JULY 4, 2014
Casey Roberts Rides to Thrilling Victory in Southern Nationals Bonus Race Action at Tri-County
The adage of “taking the bull by the horns” applied to Casey Roberts of Toccoa, GA on Friday evening at Tri-County Race Track as he led all 40 laps of the Circuit World Independence Day Championship for the Southern Nationals Bonus Series driving his Cushman Motorsports owned Cushman Paint and Body/M&S Concrete/Starrette Trucking/Schaeffer Oil/Hoosier Tire South sponsored #101 Longhorn Chassis, Custom Race Engines powered mount.

The win by Roberts made him the fourth different winner in four Southern Nationals Bonus Series events so far in 2014, but the victory was not easy for Roberts as Kennie Compton, Jr., who started 15th, charged his way to second and pressured Roberts over the final few laps, but would come up a bit short in his charge to the front.

The start of the event would see a pair of cautions on the opening lap slow things, but once action got going, Roberts would take the race lead, with David Payne, Jamie Oliver, Shawn Chastain, and Kenny Collins giving chase. Chastain would pressure Oliver for third on lap 4, as Roberts would enter slower traffic one lap later. Lavon Sparks would slow on the back-chute on lap 6 to draw the next caution. Once action resumed, Chastain would get by Oliver for third, while Collins and Austin Smith would battle for fifth.

Caution waved again for Randy Nichols on lap 12 as his mount slowed on the front-chute entering turn one. The restart would see Chastain pressure Payne for second, while Roberts again motored away from the pack, while Preston Graves got by Collins for fifth on lap 18. Meanwhile, Kennie Compton, Jr. was charging his way through the field on the low side of the racing surface and would make his way to fifth on lap 21. Ronnie Payne would slow on the track on lap 25 to draw the next caution of the event and the restart would see Compton take fourth over Oliver.

The final caution of the race flew on lap 28 for a turn-two spin by George Mashburn, setting up Compton’s final charge toward the front. The restart would see Payne slow in turn two for a moment, with Chastain and Compton, Jr. slipping past, but Payne would regroup and continue. Compton, Jr. would sail past Chastain on lap 30 and set his sights on Roberts. As the field saw the five lap to go signal, Compton had closed in Roberts back bumper and the pair would battle for the lead over the final five circuits, with Compton, Jr. looking under Roberts at both ends of the track on laps 37 and 38, but Roberts would be better through turns one and two on the final lap, with Compton, Jr. making one last ditch effort exiting turn four, but coming up short, seeing Roberts taking the win. Payne would slip past Chastain on the final lap to take third, while Graves would complete the top five.

The remainder of the top ten would be Kenny Collins, Austin Smith, Gabe Wilson, Gar Dickson, and Jamie Oliver. The 40 lap, $3,000 to win would be slowed by seven caution flags.

The Southern Nationals Bonus Series returns to action Saturday July 5 at Gary Hall’s Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN. The event will be 40 laps in distance and pay $5,000 to the winner.

Official Summary of Results
Southern Nationals Bonus Races
Tri-County Race Track-Brasstown, NC
Friday Night July 4, 2014

Feature Finish:
1. Casey Roberts-Toccoa, Ga.
2. Kennie Compton Jr.-Bland, Va.
3. David Payne-Murphy, N.C.
4. Shawn Chastain-Murphy, N.C.
5. Preston Graves-Murphy, N.C.
6. Kenny Collins-Colbert, Ga.
7. Austin Smith-Cedartown, Ga.
8. Gabe Wilson-Waynesville, N.C.
9. Gar Dickson-Flinstone, Ga.
10. Jamie Oliver-Murphy, N.C.
11. Lavon Sparks-Phenix City, Ala.
12. George Mashburn-Murphy, N.C.
13. Bo Eaton-Blue Ridge, Ga.
14. David Conley-Hayesville, N.C.
15. Rodney Weeks-Blue Ridge, Ga.
16. Charlie Parker-Hayesville, N.C.
17. Michael Barnett-Hayesville, N.C.
18. Ronnie Payne-Murphy, N.C.
19. Benji Shaw-Tellico Plains, Tenn.
20. Randy Nicholds-Young Harris, Ga.
21. Jacob Grizzle-Blairsville, Ga.
22. Glen Barnett-Murphy, N.C.
23. Andy Standridge-Tellico Plains, Tenn. (DNS)

Entries: 23
Schaeffer’s Oil Fast Time: Casey Roberts-12.771 seconds
Lap Leaders: Roberts (1-40)
Lead Changes: None
Cautions: Seven (laps 0, 0, 6, 12, 25, 28)
Red Flags: None

 

Crate Late Model:
1) 7 Jason Deal
2) 2x Anthony White
3) 17 Brett Shook
4) 23 Barry Anderson
5) 88 Brad Coffey
6) t35 Tanner Works
7) 64 Jacob Anderson
8) 88 Ricky Smith
9) 8s Steven Sofield
10) 14 Sylvan Schuette
11) h11 Larry Henderson
12) 2 Anthony Rymer
13) 88 Paydon Shook
14) 1 Josh Morrow

 

Interstate Welding Modified Street:
1) 34 Greg Suddereth
2) 818 Jeffrey Wood
3) 14 Charles Devine, Jr.
4) 03 Lynn Griggs
5) 44 Robert Elkins
6) j17 Ronnie Wren
7) 21 Troy Turner
8) 39 Brandon Newton
DNS) 50 Charles Devine, Sr.
DNS) 22 Mike Bryson

 

Street Stock:
1) 31 Andy Morrow
2) 22 Josh Roberts
3) 17 Charles Toomey
4) 27 Drew Bowers
5) 6 Joe McClure
6) 7 Dylan Truhan
7) 49 Daryl Matheson
8) t11 Ty Crisp
DNS) 1 Jason Newton
DNS) 00 Charles Devine

 

Pony:
1) 55 Jamie Cross
2) 11 Dalton Cochran
3) 18 Lucas Beaver
4) c11 Cody Campbell
5) 56 Mitchell Pope
6) 28 Brandon Elliott
7) 1 Buggie Carter
8) 56 Jason Berrong
9) 11 Colt Thomas
10) 7 Eric Burchfield
11) 11 Ricky Dyer
12) 2 Michael Doves
DNS) 08 Aaron Davis

 

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