Leesville 171 Speedway
Culp tops Leesville for third SUPR victory
By Bryan Wimberley
DirtonDirt.com correspondentLEESVILLE, La. (Aug. 6) — Eighth-starting Timothy Culp of West Monroe, La., flew under the radar early, then powered to a $2,500 payday on the O'Reilly Southern United Professional Racing tour Saturday night at 171 Speedway. Culp was the last of four leaders in the 50-lap feature at the 3/8-mile track, crossing the finish line nearly four seconds ahead of Ronny Adams of Diana, Texas. | SUPR notebook
Culp led the final seven laps for his third victory of the season, drawing him a little closer in the series points to leader Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, who finished third. Rob Litton of Alexandria, La., was fourth while 11th-starting Robbie Starnes of Baytown, Texas, was fifth
Polesitter Chris Holley of Dayton, Texas, looked unbeatable early but fell victim to a tangle with slower cars midway through and fell from contention. He rallied to finish seventh.
Holley took control at the outset with Litton taking second from Bagley on the sixth lap as Adams and Robbie Stuart battled in the top five.
Traffic eventually posed problems for Holley. After leading 20 laps, he got trapped on the low side when Zach McMillan and Wesley Chanler got out of shape in turns one and two. Holley restarted on the tail, handing the lead to Litton.
Litton led seven laps before Adams took over on lap 28, and three slowdowns over the next two laps — including a turn-two pileup involving five cars the drew a red flag — slowed the progress of the race. Brett Frazier and Allen Tippen got together, collecting Jeff Chanler, Kevin Sitton and Jody Prince. Chanler, looking for his third straight SUPR victory, was left facing skyward when his car was lifted onto two wheels.
After the cleanup, Adams was out front with Culp and Litton battling for second. Culp took the spot and began tracking down Adams, closing in on lap 38.
After looking for a way around several laps, the 20-year-old Culp seized the moment on lap 44 to take command. Adams tried to answer, but Culp stayed ahead, cushioning his lead with a lapped car in the final moments.
Notes: Culp's Trak-Star Race Car is powered by a Wall 2 Wall Performance Engine and sponsored by Miller Motorsports, Culp's Automotive, J&J Motorsports, Beau Taylor Technologies, PRP Racing Suspension, BA Motorsports and Graduate Sales. ... Culp's previous series victories came at Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, and Greenville (Miss.) Speedway. ... Culp was involved in a brief skirmish in the pits after the third heat. Jeff Chanler had a flat tire after a battle with Culp, and Chanler headed to Culp's car before he could climb out. Officials and others helped quickly restore order. ... The feature ended just after 11 p.m. in a race slowed by six cautions. ... Ten drivers finished on the lead lap. ... Chad Dupont of Bossier City, La., was back in the Childress Racing No. F5, subbing for B.J. Robinson. Dupont had his best outing in a Late Model this season, finishing 11th. ... Jay Brunson of Dubberly, La., showed improvement, grabbing his best series finished in eighth. ... Brock Williams, of Alexandria, La., but originally from Leesville, had an early night due to a broken shift linkage on his No. 4x. ... Series director Greg Holmes subbed in the flagstand for a vacationing David Corbello. ... Bryan Wimberley made his debut as series announcer. ... Next up is the richest SUPR event of the season in a $4,000-to-win event at Greenville. The PRO Dirt Car Series is co-sanctioning the event.
O'Reilly SUPR @ 171: (1) Timothy Culp, (2) Ronny Adams, (3) Morgan Bagley, (4) Rob Litton, (5) Robbie Starnes, (6) Robbie Stuart, (7) Chris Holley, (8) Jay Brunson, (9) Allen Tippen, (10) Nicholas Brown, (11) Chad Dupont, (12) Jeff Chanler, (13) Zach McMillan, (14) Jody Prince, (15) Kevin Ray, (16) Keith Strother, (17) Kennith Crowe, (18) Wesley Chanler, (19) Brett Frazier, (20) Kevin Sitton, (21) Curt Lipsey, (22) Brock Williams. Heat race winners (among 22 cars): Stuart, Litton, Holley.
