Kres VanDyke and Zeke Shell battled throughout the Late Model Stock Car feature at Kingsport Speedway, with Shell finally getting past VanDyke to take the lead 16 laps from the finish. Shell would take the checkered flag for his apparent third victory of the season, but following post-race technical inspection he was disqualified and thus moving VanDyke up one finishing position to give him his seventh win of the season.
Wayne Hale, fresh off his first win this season last week, was fastest in qualifying with a lap at 15.091 seconds, with current point leader Ronnie McCarty second quickest at 15.162. But the roll of the dice produced an invert of the top five cars from time trials, which put Lee Tissot on the pole and VanDyke on the outside of the front row for the 60-lap main event.
VanDyke jumped out into the lead over Tissot, Shell, McCarty and Hale at the start. Hale got under McCarty between turns one and two just two laps in to move into fourth in the running order. Shell pulled alongside of Tissot racing off (turn) two on lap 5 to challenge for second, and two circuits later Shell took the position.
Shell quickly closed to leader VanDyke’s rear bumper, and on occasion would sneak peeks to the inside racing up off the corners. But each time VanDyke would slam the door shut to maintain his view out front. At the halfway distance with the race running clean-and-green, VanDyke still led Shell, Tissot, Hale and McCarty.
The event’s only caution waved on lap 34 when Chad Ball got into the back of Austin Peters between turns one and two and sent Peters spinning. Both were sent to the tail of the field for the restart, Peters for spinning to bring the caution out and Ball for turning Peters.
VanDyke pulled back out ahead of Shell on the restart, followed by Tissot. Shell really turned the pressure up on VanDyke wanting the lead, while Tissot had his hands full with trying to hold Hale back. Hale got around Tissot for third on lap 38, with Shell moving to the inside of VanDyke to challenge for the lead. After racing side-by-side around the .375-mile banked concrete oval for six laps, Shell completed the pass on VanDyke to take the lead.
Shell clicked off perfect laps without missing a beat down the stretch to take his apparent third win in 2015, only to see it taken away during post-race technical inspection. With all drivers moved up one finishing position, VanDyke, from Abingdon, Va., recorded his seventh victory followed by Hale, Tissot, McCarty and Justin Fontaine.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Tyler Goodwin, Robbie Ferguson, Peters, Derek Lane and Ball.
