Trammell picks up first UCRA win

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Jason Trammell of Knoxville, Tennessee, defended his home-track turf Saturday at Tazewell Speedway with a $2,500 victory in the United Crate Racing Alliance feature. Trammell took the checkers ahead of Jesse Lowe of Crossville, in his first Tazewell Speedway visit,  and UCRA points leader Rusty Ballenger of Maryville in the “Bad Fast 40” earning himself the sixth different winner in nine series races so far in 2017 and a little vindication from last May when a crash took away a runner up finish late in the race. Lowe logged his fifth straight runner-up finish on the series, when Forrest Trent of Talbott careened off the turn four wall coming to the white flag in second behind Trammell.

Ballenger set fast time over the field with a mark of 12:286 seconds. Heat one was won by Mack McCarter who would get punted into the turn four outside wall and violently flip his new CVR racecar after making contact on the start with Trent. McCarter was uninjured but supplied Taz fans an up-close seat of the hard lick. Heat two winning Trammell racing his # 97 Bloomquist Racecar sponsored by Trammell Construction, Hatmaker Holdings, Dents-R-Us, Tornado Alley Car Wash, Smoky Mountain Wellness Magazine, Fastlane Graphics, Brucebilt Performance, Charlie Brown Co. Screen Printing & Embroidery Services, Hoosier Tire South by Pup and Integra Shocks was virtually unchallenged despite the green/white/checkers restart scenario with Lowe in second, started from the outside pole position.
UCRA Crate Late Models
1. 97 Jason Trammell
2. 5 Jesse Lowe
3. 29 Rusty Ballenger
4. 28 Adam Tolliver
5. 171 Kyle Courtney
6. 22 Taran Hurst
7. 101 Forrest Trent
8. R44 Rod Carroll
9. 56H Jordon Horton
10. 6M Anthony Arnwine
11. 2 John Llewellyn
12. 71 Mack McCarter
DNS B00 Josh Henry
The fans on hand also witnessed a furious Sportsman feature with Harrogate’s Travis Fultz notching his sixth win at The Taz in 2017. Last week’s winner Cody Smith of Barbourville, KY turned the fastest time in qualifying with a lap of 11.950 seconds, the only driver to record a sub 12 second time. Fultz qualified second with Matt Tharp of Luttrell qaulifying third.
Throughout most of the season the preferred starting spot has been the outside pole which Smith chose. As Smith and Fultz brought the field to the green flag Fultz used the bottom groove to shoot into the lead in turn two. Behind him Smith was doing battle with Russellville’s Aaron Guinn and Tharp. Just before the second lap could be completed a spinning car would bring out the caution. On the restart Guinn utilized the bottom line to take second away from Smith. During the early laps there was side by side race throughout the field. Smith and Tharp had a duel going on for third until another caution slowed the race on lap five. On the ensuing restart Smith shoved hos way past Guinn for second while Tharp put his car into the mix.
By the halfway mark Fultz was in a different zip code, pulling out to a full straight lead over Smith. With seven circuits to go a three-way battle for second was raging between Smith, Guinn and Tharp. On lap seventeen Fultz’s lead was shortened as he caught up with the tail of the field. On the next lap Tharp used the lap traffic to set a pick and move around Guinn for third. Navigating his way through the lap traffic Fultz led flag-to-flag for his sixth win of the season in the Petty’s Wrecker Service, Tim Fletcher Heating & Cooling, Bailey’s Body Shop sponsored Rocket race car powered by a DJ’s Performance Race Engine.
Sportsman
1. T0 Travis Fultz
2. 11 Cody Smith
3. 43 Matt Tharp
4. 97 Aaron Guinn
5. 3 Michael Boyd
6. 22 Jason Sizemore
7. 24 Andy Wilder
8. 28 Randy Davis
9. 17 Logan Seal
10. 10 Bubba Long
11. 33 Phillip Nichols
12. 00 Chris Raines
13. 3 Corey Holt
14. 28J Justin James
15. 8 Paul Whitley
16. 9 Nicholas Shelton
17. 32 Tom Larcher
18. 34 Phillip Shockley
DNS G7 Billy Gordon
DNS 21 Bryan Howerton
DNS 25 Eric Webber
The wildest action of the night came in the Super Stock feature as twenty year old Logan Cobb of Greeneville survived a battle of the fittest for his first career win. Robbie Buchanan of Tazewell was quickest in time trials with Newport’s Kurt Owens qualifying second. Buchanan used the high line to take the early lead after racing side by side with Owens down the back stretch. On lap six Owens started working the low groove to gain advantage on Buchanan. Three circuits later Owens would make heavy contact with Buchanan in turn two while battling for the lead and sending Buchanan pit side with damage and a flared temper.
On the ensuing restart vindication may have come for Buchanan as Owens’ car slid up high in turn four and tagged the outside wall. As he came across the track he would make contact with Sneedville’s Tony Horton. The two would crash into each other with Owens going pit side with heavy sheet metal damage. Inheriting the lead with lots of bent sheet metal Horton had to contend with Cody Thompson of Tazewell. Halfway through as Horton and Thompson were dualling for the top spot Charlie Bates of Jonesborough, in his first Tazewell Speedway appearance of the year, threw his hat into the ring and muscled his way past Thompson for second. A caution for debris would slow the field on lap eleven. On the restart Horton’s quest for his first win of the season came to an end as he slowed with front suspension damage. Bates would take over the lead and wage battle with Thompson, racing side by side for several laps. With five laps to go Bates’ car would climb the outside wall in turn two and almost flip over. As this was happening Thompson ducked low and took back the lead. On the next lap Bates would drop out with a flat right front tire.
While the demolition derby was going on in front of him Cobb, who started sixth, was staying patient and hoping the bad luck didn’t strike him. With three to go Cobb seized the opportunity to take the lead from Thompson who had serious body damage from racing door to door with both Horton and Bates. Using the bottom line Cobb passed Thompson with two to go and as he took the checkered flag every fan in the place was on their feet cheering the young driver as he collected career win number one piloting the Tolliver Heating & Air, Long Motorsports sponsored, DJ’s Performance Race Engine powered Monte Carlo.

Super Stock
1. C4 Logan Cobb
2. 83 Cody Thompson
3. 18 Daniel Sauceman
4. 27 Charlie Bates
5. 14 Kurt Owens
6. 56 Tony Horton
7. P21 Robbie Buchanan
8. J5 Brandon Johnson
9. 69 Nick Presley
10. 24 Jeff Ferguson
DNS 9 Chris Hickman
Classic Car points leader John Stevens of Wallins Creek, KY was able to hold off Tony Trent of Morristown for his ninth win at The Taz this season in the Hensley Trucking & Excavating, Anna Mae’s Vapor, The Parts House, Chad Shannon State Farm Insurance, Hensley Grocery, Slingin Ink Tattoos, Red Eye Racing Classic Car sedan.
Classic Car
1. 7 John Stevens
2. 501 Tony Trent
3. 16 Will Carey
4. 1N Chris Evans
5. 5 Hayston Collett
6. 69 Jesse Hickman
7. 21 Jason Hartsock
DNS 52 Eric Fisher
Former 4 Cylinder champion Chuck McMahan of Dandridge shook off the bad luck bug and found his way back to Victory Lane for only his second win of the season in the Koontz Plumbing & Mechanical, Lowes Auto Parts, Original Mr. Freezo, Round Boy Motorsports Ford Mustang. McMahan took over the lead on lap four after polesitter and early race leader Joey Allen of Cosby slowed on the front strecth. Allen was able to regroup and finish second.
4 Cylinder
1. 99 Chuck McMahan
2. 00 Joey Allen
3. 7UP Chad Manning
4. 72 Rufus Collett
5. 22 Chris Reichert
6. 71 Brandon Herrell
7. 44 Chris Kennedy
8. 17 Tyler Haynes
DNS 62 Toby Brock
DNS 5 Terry Boshears
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