Kres VanDyke dominated the twin Late Model Stock features in Lonesome Pine Raceway’s season-opening race. The 2014 Kingsport Speedway and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Tennessee State champion led every lap and claimed the victory in both races.
VanDyke blistered qualifying with a pace of 16.376 seconds and 82.4 MPH to set him on the pole for the first LMSC feature.
VanDyke jumped to the lead early in the 35-lap race over the No. 97 machine of Zeke Shell. VanDyke would settle into a comfortable lead, leaving the remainder of the field to battle for position.
At the halfway mark, VanDyke continued his dominating pace as he worked his way through slower traffic.
VanDyke would lead the remaining laps for his first victory of the season.
After finishing second in the first LMSC feature, an invert of two positions would place Zeke Shell on point for the second feature.
Shell’s inside line, however, would be no match for VanDyke. VanDyke would power off of Turn 2 on the opening lap to gain the lead.
Mirroring the first feature, VanDyke again pulled away for the field, while Shell also had a comfortable buffer in second-place. The entire race would go caution free and VanDyke once again found himself driving to the winner’s circle.
Carnage seemed to be the key element in the Modified Street feature. The race saw numerous caution periods and plenty of dented sheet metal.
Nick Cole and John Harrell made up the front row to start the 30-lap race. Contact between Harrell and Cole would send Cole’s No. 63 around on the frontstretch before the completion of one lap.
Harrell would take the lead from Rob Austin on the restart using the outside lane. Jared Broadbent would quickly move into second-place, while Cole began to work his way back through the field.
Harrell held a comfortable lead at the halfway point. But a transmission issue would force him out of contention and stall entering pit road, forcing the yellow flag out for the second time.
Back under green, Broadbent and Rob Austin would battle for the lead. Battling off of Turn 2, Cole and Jamie Meadows would tangle for third-place, causing a chain reaction wreck on the backstretch, and forcing the caution to be displayed on lap 22.
With the field once again reset, Austin would take the lead from Broadbent to restart the race. The yellow flag would fly once again the following lap when Joey Sykes and the No. 11 of Meadows made contact in Turn 4.
Broadbent would power by Austin on the final restart of the race. Broadbent and Austin would battle all the way to the checkered flag, with Broadbent edging Austin to the victory.
Jackie Jackson and John Ketron started on the front row for 25 laps of Pure 4 action. Only a partial lap would be completed before a spin in Turns 3 and 4 would force the caution out.
Jackson and Ketron battled on the restart, with Ketron taking the top spot on the fifth circuit. Billy Ketron and Jackson – battling for second-place – made contact, sending both cars spinning to the bottom of Turn 2 on lap 12.
John Ketron again would pull to the lead, but the yellow would wave once again on lap 13 when the No. 25 of Brandon Sutherland stalled high in Turn 2.
Ketron again would move into the lead on the ensuing restart. A hard crash in Turn 4, when Mark Meade slammed the outside wall, would force the caution back out and temporarily stop the race.
The field was once again set for a restart and Ketron would again take his No. 27 to the lead over Kevin Darnell. Ketron would pull away and claim the win.
Billy Duty quickly pulled to the lead from the pole position to begin the Mod 4 feature. Rocky Yates would battle back on the inside to acquire the lead on lap seven.
Yates would not relinquish his lead for the remaining 13 laps to gain the victory.
Nasty Jones pulled to the lead on the first lap of the Pure Street race. Jones would go on to claim victory in the caution-free race over Robby Allison and Hunter Phipps.
William Hale started on the pole in the Rookie Pure 4 race. Hale would lead all 20 laps in route to the victory.
