Smoky Mountain Speedway
Kerr edges teammate on last lap at Smoky Mountain
By Richard Allen
TennesseeRacer.com
Tommy Kerr earned $3,000 for his first-ever SRRS victory. (mrmracing.net)
MARYVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 3) — Taking time away from racing to spend more family time, hometown driver Tommy Kerr has been overshadowed by teammate Billy Ogle Jr. this season. But Kerr popped back into the spotlight Saturday at Smoky Mountain Speedway, overtaking Ogle on the last lap for a $3,000 Southern Regional Racing Series victory. | Slideshow
“That was exciting,” said a jubilant Kerr in victory lane. “I was noticing Billy kept giving me the bottom and I was thinking, ‘Billy, what are you doing?’
“When we went down the backstretch I looked over at him and he looked over at me and neither of us was lifting. That was exciting.”
While Kerr captured the series finale for Blount Motorsports, Riley Hickman of Ooltewah, Tenn., wrapped up the series championship with a seventh-place finish.
Ogle settled for a second-place finish with Jacob Grizzle of Blairsville, Ga., in third. Brett Miller of Greeneville, Tenn., and Mike Weeks of Friendsville, Tenn., rounded out the top five.
Dash winner Skylar Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., led from the outset of the main event, but Ogle applied pressure at every turn he made an aggressive move inside turn three.
As Ogle’s car slid up the track in turn four, his right rear came in contact with Marlar’s nosepiece. Marlar’s car suffered enough damage bring out a caution and he eventually dropped out.
It appeared Ogle was going to cruise to victory, but Kerr drew closer as the laps clicked off. Finally, as the two teammates roared down the backstretch for the final time, Kerr got inside Ogle and powered by as the two raced through turn three. When they exited turn four, Ogle attempted a crossover move and drew back alongside, but came up just short at the line.
The night’s preliminaries were marred by Tom Maddox’s rollover crash in a consolation race. Maddox lost control of his car after apparently hitting fluid on the track and slammed the outside wall in turn two. His No. 14 rolled onto its top before it was sideswiped by Freddy Smith. No one was injured.
Notes: Kerr’s Custom-powered Rocket Chassis is sponsored by Arnold Trucking, Bearden Oil Company, Blount Excavating, Cherokee Millwright, GEOServices, Insurance Partners, Massey Electric, Stowers (CAT) Machinery Corp. and Wine and Spirits Cellar. ... The night’s racing was sponsored by Food City. ... During his time away from racing, Kerr coached his son’s baseball team this summer. ... Kerr notched his first victory of the season and first-ever SRRS victory. ... Vic Hill set fast time, but things didn’t go his way after that. He drew the eighth and final starting spot in the dash, where he finished sixth for an outside third-row starting spot in the main event. In the feature, a tangle with Kerr damaged his car and ended his race. Hill showed his displeasure with Kerr before leaving the track, revving his battered machine and gesturing angrily at the eventual winner. ... The feature lasted just over a half-hour. ... Josh Collins earned $2,500 for a victory in a rain-postponed Limited Late Model special and Jason Welshan picked up $1,000 for a Crate Late Model feature victory.
Tearin’ The Tops Off Triple Crown Brawl: (1) Tommy Kerr, (2) Billy Ogle Jr., (3) Jacob Grizzle, (4) Brett Miller, (5) Mike Weeks, (6) Michael Asberry, (7) Riley Hickman, (8) Robby Moses, (9) Jason Welshan, (10) Kurt English, (11) Josh Henry, (12) Danny Yoder, (13) Robert Gant, (14) Skylar Marlar, (15) Vic Hill, (16) David Crabtree, (17) Freddy Smith, (18) Derek Ellis, (19) Mark Douglas, (20) Steve Smith, (21) Josh Putnam. Scratched: Greg Huskey, Mark Vineyard. Fast qualifier (among 26 cars): Hill, 15.291 seconds. Consolation race winners: Kerr, Miller. Dash winner: Marlar.
