Red Light Racing at N Wilkesboro
Skitter Creek SK Modifieds
Season 13 Race 13
North Wilkesboro Speedway
April 3, 2025
by Tim Corder
Skitter Creek SK Modifieds mixed things up this week with Twin 50s at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Both races saw domination by their winners. AJ Hamel won the first event from the poll, leading 49 laps. Then, Jeff Aho secured his first win of the season, leading 45 of the 53 laps of the green-white-checkered extended second race.
Hamel set the pace in qualifying for the first race turning a 17.716 second lap. Eric Stout, Brian Bianchi, Chad Alcares, and Bradley Stefane rounded out the top five in qualifying, all within 0.06 seconds of Hamel’s lap time. The only challenges Hamel faced were on restarts after the opening event’s two caution flags. Stout and Bianchi both fought valiantly on the outside line on restarts, but Hamel would prevail and stay on the point. Stout spoiled Hamel’s shot at leading wire-to-wire by leading one lap of the race.
Joining Hamel on the podium for the first race were Bianchi and Stout. Completing the top five were Stefane and Alcares. Joshua Buckley’s 17.699 second lap 8 was the fastest lap of the first race. Benjamin Gerhardt won the first of the Hard Charger Awards. He gained 9 spots, climbing from his 20th place starting position to 11th. All but two drivers completed all 50 laps. Fifteen of the 20 drivers left the first event without any incident points.
The starting grid for the second of the Twin 50 races was set by inverting the first 10 finishing positions from the first event. As a result, Fred LeClair started on the pole. Rob Higgins, Jeff Aho, Rex Hoyle, and Joshua Buckley rounded out the top five starters.
LeClair led the first eight laps of the race before Jeff Aho was able to take over the point with a pass to LeClair’s inside. Buckley, in third, spun trying to follow Aho in passing LeClair, bringing out the first of 5 cautions on the night. Buckley would finish the night in 11th. LeClair battled Aho for most of the event but on lap 47, battling traffic to his inside, LeClair’s hopes of a top 5 finish were dashed. After slight contact with Bianchi, LeClair bounced off the outside wall coming onto the front stretch. This sent LeClair spinning in front of half of the field, gathering several other cars in the melee. LeClair managed to finish in tenth.
Joining Aho on the podium were Stefane and Kenny Allen, Allen having picked up an impressive 10 spots from his 13th place starting position. Completing the top five were Bianchi and Luke Logan Allen. Luke Logan Allen also won the event’s Hard Charger of the Race Award, picking up 14 spots from his 19th place starting position. Joshua Buckley repeated his performance from the first event by turning the fast lap of the second race as well. He completed the fifth lap of the race in 17.704 seconds, besting Aho’s fifth lap by just 0.001 seconds.
Twelve of the twenty drivers finished all 53 laps of the second event. Only three drivers escaped with no incident points: Aho, Kenny Allen, and Andrew Lewis.
Championship leader Eric Stout finished the second race in 8th. The top ten finish coupled with his 3rd place finish in the first race meant that little changed at the top of the Championship standings. He keeps a commanding 51-point lead over Stefane for season championship. Chad Alcares and Kenny Allen left the day’s two races still in 3rd and 4th in the standings, respectively. Brian Bianchi moved up to fifth in the standings. With just three races left in the season, Stout seems to have all but locked-up the Championship.
Anything could happen, though, as the series heads to tricky Oswego Speedway on April 10th. The green flag drops at 7:55 PM Eastern. Catch all the action LIVE on Virtual Grip Network.
BRL Late Model Invitational S30R03 | Five Flags Speedway
In Season 30 Round 03 at Five Flags Speedway, racing action was intense right from the start. Steve Hilbert and Mike Holloway led the front row, but Hilbert quickly took charge as he hit the gas, allowing Todd Liston to slip into second place while Holloway settled into third.
On Lap 2, Liston made a bold move inside Hilbert to seize the lead, with Holloway following closely behind, which reshuffled the front positions. By Lap 21, James Lowe had overtaken Hilbert for third, and by Lap 24, Lowe advanced to second place, passing Holloway. Bruce Pearson joined the podium by overtaking Holloway for third on Lap 25, all while the leader maintained a half-second lead as they reached the quarter mark of the race.
As the race progressed, John Wilson passed Pearson for third on Lap 36. A caution flag waved on Lap 47, halting the action. Once racing resumed on Lap 52, Liston and Lowe retained their front positions. Both drivers made strong starts, with Lowe successfully defending his second place against Wilson until another caution emerged on Lap 53.
Racing resumed once again on Lap 57, with Liston and Lowe leading the charge. Chris Davis moved to third by passing Wilson. On Lap 69, Mark Hertzog battled fiercely with Davis for the third spot, eventually succeeding.
The race took a pivotal turn on Lap 74 when Lowe moved to the inside of Liston to take the lead on the backstretch. Hertzog attempted to overtake Liston for second on Lap 79, racing side by side before finally making the pass on Lap 80. By Lap 91, Tre Blohm surged to third, overtaking Liston in turn 4.
On Lap 96, Blohm, aiming for second, pushed Hertzog hard but was unable to complete the pass until they hit the backstretch, where he finally succeeded. As the race neared its end, Lowe established a commanding three-second lead with just two laps to go.
Ultimately, James Lowe clinched victory, crossing the finish line in first place, followed by Tre Blohm in second and Mark Hertzog in third. It was an exciting race full of strategic moves and fierce competition!
Highlights
🏆 James Lowe wins the BRL Late Model Invitational Series Season 30 Round 03 race at Five Flags Speedway.
🚀 Mark Hertzog was the biggest mover, gaining 15 spots, racing from 18th to 3rd!
🏁 The race featured three leaders with two lead changes. Todd Liston led the most with 72 laps, followed by James Lowe with 27 laps and Steven Hilbert with 1 lap.
OBRL CUP SERIES S8 R8 Recap
06 April 2025
OBRL Presented by VCTRYLNSPRTS | Season 8 | Round 8
YesterYear Cup Series | Darlington Raceway
On Sunday, April 6th, The OBRL’s YesterYear Racing Cup Series, presented by VCTRYLNSPRTS, took on the legendary Darlington Raceway for round 8 of season 8 — and the Lady in Black didn’t disappoint.
Dan Hill led the field to green after laying down a blistering pole time of 29.377 seconds, with Josh Robinson starting alongside him. From the drop of the flag, Hill looked unstoppable, rocketing away from the pack and stretching out a commanding lead lap after lap. Behind him, the fight was on. Tom Ogle muscled his way into 2nd while Robinson and Dwayne McArthur locked horns for 3rd in a spirited early battle.
Further back, Cortney Nelson was on the move, slicing through the field and briefly climbing to 3rd before tire wear began to take its toll. Around lap 44, McArthur regained 3rd from Nelson as the long run began to expose whose setups could handle the Darlington abrasion.
Nelson, struggling with corner grip, was the first to blink, diving onto pit road and committing to a two-stop strategy. He was soon followed by several others while the rest of the field gambled on stretching fuel and rubber for a one-stop run. This created a major strategy divide that would shape the second half of the race.
As pit cycles shuffled the order, tensions ramped up in the fight for 3rd. McArthur was holding strong, while Kotska and Robinson were closing in. Kotska’s aggressive moves through lap traffic got under Robinson’s skin, but it bought McArthur a small buffer heading into the next green flag pit cycle.
Then came the turning point. On lap 60, Hill — who had led every lap up to that point — suffered a race-ending technical failure, handing the lead to Ogle, who had been shadowing him with consistency and pace. Ogle took full control of the race from there, heading down pit road for his scheduled stop while McArthur briefly inherited the lead before pitting himself.
As the field cycled through, Nelson found himself in the lead, but with one big caveat: he would need to stop again. Ogle, McArthur, Kotska, and Robinson were all hoping to stretch it to the end on a single stop. Nelson’s only hope was to leverage his fresh tires in the closing laps — but disaster struck before that strategy could play out. After making his final pit stop on lap 96 and rejoining into heavy traffic, cold tires betrayed him. Coming off the corner, Nelson got loose and slammed the inside wall, ending his night early.
That left Ogle comfortably out front with clean air and a clear track. McArthur continued to fight tooth and nail to hold onto 2nd, but with 26 laps to go, Robinson finally got the edge and slipped by. From there, tire wear took its toll across the field, and the action settled down.
Tom Ogle cruised to the win — his second in a row — after a masterclass in patience and execution. Robinson brought it home in 2nd, preserving his commanding points lead, now 48 points ahead of Ogle. McArthur held on for a gritty 3rd place finish.
Next up, the OBRL heads to the high-banked bullring at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 13th. Catch the full broadcast live at 8:00PM ET, only on the Virtual Grip Network!
BRL OUTLAWS S39 R3 Recap
05 April 2025
Bootleg Racing League | Season 39 | Round 3
Outlaw Modified Series | Five Flags Speedway
On Saturday, April 5th, the Bootleg Racing League’s Outlaw SK Modified Invitational Series rolled into Five Flags Speedway for round 3 of season 39, and the fireworks started early. James Lowe came into the night with a slim 2-point lead in the standings, but he’d have to work for every inch to keep it.
Tre Blohm started the race from the pole with Tim Corder to his outside. Lowe rolled off 5th, but it didn’t take long for him to start climbing forward. Right from the drop of the green, drivers were aggressive, and that meant more cautions than we’ve seen so far this season. The race quickly turned into a stop-and-go affair of short green flag sprints.
Lowe worked his way up to 3rd in the opening laps with Chris Davis hot on his heels, keeping the pressure high. Meanwhile, out front, Blohm had built a solid gap over Jeffery Hardin in 2nd, but Hardin had his hands full trying to hold off Lowe and Davis as they closed in. Then things got messy on lap 29 — Davis tried to dive under Lowe but ran out of room, triggering contact that took out both drivers and collected Todd Cousins, who had nowhere to go. That incident scattered the field and shook up the running order.
On the restart, Todd Liston made his move, jumping into the 2nd spot and setting his sights on Blohm at the front. But chaos wasn’t done with Lowe’s night. Just past halfway, Lowe was tapped again — this time by Chris Haizlip — and went spinning, once again involving the same trio of drivers from the earlier crash. Cousins retired from the race after the second tangle, while Lowe managed to recover in 11th, and Davis fell back to 15th.
Blohm kept control of the race until lap 71, when Jeffery Hardin got a great jump on a restart and used the momentum to dive under Blohm, taking the lead a lap later. As Blohm started slipping through the pack, John Wilson stepped up into 2nd and was clearly faster than Hardin, but had no room to make a move. That changed with 16 laps to go when Wilson finally found his opening and grabbed the lead — only for another caution to freeze the action shortly after.
With 11 to go, the final restart proved decisive. Wilson led the field back to green, but Todd Liston pounced. He slipped under Hardin, who then tagged Wilson’s rear bumper and sent him into the wall. The chain reaction allowed Liston to sneak by both and take the lead. Wilson recovered, but the damage was done. Liston held the top spot through the final laps and crossed the line to take his first win of the season in a wild, hard-fought race.
Lowe, despite being caught in multiple incidents, showed grit and fought his way back to a 5th place finish, just enough to hang on to the championship lead — now just 4 points ahead of Liston heading into round 4.
The Bootleg Racing League is back in action next Saturday, April 12th, when the series heads north to Oxford Plains Speedway. Catch every lap live starting at 7:40PM ET, only on the Virtual Grip Network!
MVRL ARCA SERIES S1 R1 Recap
31 March 2025
Maximum Velocity Racing League | Season 1 | Round 1
ARCA Series | Daytona International Speedway
On Monday, March 31st, the Maximum Velocity Racing League launched the inaugural season of its ARCA Series with an intense, high-speed battle at Daytona International Speedway. Zachary Groover led the field to green after securing the pole with a fast lap of 50.890, with his brother, Brandon Groover, lining up alongside him on the front row.
As the race got underway, the outside line took a few laps to form, but once it did, the lead pack saw constant position swapping among the frontrunners. The field showed patience early on, with many drivers using the opening laps to learn the limits of the ARCA cars and how aggressively they could push in the draft.
The first big incident of the night struck on lap 10 when contact among several drivers sent Christopher Kresge off track and into the grass with significant front-end damage. As drivers attempted to rejoin the racing surface, more contact brought out the caution, but Kresge was able to stay on the lead lap. Once the race resumed, the high-speed pack racing continued with multiple lead changes.
Lap 20 saw another major incident—a four-car wreck that collected Justin Michael. This caution provided a strategic opportunity for the field to make a fuel stop. While the drivers would still need one more pit stop to make it to the finish, Kresge gambled by staying out, taking control of the lead for the restart.
From there, the field settled into a long green-flag run, remaining mostly single file in a tight, fast-moving pack. There were a few minor off-track incidents, but none were severe enough to bring out another caution. At the front, Christopher Howell established himself as the dominant force, receiving strong pushes from Jordon Knies.
However, Knies soon learned a tough lesson about managing engine temperatures in the ARCA car. After pushing Howell for too long without clean air, his engine overheated and expired just past the halfway point, abruptly ending his race. This served as a cautionary tale for the rest of the field, emphasizing the delicate balance of aggression and patience in pack racing.
With 20 laps remaining, drivers began making their final green-flag pit stops. The sequence was chaotic, with multiple cars entering and exiting pit road simultaneously, leading to some contact and near-misses. As the stops cycled through, the field became fragmented, splitting into several smaller drafting packs.
Out front, a four-car lead pack emerged, with Rob Haynes leading the charge. Taking lessons from Knies’s earlier misfortune, the front pack devised a strategy to rotate the leader, ensuring no single driver pushed for too long and risked overheating. Their coordinated effort allowed them to maintain a blistering pace, steadily pulling away from the trailing packs.
As the white flag waved, Justin Michael found himself in the lead, with his teammate Haynes glued to his bumper, ready to push him to the finish. Coming out of the final corner, Haynes made the decision to stay in line rather than challenge for the win, remaining committed to his teammate and pushing Michael across the line to victory in the opening round at Daytona.
With round one in the books, the Maximum Velocity Racing League now turns its attention to Phoenix Raceway next Monday, April 7th. The action kicks off at 9:30 PM ET, streaming live on the Virtual Grip Network!
BRL Late Model Invitational S30R02 | Hickory Motor Speedway
Get ready for some high-octane excitement as Ricky Hardin and James Lowe rev up for Season 30 Round 02 at the legendary Hickory Motor Speedway! The tension is palpable as the green flag drops and Hardin rockets off the line, snatching the lead right away. Ruben Altice is on the hunt, slipping beneath Lowe for a fierce battle over second place. John Wilson doesn’t sit idle either; he joins the fray and tussles with Lowe for third, while Lowe smartly tucks himself into fourth.
By Lap 6, Altice is applying pressure, peeking inside Hardin and eyeing the top spot, but can’t quite make a move just yet. On Lap 10, Altice makes his bold move, taking the lead from Hardin, with Wilson hot on his trail. Just as it looks like things are heating up, caution flies on Lap 13, with Hardin holding strong in second.
Once racing resumes on Lap 18, it’s Altice and Hardin once again leading the pack. Altice launches off the restart like a rocket, allowing Hardin to settle comfortably in second—until lap 18’s caution as well puts their momentum on pause once again. When the action starts again on Lap 23, Altice proves his dominance with another stellar restart, while Wilson tries to squeeze under Hardin but can’t quite snag the position, holding onto third.
Meanwhile, the battle for sixth heats up as Kurt Smith gangs up against Joseph Snyder, but a caution at Lap 28 halts their showdown. When the race kicks back to life on Lap 33, it’s déjà vu for Altice and Hardin, with Altice effortlessly commanding the lead yet again, and Wilson comfortably holding down third.
Fast forward to halfway through the race: Lowe fights his way past Wilson to claim third place, just as another caution comes out on Lap 63, keeping everyone on their toes. Racing resumes on Lap 68 with Altice holding strong and Hardin on the outside, flanked by Lowe. Lowe zips past into second, while Brennan Myers tries to sneak by Hardin, who skillfully shuts the door—what a race!
The tension escalates on Lap 79 when Lowe challenges Altice, side by side in turns 1 and 2 on Lap 80, and snags the lead—only for caution to be waved on Lap 81! Action picks back up on Lap 86 with Lowe and Myers at the forefront. Lowe nails the restart while Myers finds himself tussling with Todd Cousins; they battle fiercely, but a little contact leads to caution on Lap 88.
Racing once again kicks off on Lap 92 with Lowe and Smith leading the charge! Lowe defies gravity, launching ahead early and allowing Smith to slip into second, but the chaos comes crashing down during a massive pileup in turn 2 on Lap 93.
When the race resumes for the final laps on Lap 97, Lowe and Smith are back in control, with Lowe taking off like a rocket! But brace yourselves—turn 4 is mayhem, and as the dust settles, Myers emerges as he steals third among the wreckage. In an exhilarating finish, James Lowe crosses the line in first place to take the victory for Season 30 Round 02 at Hickory, with Lowell Jewell and Brennan Myers rounding out the podium!
Mark your calendars—join us for Season 30 Round 03 racing next Saturday, April 5th at 9:10pm ET, live on VGN at Five Flags Speedway! Don’t miss out on the action!
Highlights
🏆 James Lowe wins the BRL Late Model Invitational Series Season 30 Round 02 race at Hickory Motor Speedway.
🚀 Lowell Jewell was the biggest mover, gaining 9 spots, racing from 11th to 2nd!
🏁 The race featured three leaders with two lead changes. Ruben Altice led the most laps (70), followed by James Lowe (25) and Ricky Hardin (9).
OBRL CUP SERIES S8 R7 Recap
30 March 2025
OBRL Presented by VCTRYLNSPRTS | Season 8 | Round 7
YesterYear Cup Series | Martinsville Speedway
On Sunday, March 30th, the OBRL YesterYear Cup Series rolled into Martinsville Speedway for round 7 of season 8, with drivers facing one of the toughest short tracks on the schedule. Andrew Kotska put down a blistering lap of 19.478 seconds to secure the pole, with Cortney Nelson joining him on the front row. The tight quarters of Martinsville always promise excitement, and this race was no exception.
As the green flag waved, Kotska got a great jump, but behind him, early cautions shook up the field. Contenders like Dan Hill and defending series champion Josh Robinson found themselves caught in the chaos, suffering damage that forced them to fight their way back through the pack. Dwayne McArthur made several aggressive attempts to wrestle second place away from Nelson, but Nelson held strong, keeping McArthur at bay. The battle behind them was intense, with drivers fighting hard for every inch of real estate on the half-mile oval.
On lap 26, McArthur’s persistence came back to bite him. Jerry Isaacs got underneath him in turn three, forcing McArthur up the track. That move created a bottleneck, and as the checkup rippled through the field, multiple drivers got turned around. Robinson, already struggling with damage, got caught up in the mess, suffering heavy front-end damage. He was able to make repairs under caution but restarted deep in the pack, back in 30th.
Shortly after the restart, the race claimed another victim. Nelson, who had been running strong, lost the rear end of his car coming out of the corner and spun, nosing into the inside wall. With Nelson out of the picture, Isaacs moved into second place, followed by Tom Ogle, who was quietly making his way forward. This caution prompted many drivers to gamble on pit strategy, coming in for fuel and tires in hopes of making it to the end. Kotska and Ogle, however, chose to stay out, banking on another caution later in the race.
As the race wore on, Martinsville proved to be merciless. The cautions kept coming, collecting more contenders—including Isaacs, who got tangled up with Darryl Wineinger in a crash that blocked the track and took out several others. By the halfway mark, drivers finally got the long green-flag run they had been waiting for. Ogle took advantage, moving into second place behind Kotska. With clean air and open track, the two leaders pulled away from the rest of the field, putting down some of the fastest laps of the night.
Despite the early damage, Robinson was making an incredible recovery, methodically picking off cars one by one. By the time the race entered its final stages, Robinson had clawed his way back into third, putting himself back in contention for a podium finish.
Kotska, knowing a pit stop might be necessary, began pushing his car to its limits, building as large of a gap as possible. He was slicing through lapped traffic with precision, but Ogle wasn’t letting him get away. Lap after lap, Ogle matched Kotska’s pace, keeping the pressure on. Just when it seemed like the leaders might have to make a green-flag stop, the caution flag flew with 35 laps to go.
For Kotska and Ogle, this was the break they needed. Having lapped a significant portion of the field, they could now pit for fuel and fresh tires without sacrificing track position. The crucial moment of the race came on pit road—Ogle’s crew delivered a flawless stop, getting him out ahead of Kotska.
With Ogle now in control of the lead, the final stretch of the race became a series of short green-flag runs broken up by cautions. Each time, Ogle nailed the restart, keeping Kotska in his mirror. Kotska did everything he could to mount a challenge, but Ogle had the advantage and wasn’t giving it up.
In the end, Ogle took the checkered flag, securing his first win of the season in dominant fashion. Kotska crossed the line in second, while Robinson, despite all the adversity he faced, brought his damaged car home in third.
With seven rounds complete, Robinson maintains a strong 50-point lead over Ogle in the championship standings. The OBRL now turns its attention to Darlington Raceway next Sunday, April 6th, with all the action going live at 8:00PM ET on the Virtual Grip Network!
BRL OUTLAWS S39 R2 Recap
29 March 2025
Bootleg Racing League | Season 39 | Round 2
Outlaw Modified Series | Hickory Motor Speedway
On Saturday, March 29th, the Bootleg Racing League’s Outlaw SK Modified Invitational Series rolled into Hickory Motor Speedway for round 2 of season 39. Kurt Smith started on the pole, securing a prime position at a track notorious for its tight racing and limited passing opportunities. Lining up alongside him was Todd Liston, ready to challenge for the lead as the green flag waved.
Smith wasted no time settling into the top spot while Liston tucked in behind him, holding onto second place. As the field sorted itself out, a gap quickly formed between the front-runners and the battle for third. John Wilson emerged from a side-by-side fight with Tim Corder to claim the position, but his hold was short-lived. Chris Haizlip was on the charge, methodically working his way forward before making his move past Wilson on lap 33 to take over third.
The long green-flag run played to Smith’s advantage, as he and Liston continued to extend their lead. By lap 75, their gap over the rest of the field had grown to nearly four seconds. However, that margin was erased when contact between Wilson and Jeffery Hardin sent Hardin spinning, bringing out the caution and tightening the field for a crucial restart.
As racing resumed with 20 laps to go, Haizlip’s night took a turn for the worse. A collision with Bruce Pearson sent both drivers hard into the outside wall, ending their races and bringing out another caution. With only 14 laps remaining, the pressure was on as the green flag dropped once more.
Smith continued his ironclad defense of the inside line, forcing Liston to attempt a daring move on the outside. For several thrilling laps, the two ran side by side, but Liston ultimately had to lift to prevent losing his position to Wilson, allowing Smith to regain control. With a flawless performance, Smith led every lap, taking the checkered flag in dominant fashion.
With two rounds in the books, James Lowe holds a narrow lead in the standings over Todd Cousins. The Bootleg Racing League heads to Five Flags Speedway next Saturday, April 5th, with all the action going live at 7:40PM ET, only on the Virtual Grip Network!
Red Light Racing at Hickory
Skitter Creek SK Modifieds
Season 13 Race 12
Hickory Motor Speedway
March 27, 2025
by Tim Corder
Fans would be forgiven if they’ve come to expect the same story at every Skitter Creek SK Modifieds race this season. They may feel that the only suspense often is “what margin of victory will Eric Stout have this time?” Fans for whom this common storyline has started to wear a little thin had a pleasant surprise in store when the series took to historic Hickory Motor Speedway on March 27, 2025. There were so many storylines during the race it resembled a Seinfeld episode . . . a long green flag run saw lap traffic come into play, pit strategy was a major factor, and a no-call by the tower had many fans wondering was anyone in the tower even watching the race? Oh, and Eric Stout didn’t win. It was instead Fred LeClair that took his first league trophy home after deftly picking up 12 positions from his 13th place starting position.
In qualifying, Chad Alcares was the cream of the crop, grabbing the pole with a 13.534 second lap. Jeff Aho, Bradley Stefane, AJ Hamel and TJ Henson rounded out the top five in qualifying, all within 1/10th of a second of Alcares time. Championship leader Eric Stout started in sixth.
The race got off to a rocky start with two cautions within the first ten laps, both of which involved Stout. The first fell on lap 2 when Rob Higgins tapped Eric Stout’s rear bumper in turn 4, sending the two spinning and gathering other drivers along the way. Stout would drop all the way back to 17th for the restart on lap 7. On the restart, Bob Higgins checked up because of those in front of him slowing. Stout was unable to slow down in time to avoid Higgins sending Higgins spinning.
The green flag would again wave on lap 12 with Alcares still at the point. The yellow would not again come out until lap 68. Alcares set a blistering pace over the green flag run and caught the back end of the field. Battling to stay on the lead lap Brandon Feeney spun, Ken Allen also spun as the drivers reacted to Feeney’s car, which brought out the lap 68 caution.
Six of the top ten drivers at the time of the caution pitted to take on tires, including Stout and eventual winner LeClair. Stout and LeClair restarted on lap 73 in 10th and 11th, respectively. The next caution came out on lap 77 when TJ Henson spun in turn 4 with Alcares still leading. After the resulting lap 82 restart, Bradley Stefane took over the point from Alcares on lap 84.
The tower’s decision to keep the race under green despite a massive pileup on the front stretch on lap 89 left the entire grandstand scratching their collective heads. The melee started with AJ Hamel spinning at the exit of turn 4. Car after car then piled-in blocking the front stretch, with the better part of ½ of the field involved. The race stayed green while those involved tried to rejoin the race. Leader Stefane completed lap 90 before hitting Rob Higgins who was trying to get his car pointed in the right direction after being involved in the pileup. The Stefane wreck woke up the assumed-to-be-sleeping officials who finally decided to throw out the caution. As a consolation to Stefane, the tower allowed him to keep the point position.
At the time of this officiating disaster, LeClair had worked his way up to 4th and Stout had risen to 6th, both taking advantage of their fresh tires over the brief green flag run. The green briefly came out again on lap 95 but the yellow waved again before the completion of that lap. As briefly as the green was out, though, LeClair was able to take over 2nd and Stout took over 5th.
The final restart of the night happened on lap 100, resulting in a green-white-checkered finish. Stefane led the field on the restart, but LeClair took over the point with an outside line pass on lap 101. LeClair would not relinquish the lead and took home the checkered flag. Stefane finished second just 0.188 seconds behind LeClair. Rounding out the top five were Alcares, Stout and Chris Haizlip.
The twelve spots LeClair picked up in winning the race were the most spots gained by any driver, so LeClair also claimed the Hard Charger of the Race award. Chad Alcares led 78 laps of the event. Joining Alcares, LeClair, and Stefane as leaders of the race was Jeff Aho who led two laps. Alcares also set the fastest lap of the race, completing lap 18 in 13.582 seconds. No driver escaped the event without any incident points.
Stout stays well in control of the championship point standings. Stefane stayed in second for the championship, 56 points in arrears to Stout. Alcares moved up to third in the points. Kenny Allen stays fourth, and with the race win, LeClair moved into fifth in the championship running.
The series next visits historic North Wilkesboro Speedway on April 3rd with a Twin 50 lap event. The first green flag drops at 7:55 PM Eastern. Catch all the action LIVE on Virtual Grip Network.
YYR Tour Modified Series S2R2 | South Boston Speedway
The YesterYear Racing (YYR) Tour Modified Series revved up for an action-packed showdown on March 25th at South Boston, showcasing Season 2 Round 2 of thrilling racing. Jerry Isaacs stormed through qualifications, clocking in the fastest time at 14.170 seconds.
As the green flag waved for the YYR SOBO 150, it was a neck-and-neck start with Isaacs and Todd Liston side by side. While Liston briefly faltered at the entrance of turn 1, he quickly regained his footing and settled into 2nd place behind Isaacs. Behind them, Brian Bianchi and Daryl Wineinger engaged in a fierce battle for 3rd, with Bianchi ultimately taking the outside lane to claim victory in that duel.
The first caution flew on lap 27, resulting from lapped traffic that tangled with Isaacs, forcing him to pit and allowing Liston to take the lead on Lap 29.
When racing resumed on lap 31, Liston and Bianchi were leading the pack. However, a quick caution on lap 33 halted their momentum. After the restart on lap 38, Liston found himself back in control.
On lap 41, Wineinger made several attempts to squeeze past Bianchi for 2nd but couldn’t find a way through. Meanwhile, Brian Johnson and Bill Martin put on a dazzling side-by-side spectacle from Lap 50 to Lap 56, with Martin eventually edging out Johnson for 10th place. Another caution came on Lap 58, setting the stage for a stacked restart on lap 62, where Liston took the lead again, but not without chaos among the lap cars that ensued.
Green flag racing kicked off on lap 67 with Liston leading, but tensions mounted as Bianchi pressured Liston, both drivers racing ahead of Tom Ogle in 3rd. By Lap 81, Bianchi was breathing down Liston’s neck, looking for an opportunity. A caution on Lap 87 put a pause on the fierce competition.
When the race resumed on lap 92, Liston held the front spot, but Bianchi didn’t let up. By lap 104, he was right on Liston’s tail, ready to make a move. On lap 113, Bianchi took his chance, overtaking Liston and snatching the lead, just before another caution on Lap 114.
As racing resumed on lap 119, Bianchi was back in command. Meanwhile, Rex Hoyle and Jeffery Hardin were locked in a battle for 3rd, with Hoyle eventually securing the position. On Lap 134, Hoyle tried to dive inside Liston for 4th, leading to a side-by-side clash. They battled fiercely until their duel led to a caution on Lap 136.
After another restart on Lap 141, Bianchi led the final stretch with Hardin applying pressure in 2nd. Lowell Jewell charged through the pack, vying for 5th against Johnson in a spirited battle fueled by competitive spirit. As the white flag waved, Bianchi held onto a tight half-second lead over Hardin, while Liston and Brian Neff jostled for 3rd. In the end, Brian Bianchi crossed the finish line first, claiming victory in Season 2 Round 2 of the YYR SOBO 150, with Jeffery Hardin finishing 2nd and Todd Liston rounding out the podium in 3rd.
Mark your calendars! The next exhilarating round of the YesterYear Racing Tour Modified series is set for April 8th at 8:25pm ET at Richmond Raceway. Don’t miss it!
Highlights
🏆 Brian Bianchi wins the YYR Tour Modified Series Season 2 Round 02 race at South Boston Speedway.
🚀 Lowell Jewell was the biggest mover, gaining 18 spots, racing from 24th to 6th!
Virtual Grip Network 