Story by: Corey Latham ~ [email protected]

Rockingham, NC(May 18, 2011) — The Rockingham Speedway was the scene, the UARA the racing series, and like it seems every race this day and time, Brennan Poole was holding a trophy at the end of the day. Poole bested 20 of the best in the South at the Super Speedway for Late Models, en route to his third UARA win of 2011 out of four races. It wasn’t easy by any means though.

To begin the race it looked as if Jamie Yelton’s “Fathead Racing” drivers and cars would be the ones to beat, as crew-chief for Ronnie Bassett Jr., Chris Lawson, Bassett Jr. himself, George Miedeke and last years driver at Fathead racing, Poole, led the field to the green flag. Bassett and Lawson would fight hard side-by-side for two laps until the caution flies on lap three for the first time in the day.

Paddy Rodenbeck was a car that everyone was looking at going in, as he is known as one of the toughest drivers on the bigger tracks. They for sure were looking at him now as he had drove into turn one three-wide getting into the rear of Miedeke and checking up quickly, causing Andy Mercer to take evasive action and spinning to the inside of the track. Mercer would pit and go to the end of the field, frustrated the rest of the day driving his car with aggression, sideways in each turn, he knew he had a good car but the track position would be lost for the remainder of the day.

Bassett and Poole would assert themselves at the front of the field early as Lawson fell back quickly and out of contention, a rear-end going South ending his chances at victory early. Behind the front two it was an absolute mess though as Kyle Grissom, Alex Yontz, George Miedeke, Rodenbeck, Tayler Malsam and Darrell Wallace Jr. put on the best racing we have seen at Rockingham since the UARA brought the series there two years ago. Three-wide and paint swapping was the norm with these guys each lap as all those in attendance were on their feet.

Lap 17 sees the racing in the back of the pack get a little rough as Brandon Knupp goes for a wild ride off turn two hitting the inside wall hard then shooting up the track into the outside wall equally as hard, no wreck at Rockingham is “light”. The track crew goes to work and shortly after the green is waved once again Darrell Wallace Jr., fresh off his win in the K&N series and near win in the Denny Hamlin Showdown at Richmond heads for the garage with smoke trailing his car, the engine had finally given up on the #76 ride.

The battle at the front begins to heat up on lap 23 as Poole starts to work the high side with Bassett down low and Rodenbeck sticking it hard to the inside of Poole for numerous laps. Poole is finally able to work past Bassett on lap 27 with Rodenbeck following right behind, matter of fact Bassett simply just fell off, moving all the way to fourth behind Grissom within two laps. He would regain his speed though and run fourth the rest of the day, never able to contend with the leaders like he did for the first quarter of the race.

Over the next 15 laps starting on lap 30, Rodnebeck would pester Poole for the lead in every corner, getting beside the point leader numerous times. Grissom was by himself in third then a good gap to the battle for fourth with Bassett, Yontz and Miedeke going three-wide many times, this seemed to be the story of the day. After a few not so stellar races by the Late Models at Rockingham, this one was anything but “tame” as the entire field from front to back had battles going on all day long.

After the Fathead Racing teammates of Bassett and Miedeke had went two abreast for nearly six laps in a row for the fourth spot, Bassett pulls ahead only to look up and see Miedeke spinning in his mirror on lap 57 off of turn four. It was from this restart on that Poole showed what was going to win him the race, his car was plenty strong but his restarts gave him enough room from Rodenbeck to run his own race without having to drive out his rear-view mirror.

Poole gets away by ten cars over Rodenbeck before we even get down the backstretch and keeps the same distance for another eight laps until Kyle Hall hits the wall hard out of turn four as his car burst into flames and comes to a stop on the frontstretch putting the red flag out. Hall would be OK, matter of fact his day got more lively after that. As the track pit reporter interviewed him under the red flag on the PA, Chris Lawson grabbed the microphone out of Hall’s hand as he walked by and told the crowd “He wrecked because he can’t drive”. Lawson told us later that Hall had pinched him into the wall earlier in the race, adding to his already frustrating day after being fastest in practice and starting on the pole.

It would be a five lap shootout now as the field took the green, Poole was not going to let them have a chance though. He pulls away as the flag comes out and streaks away down the backstretch. Rodenbeck drives his car in deep for a few turns trying to do anything to catch Poole, but it ultimately ends up hurting him as Grissom gets underneath him with three laps to go taking over the second spot. Poole would go on to win his third race of the season with his other finish being a second at Newport.

In years past the cars everyone watched at Rockingham were the cars running the Dodge motors, as they seemed to always make the most power. This day it was the Chevy of Poole, we don’t know if a single thing such as motor won him this race, it looks like it is just the total package at this point with car, crew, motor and the leadership of David King.

The question is starting not to be who the favorite to win a UARA race is, but who is going to finish second to Poole? They definitely have their work cut out for them as we move on to Anderson June 3rd.

UARA-STARS 75 Unofficial Results
1. #7 Brennan Poole — 75 Laps
2. #31 Kyle Grissom — 75 Laps
3. #82 Paddy Rodenbeck — 75 Laps
4. #04 Ronnie Bassett — 75 Laps
5. #77 Alex Yontz — 75 Laps
6. #9 George Miedecke — 75 Laps
7. #48 Scott Turlington — 75 Laps
8. #26 Joey Herques — 75 Laps
9. #11 Robert Johnson — 75 Laps
10. #28 Travis Swaim — 75 Laps
11. #18 David Roberts — 75 Laps
12. #88 Chris Davis — 75 Laps
13. #92 Candace Muzny — 75 Laps
14. #01 Andy Mercer — 73 Laps
15. #61 Chris Lawson — 63 Laps
16. #69 Kyle Hall — 62 Laps
17. #97 Jesse Little — 49 Laps
18. #34 Tayler Malsam — 29 Laps
19. #76 Darrell Wallace Jr. — 23 Laps
20. #15 Brandon Knupp — 15 Laps