By Randy Pettitt

ROUGEMONT, NC –June 28, 2008- A cracked wheel ruined David Triplett Jr.’s dominant performance and left newcomer Matt McCall with his first Orange County Speedway victory last Saturday night.
McCall inherited the lead when Triplett’s Chevrolet shot up the track suddenly after a lap 97 restart. McCall stayed in front the rest of the way in the 150-lap Late Model Stock Car main event of the Summerfest 385.

“I guess you can call it love at first sight,” said McCall of Denver, NC, regarding his first race on the steeply-banked three-eighths mile asphalt. “I’ve traveled all over the place, but this is one cool track.”

Triplett led qualifying trials and seemed headed to victory before trouble struck. “During that caution period, I radioed my crew that a tire might be going down,” said the Timberlake resident. “I didn’t pit because I didn’t want to go to the rear. I came to win, but the best car doesn’t always win.”

Ronald Hill of Rougemont was runner-up and moved to second in track standings, 22 points behind leader Stacy Puryear of South Boston, Va. Puryear overcame his worst qualifying effort of the season with a fifth place finish.

Justin Johnson of Durham finished third and defending track champion Terry Dease dropped to third in standings with fourth place.

Brian Cole of Roxboro took a controversial victory in a 75-lap Limited Sportsman race. He passed Chris Denny’s spinning car in the 35th lap and led the rest of the way. Justin Snow of Danville, Va., finished second and 60-year-old Roger Ellis of Durham took third in the division’s longest race of the year here.

Denny made a quick pit stop and drove back through the field for fifth place.

Cole, defending Limited Sportsman champion here, took full blame for knocking Denny out of the lead: “He (Denny) got a little loose and I just got into him. It was not on purpose. I hate to win one this way. I think I had a good enough car to eventually pass him any way.

Daryl Carver of Prospect Hill finished sixth and regained the lead in Limited Sportsman standings from rookie Tripp Massengill, who finished tenth. Cole’s first victory of the season moved him into second in standings, just two points behind.

Thirteen-year-old rookie Dylan Presnell spanked a field of 19 entries for his first victory in the Allison Legacy Series. Presnell, from Seiverville, Tenn., led qualifying trials and all 75 laps. He was able to pull away at the end thanks to crowded battle for second.

“They were getting crazy there behind me,” said Presnell with a grin. “I was watching it in the mirror and loving it. I think we had them covered anyway.”

Dylan Sawyer of Pace, Fla., drove through a three-wide skirmish and finished second. Tyler Speer of Woodstock, Ga., was third and Pittsboro’s Michael Cooper fourth.

While Sawyer and Speer vied for second, Cooper dove beneath them at lap 72, creating the exciting finish.

“I was hoping Cooper didn’t lose it because we all would have went with him,” said Sawyer. “It was a fun battle, but nobody had anything for Presnell.”

Austin Hogue of Manchester, Pa, finished seventh and kept his points lead in the Allison Legacy Series’ national tour.

Eddie Capps of Sutherlin, Va., won a 35-lap Grand Stock race. Brent Evans of Stem, NC, led early and finished second.

Daryl Gwyn won a 25-lap race that combined the Southern Ground Pounders’ Modified and Sportsman classes. Gwyn’s Vega was first in the open-wheel Modified class. Robert Isley’s Modified was a close runner-up. Third-finisher Gary Lloyd remained unbeaten here in the Sportsman class the past two seasons.

A 200-lap Late Model Stock Car race and fireworks highlight Orange County Speedway’s next event, Saturday night, July 5.

Late Model Stock Car, 150 laps
1) Matt McCall, Denver, NC; 2) Ronald Hill, Rougemont, NC; 3) Justin Johnson, Durham, NC; 4) Terry Dease, Oxford, NC; 5) Stacy Puryear, South Boston, VA; 6) Leigh Caruthers, Raleigh, NC; 7) Scotty Warren, Elon, NC; 8) Josh Oakley, Rougemont, NC; 9) Jonathan Bailey, Keysville, VA; 10) Matt Lofton, Roxboro, NC 11) Ryan Gray, Raleigh, NC; 12) David Triplett, Jr., Timberlake, NC; 13) Thomas Burbage, Washington, NC; 14) Kenny Forbes, Bullock, NC; 15) Aaaron Dudley, Wallburg, NC; 16) Dale Arnold, n/a; 17) Randy Burnett, Concord, NC

Limited Sportsman Division, 75 laps
1) Brian Cole, Roxboro, NC; 2) Justin Snow, Danville, VA; 3) Roger Ellis, Durham, NC; 4) Donald Brace, Apex, NC; 5) Chris Denny, Timberlake, NC; 6) Daryl Carver, Prospect Hill, NC; 7) Brandon Baker, Durham, NC; 8) Will Riley, Cedar Grove, NC; 9) Chris Elliott, Oxford, NC; 10) Chad Pergersen, Timberlake, NC

Allison Legacy Series, 75 laps
1)Dylan Presnell, Seiverville, TN; 2) Dylan Sawyer, Pace, FL; 3) Tyler Speer, Woodstock, Ga.; 4) Michael Cooper, Pittsboro, NC; 5) Cody Smith, Holt, FL; 6) Justin Allison, Salisbury, NC; 7) Austin Hogue, Manchester, PA; 8) Tayla Orleans, Wrentham, MA; 9) Joey Mahanes, Manquin, VA; 10) Garrett Bunch, Front Royal, VA
11) Corey Roberts, Petersburg, VA; 12) Derrick Ramey, Mooresville, VA; 13) Timmy Hill, Port Tobacco, MD; 14) Paul Beckner, Chesterfield, VA; 15) Hunter Devers, King George, VA; 16) Tyler Hill, Port Tobacco, MD

Grand Stock, 35 laps
1) Eddie Capps, Sutherlin, VA; 2) Brent Evans, Stem, NC; 3) Ray Ellington, Jr., Madison Heights, VA; 4) James Turner, Gibsonville, NC; 5) Lee Anderson, Elon, NC; 6) C.B. Elliott, South Boston, VA; 7) James Myers, Danville, VA; 8) Cory Purnell, Yanceyville, NC


ORANGE COUNTY SPEEDWAY
Kimberly Foushee
9740 NC Highway 57
PO Box 107
Rougemont, NC 27572
336-364-1222 office
336-364-2166 fax

www.OCSTrack.com

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