Nolan Pope rocketed to his first late model stock car victory on Friday evening at Anderson Motor Speedway aboard the No. 1 entry fielded by Lee Faulk Racing and Development.
Pope was impressive right out of the box at the three-eighths-mile asphalt oval on Friday night, scoring the pole for the first of two 40-lap late model stock car races with an impressive 15.698-second lap.
The first 40-lap race would prove to be a sign of things to come. The 20-year-old Pope led 25 laps during the race, but faded during the final 15 laps and ended up third.
For the second 40-lap feature Pope lined up second alongside Ryan Repko following a redraw. Pope quickly settled into second before an early caution flag slowed the pace. The restart saw Pope once again settle into second as he tried to chase down Repko.
Pope never let Repko get away from him, filling Repko’s mirror throughout the first half of the race. Finally Pope made his move, battling to the inside of Repko to challenge for the race lead. They stayed side-by-side for two laps before Pope emerged with the top spot.
Once in the lead Pope took control of the race, distancing himself from the rest of the field as he cruised to a comfortable victory over runner-up Luke Sorrow.
“It feels awesome to finally get my first win in a late model,” Pope said. “This Lee Faulk race car was great. I messed up in the first race, but I got it figured out in the second one. I am so excited and I can’t thank this team enough for believing in me and preparing this amazing race car. I can’t forget to thank my mom and dad as well as MPM Marketing for all of their support.”
Not only was the victory the first for Pope, it was also the first for Lee Faulk Racing and Development crew chief and spotter Nick Hughes.
“It’s a great feeling to not only get my first win, but also help Nick get his first win,” Pope added. “He’s a great leader and this victory could not have happened without him.”
