Story by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected]

Dublin, VA(September 18, 2011) — On the final night of the 2011 season at Motor Mile Speedway, the Limited Late Model division had just 50-laps of action on tap, but they really only needed two turns to decide the championship which had come down to a six point margin coming into the race.

Anthony Barnes isn’t exactly new to racing for championships with titles under his belt from Motor Mile Speedway as well as Friendship Motor Speedway, but this time it was a tight battle coming down to the wire with another former champion. Matt Taylor had won the title last season and while he had all, but dominated a mid-season stretch, he was still six markers behind Barnes in the title hunt.

Both drivers knew their opponent all to well after racing against each other for the honor for the last three seasons, but what they didn’t know is what the final 50-lap race had in store for the both of them. Taylor in a post race interview admitted that he expected to come into the race with a great car, have a shot at winning the race and expected to finish second in the final points standings with Barnes finishing right behind him. Barnes, after having a great qualifying run posting the second fastest time expected to race hard for the win and take home the championship.

Both drivers were wrong …

The Limited Late Models lined up as the second of a five race card on the 4/10 mile track and the field was a stout one with 15 of the best Limiteds around. Steve “Rocketman” Dalton, who had won two of the last four races run had sat his car on the pole for the nights race with Barnes lining his car up on the outside pole and Taylor lining up third. Travis Hurt and Kyle Dudley completed the top five qualifiers with Barnes’ nephew lining up in sixth position for the start of the race.

As the field rolled to the green flag for the start of the 50-lap race, the tension was high as the point leaders knew that it would be a long race to determine the championship. However, the start of the race proved to be the end of the championship battle as the point leaders crashed together in turn two on the very first lap. Barnes would get his car turned sideways on the start after Dalton wasn’t able to get his tires warmed up before the start of the race and got into Barnes.

As Barnes spun, Taylor was racing to get by his spinning car when contact was made and Taylor too was tangled up in the lap one incident. Taylor however would come away with the least of the damage in the accident as the front end of Barnes’ ride was destroyed and with his radiator busted his night was just about over. Taylor was able to continue and even raced up to the top three before the race was over while Barnes went many laps down repairing his car and though he would come back out, his hopes for the championship were over unless Taylor were to be taken out of the race.

With the championship battle pretty much settled, the attention turned back to the race itself and unlike the abbreviated title engagement, the race was playing out to an unusual tune. With Barnes essentially out of the race and Taylor trying to rally from the back of the pack, it was Dalton now who was out in front of the field and ready to capitolize on the early crash. Dalton would lead the field early on, but he would soon have a challenger for the top position as Travis Hurt was looking for his second win of the season.

Hurt would race alongside Dalton in turns three and four and soon enough Dalton would be spun with damage to his car and done for the night. Hurt, who had managed to make it through the carnage unscathed would then receive the black flag and have his chances for the victory seemingly erased. This turn of events put Kyle Dudley in the top spot and he too was looking to score his second win of the 2011 season, but his stranglehold on the lead would be short lived.

Dudley led the field down for the restart, but as his car entered turn one, he moved up the track with sparks coming out from underneath his racer and thus Steven Weeks assumed the lead. Weeks certainly wasn’t one of the usual suspects up front, but here he found himself in the lead after a set of circumstances put the young racer out front. Weeks would lead the field down to the next green flag, which turned out to be the last of the race, but just like all the leaders before him, his turn out front wouldn’t last.

Weeks would lead a handful of laps before Preston McGhee would put his racer into the lead and looked poised to take home his first career win in just his second Limited Late Model race. McGhee was trying to erase his season of bad luck as in his first two attempts to qualify for a Limited Late Model race this season he crashed and was unable to start. McGhee had completed all the laps in his first start a week earlier with a sixth place finish and this time he was staring down a victory as the laps clicked off.

McGhee would however be just like every leader of the race on this night however as he would soon find himself slipping back to the second and then third position before the checkered flag fell. McGhee would be passed by Kyle Barnes, who was rallying back from not only the opening lap action, but also a spin around the lap 20 mark. K. Barnes was up on the wheel just a week after notching his first podium finish in the Limited Late Model division and he was looking to keep the Barnes name in victory lane.

K. Barnes was able to keep his car out front late despite a strong challenge from Hurt, who had rallied back from the earlier black flag to put his car in the second position. As the laps clicked off, Hurt was able to get close, but lapped traffic was able to keep him from grabbing the lead or at least making a challenge for the top spot. Hurt would be unable to get to the younger Barnes and the young driver would make his presence at Motor Mile Speedway known as he took his first trip to victory lane.

With one Barnes in victory lane and another losing the championship in heart breaking fashion it was a bittersweet night for the Barnes family, but one that either of the Barnes’ will never forget. Kyle was jubilant in victory lane as he celebrated his first career win and fittingly enough as it was the final night of his uncle, Anthony’s career as he had announced previously that he would retire at seasons end. Anthony had hoped for another championship to putting a final finish on his career, but with the results he’s had all over the region including his Motor Mile and Friendship championships, he also has run strong at other tracks including Franklin County, Hickory and South Boston.

While it was certainly bittersweet for the Barnes clan, it was just sweet for Matt Taylor as he won his second consecutive Motor Mile Speedway, Limited Late Model division track championship. This time he didn’t know going into the final race that he would win it, but the circumstances played out just that way as the veteran Limited driver capitolized on Barnes’ issues. Taylor would come home with a fifth place finish while Barnes would be credited with a 12th place finish with Taylor coming out on top of the championship standings.

Hurt would finish second with McGhee third and Weeks and Taylor would complete the top five finishers on a bizaare night on the 4/10 mile track. Caleb Davis, Taylor Ransom, Hank Turman, Jerry Godbey and Matt Sisson completed the top ten in the 15-car field. Aside from the action up front that played out as described above, there was one other incident of note that left two drivers upset at one another at the conclusion of the 50-lap event.

Dudley would get together early on with Karl Budzevski with Budzevski crashing hard into the wall and destroying his racer. The young driver was upset after the incident claiming that Dudley had crashed him, but Dudley didn’t see it the same way. Dudley thought as if Budzevski had been the aggressor and caused the crash himself. Obviously the two drivers didn’t see things the same way, but they’ll now have the whole off-season to figure it out before racing head to head again next season.

That will put a wrap to a great season of Limited Late Model racing at Motor Mile Speedway, a division that has often offered the best racing of any of the tracks divisions and one that didn’t disappoint on the final night of action. The fans saw a season of friendly warfare between two veteran drivers settled in a climatic first lap crash, they saw two of the divisions young drivers get together in a crash that could linger into next season and one of the best races for the division of the season.

Fans also got to bid farewell to one of the divisions most storied racers as he says goodbye to a racing career that has spanned more than the last couple of decades and fans saw the birth of what may well be one of the championship challengers next season. Fans will now no longer get to see Anthony Barnes tour the 4/10 mile track in his familiar black and yellow number nine car, but for those of us who have watched the veteran driver of the last couple of decades, it will be great to know that Kyle Barnes is ready to carry on the Barnes name for decades to come.

Results:
1 – Kyle Barnes #15
2 – Travis Hurt #21
3 – Preston McGhee #17
4 – Steven Weeks #11
5 – Matt Taylor #7
6 – Caleb Davis #43
7 – Taylor Ransom #27
8 – Hank Turman #4
9 – Jerry Godbey #00
10 – Matt Sisson #33
11 – Kyle Dudley #84
12 – Anthony Barnes #9
13 – Steve Dalton #5
14 – Paul Wark #12
15 – Karl Budzevski #26