Volunteer Speedway
Owens thaws Volunteer field to pocket $10,000
By Robert Walden
Volunteer Speedway
Jimmy Owens earned $10,000. (apexonephoto.com)
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (March 21-22) — Leading all the way from his pole position, Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., earned $10,000 for his Advance Auto Parts Thunder Series-sanctioned victory in the BB&T-Toyota Tundra Spring Thaw 100 at Volunteer Speedway. Owens got the jump on fellow front-row starter Scott Bloomquist and was never headed on a cool, blustery east Tennessee evening. Prelims | Slideshow
“I kind of figured that whoever grabbed the lead there on the start between me and Scott, it would be tough to get around whoever was out front,” said Owens, the event’s fastest qualifier who notched his fifth victory overall in 2008.
The only real scare for Owens came on the 81st lap with Bloomquist pulling outside the lead down the frontstretch. Owens dove to the inside of the slower car of Kerry Jones, forcing Jones up the track. With Jones trying to hang on, he almost collected Bloomquist when he pulled up in turn two to draw a caution. “Once you lose a big race because of a slower car, you take that as a lesson learned and don’t let it bite you a second time,” Owens said.
Bloomquist, who slid up the banking on the first lap and fell back to sixth, got back up to second by overtaking Chris Madden on the 16th lap and finished in the runner-up slot. Vic Hill finished third followed by Kentuckian Brandon Kinzer and Shanon Buckingham as Tennesseans filled four of the top five spots. Madden pitted to replace a flat tire near the race’s midpoint and came back to finish seventh.
Notes: Owens’ Bloomquist Race car is sponsored by Reece Monument and Gantte Appraisals. ... Kenny Peeples Jr. of Rural Retreat, Va., captured Volunteer’s Crate Late Model division feature, outrunning Allen Champ over 25 laps.
BB&T-Toyota Tundra Spring Thaw 100: (1) Jimmy Owens, (2) Scott Bloomquist, (3) Vic Hill, (4) Brandon Kinzer, (5) Shanon Buckingham, (6) Mike Marlar, (7) Chris Madden, (8) John Blankenship, (9) Michael England, (10) Brad Neat, (11) Billy Ogle Jr., (12) Rick Rogers, (13) Tommy Kerr, (14) Anthony White, (15) Kerry Jones, (16) Ray Cook, (17) Dale McDowell, (18) David Payne, (19) Mark Douglas, (20) Stacy Boles, (21) Jeff Maupin, (22) Mike Weeks, (23) Mark Vineyard, (24) Dusty Carver. Fast qualifier (among 46 cars): Owens, 12.408 seconds. Heat race winners: Owens, Kinzer, Bloomquist, Madden. Dash winners: Owens, Rogers. Consolation winners: Ogle, Kerr. Provisional starters: Jones, England, White, Payne.
