Volunteer Speedway
Red-hot Kerr gets fifth AAPTS win in six starts
By Robert Walden
Volunteer Speedway
Kerr (4T) squirts into the lead over Hill. (1). (Tim Lee)
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Sept. 28) — Tommy Kerr of Maryville, Tenn., sped past Vic Hill of Mosheim, Tenn., on the 10th lap and never looked back at Volunteer Speedway in rolling to his series-leading fifth 2008 victory on the Advance Auto Parts Thunder Series. The third-starting Kerr, with all of his wins coming in the past six events, earned $5,000 in the rain-postponed Tennessee Fall Brawl 50. | Slideshow
“Sometimes you just never know how things will work for you at a day race, but I could drive this car anywhere on the track I needed to," Kerr said. "But really, we had to race during both day and night conditions ... with qualifying in the bright sun and then with the sun still out at the start of the feature."
Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., advanced from his 10th starting spot up to finish second with Kerry Jones of Bristol, Tenn., third at the 4/10-mile oval. Rick Rogers of Knoxville, Tenn., virtually guaranteed himself the series championship with a fourth-place finish and 12th-starting Jeff Maupin of Greeneville, Tenn., was fifth. Hill ended up seventh in the caution-plagued event.
Notes: Kerr's Blount Motorsports team uses a Rocket Chassis powered by a Custom Race Engine and sponsored by Turner Industrial Supply, Explosive Specialists, Stowers CAT, Insurance Partners and Ohlins Shocks. ... Half of the 24 starters were running at the finish. ... Mike Johnson retired with a smoking car on lap 21. ... Dale McDowell, driving the Warrior house car, spun after a lap-21 restart. ... Shanon Buckingham spun on lap 22 while running sixth. ... Mark Vineyard slowed with a flat tire on lap 34. ... Mark Douglas and Billy Ogle Jr. tangled in turn three to bring out a late caution. ... Rick Rogers, who only has to appear at the series finale to clinch the championship, picked up an extra $1,200with a victory in the 12-lap Sunoco Shootout at Volunteer. The 12-driver event included competitors collecting the most points in Sunoco Quick Six Dashes throughout the season. ... Among drivers failing to make the feature: David Payne, Rex Richey, Jamie Perry and Herman Goddard. ... Bobby Mays of Jonesborough, Tenn., last year's Crate champion at Volunteer, won that division's 25-lap feature. ... The AAPTS schedule wraps up Oct. 18 at Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville, Tenn.
AATPS @ Volunteer: (1) Tommy Kerr, (2) Randy Weaver, (3) Kerry Jones, (4) Rick Rogers, (5) Jeff Maupin (6) Mike Weeks, (7) Vic Hill, (8) Chad Ogle, (9) Stacy Boles, (10) Anthony White, (11) Michael Smith, (12) Dan Tipton, (13) April Farmer, (14) Mark Douglas, (15) Billy Ogle Jr., (16) Mark Vineyard, (17) Roger Best, (18) Bryan Hendrix, (19) Jeff Neubert, (20) Shanon Buckingham, (21) Dale McDowell, (22) Mike Jackson, (23) Tyler Landers, (24) David Crabtree. Fast qualifier (among 32 cars): Ogle, 12.750 seconds. Consolation race winners: Vineyard, White. Sunoco Shootout winner: Rogers.
