Timothy Peters kicked the 2018 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season off in a big way, winning the 3rd annual Icebreaker 125-lap Late Model Stock Car race at Myrtle Beach Speedway in thrilling fashion, after taking the pole earlier in the day.
Chad McCumbee, who started fourth took the lead from Matt Cox on lap six, and held it through the cautions, extending it, while Justin Milliken worked through the field up to second. Peters meanwhile was freight-trained on the top, slipping like an anchor back through the field.
McCumbee led until lap 23, when Cox surged back and took it, holding it while Colby Howard weaved his way back up the field, after falling from his third starting spot.
Cox looked good out front until the field was reset due to a big wreck in turn four involving Ty Gibbs, Justin Hicks, and Bob Seville. While all the action up front was going on, a popular pick for the win, Layne Riggs sunk through the field, after multiple pit stops before calling it a day.
After the field worked the caution, Cox and Howard waged a spirited battle for the lead, with Howard finishing off his maneuver up through the field by passing Cox for the lead on lap 41. Eventually, though Cox took the lead back, after a very emotional week.
Cox pulled away to a ten car length lead through the meat of the race, until being caught by Peters and McCumbee, with McCumbee taking the lead on lap 101 while Cox sailed back down through the pack.
McCumbee held the lead until Peters, after a multiplicity of challenges, finally took the point with 11 to go, holding it until he hit paydirt, seeing the checkers first, winning the Icebreaker, and a charter on a fishing boat.
“Everybody was racing hard early, and I use needed to back off,” Peters told Race22.com, “I thought I backed off enough, I learned a lesson down here in the 400 that you had to be in the right line to get that position and be ready to go, I backed off and lost some spots, but I didn’t want to back off too much and get blocked.”
McCumbee ended up coming home second, by about three or four car lengths after doing the dirty work to catch Cox.
“Obviously, I tried to race him as clean as I could, we have raced together a lot but I knew he was just a little bit too much better than us to put on a good show,” McCumbee said, “I knew after he got out front it was over, and I knew that I probably had a second-place car at best with about 50 to go, if it had been a 100 lapper we might have had it.”
Milliken brought not only the car but a special decal on the car, dedicated to the memory of Terry Evans home in third, after also passing Matt Cox late in the race.
“We had a good car, for most of the weekend we were off a little bit but we wholesaled it this morning after talking with my buddy Matt McCall,” Milliken explained, “About 10:30 last night we sat down on the phone, and he told us some things to try, and we did it and it helped. We have a new guy this year, Jason Sarvis who brings a world of knowledge to this team, it’s nice to have somebody who knows what I’m feeling.”
LMSC Final Results:
1. Timothy Peters
2. Chad McCumbee
3. Justin Milliken
4. Tommy Lemons Jr
5. Matt Bowling
6. Brian Vause
7. Ty Gibbs
8. Matt Cox
9. Ryan Glenski
10. Anthony Anders
11. Sam Yarbrough
12. Ryan Millington
13. Colby Howard
14. Jeremy Burns
15. Jacob Heafner
16. Chris Throckmorton
17. Layne Riggs
18. Lucas Williams
19. Michael Faulk
20. Ed Williams
21. Justin Hicks
22. David Roberts
23. Bob Saville
24. Clay Thomas
25. Stuart Ricks
26. Dennis Holdren
27. Bryant Barnhill
