After enduring a mixture of uneven results over the past several races, Late Model veteran Deac McCaskill got his evening at Wake County Speedway off to a strong start by claiming the pole for the inaugural Solid Rock Carriers 123.
McCaskill initially struggled to find consistent speed throughout the two Saturday afternoon practice sessions, as he failed to place a time inside the Top 10, and was only 14th fastest in combined speeds. However, McCaskill and his team worked hard to get his car ready for CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour qualifying, as his blistering time of 13.172 earned him the top spot in tonight’s Late Model feature.
Starting alongside McCaskill will be current CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour points leader Bobby McCarty, who currently has four wins in nine starts this season. Two of those victories came at Ace Speedway and Carteret County Speedway, which the CARS Response Energy Tour had never raced at prior to this season, and McCarty will look to continue his success at new tracks with a strong run this evening.
Josh Berry, who entered the weekend with a lot of momentum following his victory in the Throwback 276, has had numerous issues plague his #88 Late Model since JR Motorsports unloaded the car from the hauler on Friday. Berry’s team was forced to repair crash damage and change an engine prior to qualifying, and will be forced to start from the rear of the field due to more mechanical issues.
Of the 20 drivers that filed an entry for the Solid Rock Carriers 123, nearly a quarter of them compete regularly in Wake County Speedway’s Late Model division, but all of them failed to keep pace with the CARS Response Energy Tour veterans in practice and qualifying. The lone exception was Randy Renfrow, who was among the Top 5 fastest drivers in combined practice speeds, but will roll off from the grid in the 13th position.
Ty Gibbs, who posted the fastest overall time in practice for the Solid Rock Carriers 123, will line up on the inside of the second row in third. Brandon Pierce will search for his first career CARS Response Energy Tour victory in the third position, while four-time Whelen All-American Series champion Lee Pulliam rounded out the Top 5.
Solid Rock Carriers 123 Qualifying Results:
1. 22 Deac McCaskill- 13.172
2. 22m Bobby McCarty- 13.228
3. 18 Ty Gibbs- 13.234
4. 2p Brandon Pierce- 13.259
5. 5 Lee Pulliam- 13.262
6. 4 Dylon Wilson- 13.272
7. 2 Cody Haskins- 13.275
8. 88 Josh Berry- 13.297
9. 99 Layne Riggs- 13.322
10. 9 Sam Mayer- 13.345
11. 44 Thomas Beane- 13.359
12. 07 Bradley McCaskill- 13.397
13. 2r Randy Renfrow- 13.436
14. 74 Ronald Hill- 13.454
15. 43p Sammy Pacitti- 13.495
16. 22w Eric Winslow- 13.513
17. 9w Charlie Watson- 13.541
18. 47 Alex Fleming- 13.566
19. 17 Zachary Marks- 13.601
20. 1m Mike Chambers- 13.848