By Gary Daughtrey

HAMPTON, Va. -September 20, 2008- Danny Edwards Jr. led from pole to checkers to post a convincing victory in the Dodd RV 100 for the Crossroads Fuel Service Late Model Stock Cars, the featured event of Saturday evening’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program at Langley Speedway. The win was Edwards’ seventh of the season and solidified his hold on the division points lead.

Edwards earned the pole position in afternoon time trials, lapping the .395-mile oval at 88.011 mph. Dean Shiflett was second-fastest and shared the front row with Edwards. Anthony Warren, C.E. Falk and Nick Smith filled out the top five on the starting grid.

As the race got under way, Edwards jumped into the lead, showing the way as the field roared into Turn 1 for the first time. Shiflett settled into second, followed by Warren, Smith and Falk.

On the ninth circuit, Warren ducked underneath Shiflett in a bid for the runner-up position. He completed the pass in Turn 2 on lap 10. The exchange allowed Edwards to pull away by five car-lengths.

The first caution flag flew on lap 13 when Rick Gdovic spun off Turn 4, coming to rest near the start/finish line.

Back under way, Edwards quickly opened a three-length gap over Warren. Behind them, Falk hounded Smith for the fourth spot, eventually taking the position on lap 21. Within 10 laps, Falk had closed up on Shiflett’s rear bumper and was searching for an opening.
After tailing Shiflett for several laps, Falk drove under the third-place runner in Turn 4 on lap 38. The two dueled for almost a lap with Falk pulling ahead at the end of the backstretch on lap 39.

At the crossed flags, Edwards enjoyed a full-straightaway advantage over second-place Warren, while another half-straightaway separated Warren and Falk.

As the laps clicked off, Edwards steadily extended his lead. By lap 60, he was ahead by more than a straightaway. Meanwhile, Falk had tracked down Warren and was on the hunt for second place.

On lap 62, Falk launched a bid for the runner-up spot, driving to the inside of Warren in Turns 3 and 4. He finished off the move at the opposite end of the track. All the while, though, Edwards was disappearing into the distance.

Edwards’ lead stood at half a lap when the second yellow flag was displayed on lap 68 for debris in Turn 3. Lining up for a restart, two lapped cars separated Edwards and second-place Falk.

Before another lap could be completed, the third caution flag waved as Robbie Babb ground to a halt in Turn 3.

On the restart, Edwards dashed away by half a straightaway as Falk struggled to bypass Jeff Shiflett’s lapped machine. With Warren in tow, Falk finally dispensed with Shiflett’s #01 car on lap 70.

Smith began to rumble on lap 71, slipping past Dean Shiflett for fourth place and leaving the door open for Mark Wertz. Shiflett fought off Wertz’s advance, though, and hung onto his place in the top five.

Warren’s evening came to a sudden end on lap 79 as he dropped off the pace along the backstretch and made the turn onto the pit lane.
On the following circuit, Wertz finally overtook Dean Shiflett, moving up to fourth. As Wertz pulled away, John Staton filled the opening to the inside of Shiflett. The Staton/Shiflett battle lasted for a lap and ended with Shiflett spinning in Turn 2 on lap 83 to bring out the last of the race’s four yellow flags.

As the field gathered for a restart, Edwards maintained the lead with Falk right on his bumper. Smith was third, separated from fourth-place Wertz by Jeff Shiflett’s lapped machine. Staton lined up behind Wertz.

As the race resumed, Edwards, Falk and Smith bolted from the pack. Any hopes that Falk may have had of gaining the lead, however, faded when the lead trio exited Turn 2 and Edwards motored away by three lengths.

By the finish, Edwards’ winning margin had grown to 2.052 seconds — almost a full straightaway — over Falk, who held off Smith in the closing laps to take second. Wertz was fourth to the line, while Staton rounded out the top five.

Greg Edwards, second to his brother in the series standings, came home in sixth place. Dean Shiflett was seventh, the final driver on the lead lap. Jeff Shiflett, Matt Waltz and Albert Falk were eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, all one lap in arrears.

In Victory Lane after the race, Edwards commented on the recent surge that has carried him to two straight wins: “I was hoping it was gonna work out for us and it sure did. The guys on this team have been working hard, keeping this car fast for us. We made some changes today. The track was a little bit different with the weather change. I think we found something that we’ve been missing. It was a little bit better, definitely, on the long runs.”

Asked about the cooler weather producing quicker lap times, Edwards continued, “Yeah, it should in most cases, probably in race conditions. Today in practice, it didn’t seem to be that way, but, nevertheless, it worked out right for us. We made a risky call, making a chassis change, knowing what’s on the line for the point championship, but we kinda felt like it would be the right move and we went ahead and stuck with it and here we are.”

The Late Models have next Saturday night off to give drivers an opportunity to compete in their division’s “Super Bowl” at Martinsville Speedway on Sept. 28. They’ll return to action at Langley for the season’s final points race on Oct. 4.

With that one race to go, Danny Edwards Jr. holds a 26-point lead over Greg Edwards in the chase for the track title, 646-620. Since the tiebreaker favors Danny, he can wrap up the ‘08 championship with a 14th-place finish in the season-ender.

In the evening’s other feature events:

Jammie Goode overcame a middle-of-the-pack starting spot and scored his seventh victory of the year in a 40-lapper for the Super 8 Motels/B&B Engines Grand Stocks.

Goode set the pace in qualifying for the event, clocking in at 78.720 mph. Since he’d won the previous two races, though, he had to start on the outside of Row 4, per track rules. With Goode retreating to eighth, Paul Lubno assumed the pole position. Rodney Boyd lined up second, followed by Brandon Hinson, David Gray and Henry Barnes.

As the initial green flag dropped, Lubno, the points leader and defending division champ, motored into the top spot. Hinson drove to the inside of Boyd and came away with second place.

Goode, meanwhile, was quickly making his way toward the front. By lap 3, he had moved into fifth. He took over fourth on lap 5 and slipped past Boyd for third on lap 6. At the head of the pack, Lubno was up by four lengths over Hinson, while another five lengths separated Hinson from Goode.

The first caution flag waved on lap 12 when Tommy Sweeney and Paul Lubno Jr. tied up in Turns 3 and 4, going for a wild ride across the edge of the infield.

The second yellow flag, the last one of the race, came out on the ensuing restart when second-place Hinson failed to come up to speed and rolled to a stop on the backstretch.

Setting the lineup, Lubno was the leader with Goode now in second. Boyd, Gray and Bobby Spivey completed the top five.

Back under green, Lubno gained a two-length advantage over Goode as the lead duo set sail. By the halfway mark, they were a straightaway ahead of third-place Boyd.

Lubno maintained his two-length edge until lap 26 when he and Goode ran up on slower traffic. They disposed of the lapped cars quickly and broke into the clear on lap 27 in nose-to-tail formation.

Goode followed in Lubno’s tire tracks until lap 36 when he poked a fender to the inside of the leader off Turn 2. Lubno held on to lead that lap, but gave way to Goode on lap 37. The two continued door-to-door until lap 39 when Goode finally cleared Lubno off Turn 4.
At the checkers, Goode was the winner by 0.194-second — a single car-length — over Lubno. Boyd was third to the line, while Sweeney overcame his earlier to mishap to take fourth. Gray rounded out the top five.

Like the Late Models, the Grand Stock division will return to action for its final points race on Oct. 4. Lubno now holds a 22-point lead over Goode in the standings, 484-462, and can complete a successful title defense by finishing 11th or better. Since Goode owns the tiebreaker edge, Lubno will have to win the championship outright.

Robbie Davis took the lead on lap 3, then held off a race-long challenge from Tommy Nixon to bag his fourth victory of the year in the 25-lap Med Express Urgent Care Super Truck feature.

Nixon was fastest in qualifying, at 73.763 mph, and started from the pole position. Davis shared the front row with Nixon. Hugo Belfiore and Paul Hogge made up Row 2, while Brad Adams lined up fifth.

As the race got going, Davis gained a slight edge over Nixon. In Turns 1 and 2 for the first time, though, Nixon battled back on the inside and grabbed the clear-cut advantage as the field rolled onto the backstretch. Davis settled into second, followed by Belfiore, Adams and Hogge.

The first caution flag appeared on lap 2 when Debbie Biesecker slowed to a halt on the back straightaway.

Back under green, Nixon jumped out to a 1-1/2-length lead. As the field reached the first and second corners, however, Davis quickly made up the ground and began hunting for the top spot.

Working lap 3, Davis drove underneath Nixon on the backstretch and grabbed the point in Turns 3 and 4. Nixon immediately fell in line on Davis’ bumper.

Davis and Nixon remained nose-to-tail until lap 11 when Nixon skated wide off the second corner, allowing Davis to open a two-length advantage. That was as large of an edge as Davis would enjoy throughout the event.

The second, and final, caution flag waved on lap 23 when Rick Potter and Paul Hogge tangled at the flagstand while racing for fifth place. Potter’s truck struck the outside wall, then careened across the track and into the inside barricade.

On the last restart, Davis opened a two-length lead over Nixon, while Adams bypassed Belfiore for third. Nixon quickly narrowed Davis’ advantage and began to apply the pressure. At the white flag, the two leaders were bumper-to-bumper.

Despite Nixon pecking away at his bumper, Davis maintained command of the event. He eased away on the last lap and won by 0.288-second — one truck-length. Nixon was second, followed by Adams, Belfiore and Cory Millard.

The Super Trucks will wrap up their ‘08 points campaign on Oct. 4. Heading into the final race, Davis holds a 16-point lead over Nixon, 502-486. With the tiebreaker in hand, Davis can clinch the title with a ninth-place finish.

Troy Hutcheson led from pole to checkers to post his first win of the season in a 15-lap sprint for the Wolf Contractors Wolf Trucks.
Jeff Sampson was the fast qualifier with a lap at 86.470 mph. Since he’d won the previous two races, though, he started fifth, behind the other Pro Division competitors. Hutcheson moved up to the pole, followed by George VanGuilder, Chuck Britt and Michael Farmer.

On the start, Hutcheson leaped out front and carried the lead into the first corner. VanGuilder slid into second. Britt maintained third, while Sampson bypassed Farmer to take over fourth.

On lap 3, Britt spun to the infield in Turn 2. He was able to right his machine and continue as the yellow flag remained hidden.
At lap 4, Hutcheson was up by a truck-length over VanGuilder, who saw Sampson growing larger in his mirror.

On lap 6, Sampson caught up to VanGuilder and tried to execute a high-side pass. He couldn’t find enough grip up top, though, and dropped back in line.

At the halfway mark, Hutcheson led by five lengths as VanGuilder and Sampson continued their duel behind him. With VanGuilder taking care to guard his inside, Sampson was forced to look to the outside.

On lap 14, Sampson finally worked his way alongside VanGuilder. While Hutcheson pulled away, eventually winning by 2.383 seconds — better than half a straightaway — VanGuilder worked to hold Sampson at bay.
Off the final corner, VanGuilder got a good run in the bottom lane and edged Sampson at the stripe to take the runner-up spot. Britt was fourth, a lap down.

Sean Calway, the lone Semi-Pro entrant, picked up best-in-class honors in his Wolf Truck debut, becoming the third driver this season to post a win in the #22 truck. Jill Brinson and Michael Johnson were the others. He was fifth in the overall rundown.

The Wolf Trucks finish up their season next Saturday, Sept. 27. Sampson enjoys a 46-point lead over Hutcheson in the standings, 588-542, and will seal up the Pro Division championship when he takes the green flag in the finale. Eric Schaffer had already clinched the Semi-Pro title.


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