COPPER HILL, VA :: There were plenty of memorable moments in 2013, whether they were feel good moments or moments that kept everyone talking. We continue our look back at the best of 2013 with the 13 best moments of the 2013 Late Model Stock Car racing season.
13. Keaton Prevails in Brawl (Franklin County Speedway – September 28, 2013)
Jake Keaton won in his first career starts at two different tracks in 2013. On July 20th, he won in his first visit to Lonesome Pine Raceway. In September, the West Virginia driver headed to Franklin County Speedway for the Fall Brawl and proved he would be a contender. In the closing laps of the race, Keaton got around Daryn Cockram to take the lead after a three way battle for the lead but an accident involving Cockram and Johnny Cash (who was also involved in the epic three way battle for the lead) set up a green-white-checkered finish and a shootout between Keaton and Wesley Thomason. Thomason rocketed to the lead on the restart. The two raced side-by-side on the final lap. Keaton prevailed at the line in a photofinish beating Thomason to score the victory in his first trip to Franklin County.
12. Pulliam Continues Dominance with Kiker (Myrtle Beach Speedway – November 24, 2013)
When it was announced that Lee Pulliam would be racing for Travis Kiker, not many people thought Pulliam would continue his dominance and certainly didn’t think he’d win right off the bat going to Myrtle Beach Speedway for the first time. Well, Pulliam did just that. Despite going to a new car, Pulliam didn’t skip a beat. Pulliam won the Dash for Cash race at Myrtle Beach on Saturday, November 23rd which put him on the pole for the Myrtle Beach 400 on Sunday. Pulliam faded during the race as is the nature of Myrtle Beach but found himself up front and contending for the win late in the race. On a late race restart, Pulliam jumped to the lead and held on to score the victory. His first two races with Kiker Motorsports resulted in victories. He was a factor again the following week at Southern National where he sat on the pole and finished third in the feature race.
11. Anders Inherits Myrtle Beach Win (Myrtle Beach Speedway – March 22, 2013)
The last lap of the 2012 Myrtle Beach 400, which was run in March 2013 after being postponed by rain, was one lap to remember. Justin Milliken was wrecked off the front bumper of Ben Rhodes when the two drivers went for the same piece of real estate on the racetrack. Ben Rhodes was penalized for the incident handing the win to South Carolina’s Anthony Anders. Anders was a contender during the race and had entered the race on a winning streak. Watching a South Carolina driver score the biggest win of his career was certainly memorable.
10. Snider Wins Shootout (Caraway Speedway – October 13, 2013)
Rookie driver Myatt Snider had his fair share of strong runs in 2013 but he had been shut out of victory lane. That was until October 13th at Caraway Speedway when he held off Martinsville winner Tommy Lemons, Jr. to score the win in the Mid Atlantic Shootout. Snider said the win felt fantastic after all the frustrations throughout the season.
9. Waltz’ing in the Spotlight (Langley Speedway – May 4, 2013)
Matt Waltz is no stranger to Langley Speedway but he was a stranger to victory lane before May. Waltz had been knocking on the door of his first career Late Model victory entering twin Late Model races on May 4th. On that night, he would finally break through to score his first win. Waltz proved that win was no fluke later on that evening as he’d double up and sweep both races on the evening. Waltz’ breakthrough wins were followed by a third victory later in the season and an eye-opening performance at Martinsville where he contended for the win before a flat tire knocked him out of contention.
8. Start and Park (Southside Speedway – July 12, 2013)
One of the more bizarre moments of the 2013 season occurred at Southside Speedway on the night of July 12th. Frustration had been mounting all season long over payouts. According to several drivers, the track wouldn’t pay drivers that didn’t finish the race. It looked like a normal night until the start of the race. After a couple laps, all but two drivers, acting in solidarity, parked their cars in protest. Eventually, Chris Dodson, who was one of the two remaining drivers in the race, fell out of the race leaving Eddie Johnson all alone on the racetrack. The track waved off the conclusion of the race, declared Johnson the winner and replaced the second LMSC race with a Modified race.
7. Lancaster Finally Wins (Kingsport Speedway – October 19, 2013)
Derrick Lancaster scored his first career Late Model Stock Car victory at Kingsport Speedway on October 19th. The win was not without controversy. Lancaster led the field coming to the white flag. Entering turn three, Ronnie McCarty dived in to the corner and moved Lancaster out of the way to take the lead. McCarty crossed the line first but the caution came out prior to the checkered flag being displayed as another car stalled when the leaders came off of turn four. Lancaster was awarded the victory because scoring reverted to the last completed lap.
6. Rhodes Finally Prevails (Kingsport Speedway – August 9, 2013)
Ben Rhodes finished second at Daytona, crossed the line first at Kingsport and finished third at Richmond. No matter how hard he tried and how hard he drove, Rhodes just couldn’t catch a break and couldn’t get the first career Late Model victory he had so deserved. That was until he visited the Concrete Jungle on August 9th. Rhodes passed eventual track champion Chad Finchum on lap 29 and led from there on out to score his breakthrough victory. Rhodes was excited about his first win and it gave him the confidence he needed. After getting his first victory, all he did in the month of August was win races. Rhodes won six races in 2013 at three different tracks with five of those wins coming in the month of August.
5. Dominion Raceway Groundbreaking (Thornburg, VA – November 2, 2013)
In a time when more and more tracks are closing, it’s not often that a new track opens. Shortly after Old Dominion Speedway closed, Steve Britt announced plans to build a new track to replace ODS just off Interstate-95 in Thornburg, VA. What followed was the standard planning and zoning process – approval for construction, zoning and permits. Britt was met with resistance from a group of environmentalists. The coalition took to social media in an aggressive campaign against the track’s construction, citing environmental concerns, safety concerns and quality of life concerns. The coalition also took time, during their campaign, to generalize race fans in slanderous context and exploit tragedy. As the issue moved to public hearings, supporters of the Dominion Raceway project greatly outnumbered opponents. The Spotsylvania County Planning Commission and, later, the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors ultimately approved the project. A private groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 1st and a public ceremony featuring plenty of pomp and festivities was held on November 2nd. Construction will continue through 2014 and Dominion Raceway will open in 2015 with an oval track, road course and drag strip.
4. Dump-And-Run (Daytona International Speedway – February 18, 2013)
One of the season’s most memorable moments was perhaps the most controversial moment of the 2013 season. CE Falk led the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona coming to the white flag. Behind him was the defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion Kyle Larson. Falk looked to have the win in hand until they got to turn three. Larson dived in to the corner and got to Falk’s bumper. He took several shots in the corner at Falk but Falk held on to his car and looked to be in good shape. Coming off turn four, Larson took one more shot at Falk and spun him out. Falk looped around and finished third. Larson was allowed to keep the win and the $15,000 check after dumping Falk. As exciting as the finish was, the fans out of Hampton Roads remain sour over Larson’s dump-and-run to this day.
3. Dillon Bassett F*#!ing Wins Martinsville (Martinsville Speedway – October 6, 2013)
After the checkered flag flew following a wild and controversial Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300, Dillon Bassett got out of his car and celebrated victory in Late Model Stock Car’s biggest race. Bassett was consumed with excitement and carbon monoxide as he got up on the roof of his car for his victory celebration. Bassett fell off the roof but he wasn’t done celebrating yet. Crew members rushed in and poured cold water on him. Bassett got up and shouted, “I ****ing won Martinsville, Baby!” He was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. The race was actually won by Tommy Lemons, Jr. who got a jump on the final restart to get around Bassett. Bassett’s team protested the restart to no avail. Bassett still feels like he was robbed out of the win.
2. Calvo’s Win/The Speech (Hickory Motor Speedway – June 15, 2013)
Christian Calvo’s first career win was a controversial one. Hickory rules state that, if the white flag comes out, the next flag ends the race which would’ve given the win to Ashley Huffman. It appeared that the field had taken the white flag but the caution lights were turned on setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Calvo passed Huffman on the last lap to win the race in a photofinish. After the race, Huffman walked to the tower to talk to the officials for clarification but the officials locked the tower. That takes us to victory lane celebrations. As the top drivers were getting interviewed as is standard for any track, the announcer approaches Huffman and “the speech” was born. Huffman grabbed the microphone and walked around, calmly talking to the fans, calling out track officials, thanking his sponsors and congratulating Calvo in an epic minute and a half address that won’t soon be forgotten.
1. Haley Moody Scores Emotional Victory at Myrtle Beach (Myrtle Beach Speedway – November 22, 2013)
The best moment of 2013 came when popular driver Haley Moody scored her first career Limited Late Model victory in the SouthEast Limited Late Model Challenger race at Myrtle Beach Speedway. Moody led wire-to-wire and won the race with her father, Jerry, in attendance. After the race, Jerry, who was battling cancer, was brought to victory lane to celebrate with his daughter in a somber and surreal moment. The family gathered around in a group hug before the customary photo-ops and victory lane celebrations. Less than 36 hours later, Jerry Moody lost his battle with cancer. Moody was a longtime friend to the sport having fielded racecars for several drivers. The last race he ever watched was the race where his 18-year-old daughter scored her first win in a Limited Late Model. This emotional victory looks as if it came straight out of Hollywood.
That’s a wrap on the best moments of the 2013 season. We will continue to look back at the best of 2013 and look ahead to 2014 throughout the weeks ahead on RACE22.com.
