Beebe Speedway
Moyer Jr. cruises in MSRA opener at Beebe
By Ben Shelton
Mid-South Racing
Billy Moyer Jr. heads for victory. (Woody Hampton)
BEEBE, Ark. (April 9) — Reigning series champion Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., survived a first-lap melee and an early duel with polesitter Dane Dacus of Lakeland, Tenn., to capture the Comp Cams Mid-South Racing Association season opener on Friday at Beebe Speedway. | Slideshow
Moyer, 22, earned $2,000 for leading all but the first lap of the 30-lap feature at the quarter-mile oval in central Arkansas. The victory is the third of Moyer's career on the MSRA circuit.
Dacus, who led the first lap, settled for second with teenager Gary Christian of Broken Bow, Okla., in third. Arkansas veterans Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier and Wendell Wallace of Batesville rounded out the top five finishers.
Moyer inched ahead of Dacus on the second lap, fought off the second-running Tennessean amid traffic before the midpoint of the race, then pulled away after lap 17 for the victory.
The race's lone caution appeared on the first lap when Dacus and fellow front-row starter Jon Kirby of Russellville, Ark., made contact between turns one and two. Both spun to trigger a track-blocking pileup that forced a complete restart, but heavy front-end damage prevented Kirby from continuing.
Notes: Moyer's Victory Circle Chassis is sponsored by Banner Valley Hauling, BSB Mgf., Imperial Motors and New Vision Graphics. ... Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., was the Larry Shaw Race Cars Hard Charger after advancing from his 13th starting spot to finish eighth. ... The Quarter Master Hard Luck award went to Jon Kirby. ... Drivers failing to make the feature: Wesley Crutchfield, Eddie Provence, Stormy Derryberry. ... The Arkansas-based series wraps up the season-opening weekend with a Saturday event at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.
MSRA @ Beebe: (1) Billy Moyer Jr., (2) Dane Dacus, (3) Gary Christian, (4) Jack Sullivan, (5) Wendell Wallace, (6) Joey Mack, (7) Jon Mitchell, (8) Bill Frye, (9) Dewaine Hottinger, (10) Jeff Floyd, (11) Kyle Beard, (12) Stacy Taylor, (13) Charlie Cole, (14) Terry Henson, (15) Brandon Smith, (16) Jeff Sloan, (17) Austin Rettig, (18) Joseph Long, (19) Shane Stephens, (20) Jon Kirby. Heat race winners (among 23 cars): Christian, Dacus, Kirby, Moyer. Consolation winner: Cole. Provisional starter: Rettig.
