Smoky Mountain Speedway
Brake-less McDowell captures AAPTS finale
From series reports
The AAPTS finale drew 38 cars. (mrmracing.net)
MARYVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 19) — Surviving to lead all 44 laps despite losing his brakes halfway through the race, Dale McDowell of Rossville, Ga., won the Buddy Rogers Memorial at Mountain Raceway Park, his second Advance Auto Parts Thunder Series victory of the season at the 4/10-mile oval. McDowell fought off late-race challenges from Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., to earn $4,400. Losing the brakes "forced me to lift a little earlier than I wanted to getting into the corners, and I knew Randy was there, but he raced me clean and fortunately I was able to hold him off," McDowell said. | Slideshow
Polesitter Todd Morrow of Oldfort, Tenn., finished third followed by hometown driver Tommy Kerr and Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn. Rick Rogers of Knoxville — the son of Buddy Rogers, the former east Tennessee racer who died last month — finished sixth and wrapped up his first AAPTS championship. The champion and several volunteers restored a 1980s-era Buddy Rogers No. 44 and it was used in a pre-race ceremony and as the feature's pace car, piloted by Rick's son Stephen.
Notes: McDowell's Warrior Race Cars house car has a Custom Race Engine and sponsorship from Willett Powder Coating, BiLo Markets, Dover Cylinder Heads, Curtis Equipment and Christenberry Trucking. .... McDowell also won the previous night, earning $4,000 in the unsanctioned Grant Adcox Memorial at Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway. ... Among drivers failing to make the feature: David Payne, Kerry Jones, Dan Tipton, Kayne Hickman and David Crabtree. ... The day's events included an old-timer's race, won by H.E. Vineyard over Herman Goddard, Rusty Goddard, Zeke Buchanan, Bill Reed, Joe Neubert and Rocky Estes. ... In the AAPTS feature, Mark Vineyard was the hard charger with his 23rd-to-15th run. ... Skip Arp of Georgetown, Tenn., ran up front through the first half of the race but departed during the race's lone caution on lap 23; the caution was caused by a breather cap on the track surface in turn one.
AAPTS @ Mountain Raceway Park: (1) Dale McDowell, (2) Randy Weaver, (3) Todd Morrow, (4) Tommy Kerr, (5) Billy Ogle, (6) Rick Rogers, (7) Eric Jacobsen, (8) Clint Smith, (9) Bobby Giffin, (10) John Blankenship, (11) Chris Wilson, (12) Ray Cook, (13) Jason Welshan, (14) Mike Weeks, (15) Mark Vineyard, (16) Tommy Bailey, (17) Roger Best, (18) Anthony White, (19) Chad Ogle, (20) Stacy Boles, (21) Skip Arp, (22) Mike Jackson, (23) Herman Goddard, (24) Jake Knowles. Fast qualifier (among 38 cars): Arp, 17.48 seconds. Dash winners: Morrow, Rogers. Consolation winners: Ogle, Blankenship.
