Content by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected] (@langleyaustin on twitter)
List Compiled by RACE22.com Staff and Industry Experts
Copper Hill, VA(December 29, 2011) — As you can see there’s no vacation’s here at RACE22.com, while others are taking time off we’re bringing in the New Year right by reviewing the previous year with the “Best Of”, a RACE22 Original!
You’ve seen the “Best Drivers” and the “Best Rookies”, now it’s time to take a look at the “Best Moments” of the 2011 season and while the season was full of great moments from first time winners to controversial finishes, suspensions and a whole lot more, we’re ready to countdown the Top 11 from the season that was.
11 – Jeb Burton Moves Dustin Rumley for First Career Late Model Win at Ace
Jeb Burton didn’t exactly set out for the 2011 season to be one of ‘making friends’ and he got one of those such instances out of the way early in the season as he was on the verge of breaking through for his first career Late Model Stock Car division win. He had competed regularly at South Boston Speedway, but moved to Ace Speedway to try his hand on the tough bullring and what he found was that this track seemed to fit his style. Jeb found himself up front right away and on a night when he had a car capable of winning, only one thing stood in his way, his fellow competitor, Dustin Rumley. Rumley, who had already had his share of rivalries in his budding career was leading the race late on June 3rd, but on the final lap he went around in a plume of smoke after his rear bumper met the front bumper of Burton’s car. It was a moment of elation for Burton, but also the start of a rivalry between he and Rumley, who vowed to get even.
10 – Philip Morris Returns Home and Wins Rivals ShootOut with Lee Pulliam at Motor Mile
Philip Morris and Lee Pulliam were the center of the Late Model Stock Car racing world in 2011. The number one and number two drivers in the region, both in most all the races they ran as well as in the FDJ Motorsports Power Rankings here on RACE22.com throughout the season. The two had their fair share of run ins and their fair share of moments in the sun and often they were competing in the same races when their “best” moments came. This time for the number 10 moment of the 2011 season, Philip had returned to Motor Mile Speedway, his former home track and now Lee’s home track and both were looking to be “King” on this night. Philip got the upper hand due to a handicapping system that forced Lee to start no better than sixth due to winning the two most recent races and he took advantage putting his car out front and dominating the race, much to the dismay of his rival. Lee had transmission issues, which he felt had foiled his chances at once again showing Philip that there was a new Sheriff in town, but Philip got the last laugh in victory lane on this night.
9 – Harrison Rhodes Gets a “W” at Tri-County
Harrison Rhodes has proven over the last couple of seasons that he can wheel a Late Model Stock Car with the best of them and in the second race of the season at Tri-County(which turned out to be the tracks final weekly race as it shut down for financial reasons), he proved he could get in victory lane. Rhodes, turned in the best performance he’s had to date in a Late Model Stock Car and got the win over a solid field of cars including veteran, Dexter Canipe, Jr. Who knows what may have come to this youngster had the track not shut down.
8 – Ronnie Bassett, Jr. Goes from the Outhouse to the Penthouse at Anderson
Ronnie Bassett, Jr. came into the 2011 season with high hopes, racing for a new team in Jamie Yelton’s Fat Head Racing team and looking to turn the UARA-STARS Series into his very own playground. And, while he wasn’t able to run the tables in the UARA, he did do a number on the two Anderson Motor Speedway dates on the 2011 schedule. In the first stop on June 3rd, the youngster dominated every lap after winning the pole and took home the win on the track, before an inspection issue derailed his winning night. With that, he was called a cheater and many wrote off his win on the 4/10 mile track, but as the second stop arrived at Anderson, Bassett already had one win under his belt at Tri-County a few weeks earlier and he was poised to get back on track at Anderson and show that the illegal part had nothing to do with the win earlier in the season. With that, he didn’t have the day he expected in practice, qualified a dismal 13th and may have appeared to his critics to have been out to lunch on this night. However, he and his crew chief, Chris Lawson had a plan and they stuck to it, Ronnie kept his car glued to the bottom of the track and as the other cars wore out, he picked them off one by one. He would go on to win the race and this time there were no inspection problems to be found as Bassett showed the racing world he was for real on this night.
7 – Kyle Moon Gets the Monkey Off his Back, Wins Career First Late Model Stock Car race at Hickory
Maybe it’s just the fact of how well all of us know, Kyle Moon or maybe it’s the fact that we’ve seen him go through season after season of bad luck, but getting to see him win his first race at Hickory Motor Speedway was one of the cool moments for sure. Kyle struggled through a terrible season on the UARA-STARS Series tour back a few seasons ago and then found himself with a good car at Hickory last season only to have problem after problem keep him out of victory lane. He even started the 2011 season in a Jamie Yelton prepared car, only to finish second, but in the very next race on April 9th, in his own family owned car, everything went right and he was able to come home with the win. It’s always special to see someone win their first race, but to see someone win it after struggling for several seasons is even sweeter and I’m sure his father, Bob Moon would agree.
6 – Lee Pulliam moves Matt McCall on the Final Lap to Win $25k at Martinsville
Some call it a bump, some call it rough driving, but everyone called it one of the best moments of the 2011 season, when Lee Pulliam used his front bumper to move Matt McCall out of the lead at Martinsville Speedway. It was the biggest race on the biggest stage with the biggest payout to the winner and it all came down to a bump in turn three that saw the man who was leading(McCall) go up the track and eventually into several other cars as Pulliam skated by on the inside and took the checkered flag. It was a moment that Pulliam will never forget, one that McCall wishes he could forget and one that the fans will talk about for years to come.
5 – Denny Hamlin Starts Last, Passes Kyle Busch on Final Lap to Win his Own Race at Richmond
Don’t get fooled by the headline … yes, this is a story about a Late Model Stock Car race, the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, one of the three biggest races of the season. It’s a race that you can only get into by invitation and features a handful of NASCAR’s top stars including Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip and others, giving our short track hero’s the chance to compete against their hero’s. Hamlin has competed in all of his races for the last several seasons, but until this year had not won, despite leading coming to the white flag in 2010, only to have CE Falk move him for the win. This time, Hamlin was ready to do some moving of his own as Kyle Busch, his teammate and part time rival was leading. Busch had a fuel pickup problem down the backstretch and handed the lead to Hamlin, who held on to win in the races first time being staged at Richmond International Raceway. It was a cool moment in the season despite it being two NASCAR drivers who were in the battle, but Denny Hamlin really is just one of us, who made it big time.
4 – Jeb Burton Throws a Cone at Natalie Sather at South Boston Speedway
As I said earlier, Jeb Burton wasn’t out this season to make friends, but apparently neither was Natalie Sather, who had got into an altercation early in the season with Rodney Cook that led to his suspension and now had an angry Burton on her hands. Burton and Sather had gotten together on August 20th and after Burton’s night was done he ran out onto the track and threw the restart cone at Sather. It was one of those crazy moments at South Boston Speedway and one of the funniest moments came after the incident when on twitter, a fictional character known as @TheOrangeCone posted this tweet … “We take conual assault seriously. I smell an #asskickingofalifetime in someone’s future.”
3 – Frank Deiny, Jr’s ‘Foot Slips’ off Gas Pedal as Lee Pulliam Crashes into him at Motor Mile
Frank Deiny, Jr. doesn’t shy away from controversy, nor does he shy away from the fact that he got fed up with finishing second this season first to Philip Morris and later to Lee Pulliam. Frank knew that he had to win a race this season and felt his best shot when he was leading the race on July 23rd at Motor Mile, but Lee Pulliam, who at the time already had 12 wins was fast approaching. Then, as sparks flew down the front stretch, Pulliam’s car ended up plowing into the rear of Deiny’s, damaging it, while bystanders tried to decide just what happened. Did Deiny just brake check Pulliam? Did Deiny’s foot slip off the pedal as he claimed? What really happened no one, but Deiny knows for sure, but one things certain, Deiny got the win and he’s still got the trophy and the fans … they either loved it or they hated it, but their still talking about it.
2 – George Miedecke Spins Kyle Grissom for the Lead at Kingsport
One of the defining moments of the 2011 season in the UARA-STARS Series may well have come in the seasons second race as two of the championship contenders found themselves finishing fifth and seventh after crossing the finish line first and second. Kyle Grissom led much of the final laps of the race and found George Miedecke, who had led earlier on his bumper and as the two crossed under the white flag Miedecke made a dive bomb to Grissom’s inside and slammed into the leader spinning him out of the way. Miedecke would cross the finish line first, but the checkered flag and the win would be given to Brennan Poole, who made it two wins in a row to start the season. It was one of the defining moments and was made even better as the two chatted about the incident a few days later prior to an appearance on RACE22 Radio. It was tense as Grissom was still upset, but it would be the end of the problems with the two as Miedecke apologized for the contact.
1 – Lee Pulliam Rams Philip Morris in Rage after the Checkered Flag in the South Boston Season Finale
Lee Pulliam may have moved Matt McCall in the seasons biggest race, but a couple weeks later in South Boston Speedway’s biggest race he was the one being moved and he didn’t take it as lightly as McCall did. Pulliam got spun while racing for the lead with less than 60 laps left in the Danville Toyota 300 by his rival, Philip Morris and while he made it back to finish third, he wasn’t going to let Morris away with the contact. He first spun Morris after the checkered flag and then slammed into him head on before getting into it on pit road with some of Morris’ crew members. This was certainly one of the most standout moments of the 2011 season and one that Pulliam no doubt regrets(especially due to his suspension from NASCAR until May 1st) and one that Morris will never forget. It also is a moment that has had fans a buzz since the moment it happened and they won’t soon forget the melee that nearly cost Pulliam his NASCAR license indefinitely.
Well, there you go … another of the “Best of” lists are complete. That’s three down and several more to go for Late Model Stock Cars before we start on the Limited Late Models and maybe even the Super Late Models. So keep checking back every day for more as we close down 2011 and usher in 2012.
