Story by: Chris Owens ~ [email protected]
Dillon, SC (October 30, 2010) — Another year comes to a close at Dillon Motor Speedway. The annual Fall Spectacular 400 closes out the season and once again it was a sight to see. Over one hundred and thirty cars packed the infield for the three day extravaganza. The feature divisions this weekend where the Late Models and the Late Model Super Trucks.
Nineteen late models and fourteen trucks took to the four tenths mile speedway for one hundred lap races. Averitt Lucas, Michael Elliott, 2010 Track Champion Jon Lane, Ace Speedway regular Bobby Griffin and RA Brown where just some of the names to take the green flag on Sunday afternoon.
Hal Goodson grabbed the one hundred dollar pole award on Saturday afternoon with a time of 16.939 seconds. Averitt Lucas was second, Joe Heigl third, Ben Stanton fourth and Chad Webster rounded out the top five.
The green flag flew for the final time of 2010 on the Late Models. Goodson who started from pole led lap one but that was it for him as Averitt Lucas jumped out to the early lead on lap two. Michael Elliott who started eleventh on the field quickly found himself working around traffic and moving up through the field. By lap twenty, Elliott was solidly in the top five and hunting down the leaders.
With the field all trying to survive the first fifty laps, everybody was just riding, trying to set themselves up for the second half of the race. With the field coming to lap fifty, no cautions had been thrown and everybody was looking for a chance to breath.
Times where allowed ten minutes to make adjustments to their car. At the halfway break, the top five where scored as Lucas, Jason Clahoun who has working over Lucas at the end of the first fifty laps, Ben Stanton, Michael Elliott and Joe Heigl.
Hal Goodson who started from the pole fell back through the field and parked his car at the halfway break with a broken rear end. This was not the finish Goodson was looking for as he has had problems in the last two big races at Dillon.
The green was back out for the second fifty laps and the dash for cash. Calhoun jumped the start and the DMS officials weren’t pleased so they called off the caution and tried it again. This time it was a much better start with Lucas taking the lead. The first official caution of the day was on lap sixty five for debris.
Everybody was going single file until Timothy Watkins went around entering turn three. Archie Adams Sr. was also collected in the spin. Watkins was done for the day but Adams Sr. was able to continue on. Green flag on lap seventy four saw Michael Elliott take second from Jason Calhoun. Elliott was able to run down Lucas but never got around for the lead.
Just one lap later, Jason Clark and Mike Yeakle made contacting sending Yeakle around in turn two. No damage was done on the car and he continued on. Green flag and the battle for the lead was shaping up between Lucas and Elliott. Elliott pulled to the inside several times but never managed to get around Lucas for the lead. With ten to go, Archie Adams Sr. oiled down turn three and four and Jason Calhoun and Ben Stanton spun in the oil. The track allowed them to go back to their spots before the spun.
With just ten to go, the green flag was back out and Lucas took off. Elliott was never able to catch him and Lucas cruised to the win leading all but one lap in route to victory. Michael Elliott, Jason Calhoun, Jason Clark and Joe Heigl rouned out the top five.
After the race, Elliott protested race winner Lucas’ motor and after pulling the motor out of the car, Lucas was found wrong on a carburetor issue, which infuriated his crew.
Now the debate with the carb started with Lucas’ crew claiming the carb had been checked by the UARA earlier in the year and by NASCAR. So the track called in Mike Cox who approved of the carburetor earlier in the year and he found it wrong. The details of what was wrong were not disclosed. Michael Elliott was declared the winner. The new top five was Elliott, Calhoun, Clark, Heigl and Ben Stanton.
In the other divisions, Kent Harper won the Charger Division, Kevin Jackson won the 4 Cylinders, Hal Goodson dominated the Super Truck division, Kevin Herndon won the UCAR Clash for Cash, Justin Hicks won the Mini-Cup division, Hayes Goodson won the Street Stock and Tyler Hill won the Allison Legacy Car Series race.
Tobaccoville USA 100 Late Model Finish
1. #76 Michael Elliott — 100
2. #2C Jason Calhoun — 100
3. #6 Jason Clark — 100
4. #15 Joe Heigl — 100
5. #50 Ben Stanton — 100
6. #06 RA Brown – 100
7. #85 Bobby Griffin — 99
8. #1 Archie Adams Sr. — 98
9. #2W Chad Webster — 97
10. #56W Wayne Locklair — 95
11. #12A Archie Adams Jr. — 92
12. #67 Mike Yeakle — 81
13. #55 Marty Griggs — 74
14. #45W Timothy Watkins — 73
15. #56J Jon Lane — 60
16. #45 Hal Goodson — 50
17. #76 Doug Walters — DNS
18. #99 Taylor Howard — DNS
19. #51 Averitt Lucas — DQ