RGeeProductions
06-05-2011, 10:09 AM
Cautions and wrecks plagued some, gave others opportunities.
It was a wild night at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday, with a cluster of cautions that kept the fans on
their feet.
In the Army Strong 150 for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, Matt DiBenedetto claimed the checkered for the inaugural event at the
Madhouse. DiBenedetto took the lead away from pole-sitter Coleman Pressley early in the race and never looked back.
Repeated cautions caused repeated double-file restarts, and DiBenedetto was put to the test every single time. “I was really focused on
treating every restart like it was a green-white-checkered finish,” said DiBenedetto. “It was a wild night for sure. It was just a race of
survival.”
Corey LaJoie moved up to give DiBenedetto some serious challenges in the later stages of the race but was unable to make the pass for the
lead. Many had counted out LaJoie as a serious contender due to his relatively low budget, but Bowman Gray Stadium proved to be a great
equalizer. “It feels good to beat a handful of those guys who have full-time guys working on their stuff all day,” said LaJoie.
Finishing in third was Ben Kennedy, great-grandson to Bill France Sr.: one of the founders of racing at Bowman Gray Stadium. “We just
took our time, moved up, stayed out of trouble, kept the fenders on her, and brought her to third,” said Kennedy. It was his highest finish ever
in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
DiBenedetto’s victory makes him the 120th driver to win a featured event at Bowman Gray Stadium, adding him to the historic list that
includes legends such as Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson, and Richard Petty. “The history here is so cool: my favorite part of coming here,” said
DiBenedetto.
In the GMAC Insurance Modified Series, the 100-lapper on Saturday was just as wild. When the field randomly drew for position, Chris
Fleming of Mount Airy drew the pole.
Fleming jumped out to an early lead by fending off outside-row attempts from Robert Jeffreys of Winston-Salem. But by lap 20, Jonathan
Brown of Winston-Salem had moved up to challenge Fleming for the lead.
Fleming defended the top spot once but eventually was overtaken by Brown. “I was trying to drive Jonathan clean, and I let him beat me on
the restart,” said Fleming, who quickly began delivering some rough nudges to the rear bumper of Brown in an effort to reclaim the lead.
For three consecutive double-file restarts, Fleming took to the outside row to fight with Brown. “It never entered into my mind to stay
on the inside. I came here to put on a show,” said Fleming.
During a double-file restart on lap 85, Fleming’s persistence paid off. Jonathan Brown fell off the pace for just an instant – enough to
allow Fleming to fly past him into the lead. The field scrambled to react to Brown’s slowing: some attempted to move around him; some slammed the
brakes. The confusion created a multi-car incident which caught nearly the entire field in a pileup.
Brown feels that Fleming’s dirty driving was the cause of the wreck. “This would be a great race track if they get some drivers who want
to race instead of wreck,” said Brown about the incident with Fleming.
Fleming went on to take the victory, with Joseph “Bobo” Brown of Winston-Salem finishing second. Burt Myers of Walnut Cove took third,
and Jonathan Brown claims fourth.
Race Results
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Army Strong 150
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 15 Matt DiBenedetto Grass Valley, CA
2 07 Corey LaJoie Concord, NC
3 96 Ben Kennedy Daytona Beach, FL
4 18 Max Gresham Griffin, GA
5 37 D.J. Shaw Conway, NH
6 6 Darrell Wallace Jr Mobile, AL
7 12 Chad Finchum Knoxville, TN
8 03 Cody Hodgson Escalon, CA
9 98 Chad Boat Phoenix, AZ
10 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN
11 32 Dale Quarterley Westfield, MA
12 16 Alex Bowman Tucson, AZ
13 71 Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA
14 8 Michael Cherry Valrico, FL
15 33 Kevan Combs Oak Ridge, NC
16 00 Brett Moffitt Grimes, IA
17 46 Brandon Gdovic Yorktown, VA
18 9 Chase Elliott II Dawsonville, GA
19 27 Cale Conley Vienna, WV
20 62 Andrew Smith Pooler, GA
21 64 Rick Gdovic Pittsburgh, PA
22 14 Coleman Pressley Asheville, NC
23 66 Benny Gordon DuBois, PA
24 11 Robert Johnson Hamptonville, NC
25 08 Clay Campbell Martinsville, VA
26 4 Sergio Peña Winchester, VA
27 51 Brandon Haley Lavonia, GA
GMAC Insurance Modified Series
100-Lap Race
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 13 Chris Fleming Mount Airy, NC
2 28 Joseph Brown Winston-Salem, NC
3 1 Burt Myers Walnut Cove, NC
4 53 Jonathan Brown Winston-Salem, NC
5 50 Michael Clifton Walkertown, NC
6 83 Tim Brown Rural Hall, NC
7 48 Brad Robbins Winston-Salem, NC
8 25 John Smith Mount Airy, NC
9 81 Austin Pack Walkertown, NC
10 6 Kevin Wilson Elkin, NC
11 4 Jason Myers Walnut Cove, NC
12 5 Randy Butner Pfafftown, NC
13 51 Stan Welborn Germanton, NC
14 11 Ricky Knapp Denver, NC
15 7 Bobby Reed Clemmons, NC
16 64 Steven Truell Winston-Salem, NC
17 77 Lee Jeffreys Wallburg, NC
18 75 Robert Jeffreys Winston-Salem, NC
19 71 Dean Ward Winston-Salem, NC
20 12 Mike Norman Lewisville, NC
21 17 Johnny Sutton Harrisburg, NC
22 33 Matt Caldwell Arcadia, NC
23 23 Brian Loftin Lexington, NC
24 66 Ronnie Clifton Walkertown, NC
Loren Pinilis
It was a wild night at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday, with a cluster of cautions that kept the fans on
their feet.
In the Army Strong 150 for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, Matt DiBenedetto claimed the checkered for the inaugural event at the
Madhouse. DiBenedetto took the lead away from pole-sitter Coleman Pressley early in the race and never looked back.
Repeated cautions caused repeated double-file restarts, and DiBenedetto was put to the test every single time. “I was really focused on
treating every restart like it was a green-white-checkered finish,” said DiBenedetto. “It was a wild night for sure. It was just a race of
survival.”
Corey LaJoie moved up to give DiBenedetto some serious challenges in the later stages of the race but was unable to make the pass for the
lead. Many had counted out LaJoie as a serious contender due to his relatively low budget, but Bowman Gray Stadium proved to be a great
equalizer. “It feels good to beat a handful of those guys who have full-time guys working on their stuff all day,” said LaJoie.
Finishing in third was Ben Kennedy, great-grandson to Bill France Sr.: one of the founders of racing at Bowman Gray Stadium. “We just
took our time, moved up, stayed out of trouble, kept the fenders on her, and brought her to third,” said Kennedy. It was his highest finish ever
in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
DiBenedetto’s victory makes him the 120th driver to win a featured event at Bowman Gray Stadium, adding him to the historic list that
includes legends such as Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson, and Richard Petty. “The history here is so cool: my favorite part of coming here,” said
DiBenedetto.
In the GMAC Insurance Modified Series, the 100-lapper on Saturday was just as wild. When the field randomly drew for position, Chris
Fleming of Mount Airy drew the pole.
Fleming jumped out to an early lead by fending off outside-row attempts from Robert Jeffreys of Winston-Salem. But by lap 20, Jonathan
Brown of Winston-Salem had moved up to challenge Fleming for the lead.
Fleming defended the top spot once but eventually was overtaken by Brown. “I was trying to drive Jonathan clean, and I let him beat me on
the restart,” said Fleming, who quickly began delivering some rough nudges to the rear bumper of Brown in an effort to reclaim the lead.
For three consecutive double-file restarts, Fleming took to the outside row to fight with Brown. “It never entered into my mind to stay
on the inside. I came here to put on a show,” said Fleming.
During a double-file restart on lap 85, Fleming’s persistence paid off. Jonathan Brown fell off the pace for just an instant – enough to
allow Fleming to fly past him into the lead. The field scrambled to react to Brown’s slowing: some attempted to move around him; some slammed the
brakes. The confusion created a multi-car incident which caught nearly the entire field in a pileup.
Brown feels that Fleming’s dirty driving was the cause of the wreck. “This would be a great race track if they get some drivers who want
to race instead of wreck,” said Brown about the incident with Fleming.
Fleming went on to take the victory, with Joseph “Bobo” Brown of Winston-Salem finishing second. Burt Myers of Walnut Cove took third,
and Jonathan Brown claims fourth.
Race Results
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Army Strong 150
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 15 Matt DiBenedetto Grass Valley, CA
2 07 Corey LaJoie Concord, NC
3 96 Ben Kennedy Daytona Beach, FL
4 18 Max Gresham Griffin, GA
5 37 D.J. Shaw Conway, NH
6 6 Darrell Wallace Jr Mobile, AL
7 12 Chad Finchum Knoxville, TN
8 03 Cody Hodgson Escalon, CA
9 98 Chad Boat Phoenix, AZ
10 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN
11 32 Dale Quarterley Westfield, MA
12 16 Alex Bowman Tucson, AZ
13 71 Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA
14 8 Michael Cherry Valrico, FL
15 33 Kevan Combs Oak Ridge, NC
16 00 Brett Moffitt Grimes, IA
17 46 Brandon Gdovic Yorktown, VA
18 9 Chase Elliott II Dawsonville, GA
19 27 Cale Conley Vienna, WV
20 62 Andrew Smith Pooler, GA
21 64 Rick Gdovic Pittsburgh, PA
22 14 Coleman Pressley Asheville, NC
23 66 Benny Gordon DuBois, PA
24 11 Robert Johnson Hamptonville, NC
25 08 Clay Campbell Martinsville, VA
26 4 Sergio Peña Winchester, VA
27 51 Brandon Haley Lavonia, GA
GMAC Insurance Modified Series
100-Lap Race
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 13 Chris Fleming Mount Airy, NC
2 28 Joseph Brown Winston-Salem, NC
3 1 Burt Myers Walnut Cove, NC
4 53 Jonathan Brown Winston-Salem, NC
5 50 Michael Clifton Walkertown, NC
6 83 Tim Brown Rural Hall, NC
7 48 Brad Robbins Winston-Salem, NC
8 25 John Smith Mount Airy, NC
9 81 Austin Pack Walkertown, NC
10 6 Kevin Wilson Elkin, NC
11 4 Jason Myers Walnut Cove, NC
12 5 Randy Butner Pfafftown, NC
13 51 Stan Welborn Germanton, NC
14 11 Ricky Knapp Denver, NC
15 7 Bobby Reed Clemmons, NC
16 64 Steven Truell Winston-Salem, NC
17 77 Lee Jeffreys Wallburg, NC
18 75 Robert Jeffreys Winston-Salem, NC
19 71 Dean Ward Winston-Salem, NC
20 12 Mike Norman Lewisville, NC
21 17 Johnny Sutton Harrisburg, NC
22 33 Matt Caldwell Arcadia, NC
23 23 Brian Loftin Lexington, NC
24 66 Ronnie Clifton Walkertown, NC
Loren Pinilis