Veterans to Lead the Field to Green

Bristol, TN ~ RACE22.com promised you LIVE coverage from Bristol Motor Speedway today for the UARA-STARS qualifying, but unfortunately computer issues kept us from bringing you the LIVE coverage, but hopefully this FULL recap of the days activities will bring you up to speed.

Matt McCall and Jamey Caudill, a pair of veterans will lead the field to the green flag on Saturday night for the UARA 100-lap race. The veterans smashed the track record previously held by Jamey Caudill and set last July. McCall, in his Pistone LTO car turned a 15.440 with Caudill clocking in at a 15.459 smashing Caudill’s previous record of 15.728.

In fact the top eight drivers from qualifying today broke Caudill’s previous track record, running blazing speeds around the high-banked 1/2 mile track. Rounding out the top five in qualifying was the one of the drivers we first let you know had some speed two weekends ago at the test, Paddy “The Missile” Rodenbeck, who turned in the third fastest time at a 15.547. Jake Crum and Coleman Pressley also qualified their way inside the top five.

One of the biggest surprises of the day came from Rookie of the Year candidate, Matthew Godley, a young driver who has been impressive in testing and today laid down the tenth fastest time after practicing fourth fastest. Two-time and defending Bristol Motor Speedway winner, Alex Yontz qualified sixth with Richard Boswell seventh and Clay Greenfield putting up a great qualifying effort in his first race with Grumpy’s Performance and will start 8th. The “Aussie”, Owen Kelly was ninth as he starts his first full season on the UARA-STARS Series tour with Godley tenth.

Qualifying was expected to shrink the field from the 36 cars that showed up down to a 32-car starting field, but with Bristol Motor Speedway still in need of a few cars for the “Saturday Night Special” Legends of NASCAR and Celebrity race. A deal was struck with the remaining four teams to allow them to start providing the Legend or Celebrity who races their car doesn’t crash it before the UARA-STARS race.

This was great news particularly for two guys who may try to compete full-time on the tour; Ryan Gray and Joey Bryant. Bryant struggled through the day having not tested two weeks ago and with engine issues that prevented him from getting any practice. The other two drivers who struck a deal to get into the race was Clint Mills and Jordan McGreggor.

Qualifying Times:
1 – Matt McCall #51 15.44
2 – Jamey Caudill #50 15.459
3 – Paddy Rodenbeck #81 15.547
4 – Jake Crum #1 15.623
5 – Coleman Pressley #59 15.642
6 – Alex Yontz #55 15.65
7 – Richard Boswell #88 15.711
8 – Clay Greenfield #84 15.724
9 – Owen Kelly #73 15.754
10 – Matthew Godley #92 15.797
11 – Caleb Holman #74 15.826
12 – Andy Loden #29 15.832
13 – Scott Turlington #48 15.848
14 – Nate Montieth #4 15.854
15 – Clay Rogers #54 15.858
16 – Rob Fuller #17 15.864
17 – Brennan Poole #8 15.913
18 – Darrell Wallace Jr. #76 15.949
19 – Kyle Grissom #32 15.986
20 – John Stancil #98 15.989
21 – Wade Day #83 16.024
22 – Luke Laney #24 16.048
23 – Garrett Campbell #12 16.071
24 – Michael Rouse #15 16.119
25 – Bryan Dauzat #97 16.19
26 – John King #21 16.191
27 – Kyle Moon #19 16.196
28 – Caleb Roark #7 16.218
29 – Brad Queen #52 16.337
30 – Keith Stiltner #2 16.387
31 – Clint Mills #77 16.409
32 – Ryan Gray #4 16.448
33 – Joey Bryant #11 17.082
34 – Jordan McGregor #30 0

Provisionals …. Brandon McReynolds’ name is of course absent from the qualifying times list above as the young man, who will attempt to compete for the series championship this season suffered his second blown engine of the season before we’ve even had a race. McReynolds first engine woes came at Rockingham Speedway at the series open test a few weeks back and this time came in practice after the driver turned in some impressive laps on old tires. McReynolds was eighth in the only one-hour practice session without putting on new tries.

The other provisional will likely go to former UARA-STARS Series champion, Lee Tissot, who also had a rough outing at Bristol. Tissot was working on picking up the speed in his car during practice when he lost control off of turn four and smacked the outside retaining wall. The car was heavily damaged, but Tissot and his team will be busy getting it ready for the race on Saturday night.

Another driver who will be taking his car back home to get it ready will be 12th place qualifier, Andy Loden. Loden was fast and had a great final lap of qualifying going when his car broke loose off of turn four and belted the outside wall. Loden was very disappointed after the contact with the wall and he and his team will spend a lot of time tonight and tomorrow as will McReynolds and Tissot’s team getting the car back in working order.

Jordan McGregor’s Bristol Motor Speedway debut was cut a little short today as on his first lap of qualifying he lost control of the car and damaged the front end of the car a little with contact to the outside wall. McGregor hadn’t been the fastest in practice, but he would have easily made the field based on his practice times.

Wade Day, who is driving Rookie of the Year candidate, Dylan Presnell’s car due to age restrictions that keep the young driver from racing at both Bristol and Rockingham, turned some fast laps in practice however that didn’t spill over into qualifying. Day practiced third fastest at 15.789 then qualified 21st at a 16.024, but look for him to make his way through the field as he said the only thing he was worried about was things breaking as they have for him in past USAR Pro Cup races at Bristol.

Luke Laney was happy with a 22nd place qualifying effort as the young driver makes his second career start on the 1/2 mile track. Laney, who made his first ever start on asphalt at the legendary track will try to compete full-time this season for the Rookie of the Year award and he’s getting off to a good start with the solid starting position.

Brennan Poole … we introduced you to this young Texan a few weeks ago when he made his first lap in the Fat Head Racing Marlowe Chassis car for Jamie Yelton at Hickory Motor Speedway. That test ended with him having a torn up race car, but the young man was back and ready to go today qualifying 17th at 15.813 after practicing near the bottom of the charts. After talking with Yelton, he said that they just didn’t have the car right in practice, but was happy with the young driver getting a solid starting position.

Rob Fuller really stepped up his performance from practice to qualifying and posted the 16th fastest speed in qualifying in his first start with the UARA-STARS Series. Fuller, who is part of R3 Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series team, practiced fairly slow turning in only the 30th fastest time, but between practice and qualifying the team obviously had their act together and put him solidly in the field. Fuller could be a sleeper in this race as in the races I’ve seen him in at Hickory Motor Speedway in the past he has come on strong the longer the race goes on.

Unofficial Starting Line-Up for the UARA 100:
1 – Matt McCall #51
2 – Jamey Caudill #50
3 – Paddy Rodenbeck #81
4 – Jake Crum #1
5 – Coleman Pressley #59
6 – Alex Yontz #55
7 – Richard Boswell #88
8 – Clay Greenfield #84
9 – Owen Kelly #73
10 – Matthew Godley #92
11 – Caleb Holman #74
12 – Andy Loden #29
13 – Scott Turlington #48
14 – Nate Montieth #4
15 – Clay Rogers #54
16 – Rob Fuller #17
17 – Brennan Poole #8
18 – Darrell Wallace Jr. #76
19 – Kyle Grissom #32
20 – John Stancil #98
21 – Wade Day #83
22 – Luke Laney #24
23 – Garrett Campbell #12
24 – Michael Rouse #15
25 – Bryan Dauzat #97
26 – John King #21
27 – Kyle Moon #19
28 – Caleb Roark #7
29 – Brad Queen #52
30 – Keith Stiltner #2
31 – Brandon McReynolds #28(Owners Points Provisional)
32 – Lee Tissot #53(Past Champions Provisional)
33 – Clint Mills #77
34 – Ryan Gray #4
35 – Joey Bryant #11
36 – Jordan McGregor #30