Dillon impressive in capturing first Volunteer Speedway Super Late Model victory

 

By Robert Walden

 

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (July 14) — Years from now when he’s a superstar in NASCAR racing, Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C., will fondly look back and remember the location of his first-ever Super Late Model feature win — at Volunteer Speedway. Dillon captured the pole position and led flag-to-flag en route to the impressive victory.

 

Dillon, the 16-year-old grandson of legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, and the son of former Busch Series competitor Mike Dillon, paced the field in “Gateway Ford” Super Late Model qualifying by turning a fast-lap at 12.440-seconds (115.764 mph) to earn the pole position for the 35-lap main event.

 

Dillon and Jeff Maupin led the field to the green flag from the front row, and the duo raced door-to-door into the first turn. But Dillon powered off the second turn to grab a lead he would never relinquish. Back around to the strop to complete the opening lap, Dillon was followed by Maupin, Shanon Buckingham, Bryan Hendrix and Kerry Jones.

 

During the first nine circuits of the main event, Buckingham slowed on the fourth lap and entered the pits with problems under the rear of his car, and point leader Mike Smith was credited with causing three cautions (slowed to a stop on lap 4, spun in turn two on lap 7) to end his night due to the “three caution” rule following a spin on the ninth lap.

 

But under green flag racing conditions, it was all Dillon out front as he was on cruise control and steadily pulling away from his closest challenger Maupin. Maupin got loose and spun in the fourth turn on lap 14 to bring out the yellow, thus sending him to the tail of the field for the restart.

 

Lloyd Osborne and Michael Jackson were engaged in a heated battle for fourth place, with Osborne getting around Jackson to take the spot on lap 19. Young Dillon was all in a class by himself on Kingsport Times-News Night at the Races, as he had stretched his advantage over Hendrix and Jones to a little over a full-straightaway with only 10 laps remaining. Jones kept applying pressure on Hendrix for the runner-up position, but Hendrix fended off all challenges for the spot.

 

With the laps winding down Dillon, driving the No Fear/Team Realtree/J-Bar Foods/Hummers Gone Wild/Snap-on Tools//Clements Racing Engines/GRT Race Cars/Allstar Performance/Integra Racing Shocks/Port City Racing/VP Racing Fuels/Weld Racing Wheels/Schoenfeld/Richard Childress Racing/No. 3 Monte Carlo, rolled to victory over Hendrix, Jones, Jackson and Osborne.

 

Completing the top-10 finishers were Marty Calloway, Gary Blanken, Jackie Hughes, Dennis Alverson and Maupin.

 

“Man, this is awesome to get my first career Super Late Model feature win here at Volunteer Speedway,” said an excited Dillon after climbing from his car in victory lane and standing on the roof with his arms raised about his head. “Ever since I first began coming over here to race on occasions last summer, I really fell in love with this place. It’s fast. It’s high-banked. It’s a wide racing surface. It’s a really nice facility. I believe this makes my fourth time racing here this year, and we’ve gotten better-and-better each time we’ve been here. A couple of weeks ago we really should have won the Fastrak Crate Late Model Racing Series event here, but we wound up in second-place.

 

“I’m so excited I don’t know who to thank first, but I do want to thank my crew chief Shane McDowell, because he’s really got me dialed-in at this track. His brother (Dale McDowell) has given me a lot of advice when we’ve been here about how to run around here. My mom (Tina Dillon) is here tonight and she’s excited, and I’m fixing to call my dad (Mike Dillon) and grandfather (Richard Childress) up in Chicago where they’re at for the NASCAR races this weekend and tell them about this victory. I really wish they could have been down here. Dustin Keith and Hunter Peacock, they also help work on the car and I want to thank them.”

 

The last time Kelly Glass of Jonesborough visited victory lane in racing he was driving a Mod Lite (Dwarf Car). Glass is a former Mod Lite national champion, and over the years he’s recorded over 100 wins. Since making the move to behind the wheel of a Crate Late Model two seasons ago, the best finish for Glass had been several top-five runs.

 

Starting from inside of the second row, Glass settled into third in the running order behind race leader Bobby Mays and Shanon Buckingham at the start of the 25-lap “Ramey Ford” Crate Late Model feature, with Jerry Broyles and Jensen Ford holding down the fourth and fifth spots.

 

The 19-year-old Ford, with several strong runs of late to his credit, got loose racing off the second corner on the ninth lap and spun on the backstretch, also collecting Rusty Fox, Tony Trent, Todd Brooks, Van Lester, Joe “Dirt” Good, Brandon Taylor, Chris Manning, Gerald Smith and Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf to block the back straightaway and bring out the red flag. The entries of Ford, Fox, Trent and Brooks suffered extensive damage to end their nights.

 

Going back green Mays was riding out front followed by Buckingham and Glass. Mays, with two wins to his credit this season was looking like he would win his third feature, but on lap 11 racing off the fourth turn he suddenly dropped to the inside of the track and coasted down the front straightaway and turned into the pit opening, the victim of a broken rearend.

 

With Buckingham having to momentarily check up when Mays slowed, Glass capitalized and stayed on the throttle to drive around Buckingham and into the lead. Glass and Buckingham brought back old memories of their Mod Lite racing days, each battling one another for position. But Glass would not be denied his first-ever visit to victory lane at “The Gap,” as he captured the feature win over Buckingham, Broyles, Warren McMahan and John King Jr., who rode the high-groove around turns one and two with only a couple of laps remaining to pass Greg Burchett for the fifth spot.

 

Completing the top-10 in the finishing order were Burchett, Anthony Arnwine, James Cole, Brad Kenyon and Ricky Moore.

 

“I was kind of beginning to wonder if we’d ever win one,” said a smiling Glass after climbing from his car in victory lane. “This win tonight is very special to me. It’s for my late father who passed away a year-and-a-half ago. We were racing partners. He was always there to support me and my racing 110 percent over the years. We always went racing together. I know he’s looking down from above with a big smile on his face. I just wish he could’ve been here tonight to share in this victory with me.

 

“I guess you could say we’ve kind of somewhat struggled over these past couple of seasons since moving into this Crate Late Model class. We’ve had some top-five runs and all, but for some reason we just never could get over the hump and get a victory. Racing Shanon (Buckingham) for the win was sweet, because we’re good friends and over the years we’ve raced Mod Lites against one another all over the country. I want to thank Wendy (Thompson) for being right there with me in my racing and for all she does. My mom is also here tonight and getting the win with her present is nice. Hopefully now that we’ve finally gotten our first win, it won’t take us two years to win another race.”

 

Phillip Nichols of Sneedville was pressured the entire 20-lap distance in the “Rusty Wallace Toyota” Hobby Stock feature by point leader Jesse Helton, but Nichols held off the hard-charging Helton to capture his third victory on the season. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Dustin Shaver, Chuck Johnson and Roger Hunter.

 

Shawn Henry of Newport passed Joey Allen for the lead on the fourth lap in the “Century 21 Massengill-McCrary Realtors” Mini Stock feature, and once out front he never looked back en route to capturing his fourth consecutive victory. Henry was trailed at the finish by Kevin Atwell, Allen, Kenny Absher and Brent Hensley.

 

“GATEWAY FORD” SUPER LATE MODEL (35 laps)

 

1. Austin Dillon #3-Welcome, NC

2. Bryan Hendrix #5-Knoxville, TN

3. Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN

4. Michael Jackson #Q-Greeneville, TN

5. Lloyd Osborne #11-Johnson City, TN

6. Marty Calloway #7-Maynardville, TN

7. Gary Blanken #05-Whitesburg, TN

8. Jackie Hughes #27-Johnson City, TN

9. Dennis Alverson #71-Kingsport, TN

10. Jeff Maupin #0-Greeneville, TN

11. Dwight Sams #54-Marshall, NC

12. Louis Hickey #74-Whitesburg, TN

13. Mike Smith #4-Rogersville, TN

14. Larry James #04-Newport, TN

15. Shanon Buckingham #44-Morristown, TN

 

Did Not Start: Shane Roberts #32w-Bluff City, TN

 

“RAMEY FORD” CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps)

 

1) Kelly Glass #01, 2) Shanon Buckingham #44, 3) Jerry Broyles #72, 4) Warren McMahan #33, 5) John King Jr. #11k, 6) Greg Burchett #17, 7) Anthony Arnwine #11a, 8) James Cole #5, 9) Brad Kenyon #98, 10) Ricky Moore #75, 11) Josh Henry #B00, 12) Travis Trent #5, 13) Joe “Dirt” Good #911, 14) Chris Manning #03, 15) Bobby Mays #19, 16) Gerald Smith #12, 17) Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf #56, 18) Brandon Taylor #55, 19) Jensen Ford #83, 20) Rusty Fox #25, 21) Tony Trent #18, 22) Todd Brooks #T1, 23) Van Lester #50, 24) Allen Poyner #2, 25) Randy Tipton #02

 

“RUSTY WALLACE TOYOTA” HOBBY STOCK (20 laps)

 

1) Phillip Nichols #33, 2) Jesse Helton #28, 3) Dustin Shaver #7, 4) Chuck Johnson #17, 5) Roger Hunter #7-11, 6) Jon Cook #0z, 7) Dale Reed #52, 8) Jamie Whitt #1, 9) Jason Long #15, 10) Terry Cobb #14, 11) Ralph Mills #B1, 12) Jesse Wilder #79, 13) Bobby Reed #54, 14) Chris Brady #9, 15) Robbie Wood #16, 16) Ray Jarnigan #31, 17) Dennis Metcalf #55, 18) Robbie Jones #29, 19) Jeremiah Carr #18, 20) Tyler Smith #32, 21) Shorty Ledford #41 – DNS: Patrick Flannery #38, Charles Allen #4

 

“CENTURY 21 MASSENGILL-MCCRARY REALTORS” MINI STOCK (20 laps)

 

1) Shawn Henry #B00, 2) Kevin Atwell #95, 3) Joey Allen #A00, 4) Kenny Absher #11, 5) Brent Hensley #70, 6) Allen Carrier #B1, 7) Toby Jones #66

 

Volunteer Speedway: (423) 235-5020 www.VolunteerSpeedway.com