By Gary Daughtrey

HAMPTON, Va. -August 23, 2008— Nick Smith posted his fourth and fifth victories, sweeping both ends of the Hampton Chevrolet Twin 100s for the Crossroads Fuel Service Late Model Stock Cars, as Langley Speedway continued its 2008 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season with Saturday’s Retail Alliance Night program.

TIME TRIALS: In a bit of a departure from the qualifying format that had been originally announced, each driver posted two laps with the first lap setting the grid for the first race and the second lap determining the lineup for the second feauture. As initially conceived, the starting order for Race #2 would have been determined by the finishing order of Race #1.

Danny Edwards Jr. earned the pole for the first race with a lap at 88.521 mph. C.E. Falk, Smith, Greg Edwards and Paul DeBolt filled out the top five positions. National points leader Philip Morris, making a rare appearance in eastern Virginia, was sixth-fastest.
The quickest second lap was turned in by Smith, at 88.670 mph, putting him on the pole for the nightcap. Again, Falk qualified on the outside pole. Danny Edwards Jr. was third-fastest, followed by DeBolt, Greg Edwards and Morris.

RACE #1: As the first 100-lapper got under way, Danny Edwards Jr. pulled ahead of Falk to take the lead into Turn 1. Falk settled into second place, while Smith slipped by Greg Edwards for third. DeBolt and Mark Wertz tagged along with Smith and took over fourth and fifth, dropping Greg Edwards to sixth.

Falk followed in Danny Edwards Jr.’s tire tracks until lap 6 when he ducked low off the second corner and grabbed the lead on the backstretch. Ten laps later, Falk enjoyed a four-length advantage.
On lap 24, Wertz drove under DeBolt on the back straightaway in a bid for fourth. He cleared DeBolt’s machine on the next circuit to take the spot. Two laps later, Greg Edwards overtook DeBolt and moved back into the top five, bringing Jeff Shiflett along with him to sixth.

Meanwhile, things were getting interesting at the front as Danny Edwards Jr. began to close the gap on Falk. Having erased Falk’s advantage, Edwards pushed his Chevy back to the point on lap 38. Smith tagged along and gained the runner-up position. On lap 40, Greg Edwards swiped fourth from Wertz.

The only caution flag waved on lap 43 when Rick Gdovic spun off the fourth turn. Lining up for the restart, Danny Edwards Jr. and Smith went 1-2, separated from third-place Falk by a lapped car. Greg Edwards and Wertz were fourth and fifth, in that order.

Back under green, Danny Edwards Jr. and Smith pulled away as Falk worked past the slower machine. As Falk cleared the traffic, he was also getting pressure from Greg Edwards for third. Heading for the crossed flags, Edwards slipped under Falk to kick off a bid for the position.

Falk and Greg Edwards raced side-by-side until lap 53 when Edwards powered ahead, taking over third. Wertz followed Edwards’ cue and bypassed Falk for fourth. The shuffling allowed Danny Edwards Jr. and Smith to open a half-straightaway lead over the rest of the field.
By lap 64, Smith had trimmed Danny Edwards Jr.’s lead to a single car-length as the leaders prepared to encounter traffic. They broke into the clear on lap 78, running nose-to-tail.

On lap 79, Smith went after Danny Edwards Jr. for the top spot, driving underneath him off Turn 4. He pulled ahead at the end of the frontstretch and, within eight laps, had opened a four-length margin. Edwards put up a tussle for a few circuits, then backed off, satisfied to conserve his equipment for Race #2.

At the finish, Smith’s winning margin had grown to 2.957 seconds, a full straightaway, over Danny Edwards Jr. Greg Edwards was third, followed by Wertz and Falk. Dean and Jeff Shiflett were sixth and seventh, while Eddie Johnson was eighth, the final driver on the lead lap. Morris came home ninth and Matt Waltz rounded out the top 10.
In an abbreviated Victory Lane interview, Smith said, “It was a great first run. I’m hoping that I’ve still got something left for the second half. Them guys are gonna be tough that second hundred and I just hope that I’ve got enough for ‘em. First race was great.” RACE #2: Smith and Falk made up the front row as the field roared to life for the second 100-lapper. During the intermission, Morris, who brought along three cars, switched rides with Shayne Lockhart and gave up the sixth starting spot, dropping to the rear of the field.
On the start, Falk remained on Smith’s flank and nosed ahead to lead the opening circuit. The two continued their door-to-door battle, with Falk holding a slight edge, until lap 5. Exiting Turn 4 on the fifth circuit, they made contact and Falk shot ahead, gaining the clear-cut advantage.

Smith settled in on Falk’s bumper and took a couple laps to compose himself before initiating a bid for the lead. On lap 8, he ducked under Falk in Turns 1 and 2, eased ahead at the line and cleared Falk on lap 9.

Falk continued to fill Smith’s mirror until lap 15 when Smith extended his margin to more than three lengths on the backstretch. Deeper in the field, DeBolt ran third, followed by Greg Edwards, who bypassed Danny Edwards Jr. for fourth on lap 23.

By lap 32, Smith had widened his lead to half a straightaway, while DeBolt had zeroed in on Falk for the runner-up spot. Behind them, Johnson overtook Danny Edwards Jr. to claim a place in the top five.
On lap 39, DeBolt snagged second from Falk and left the door open for Greg Edwards and Johnson, who moved up to third and fourth, respectively. Smith, meanwhile, enjoyed a comfortable cushion over his pursuers.

On lap 62, Smith found himself boxed in by lapped traffic. Seizing the opportunity, DeBolt closed to within four lengths of the leader. Soon, though, the shoe was on the other foot and Smith pulled away as DeBolt dealt with the slower cars. At lap 74, Smith’s lead stood at a full straightaway.

Smith’s leisurely drive back to Victory Lane was interrupted on lap 97 when the race’s only caution flag appeared for Bruce Livingston’s spin in the middle of Turns 3 and 4. Lining up for a sprint to the finish, only the top four drivers — Smith, DeBolt, Greg Edwards and Johnson — remained on the lead lap.

On the restart, Smith eked out a one-length edge over DeBolt, heading into Turn 1. He added another half-car-length to the margin on the backstretch and was on his way to his second win of the night.
At the checkers, Smith was the winner by 0.902-second. DeBolt was second, followed by Greg Edwards and Johnson. Falk was fifth, a lap back, while Gary Weeks, Danny Edwards Jr., Waltz, Dude Gibbs and Dean Shiflett completed the top 10. Shiflett was two laps off the leader’s pace. Morris was an early retiree from the event, pulling aside after 16 laps to finish 18th.

Back in the winner’s circle, Smith shared the credit for his success: “It was an awesome run for us tonight. We’ve really got a real strong car and I was really surprised, that second 100, how well it held up. Just goes to show how much I’ve gotta thank the guys. They help me get the car this way. I’ve got a lot of help from all around. It’s not just one or two people. It’s a team effort.” In the evening’s other feature events:

In the 40-lap Super 8 Motels/B&B Engines Grand Stock feature, Jammie Goode started on the pole, at 79.079 mph, and led all the way for his sixth win of the season.

Division leader Paul Lubno shared the front row with Goode and stayed alongside the pole-sitter until they reached Turn 4 on the opening circuit. Exiting the fourth corner, Goode pulled ahead and left an opening for Tommy Sweeney, who bypassed Lubno for second.

On lap 3, Lubno drove under Sweeney in Turn 4 and regained the second spot as they raced through Turns 1 and 2 on lap 4. The exchange allowed Goode to pull away by six car-lengths.
While Lubno was able to slice into Goode’s margin somewhat, a “friendly” caution flag would have done wonders for his efforts to overtake the leader. The race went caution-free, though, meaning Lubno would have to do the heavy lifting by himself.

Lubno nearly accomplished the task, too. Over the second half of the event, lapped traffic came into play on several occasions and, little by little, Lubno closed the gap.

At the finish, however, Lubno’s charge came up a car-length short (0.244- second, to be precise) as Goode held on for the win. Sweeney was third to the line, followed by Brandon Hinson and Robbie Parker.

Charlie Barclay picked up his seventh victory in the 25-lap Med Express Urgent Care Super Truck feature. He started on the pole, at 74.178 mph, and set the pace from beginning to end.

Barclay did have an anxious moment on the initial start when he gave way to Robbie Davis on the backstretch. Before that lap was officially in the books, though, the yellow flag flew and the field was realigned for a complete restart.

Under green for a second time, Barclay kept a watchful eye on Davis and didn’t allow him to repeat his earlier performance. Davis held the runner-up spot until lap 11 when he and his right-rear wheel parted company in Turn 2, bringing out the second, and final, caution flag.

Gathering for a restart, Barclay was the leader, while Tommy Nixon moved up to second.

Back under green, Barclay bolted to a four-length advantage, while Hugo Belfiore closed in on Nixon in a challenge for second place.
At the finish, Barclay was the winner by 4.641 seconds — a full straightaway — over Nixon, who drove away from Belfiore in the waning laps. Rick Potter tailed the lead trio to the line, in fourth, fending off fifth-place Paul Hogge at the flagstand.

Matt Hockaday moved into the lead on lap 7 and showed the way to his sixth victory in a 25-lapper for the E-Z Auto of Newport News UCARs.
Chris Hildebrand qualified on the pole, at 70.403 mph, but gave way to Allen Dail on the opening circuit. On lap 2, Hockaday and Robbie Salas also slipped by Hildebrand, dropping him to fourth. He lost another spot, two laps later, as Adam Florian made the pass.

At the front, Hockaday closed in on Dail for the race lead. On lap 7, they approached a slower car in Turn 4 and Dail swung wide. Too wide, as it turned out, leaving room for Hockaday to snag the lead.
Behind the lead battle, Florian continued to advance. He grabbed third place from Salas on lap 10 and ducked under Dail for second on lap 13, clearing him on lap 14. As positions changed hands in his mirror, Hockaday pulled away by almost half a straightaway.

Over the remaining circuits, Hockaday’s margin waxed and waned as he and Florian contended with lapped traffic.

At the checkers, Hockaday was the winner by 0.832-second — about four lengths — over Florian, who enjoyed the most productive outing of his fledgling UCAR career. Dail was third to the stripe, followed by Hildebrand and Salas.

In the evening’s opening event, the 20-lap Rhonnda Claiborne, Realtor HRKC Pro Winged Champ Kart race, Spencer Saunders grabbed the lead for good on lap 12 and rolled on to his first victory of the season.
Dwain Smith started on the pole, at 61.901 mph, and took the lead on the first lap with Chuck Weeks in tow. On lap 2, Saunders teamed with Adam Chalkley and the two drafted up into the third and fourth positions.

On lap 4, the Saunders/Chalkley combo went to the front, bypassing Smith and Weeks. Within a couple laps, Weeks had lost contact with the lead draft and was quickly overhauled by Ryan Hudgins and Casey Wyatt.

The second of the race’s two yellow flags flew on lap 11.
On the restart, third-place Smith broke out of line and fell back in the running order. Meanwhile, Hudgins nosed ahead of Saunders to take the lead at the stripe.

With Chalkley and David Phelps pushing him along, though, Saunders battled back on lap 12 and regained the top spot. Soon, Saunders, Chalkley and Phelps had driven away from the pack. The lead trio maintained a disciplined draft until the final lap.

Exiting Turn 4 for the last time, Chalkley pulled out of line in a bid for the win. He didn’t have enough to overtake Saunders, who held him off by a kart-length. Phelps was third, followed by Hudgins and Wyatt.



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