Hagerstown Speedway
Anderson wins points finale while Spence grabs title
From track reports
J.T. Spence
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Sept. 1) — Andy Anderson got the victory. J.T. Spence got the championship. And Bo Feathers lost a golden opportunity.
In the final points night of the season at Hagerstown Speedway, Anderson captured the 44-lap McBee-Hays Championship race for a big night at the half-mile oval.
Spence finished 1.36 seconds behind in the double-points event and ended up collecting his first Late Model championship over Feathers, who entered the race leading the points but broke on the seventh lap.
Anderson, of Martinsburg, W.Va., charged from the 10th position and was in second by lap four and challenging two-time and defending event winner Nathan Durboraw. The next circuit he was pulling away to post his first win of the prestigious event honoring former Hagerstown driver Ronnie McBee and car owner Speedy Hays.
“I could have won this race about five years ago, but lost it on the last lap, D.J. (Myers) beat me. I haven’t come close since,” Anderson said. “I was just glad to finish tonight. We’ve had some bad luck. All those yellows, (three in the last 10 laps) my guys were motioning (Spence) was behind me. I could see the scoreboard that he was behind me. ... I just wanted to know where he was.”
Anderson was honored to win the special event.
“Years ago when I was just a kid up in the grandstand, Ronnie was driving Speedy’s car and he won the first twin 20 and then started in the back in the second and he won that one," Anderson recalled. "When (announcer) Frank (Sagi) interviewed him, he said ‘Ronnie I don’t know what to tell you, you won the first one, they made you start in the back in the second one and you won that, Just tell me how did this thing feel?’ And Ronnie said: 'It feels so good, I might drive it home.' "
As for the points chase, Spence came into the event 100 points in arrears of Feathers, but Feathers was finished on lap seven when the suspension under his car broke. That allowed Spence to win the title chase by 34 points.
“Coming here tonight, I thought my chances were pretty slim,” the Winchester, Va., driver said. "Bo is pretty tough and deserves this as much as we do. He’s won a lot of races this year and had a heck of a year. All he had to was finish and he had it won. I didn’t know he fell out until I got in the pits. I wanted to win this race and I’ve had good finishes in this race all three years we’ve raced here. If I had to run second to anybody I’d like it to be Andy, he’s a good friend of mine.”
McBee-Hays Championship: (1) Andy Anderson, (2) J.T. Spence, (3) Alan Sagi, (4) Billy Wampler, (5) Jamie Lathroum, (6) David Williams, (7) Devin Friese, (8) Brent Smith, (9) Mike Lupfer, (10) Travis Dillman, (11) Brian Booze, (12) Rusty Sites, (13) Bill Palmer, (14) Ryan Hack, (15) Scott LeBarron, (16) Gary Stuhler, (17) Al Shawver Jr., (18) Larry Baker II, (19) Darryl Hills, (20) Terry Lescalleet, (21) Ray Kable Jr., (22) Marvin Winters, (23) Nathan Durboraw, (24) Bo Feathers, (25) Jeff Shearer, (26) D.J. Myers, (27) Roy Deese Jr. Heat race winner (among 39 cars): Spence, Williams, Palmer, Kable. Consolation winners: LeBarron, Booze. Failed to make feature: Ernie Davis, Mike Atherton, Matt Murphy, Steve Gibney, Robby Beall, Rick Stouffer, Frankie Plessinger, Tyler Hershey, Tim Murphy, Paul Crowl, Brian Hack, Kirk Ryan.
