311 Motor Speedway
Compton dominates 311 for Carolina Clash victory
MADISON, N.C. (July 13) — Kennie Compton Jr. of Bland, Va., led all the way Saturday at 311 Motor Speedway for his first Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series victory since the 2011 series finale.
Compton earned $4,000 in taking the checkers ahead of eighth-starting Dustin Mitchell of Pine Level, N.C., at the half-mile oval that survived rain showers that hit just before the night’s feature action. Ross Bailes of Clover, S.C., rallied from his 12th starting spot to finish third while Tim Allen of Mooresville, N.C., and 20th-starting Justin Labonte of Trinity, N.C., rounded out the top five.
Chris Ferguson of Mount Holly, N.C., ran second most of the 40-lap feature, but broke a bolt in the liftbar on the final lap, breaking his car’s driveshaft. He ended up 16th.
Among cautions were for Zack Mitchell (lap 8), a retiring Ricky Weeks (lap 10) and a spin by Mike Gault that collected Scott Neighbors and Raymond Brown.
Notes: Compton’s Bloomquist Race Car is sponsored by Appalachian Leasing, Consolidated Steel, KC Transport, W&B Fabricators, Axis Custom Decals and Super Pig. ... Compton has four career Carolina Clash victories; his previous win came Oct. 15, 2011, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. ... Justin Labonte earned the Safety Kleen Hard Charger of the Race award for his 20th-to-fifth run. ... Carolina Clash points leader Dennis Franklin was a non-factor in finishing 17th; Franklin unofficially leads Johnny Pursley in the series points chase by a 269-261 margin. ... Johnny Pursley finished seventh. ... Saturday was the second of three Carolina Clash stops at 311. ... The tour returned to action after nearly a month idle. ... Drivers failing to start the feature: Billy Hicks, Ronnie Poole and Bubba McGee. ... Next up for the Carolina Clash is an Aug. 3 visit to Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C.
Carolina Clash @311: (1) Kennie Compton Jr., (2) Dustin Mitchell, (3) Ross Bailes, (4) Tim Allen, (5) Justin Labonte, (6) Gary Mabe, (7) Johnny Pursley, (8) Ronnie Hoover, (9) Kyle Pierce, (10) Chris Blackwell, (11) Steve Blackburn, (12) Damon Kotke, (13) Mike Gault, (14) Kevin Wilson, (15) Raymond Brown, (16) Chris Ferguson, (17) Dennis Franklin, (18) Scott Neighbors, (19) Michael Marlowe, (20) Chuck Smith, (21) Ricky Weeks, (22) Austin Kirkpatrick, (23) Zack Mitchell, (24) John Pursley. Fast qualifier (among 27 cars): Compton, 17.396 secnods. Consolation race winners: Mabe, Bailes.
