West Virginia Motor Speedway
Shaver tops Richards in WVMS weekend opener
Steve Shaver heads to victory. (Tommy Michaels)
MINERAL WELLS, W.Va. (Aug. 29) — Former track champion Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., took the lead midway through Thursday’s Suddenlink 30 at West Virginia Motor Speedway to open RaceFest weekend with a $4,000 payday on the American Dirt Racing Association. | Slideshow
The fourth-starting Shaver, the fastest of 27 qualifiers, earned $4,000 for the victory at the 4/10-mile oval on the first night of a busy Labor Day weekend as WVMS hosts a $10,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series event on Friday.
Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished second in Thursday’s main event with polesitter Rick Eckert of York, Pa., in third. Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., rounded out the top five finishers in the 20-car field.
Consolation race winner Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, netted Dominator Fabrication Hard Charger honors with his 15th-to-seventh run.
Notes: Shaver’s Rumley Enterprises-owned Longhorn Chassis is sponsored by the Charlotte Auto Racing Show, Lucas Oil and CV Products. ... QuickTime Suspension sponsored Shaver’s fast time award. ... Shaver notched his first victory of the season. ... The feature race ended well after 1 a.m. ... Temperatures dipped into the upper 60s on a cool evening with fog settling in after midnight. ... Drivers failing to make the feature lineup: Kyle Bates, Darin Roush, Jeremy Misel, Joe Ramey, Justin Powell, Richie Edwards and Colten Burdette. ... RaceFest weekend continues with WoO Late Models and touring events for sprints and modifieds among other divisions on Friday.
Suddenlink 30: (1) Steve Shaver, (2) Josh Richards, (3) Rick Eckert, (4) Davey Johnson, (5) Cllint Smith, (6) Bub McCool, (7) Rod Conley, (8) Corey Conley, (9) Chuck Harper, (10) Dusty Hamrick, (11) Sonny Conley, (12) Bryan Casey, (13) Tom Hendrix, (14) Steve Lucas, (15) Andy Bond, (16) K C Burdette, (17) Devin Moran, (18) Scott Peltz, (19) Eric Wells, (20) Michael Davis. Fast qualifier (among 27 cars): Shaver, 17.28 seconds. Dash winner: Eckert. Heat race winners: Lucas, C. Smith. Consolation winner: R. Conley.
