RICHMOND, Ky. (Aug. 17) — It was three years ago that Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., scored a career-richest victory in Richmond Raceway’s Paul “Butterball” Wooldridge Memorial. He bested that win on Saturday night, returning to the central Kentucky oval’s victory lane in earning a $20,059 payday in the 32nd annual event.
Edging ahead of polesitter Tanner English of Benton, Ky., at the line on lap 18 of 59, second-starting Carpenter led the remaining distance, stretching his lead in lapped traffic to capture his first career Ultimate Southeast Series victory.
“What can a boy like me say? Unreal,” Carpenter said in victory lane. “This ain’t even going to sink in in a month, two months, a year. I’m here in a borrowed motor. I ain’t got a pot to piss in. But Kryptonite Race Cars and Chuck Longbrake is in victory lane.
“I’m just as down to earth as it gets. I’m just a poor, redneck country boy. Me and my family strive to make the Kryptonite business go. And here we are in front of everything. Twenty thousand dollars. What more can you say?”
Among Friday’s heat race winners, Carpenter started outside of the front row of Saturday’s feature, running within a car-length to English in the opening circuits. As the frontrunners approached the tail of the field by lap 10, Carpenter closed the gap between himself and the race leader, working around the outside of English in turns three and four to assume the point on lap 18.
Despite a string of mid-race cautions and a lap-28 red flag, Carpenter continued to show the way out front, stretching his lead to as much as a full straightaway late-race. Scoring his second career victory in the race honoring the late Kentucky racer for which it is named, Carpenter finished 2.564 seconds ahead of English at the checkered flag.
“I was nervous,” Carpenter said of his front-row starting spot. “I was almost sick to my stomach. To come here and top it off … not only was we fast time, we was the fastest car all night. We showed it. … Twenty thousand dollars. I’ll keep saying it and saying it and saying it. That is unreal.”
After leading the first 17 laps, English fought back early challenges from Michael Chilton of Salvisa, Ky., and a late-race charge from Zack Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., to finish runner-up. Seventh-starting Dohm ran third, with Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, N.C., advancing from the 12th starting spot to finish fourth. Sixth-starting Jason Jameson of Lawrenceburg, Ind., rounded out the top five.
“He was the class of the field right there,” English said of Carpenter. “I wish I could have been a little bit better and made it a little more interesting. But he was really good. Congratulations to him and congratulations to Zack (Dohm). He about got me there at the end. I was just hanging on. We’ll try again next time.”
Dohm, who swept Ultimate Mid-Ohio Valley Series events at Richmond back in July, gave English one final challenge for second on the final lap. He settled for a narrow third at the checkered flag.
“I was watching my brother there every lap and I just never felt like his hands were far enough apart to step out of line,” Dohm said. “It was bottom-dominant big time. It was really black out on the outside and there was a lot of traction down around the tires. I just didn’t think you could get off of it.
“I thought I heard (Kyle) Strickler out there with a couple of laps to go and I finally tried it there on the last lap. I had a harder tire on than both (Carpenter and English) did. There at the end of the race, my car was really good. But there’s just nothing you can do when the track’s that bottom dominant. But third ain’t bad.”
Notes: Carpenter scored his second career Butterball Memorial victory. His previous came in October 2016. … A West Virginia driver took the Butterball Memorial honors for the fourth straight season. … The race was slowed by five cautions. … The first yellow flag waved on lap 22 when Skylar Marlar slowed with a flat tire. … John Henderson, Zack Mitchell and Jason Barrett tangled in turn two to draw a caution on lap 23. … A yellow flag flew on lap 28 when Jared Hawkins spun. … A red flag fell on the ensuing restart when fourth-running Michael Chilton spun in turn one to collect several cars including Victor Lee, Connor Meade, Anthony Sanders, Mitchell and Barrett. … Fourth-running Scott James spun to draw the final caution on lap 48. … Sixth-place finisher Nick Hoffman won the modified feature.
Preliminary reports:
Feature lineup
Row 1: Tanner English, Tyler Carpenter
Row 2: Michael Chilton, Ross Bailes
Row 3: Victor Lee, Jason Jameson
Row 4: Zack Dohm, Scott James
Row 5: Jared Hawkins, Nick Hoffman
Row 6: Dave Hess Jr., Kyle Strickler
Row 7: Anthony Sanders, John Henderson
Row 8: Chris Combs, Jackie Boggs
Row 9: Skylar Marlar, Zack Mitchell
Row 10: A.J. Hicks, Derek Fisher
Row 11: Connor Meade, Justin Rattliff
Row 12: Daulton Wilson, Jeff Smith
Row 13: Jason Barrett
Consolation results
First consolation (top three transfer): Skylar Marlar, A.J. Hicks, Connor Meade, Dennis Roberson, Jason Barrett, Steve Elliott, Bryson Centers, Doug Sanders, Jonathan Couch, Dalton Brown, Shawn Martin.
Second consolation (top three transfer): Zack Mitchell, Derek Fisher, Justin Rattliff, Daulton Wilson, Jeff Smith, Kirk Phillips, Jeff Watson, C.J. Ruble, Danny Barrett, Tommy Bailey.
Pre-race notes
Sixteen drivers are already locked in to Saturday’s 59-lap feature through Friday’s heat races. … The top three finishers from each of Saturday’s two consolations will transfer to the main event, with series provisionals making up the final row of the feature lineup. … Two cars have scratched from Saturday’s program after experiencing issues on Friday night. Involved in a heat race tangle, Camaron Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., suffered radiator problems among other issues, while Ryan Montgomery of Fairmont, W.Va., dealt with oil pump belt problems during Friday’s prelims. … Vic Hill of Mosheim, Tenn., was among Richmond’s 42-car field, but departed early with transmission issues. … Several drivers are displaying “Get Well Soon” stickers on their cars in support of Ultimate series director Kelley Carlton’s brother’s Rusty, who recently underwent heart surgery. ... Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., Victor Lee of Danville, Ky., and Dennis Roberson of Paris, Ky., are among drivers pulling double duty in the modified division.
Consolation lineups
(12 laps; top three transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Skylar Marlar, Connor Meade
Row 2: A.J. Hicks, Doug Sanders
Row 3: Steve Elliott, Jason Barrett
Row 4: Dennis Roberson, Jonathan Couch
Row 5: Dalton Brown, Bryson Centers
Row 6: Shawn Martin, Kenny Howell
Row 7: Ryan Montgomery
Second consolation
Row 1: Zack Mitchell, Derek Fisher
Row 2: Tommy Bailey, Daulton Wilson
Row 3: Justin Rattliff, Jeff Smith
Row 4: Kirk Phillips, C.J. Ruble
Row 5: Jeff Watson, Joey Notchie
Row 6: Danny Barrett, Camaron Marlar
Heat race results
First heat finish (top four transfer): Tanner English, Victor Lee, Jared Hawkins, Anthony Sanders, Skylar Marlar, A.J. Hicks, Steve Elliott, Dennis Roberson, Dalton Brown, Shawn Martin, Ryan Montgomery.
Second heat finish (top four transfer): Michael Chilton, Zack Dohm, Dave Hess Jr., Chris Combs, Connor Meade, Doug Sanders, Jason Barrett, Jonathan Couch, Bryson Centers, Kenny Howell.
Third heat finish (top four transfer): Tyler Carpenter, Jason Jameson, Nick Hoffman, John Henderson, Zack Mitchell, Tommy Bailey, Justin Rattliff, Kirk Phillips, Jeff Watson, Danny Barrett.
Fourth heat finish (top four transfer): Ross Bailes, Scott James, Kyle Strickler, Jackie Boggs, Derek Fisher, Daulton Wilson, Jeff Smith, C.J. Ruble, Joey Notchie, Camaron Marlar.
Heat race lineups
(10 laps; top four transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Jared Hawkins, Tanner English
Row 2: Victor Lee, Anthony Sanders
Row 3: Skylar Marlar, A.J. Hicks
Row 4: Dennis Roberson, Steve Elliott
Row 5: Dalton Brown, Shawn Martin
Second heat
Row 1: Michael Chilton, Dave Hess Jr.
Row 2: Zack Dohm, Connor Meade
Row 3: Chris Combs, Doug Sanders
Row 4: Jason Barrett, Bryson Centers
Row 5: Jonathan Couch, Kenny Howell
Third heat
Row 1: Tyler Carpenter, Jason Jameson
Row 2: Nick Hoffman, John Henderson
Row 3: Tommy Bailey, Justin Rattliff
Row 4: Kirk Phillips, Zack Mitchell
Row 5: Jeff Watson, Danny Barrett
Fourth heat
Row 1: Daulton Wilson, Ross Bailes
Row 2: Kyle Strickler, Scott James
Row 3: Camaron Marlar, Jeff Smith
Row 4: Jackie Boggs, Derek Fisher
Row 5: C.J. Ruble, Joey Notchie
Qualifying
Tripping the clock with a time of 14.669 seconds, Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., was Friday’s overall fast qualifier at Richmond. He’ll start on the pole of the the evening’s third heat race. Clocking quick time in his respective qualifying group, Jared Hawkins of Fairmont, W.Va., will start on the pole of the first heat. Joining Carpenter and Hawkins as heat race polesitters are Michael Chilton of Salvisa, Ky., and Daulton Wilson of Fayetteville, N.C.
Pre-race setup
Richmond (Ky.) Raceway hosts the 32nd annual Paul “Butterball” Wooldridge Memorial, the richest event in Ultimate Southeast Series history. The $20,059-to-win program honors the late central Kentucky racer for which it is named.
Recent Butterball Memorial winners include Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va. (2018), Freddie Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va. (’17), and Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va. (’16). Sweeping Richmond’s Butch Shay Memorial weekend back in July, Zack Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday’s feature.
Friday’s program will include hot laps, time trials and heat races, with consolations and the 59-lap feature slated for Saturday. Richmond is hosting open practice for its other weekly divisions as part of Friday’s show, with racing action on Saturday night.
Time trial results
Driver (car no.), hometown, time
Group A
Jared Hawkins (11), Fairmont, W.Va., 14.917
Michael Chilton (97), Salvisa, Ky., 14.955
Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., 14.986
Dave Hess Jr. (44), Waterford, Pa., 15.033
Victor Lee (1X), Danville, Ky., 15.202
Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 15.333
Anthony Sanders (421), Spartanburg, S.C., 15.367
Connor Meade (1M), Clay City, Ky., 15.390
Skylar Marlar (88), Winfield, Tenn., 15.508
Chris Combs (47), Isom, Ky., 15.540
A.J. Hicks (64), Willard, Ky., 15.575
Doug Sanders (42), McAdenville, N.C., 15.660
Dennis Roberson (25), Paris, Ky., 15.744
Jason Barrett (B5), Waco, Ky., 15.783
Steve Elliott (3), Corbin, Ky., 15.970
Bryson Centers (98), Corbin, Ky., 16.031
Dalton Brown (23B), Crab Orchard, Ky., 16.051
Jonathan Couch (102), Jackson, Ky., 16.529
Shawn Martin (27),Maysville, Ky., 16.594
Kenny Howell (21), Inez, Ky., 25.566
Ryan Montgomery (12), Fairmont, W.Va., no time
Group B
Tyler Carpenter (28), Parkersburg, W.Va., 14.669
Daulton Wilson (32), Fayetteville, N.C., 15.106
Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 15.146
Ross Bailes (87), Clover, S.C., 15.162
Nick Hoffman (2), Mooresville, N.C., 15.248
Kyle Strickler (8), Mooresville, N.C., 15.280
John Henderson (2x), North Augusta, S.C., 15.302
Scott James (83), Bright, Ind., 15.303
Tommy Bailey (11), Corbin, Ky., 15.323
Camaron Marlar (57M), Winfield, Tenn., 15.385
Justin Rattliff (16), Campbellsville, Ky., 15.392
Jeff Smith (00), Dallas, N.C., 15.414
Kirk Phillips (21), Ashland, Ky., 15.428
Jackie Boggs (4B), Grayson, Ky., 15.463
Zack Mitchell (57), Enoree, S.C., 15.500
Derek Fisher (38), Olympia, Ky., 15.519
Jeff Watson (11), Campbellsville, Ky., 15.824
C.J. Ruble (R15), Waco, Ky., 16.316
Danny Barrett (7), McKee, Ky., 16.474
Joey Notchie (11N), Trapp, Ky., 16.622
Vic Hill (1), Mosheim, Tenn., no time
