Bluegrass Speedway

2221 New Haven Road

Bardstown, Kentucky  40004

                                            

2009 Official Media Release #56 (For Immediate Distribution:  August 23, 2009)  

Contact-Michael Despain (Mdespain7@aol.com and/or dirttrackracing@hotmail.com)

 

Jason Wheatley Wins Bourbon City Summer Sizzler at Bluegrass Speedway

 

Bardstown, KY-August 22, 2009- It was the Bourbon City Summer Sizzler paying $3,500 to win for Modifieds on Saturday evening at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY and Jason Wheatley of Loretto, KY would grab the richest payday of his career by scoring the win in the 35 lap Modified main event.  Other feature winners for the evening included Shane Lafollette of Hodgenville, KY in Street Stocks and Robbie Settles of Bardstown, KY in WBRT 1320-AM Sportsman.

 

Following on-track driver introductions, the 21 car Bourbon City Summer Sizzler Modified field would take the green flag with Bryan Barber taking the race lead from his outside front row starting position, followed by Michael Bradley, Michael England, Jason Wheatley, and Don Adams.  The first of four caution flags flew on lap 2 when Dion Benningfield spun in turn four and in a great act of sportsmanship, fellow competitor Rocky Wilson took credit for the caution and restarted at the rear of the field.  Back underway, Barber would stay on the point, England driving by Bradley for the runner-up slot.  Wheatley would move past Bradley for the third position one lap later as Barber got himself a bit of breathing room from England at the front.  Don Adams would be the next driver in the top five to make a move as he would take fourth from Bradley on lap 5.  Wheatley would begin to pressure England for the second spot as the pair would race side-by-side on lap 7 before Wheatley would nab the runner-up slot on lap 8, while Benji Lee would snatch the fifth spot away from Bradley.  Just as Barber was about to begin to start lapping slower traffic, the second caution flag of the race would wave on lap 9 as Vernon Soeder looped his mount in turn two.  When racing resumed, Wheatley would immediately challenge Barber for the lead as the pair raced side-by-side before Wheatley would grab the race lead with a pass on Barber exiting turn two.  Wheatley would pull out to about a six car length lead on Barber by lap 15 as Michael England Wheatley had extended his lead to around ten car lengths over second place Barber, while England and Adams continued their exciting duel for the third spot.  Wheatley would begin the process of lapping slower traffic on lap 22 and by lap 25, Wheatley was slowly extending his lead over second place Barber as England and Adams continued the battle for the third spot.  Wheatley would again encounter more lapped traffic by lap 31 and was opening his lead even more when Rocky Wilson would draw the third caution of the race on lap 33 when his machine’s engine erupted in smoke on the frontchute.  As a bit of a clean-up period, action was set to resume and as the field came to the green flag, eleventh place running Randy Turpin would roll to a stop at the top side of turn four to draw the final caution of the event.  The final three circuits would be clean and green and Wheatley would motor away from the field to claim the biggest money win of his career behind the wheel of the Kaylee and Tommy Wheatley owned B&W Metals/VFM Manufacturing/Wheatley Tile Flooring/Wheatley Seamless Gutters/ Wheatley Auto Sales/Brian Wheatley Landscaping/Cozy Corner/Rosewood Golf Course/ Gootee and Mattingly Heat and Air/Knopp Siding/Central Kentucky Electrical and Plumbing/Brady Excavating/St. Joe Garage/Wayne Bowen Racing Supply sponsored #7 Larry Shaw Race Car, Mullins Race Engines powered machine.  Barber would settle for second, with Adams finally winning the battle for third over England, while Lee would complete the top five.  Kelly Warren would nip Rick Corbin in a close finish for sixth, while Joey Kramer, J.T. Ayers, and Dion Benningfield would complete the top ten.  England would be the top qualifier among 23 entries, while heat race victories were scored by Bradley, Barber, and Wheatley.

 

The 12 lap Street Stock feature would see Jason Bartley and Joe Walker battle for the early lead, but fifth place starting Shane Lafollette would begin to charge his way to the front and would take the race lead on lap 5 and would never look back in scoring his second win of the season at Bluegrass Speedway in the seat of the David Copley owned Geneva’s Florist/K&K Flower Shop/Larue Insurance/Select Design/Wells Trans-Tech/Henry Miller #1 U.K. Fan sponsored #63 Ford Thunderbird machine.  Walker would score a career best runner-up finish, with Bartley, Scott Thompson (also a career best finish with a fourth place run), and Fred Mercer completing the top five.  Ten entries would see heat race victories fall to Walker and Bartley.

 

The WBRT 1320-AM Sportsman division would only have two entries and Robbie Settles would win the heat and then claim the feature when fellow competitor Tim Cummings could not make the call for the feature event.  Settles drives the Bobby and Trey Settles owned #58 Chevy Monte Carlo sponsored by BDM Collision/Wooden Duck Entertainment/Ice’s Produce/ Flash Wrecker Service/Toddy Liquors/First South Credit/Hillyard’s/B&B Motorsports/PC Doc/Mattingly Transmissions, and The T-Shirt Shop.

 

SUMMARY-Bluegrass Speedway-Bardstown, KY-August 22, 2009

 

Modifieds (23 entries)

Top Qualifier- Michael England

1st Heat- Michael Bradley, Michael England, Benji Lee, Randy Turpin, Matt Bex, Rocky Wilson, Brian Shewmaker, Vernon Soeder

2nd Heat- Bryan Barber, Rick Corbin, Kelly Warren, Josh Lucas, Adam Cole, Butch Shay, Elliott Despain (DNS-Matt Watkins)

3rd Heat- Jason Wheatley, Don Adams, J.T. Ayers, Joey Kramer, Dion Benningfield, Brad Schlosser, Danny Erskine, Jr.

Bourbon City Summer Sizzler- Jason Wheatley, Bryan Barber, Don Adams, Michael England, Benji Lee, Kelly Warren, Rick Corbin, Joey Kramer, J.T. Ayers, Dion Benningfield, Adam Cole, Brad Schlosser, Brian Shewmaker, Randy Turpin, Rocky Wilson, Michael Bradley, Vernon Soeder, Josh Lucas, Butch Shay, Danny Erskine, Jr., Matt Bex (DNS- Elliott Despain, Matt Watkins)

 

Street Stocks (10 entries)

1st Heat- Joe Walker, Scott Thompson, Fred Mercer, Bryan Derringer

2nd Heat- Jason Bartley, Jim Thomas, Shane Lafollette

Feature- Shane Lafollette, Joe Walker, Jason Bartley, Scott Thompson, Fred Mercer, Bryan Derringer, Jim Thomas, Willie Edelen (DNS- Timmy Glazer, Terry Bartley)

 

WBRT 1320-AM Sportsman (2 entries)

Heat- Robbie Settles, Tim Cummings

Feature- Robbie Settles (DNS-Tim Cummings)