SOPHIA, NC :: BJ Mackey knew he had a good enough car to win the Late Model race in the Rusty Harpe Memorial.  He proved that on Friday night when he picked up his third win in the Rusty Harpe Memorial after rain shortened the Late Model race from 171 laps to 100 laps.

Mackey started on the pole after qualifying with a 17.118 second qualifying lap.  From there, when the race finally got started, Mackey led the first 100 laps.  When the race went in to its scheduled intermission at lap 100, Mackey had a 10 car length advantage over defending NASCAR Whelen All American Series (NWAAS) National Champion Lee Pulliam.  As soon as the intermission ended, the field was ready to take the green flag when rain showers moved in, forcing Caraway Speedway to call the race declaring Mackey the winner.

“The car was on a rail,” Mackey said.  “We led every lap.  I thought Pulliam might have something for us but we held him off until the halfway break.  We went to go back to green after the break and it started raining.  They waited and tried to get it in but it was one rain shower after another.  We lost the track and never got it back.”

The veteran racer felt he had a good enough car in the final 71 lap dash to the checkered flag to hold off the current NWAAS National Championship points leader but he would not need to.  Shortly after 11pm, Caraway Speedway officials gave up on trying to fight Mother Nature.

“We had a good enough car for the final 71 laps,” Mackey explained.  “We were pretty dominant.  I think we had a 10 car length lead at the halfway break.  He ran second for 50 laps.  Luck’s always involved.  If luck would’ve been on our side in the second half, we would’ve had it covered.”

The race was only Mackey’s second race of the year as a driver.  He has spent most of the season working as the crew chief for Dylan Hall in the UARA-STARS tour and served as the crew chief for Kyle Larson in Larson’s victorious bid in the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona.  Mackey said he does not know when he will race again, as a driver, after this race, stating that it all depends on funds.