Batesville Motor Speedway
Hall of Famer gets hometown victory at Batesville
By Bryan Wimberley
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
"Grandpa" Billy Moyer in victory lane at Batesville. (Ron Mitchell)
LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (July 25) — Getting a rare chance to race near home, long-traveling Hall of Famer Billy Moyer topped a pair of Springfield, Mo., teammates at his hometown Batesville Motor Speedway for a 35-lap victory. Moyer picked up $2,500 for the event co-sanctioned by the O'Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series and O'Reilly Mid-South Racing Association.
The 51-year-old Moyer took the lead from Jeremy Payne on the 12th lap and fended off a late charge from Terry Phillips to win by 1.5 seconds under threatening skies. Friday's winner Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., who started 14th, was fourth and Brandon McCormick of Lebanon, Mo., rounded out the top five.
Payne started on the front row and took command early as Moyer joined him to build a three-second lead on third-running Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., after seven laps. Jon Mitchell of Nash, Texas, slowed exiting turn four to bring out the race's lone caution on the ninth lap, and Moyer turned the heat up on Payne on the restart.
Moyer took command three laps later for a lead he'd never give up while the eighth-starting Phillips had worked his way up to third. Phillips fought past Payne, his younger teammate, on the 18th lap and when Moyer was forced to deal with traffic, Phillips caught the leader and made things interesting.
Moyer got some breathing room late when the lapped car of Ray Moore broke the momentum of Phillips, and that was all Moyer needed to secure the victory.
Notes: Moyer's Victory Circle Chassis is sponsored by Cooley Transport, Karl Chevrolet, Banner Valley Hauling, Hoosier Racing Tires, Minx Show Palace, M&S Concrete, Red Line Oil, Performance Rod & Custom and New Vision Graphics. ... The 13-minute feature ended at 10:32 p.m. ... Hometown driver Wendell Wallace advanced from his 15th starting spot to finish sixth. ... Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark., had a roller-coaster night, winning a heat race but seeing smoke billow from his car on the 26th lap of the feature; he ended up 14th. ... While MSRA points leader Billy Moyer Jr.(eighth) padded his points lead over Kyle Beard (12th), things tightened up in the MARS points chase with teammates Terry Phillips and Jeremy Payne cutting into the lead of Eric Turner, who finished seventh in car owner Steve Rushin's No. 14jr (Turner wrecked his No. 99T the previous night). ... Drivers failing to make the feature lineup: Randy Mitchell, Joseph Long, Brian Ritchie, Michael Murphree, Austin Rettig, Justin Asplin, Gary Christian and Shane Diamant. ... Murphree was MSRA's feature winner last week at Drew County Speedway in Monticello, Ark. ... Next up for MARS competitors is an Aug. 7-8 weekend at tracks promoter by Kevin and Tammy Gundaker, Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., and Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo. ... That same weekend, MSRA drivers head to Malden (Mo.) Speedway and Northeast Arkansas Speedway in Harrisburg, Ark. (formerly Poinsett County Raceway).
MARS-MSRA @ Batesville: (1) Billy Moyer, (2) Terry Phillips, (3) Jeremy Payne, (4) Bill Frye, (5) Brandon McCormick, (6) Wendell Wallace, (7) Eric Turner, (8) Billy Moyer, Jr., (9) Will Vaught, (10) Jeff Floyd, (11) Rylan Long, (12) Kyle Beard, (13) Robbie Stuart, (14) Jeff Taylor, (15) Dewaine Hottinger, (16) Jack Sullivan, (17) Ray Moore, (18) Leroy Johnson, (19) Jon Kirby, (20) Darrell Mooneyham, (21) Tony Jackson, Jr., (22) Jon Mitchell. Heat race winners (among 30 cars): Payne, Taylor, Moyer Sr., Vaught. Consolation winners: Wallace, Mitchell. Provisional starters: Johnson, Mooneyham, Moore, Hottinger.
