5/3/2023
Tri-County Speedway
Race Night April 29, 2023
Last Saturday night race fans got to see the Late Models take to the speedway twice in one night. The first race of the night was a 45 lap event. Dean Thompson (#5) take the pole with a lap time of 15.680. The green flag waved over the field which saw only 1 caution in the event. Brandon Pierce (#2) slowed to a stop on lap 14. Once racing resumed, Thompson never looked back to claim the win. He was followed across the line by Thomas Beane (#28). Taylor Satterfield (#40) came home third.
The next race of the night was the Vintage Division. Eddie Gilbert (#95) led qualifying with a lap of 16.990. The race ran caution free. Gilbert found himself in victory lane at the end of the event. Mark Whitten (#39) rolled home second. Dennis Hinkle (#4) drove his Orange Blossom Special tribute to a third place finish.
The third event of the night was the Front Wheel Drive Division. Jason Garwood (#46) qualified fastest with a lap time of 19.226. However, the top 4 qualifiers were inverted for the start of the race. The invert placed Dewayne Smith (#81) on the inside of the first row for the start of the race. The first caution was waved on lap 13. This was the result of Smith and Brandon Collins (#46x) making contact coming out of turn 4. Collins seemed to get the worst of it. He had to to retire from the race once he slammed the front stretch wall. Lap 16 saw caution flag #2 wave when James Powell (#27) stopped in turn 3. Only 3 more laps were counted before Ray Gosnell (#24) made contact with the wall coming out of turn 2. The balance of the race ran without further incident. Garwood came home the winner of the 30 lap event. Smith motored his way to a second place finish. Gary Willard (#54) followed in third.
The Outlaw Division took to the track for the fourth race of the night. Sheflon Clay (#15) led all qualifiers with a lap time of 15.918. The top 6 were inverted which placed Tim Bristol (#7) in the top starting spot. The yellow only flew once on the night. It was a result of Sheflon Clay (#15) hitting the wall in turn 3. Tyler Church led the remainder of the race and claimed the checkers on the night. He was followed by Tim Dale(#5) in second and Bristol nailing down the third spot on the night.
The Pro 4 Division raced for the first time this season at Tri County. Tim Canipe (#10)sped to a fast time of 17.412. The top five were inverted for this race. This made Rusty Fann(#82) the one to see the green flag first. The race was red flagged on lap 28 when John Fox (#0) rolled to a stop between 1 and 2. His car was a blaze and the fire was quickly put out. Canipe recovered from the invert and claimed the win. Dennis Trivette (#57) took home second place money. Robbie Trivette (#11) claimed third place.
The Late Models took to the track for their second feature of the night. The top 4 finishers from the first race were inverted for their second 45 lap event. Dillon Houser (#11) brought the field to green. The event ran caution free. Taylor Satterfield (#40) withstood the pressure of Houser to claim the win. Houser ran a very stout second. Brandon Pierce (#2) was third.
The Street Stock Division was the 7th race of the night. Marlin Yoder (#08) was fastest in qualifying with a lap time of 16.746. The top 6 were inverted for this race as well. Mike Hatton (#12) was the beneficiary of the invert and started first. The only caution in the race was on lap 9 when Kevin Eby (#03) and Davey Smart (#14) came together in turn 2. Yoder overcome the invert and claimed the win. Gary Ledbetter (#4) was second and Johnny Reynolds (#55) placed third.
The Renegades rounded out the night's racing. Dalton Ledbedder (#32) had a fast time of 19.235. However, he was required to start 4th as a result of a top 4 invert. Steve Smart (#16) was the reason for the night's only caution. He spun on the frontstretch. Racing resumed rather quickly and saw Ledbetter claim the night's finale. Klint Townsend (#9) was second. Gary Ledbetter took home third.
We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight! We trust you enjoyed your night at Tri County Speedway with all the fun filled racing divisions. We hope you made a trip to the concession stand and enjoyed the best track food anywhere. We hope to see you on May 13th for our next race!
Article Credit: Debbie Setzer
Submitted By: Rhonda Higgins
