RIDGEWAY, VA :: Defending Martinsville race winner Tommy Lemons Jr. opened his follow-up attempt with a victory in the opening crash-filled heat of the MDCU 300. He led all 25 laps and was just relieved to finish the race unscathed given the attrition that unfolded behind him.

“I feel like we had a pretty good hot rod there,” Lemons said. “It’s important just to transfer and keep the car in one piece before the feature race and we did just that.”

The carnage started on the very first lap when Kres VanDyke drove directly into the back of Jamey Caudill in the middle of Turns 3 and 4. At the time, both drivers were solidly in the top-10 and in a provisional transfer spot. As a result of the contact, NASCAR officials sent VanDyke to the back of the field and he would finish 21st.

Caudill did not finish the race.

VanDyke says that Caudill cut down on him and that he didn’t have time to check up. Replay evidence suggests that he may have had an argument.

“What I seem was that Jamie cut down in front of me,” VanDyke said. “Jamie cut down across hit him me in the corner like his spotter cleared him but he wasn’t clear. I backed up but hit him anyway and it was just a mess.”

The top-10 transfers into 200-lap main event and everyone else moves into the last chance qualifier. The top-10 from that event will also transfer. The following drivers transferred from the first heat:

Lemons, David Garbo, Jr., Coleman Pressley, Deac McCaskill, Sam Yarbrough, Justin Carroll, Myatt Snider, G.R. Waldrop, Kyle Dudley and Shane Lee.

Josh Oakley was running 11th on the final lap and divebombed under Thomas Scott for the transfer position. Oakley climbed over Scott and ultimately destroyed both cars in the process. Lee was the beneficiary of the incident, claiming the final transfer position.

Dudley was ecstatic at transferring into the main event

“That’s unbelievable,” Dudley said. “We had the car to transfer and we just needed everything to go our way. We’re good enough to stay up from and I’m excited to see what we have.”

Continuing coverage of the Martinsville Late Model Stock race can be viewed here. First heat race results can be viewed below:

1. Tommy Lemons, Jr.

2. Dave Garbo, Jr.

3. Coleman Pressley

4. Deac McCaskill

5. Sam Yarbrough

6. Justin Carroll

7. Myatt Snider

8. G.R. Waldrop

9. Kyle Dudley

10. Shane Lee

11. Stacy Puryear

12. Terry Carroll

13. Austin Thaxton

14. Dylan Ward

15. Thomas Scott

16. Garrett Bunch

17. Derrick Lancaster

18. Kevin Parker

19. Philip Sisson

20. Josh Oakley

21. Kres VanDyke

22. Tyler English

23. Dennis Holdren

24. Hayden Woods

25. Jamey Caudill