SEYMOUR, Tenn. — It’s been a long winter and many have experienced cabin fever, counting the days down and waiting for the arrival of spring.
What better way to kick off the 2019 season-opening weekly championship points racing event at 411 Motor Speedway Saturday night than to have an almost-packed grandstand and 104 race cars ready for competition in the pits.
Rusty Ballenger captured the pole position for the Crate Late Model feature after touring Tennessee’s Action Track at 15.953 seconds. But Jesse Lowe of Crossville jumped out into the lead at the start over Ballenger, Heath Alvey, Jason Cardwell and Trevor Sise. Caution quickly waved when Sise spun in the fourth turn on lap four.
Off the double-file restart Lowe still remained in the lead, but Ballenger got shuffled back in the running order when Cardwell, Alvey and Bradley Lewelling all got around him as they battled for position between turns one and two. With the race running clean-and-green, Lowe began to put some real estate between his closest challengers as he pulled out to almost a full-straightaway advantage at the halfway point in the 25-lap feature. Caution on lap 18 for debris on the track erased Lowe’s huge lead.
Going back green for a run to the finish, Lowe had the veteran Cardwell glued to his back bumper. But there would be no denying Lowe a trip to victory lane as he captured the $1,000Â win over Cardwell, Alvey, Lewelling and Ballenger
Aaron Guinn was quickest at 15.965 seconds in Sportsman Late Model qualifying earning the pole for the 20-lap feature. Unfortunately for Guinn, his race would be short-lived as he and Jed Emert tangled on the fourth lap to bring out the caution.
Going back green off the double-file restart Jake Whitehead was showing the way out front over Addison Cardwell and Clyde Stanton, while Hunter Kerr, Emert and Kip Sawyer battled for position. A strong run from the fourth spot by Kerr ended on lap 12 when he slowed with front-end damage to bring the caution out.
Following the ensuing double-file restart, Whitehead, Stanton and Cardwell battled up front for position. Stanton, from Strawberry Plains, finally got around Whitehead to take the lead and never looked back as he recorded the victory over Whitehead, Cardwell, Emert and Sawyer.
Hunt Gossum of Mayfield, Ky., is only 14 years old and had never turned a lap at 411 Motor Speedway. But the teenager looked like a seasoned veteran as he was hooked up and haulin’ throughout the 20-lap Open Wheel Modified feature, leading flag-to-flag en route to capturing the win over Shon Flanary, Amos Bunch, Jimmy Dalton and Ricky Tinch.
Michael Woods led from start-to-finish in capturing the Modified Street feature win over Wayne Rader, David Clark, Dwayne Fox and Eric Hux.
Lee Merritt was the dominant Classic driver in East Tennessee last year, winning championships at both 411 Motor Speedway and Volunteer Speedway. Merritt, from Knoxville, served notice he’s out to capture more hardware (trophy) this season as he roared to victory in the 20-lap feature over Mac Lockhart, Eli Keck, Adam Engel and Will Carey.
Josh Driskill appeared headed to victory in the Street Stock feature, but following a restart he slid up the track between turns one and two, thus opening the door for both Josh Henry and Austin Atkins to pass him for position. Henry, from Newport, went on to capture the victory over Atkins, Driskill, Wayne Rader and David Kerr. … A three-car wreck between turns one and two, working the second lap of the race collected Shawn Henry, Steve Owens and Austin LeFever, with all three cars sustaining heavy damage.
Nathan Adams of Crossville held off Kevin Sexton to record the Front Wheel Drive feature win. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Nicholas Adams, Jake Duncan and Austin Duncan.