Natural Bridge Speedway
Shaver earns $9,500 for victory at Natural Bridge
NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (Oct. 2) – Polesitter Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., scored a total payday of $9,500 Sunday at Natural Bridge Speedway after outdueling Jamie Lathroum of Mechanicsville, Md., in a race-long battle throughout the unsanctioned Fall Classic.
Lathroum, the two-time defending race winner, settled for the runner-up finish in the 50-lap event that was postponed from Saturday due to rain. Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., was third with Ronnie DeHaven Jr. of Winchester, Va., and Booper Bare of Rockbridge Baths, Va., rounding out the top five finishers.
Shaver got the advantage on the start of the race while Lathroum took control of the second position. Several early cautions kept the leaders in check. However, with each restart Shaver and Lathroum distanced themselves from the field. At one point the two leaders were nearly a half-lap ahead of the rest of the field. Lathroum stayed glued to Shaver’s back bumper and, at times, seemed to have the better of the two cars.
Lathroum had his best shot at making a move on Shaver as the two drivers encountered lapped traffic midway through the event. As the two drivers exited turn two, Lathroum made a run at Shaver on the bottom of the speedway. The two made slight contact in turns three and four, but both drivers straightened out their machines and continued on without losing a position.
Several late-race cautions gave Shaver a clean race track as he raced to the checkers to claim his first ever victory at Natural Bridge Speedway and his first Fall Classic triumph.
Notes: Shaver's K&L Rumley Motorsports Rocket Chassis is sponsored by GPS Supply Company, CV Products, Sunoco Race Fuels and Hoosier Racing Tires. ... Shaver winnings were a combination of $8,000 for the feature victory, plus a $1,000 laps-led bonus and $500 for winning the dash. ... The triumph is Shaver’s seventh special-event victory of the season and his third in Virginia. He scored victories of $25,000 and $10,000 earlier this year at Virginia Motor Speedway.
Fall Classic: (1) Steve Shaver, (2) Jamie Lathroum, (3) Jeremy Miller, (4) Ronnie DeHaven Jr., (5) Booper Bare, (6) Jim Bernheisel, (7) Bo Feathers, (8) Jason Covert, (9) David Watts, (10) Kyle Lear, (11) Greg Roberson, (12) D.J. Myers, (13) Denny Bonebrake, (14) Kenny Moreland, (15) Walker Arthur, (16) Brian Tavenner, (17) Bryan Bernheisel, (18) Darryl Hills, (19) Joey Leavell, (20) Tony Crim, (21) Chris Meadows, (22) C.S. Fitzgerald, (23) Duane Harbaugh, (24) Scott LeBarron, (25) Tyler Hershey. Fast qualifier: DeHaven. Heat race winners: DeHaven Jr., Lathroum, LeBarron. Dash winner: Shaver.
