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ArkLaTex Speedway

McCool flies to the pole position in Pelican 100

February 26, 2011, 5:36 am
By Bryan Wimberley
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Canadian Mike Balcaen (10) made a long haul to Louisiana. (scottscustomart.com)
Canadian Mike Balcaen (10) made a long haul to Louisiana. (scottscustomart.com)

VIVIAN, La. (Feb. 25) — Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., blasted to the quickest time in qualifying Friday night, then went on to dominate his heat race in a half-track victory to earn the pole position for Saturday's inaugural Pelican 100 at ArkLaTex Speedway.

The $10,000-to-win unsanctioned event, among the richest in the region for Dirt Late Models all season, is the quarter-mile track's first Super Late Model race in nearly three years. McCool comes in among the hottest driver of the 48 entrants with six top-five finishes already in 2011, including a victory at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. | Preliminary notebook | Slideshow

A familiar face joins McCool on the front row as Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, Ala., was second fastest in time trials and posted a solid heat race win over Kenny Merchant of West Monroe, La. Hollingsworth and McCool famously tangled on the final corner in the fifth round of Tucson's Wild West Shootout, sending McCool to victory lane and Hollingsworth hard into the wall. The ArkLaTex event marks Hollingsworth's first race back since the accident in his Flynn Motorsports No. 18.

The two other heat race winners, David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss., and Ray Moore of Haughton, La., earned second-row spots for Saturday's century-long grind. Details of Friday's prelims:

First heat

It didn't take long for the action to heat up, when Morgan Bagley and Jon Mitchell made contact on the backstretch while giving chase to leader Bub McCool. Bagley claimed second as Kennith Crowe went over the turn-one embankment after completing the first lap, to bring out the caution. With McCool putting distance on the field, a 3-wide battle for third ensued, involving Jon Kirby, Doug Begnaud and Mitchell on the fourth lap. McCool easily won the 15-lap heat and battled lapped traffic halfway through the race, enrouted to a dominating performance.

Finish: Bub McCool, Morgan Bagley, Jon Kirby, Jon Mitchell, Leon Henderson, Doug Begnaud, Jody Prince, Kennith Crowe, Troy Berdan, Shane Harris, Bryan Sugg, Stacy Taylor.

Second heat

It took two tries to get a lap in the books for the second heat when Dewaine Hottinger of Russellville, Ark., got bounced off the track in a three-wide backstretch battle. Polesitter Ronny Lee Hollingsworth set the pace as Kenny Merchant and Neil Baggett fought it out for second on lap one. Kyle Beard of Trumann, Ark., joined the fray of action in the next lap, overtaking both to grab second. Merchant battled back on lap four to regain a spot from Beard. Hollingsworth led all 15 laps in heat two and beat Merchant by two seconds at the flags. Hottinger rebounded from his earlier incident, racing back to finish fifth.

Finish: Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, Kenny Merchant, Kyle Beard, Greg Fore, Dewaine Hottinger, Neil Baggett, Allen Tippen, Gary Christian, Bubba Mullins, Kyle Cummings, Curtis Cook, Eric Neal.

Third heat

Three was definitely the charm for the best heat race of the evening. David Breazeale and Timothy Culp of West Monroe, La., battled for the lead early on, with Culp continuously diving down low to take a peek at the lead. Breazeale remained on point through the first two cautions — when Trey Beene slowed to exit the track and then Culp spun. With the green flag back out, Billy Moyer Jr. challenged Timothy Culp for second on lap four. With Moyer up to second, Timothy Culp fell into the clutches of Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., losing that position to the GRT House Car driver on the next lap. Moyer caught Breazeale and the pair raced door-to-door three straight laps midway through the race. The frontrunners were neck-and-neck again on lap nine, but Breazeale nudged ahead by a length with three laps remaining. Breazeale got breathing room the last two circuits as Sullivan pressured Moyer for the second spot. Timothy Culp and Jody Mayne made contact at the checkered flags with Culp holding on for fourth while Mayne's machine hit the wall, then slipped over the turn-one embankment.

Finish: David Breazeale, Billy Moyer Jr., Jack Sullivan, Timothy Culp, Jody Mayne, Alan Murray, Josh Danzy, Heath Culp, Wesley Chanler, Trey Beene, Ronny Adams, Wendall Bolden.

Fourth heat

The final heat saw Ray Moore lead flag-to-flag as he appeared nearly effortless. Justin McRee of Cottondale, Ala., came together with Raymond Taylor of Ball, La., in turn two early in the prelim, sending McRee spinning for the first yellow. An unsuccessful restart brought out another caution for a three-car tangle among Jeff Chanler, Lee Davis and Jim Bryant in turn one. Once underway again, Moore ease to a comfortable lead over Rob Litton. Moore's biggest concern became negotiating lapped cars, to pick up the victory. Moore drove away from Rob Litton of Alexandria, for the victory as they locked themselves into the feature lineup along with third-finishing Wendell Wallace. Late entry, Justin Ingalls of Longview, Texas, broke on left front wheel from contact with another car. Ingalls fought the condition for several laps before pulling off late.

Finish: Ray Moore, Rob Litton, Wendell Wallace, Mike Balcaen, Lee Davis, B.J. Robinson, Phil Miller, Justin Ingalls, Jim Bryant, Jeff Chanler, Justin McRee, Raymond Taylor.

Preliminary notes

The Pelican 100 is ArkLaTex Speedway's fifth Late Model event. Previous winners are Rob Litton (May 2008), Kenny Merchant (July 2007), Kyle Cummings (May 2007) and David Ashley (May 2006). ... The previous race at the track a half-hour north of Shreveport, La., was a photo finish with Litton edging Lee Davis in an O'Reilly SUPR touring event. ... Another Late Model race is scheduled for June 25 at ArkLaTexas when it hosts the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series. ... Several incidents in Friday's hot laps caused issues for drivers. Bubba Mullins slowed and pulled to the inside of the track because of carburetor problems. His crew changed carburetors three times before qualifying. Mullins qualified mid-pack and was still sluggish in his heat. He'll start in the sixth row in his consolation, in the No. 11jr he'll drive full-time in 2011. ... Kyle Cummings, driving the Gilbert Swayne-owned No. 96, had brake issues in hot laps while Justin McRee lost a driveshaft. ... Josh Danzy found himself running on three wheels in practice after a loose left-front worked its way free. ... Both Ronny Adams and Wendall Bolden scratched from heat races because of mechanical issues. ... Mike Balcaen of Winnipeg, Manitoba, made the 22-hour trip from north of the border. Balcaen qualified 32nd overall but his fourth-place finish in a heat put him on the front row of a consolation race. ... Several drivers in the unsanctioned event have series plans. Bub McCool hopes to chase Rookie of the Year honors on the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series, Curtis Cook will aim towards the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series rookie honors Morgan Bagley will gun for the O'Reilly SUPR rookie crown. ... The final row of Saturday's 22-car field will be made up of a driver drawn from non-qualifiers as well as a starting spot auctioned to the highest bidder.

Consolation race lineups

First consolation
Row 1: Jon Mitchell, Timothy Culp
Row 2: Leon Henderson, Jody Mayne
Row 3: Doug Begnaud, Alan Murray
Row 4: Jody Prince, Josh Danzy
Row 5: Kennith Crowe, Heath Culp
Row 6: Troy Berdan, Wesley Chanler
Row 7: Shane Harris, Trey Beene
Row 8: Bryan Sugg, Justin McRee
Row 9: Eric Neal, Ronny Adams
Second consolation
Row 1: Greg Fore, Mike Balcaen
Row 2: Dewaine Hottinger, Lee Davis
Row 3: Neil Baggett, B.J. Robinson
Row 4: Allen Tippen, Phil Miller
Row 5: Gary Christian, Justin Ingalls
Row 6: Bubba Mullins, Jim Bryant
Row 7: Kyle Cummings, Jeff Chanler
Row 8: Curtis Cook, Stacy Taylor

Row 9: Raymond Taylor, Wendall Bolden

Time trials

Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, time
1. Bub McCool (57j), Vicksburg, Miss., 13.110
2. Ronny Lee Hollingsworth (18), Northport, Ala., 13.304
3. David Breazeale (54), Four Corners, Miss., 13.562
4. Ray Moore (93), Haughton, La., 13.767
5. Jon Kirby (11), Russellville, Ark., 13.774
6. Kenny Merchant (c28), West Monroe, La., 13.784
7. Jack Sullivan (1s), Greenbrier, Ark., 13.790
8. Jeff Chanler (11c), Minden, La., 13.816
9. Morgan Bagley (14M), Longview, Texas, 13.835
10. Neil Baggett (21), Shannon, Miss., 13.854
11. Timothy Culp (c8), West Monroe, La., 13.856
12. Rob Litton (6x), Alexandria, La., 13.968
13. Jon Mitchell (5), Texarkana, Texas, 14.003
14. Dewaine Hottinger (65), Russellville, Ark., 14.009
15. Jody Mayne (87m), Grand Saline, Texas, 14.010
16. B.J. Robinson (R5), Blanchard, La., 14.015
17. Stacy Taylor (27), Jacksonville, Ark., 14.018
18. Greg Fore (77), Greenville, Miss., 14.022
19. Trey Beene (115), Bossier City, La., 14.040
20. Justin McRee (25), Cottondale, Ala., 14.087
21. Kennith Crowe (77), Port Allen, La., 14.088
22. Kyle Beard (86), Trumann, Ark., 14.200
23. Billy Moyer Jr (21jr), Batesville, Ark., 14.279
24. Lee Davis (21D), Greenwood, La., 14.308
25. Doug Begnaud (1), Cypress, Texas, 14.458
26. Bubba Mullins (11jr), West Monroe, La., 14.476
27. Ronny Adams (1A), Diana, Texas, 14.491
28. Wendell Wallace (88), Batesville, Ark., 14.506
29. Leon Henderson (10), Laurel, Miss., 14.552
30. Allen Tippen (71a), Minden, La., 14.585
31. Josh Danzy (F5), Heflin, La., 14.626
32. Mike Balcaen (10), Winnipeg, Manitoba 14.637
33. Jody Prince (10P), Sibley, La., 14.682
34. Gary Christian (58x), Broken Bow, Okla., 14.684
35. Alan Murray (2), San Antonio, Texas, 14.846
36. Raymond Taylor (T49), Ball, La., 14.855
37. Shane Harris (0), Sheridan, Ark., 14.874
38. Curtis Cook (601), Conway, Ark., 14.900
39. Heath Culp (58), McKinney, Texas, 15.103
40. Jim Bryant (7x), Natchitoches, La., 15.141
41. Troy Berdan (02), Minden, La., 15.212
42. Kyle Cummings (96), Sibley, La., 15.375
43. Wesley Chanler (117c), Minden, La., 15.394
44. Phil Miller (17m), Plano, Texas, 15.423
45. Bryan Sugg (18), Fort Worth, Texas, 15.480
46. Eric Neal (97), Lolita, Texas, 15.942
47. Wendall Bolden (28B), Greenville, Texas, no time
48. Justin Ingalls (8), Longview, Texas, no time

Pelican 100 lineup

Row 1: McCool, Hollingsworth
Row 2: Breazeale, Moore
Row 3: Bagley, Merchant
Row 4: Moyer Jr., Litton
Row 5: Kirby, Beard
Row 6: Sullivan, Wallace
Row 7: Consolation transfer
Row 8: Consolation transfer
Row 9: Consolation transfer
Row 10: Consolation transfer
Row 11: Provisional starters
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