Story by: Corey Latham ~ [email protected]

Altamahaw, NC(July 20, 2011) — The first time, It’s always special for people. For racers it comes in many ways, their first car, the first laps around the track, your first pole, and finally, your first win. Ryan Robertson had experienced it all in the past from Sportsman wins at Bowman Gray to Late Model wins at the now dirt Friendship Speedway. But he had yet to pick up that first “Big” Late Model win against formidable competition. That all changed this past Friday night at Ace Speedway as he did it in style, holding off the winningest driver in Late Model history in a fierce battle for the entire 75 lap distance.

The scene at Ace was just like it was every week except for one thing, caution was being brought to everyone’s attention. The prior week had seen every car in the field but the winner Jason York involved in a least one wreck, and GM Brad Allen laid the law down in the drivers meeting……”If we don’t calm down we aren’t going to have any cars left to race, we have to show some respect to each other”. That lasted to lap four but this time it was just a racing incident.

The 14 car field saw some new names return who had been missing in weeks past including Scotty Warren and Jeb Burton, along with Robertson. Burton would set fast time but it would also be his downfall as the winner spins a wheel to decide the invert. Burton would spin a six inverting the cars putting Robertson on the pole with John Moore to his outside.

At the drop of the green Robertson took charge up front as Moore gets drop-kicked to the outside falling back to fourth. It looked to be business as usual until lap four when it all fell apart as Jason York gets loose and loops it off turn four, the only problem being that it is the tightest part of the track and the rest of the field has nowhere to go as they were all on top of each other.

When the dust settled York, Robert Turner, Dustin Rumley, Scotty Warren and Jeb Burton were done for the night, all with extensive damage and others catching the edge of it. York and Rumley would make repairs and join the race later, but their cars resembled the machines from the modified division with the radiators tie-strapped to the frame. They both finally retired for good as their radiators had took all they could take and started spitting water.

Now it was Robertson up front with Barry Beggarly in hot pursuit. Brad Kurth would give a few valiant efforts on some cone restarts after spins in the pack but the tandem of Robertson and Beggarly were clearly the class of the field as they pulled away each time.

As the race wound down the others in the field knew that they didn’t have the cars to contend with the top two so after a few early restarts Beggarly was the only one to try his luck from the outside lane. All season Beggarly had been a killer on restarts taking pages out of the Ron Hornaday restart book but Robertson met his challenge each time. Robertson said after the race when they tested earlier in the week he worked on restarts more than ever, turned out it was a good thing he did.

As the cars of Stacy Puryear, Kurth and Tony Keen had their own spirited battle for third at the 50 lap mark, Beggarly began to put the pressure to Robertson getting to his bumper but not being able to get the drive off the corner to make the pass. Of course it didn’t end there as Beggarly is one of the most persistent drivers around, each lap he would apply the bumper just a touch, and each lap Robertson would answer the challenge.

We get to 20 to go and after a restart with Robertson and Beggarly going three-wide around the lapped car of Puryear they continue their battle. It turned into a battle for the ages, the youngster trying to get his first win and the seasoned veteran trying for his……well, nobody honestly knows but we know it’s over 200. It got a little physical from then on out.

Every lap was intense but the biggest moment came on lap 64 as Beggarly gets a good run to the inside of Robertson off turn four and pulls up to his door. As Beggarly drifts high off the turn Robertson tries to pinch him down a touch and they make contact with Robertson turning left and Beggarly turning right. They go down the frontstretch in a scene right out of the Ricky Craven / Kurt Busch finish at Darlington from 2003, both cars beating on each other with smoke flying. In all honesty they should have wrecked but somehow make it to turn one with Robertson holding onto the lead as the crowd goes wild.

The contact killed Beggarly’s momentum so he had ground to make up, he got it back and was back to his bumper with three laps to go. Robertson handled the pressure with each passing lap, Beggarly had the drive in the corner but Robertson had the drive off. Just one mistake would have changed the lead with second place only inches back but Robertson never faltered and pulled away by two car lengths on the last lap for the victory.

Victory lane was a joyous one, Robertson had been racing the past two season on a limited schedule because of a limited budget, yet they had great runs with a pole at Ace earlier in the season and qualifying in the top five for the prestigious “Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 300” at Martinsville Speedway last Fall. This was what they had worked for though, he was finally in victory lane, not by luck but by beating a childhood hero in a torrid battle until the end. Robertson made his first one a win that he and many others will never forget.

Results:
1. Ryan Robertson
2. Barry Beggarly
3. Brad Kurth
4. Matt Bowling
5. Tony Keen
6. Coy Hedrick
7. Dean Fogleman
8. Dustin Rumley
9. Jason York
10. John Moore
11. Stacy Puryear
12. Robert Turner
13. Jeb Burton
14. Scotty Warren