMarmels in second.

“I knew we had our hands full trying to win two in a row tonight,” Reynolds said. “The entire field qualified within a half-second from top to bottom. … Once we got the car in clean air up front, I just had to hold the wheel and hit my marks.”

Second-generation driver Brandon Setzer won the pole for the Late Model race in the No. 11 Pepsi machine that is prepared by Doug Houser of Connelly Springs. (The last time the No. 11 was on the track, East Burke graduate Landon S. Huffman finished second in the CARS Tour event at Tri-County last October.)

Setzer led the opening laps before California wheelman Chase Burgeson took over the top spot. Setzer brought out the first caution when he came to a stop on the backstretch before his crew discovered a plug wire had come loose. They were able to get back on the track without losing a lap.

Defending track champion Landon Huffman, a Claremont native, took over the lead on the 40th lap and cruised to an easy victory. Burgeson was second, and Cody Kelly, Charlie Watson, and Setzer rounded out the top five.

Lenoir native Klint Townsend started last and only led the final 100 or so yards to win the Renegade feature. Gary Ledbetter started on the pole and set a blistering pace. Townsend caught Ledbetter with three laps left, and the two drove door-to-door until Townsend was able to make the winning pass coming into turn four. Ledbetter was second ahead of Marlin Gunter.

Coleman Chapman won the Limited Late Model pole, but the top four cars were inverted, putting Walter Jenkins IV and his Lee Faulk-owned No. 1 on the pole. At the drop of the green flag, Jenkins drove away from the rest of the field. The battle was for second between Chapman and Chase Pollard. The two traded the position multiple times before Pollard took the checkered flag some 4 seconds behind Jenkins. Chapman finished third.

The always-entertaining Crown Vics closed out the evening. Rhodhiss driver Joseph Hodges started on the front row but only made it eight laps before his machine expired, and James Powell overcame a spin to win the 10-lap feature.

Tri-County returns to action with its annual mid-season classic, the Pepsi Firecracker 250, on July 4.

HorsePower Park has two new promoters

Chandler Barker and Carson Brown are the new promoters at HorsePower Park, track owners announced recently.

The two have already begun making upgrades to the property. They have upgraded the track lighting and improved the road onto the track. They have also freshened up the public restrooms and plan many more upgrades. Brown is a local business owner, and Barker is a second-generation driver. He grew up watching his dad, Joey Barker, win races at HorsePower Park and other tracks in the Carolinas.

“Dirt racing and this track have a special place in my heart,” Barker said. “I grew up in these pits. While I love driving, I plan on stepping out of the car and putting all my focus on promotions … at least for a while.

“We have a lot of work to do, but it will all be worth it in the end. Our plan is to run every other Saturday starting (today) June 27. Hopefully, we will have a few surprises for the fans during the summer and fall.”

Fans can buy one adult ticket and get one adult ticket free at Tire Maxx in Drexel. The new era at HorsePower Park starts tonight, with gates opening at 5 p.m. and the green flag dropping at 7:30 p.m.

Carswell hunt for 4 straight comes up short

Brian “Meathead” Carswell of Valdese came up short last Saturday (June 20) as he was going for four wins in a row at Harris Speedway.

“We had to start in the rear of the field since we had won three in a row,” Carswell said after the Street Stock feature. “The car was loose in traffic, and it was a challenge driving towards the front. We were just a tick off, but in a field of good cars, a little bit is a lot.”

Cody Ussery won the feature ahead of Brandon Satterfield, Dustin Taylor, and Carswell, who will try to start a new streak tonight at Harris.