Story by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected]
Kingsport, TN(August 12, 2011) — The UARA-STARS Series isn’t having one of it’s best seasons, but then again the 2011 season isn’t among it’s worst either with a lot of top quality cars, side by side racing action and emerging stars on the verge of victory.
One of those emerging stars roared to victory lane at Anderson Motor Speedway, but was met with the toughest technical inspection process of any first time winner and left with someone else keeping his trophy. However, that didn’t keep the young driver from returning to the UARA-STARS Series and it wasn’t enough to keep him from victory lane again, this time with a different outcome after the inspection process was complete.
That racer is none other than sophomore, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., who left his family owned ride at the beginning of this season to race for Jamie Yelton’s Fat Head Racing(FHR). It was a move that left many scratching their heads and others wondering how many races this duo could win together. After all, the 2010 season had been especially successful for FHR with lead driver, Brennan Poole winning six races and most around the UARA garage expecting Bassett to be the next breakout racer.
The season started off as expected for FHR and their new shoe, as they picked up a solid top five in their first run together, but the “dream team” would have a nightmare within their own camp that lead to a terrible run in the seasons second race. Internal friction between team owner, Jamie Yelton and crew chief, Nick Hutchins was the one thing that no one had anticipated and after a poor run in race number two of the season, Hutchins was let go.
Enter, Chris Lawson … running a part-time start and park schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the young driver was ready to turn his helmet in for a crew chief role and he wouldn’t get much time to fit in with FHR before the seasons next race. Hutchins was let go on Monday following the Kingsport race and only five days before the seasons third race at Newport Speedway and Lawson was quickly thrown to the wolves. He had to ready Bassett’s number 04 entry and he had to make sure that he, Yelton and the team at FHR had chemistry, it was a recipe for disaster.
Lawson and Bassett made it work however with a strong showing at Newport finishing a solid fourth, however the challenge of getting Bassett in contention to win and to win often was still ahead. Two races later and Bassett dominated the race at Anderson Motor Speedway, only to see it slip away in the early morning hours after the race in inspection. It was devastating to the whole team, but how they would bounce back from this would show what the team is made of.
Lawson, Bassett and Yelton weren’t ready to lay down, nor would they give up, they pressed on and returned to action right back in the UARA and right back in the top ten with a ninth and third place effort in the next two races. When it was time to head to Tri-County Motor Speedway for the eighth race of the season, the FHR crew and Bassett had a spring in their step and rightfully so as Bassett had been known to run strong there and Lawson had nearly won their in a previous UARA race as a driver.
Tri-County was everything they had expected and more as Bassett qualified on the pole for the race after being fastest in much of the practice sessions and then drove a near perfect race slipping from the top spot as his competitors used the high line early on. Bassett, who had instruction from Yelton not to move up from the bottom of the track as Yelton felt the winner would be the guy who could go on the bottom the whole race. And, it worked. Yelton’s theory held true and Bassett never waivered and stuck to the bottom of the track and in the closing laps, he passed all the cars that had passed him and took home the win.
Bassett was able to once again celebrate in victory lane, but in the back of their minds, the whole FHR team knew they had to make it through technical inspection, which was never a given with the UARA officials. However this time, the officials did their job and couldn’t find anything wrong with the car as Bassett left Tri-County with the trophy and check in hand, finally a winner in the UARA.
Race number nine is now upon the UARA-STARS Series and it’s most recent winner isn’t even in the region, he’s kicked back relaxing at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He and his family are on a vacation, a well deserved one as they have worked hard this year with Ronnie, Jr. and his brother Dillon, who has won nine straight races at Ace Speedway in the Limited division.
What does that mean for the UARA this weekend? Well, they won’t have a back to back winner, but the guy who owned Kingsport the last two trips there and the guy who has seemingly owned the series for the last year will be there. Brennan Poole is the face of the UARA, after all he’s won nine of the last 16 races in the series dating back to the ninth race of the 2010 season.
Poole is the guy to beat in the series right now despite a recent slip at Tri-County Motor Speedway, where he finished fifth, his worst finish of the season in the UARA. Previous to Tri-County, he had finished no worse than second with four wins and three second place finishes, one of the most incredible runs in UARA history and no doubt he’ll be a contender when the series hits Kingsport this weekend.
Other guys to look at this weekend at Kingsport include Late Model Stock Car veteran, Lee Tissot, who is on a win streak at Kingsport in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly racing. A former series champion himself, he’ll take on the series regulars for the first time this year and he’s got more laps around the track this season than anyone else that will race and that could play into his favor.
Andy Mercer also recently made himself a player on the UARA as he led laps at Tri-County for the first time this season and he could very well have himself back on track to start contending for wins. His teammate, Scott Turlington hasn’t had the finishes he’d like, but the young driver has run strong nearly every race. His bad luck can’t continue forever and when it turns, look for him to break through in a big way.
Also, who could forget the fireworks that transpired the last time the UARA was in Kingsport, TN as Kyle Grissom led on the final lap and was turned in turn one by George Miedecke. This handed the win to Poole, but Grissom wasn’t quick to let it go and Miedecke simply said he was going for the win. This weekend marks the first time the two have returned to Kingsport and it could reignite an old flame. Grissom has continued to be a front runner week in and week out, picking up the win at Hickory three races ago, but Miedecke has had some rookie growing pains and has yet to reach victory lane, making him hungrier than before.
This weekend also marks the return of last years UARA-STARS Series champion, Coleman Pressley, who has only made one start in the series this season, but this will be his first in his owned family owned car. Pressley has been strong at Kingsport in the past and this weekend should be no different as he’ll be back in a familiar car with a familiar team on a track his dad, Robert Pressley operates. Look for Pressley to be back in championship winning form and don’t be surprised if he makes a trip to victory lane.
Kingsport Speedway has seen it’s share of exciting races this season both with the UARA race back in April as well as some knock down drag outs in weekly competition and this weekend we could see the best of them all as the UARA returns to town.
