Defending Kingsport Speedway and also Tennessee NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state champion Kres VanDyke of Abingdon, Va., is a legitimate threat to visit victory lane in each Late Model Stock Car event he enters, but betting odds weren’t favorable for 14-year-old Trey Bayne (brother of NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series driver Trevor Bayne) of Knoxville to record a win in his rookie season.
While VanDyke easily won the first twin Late Model Stock Car feature on Whelen Night at the Races in the Model City, all the cards fell perfectly in place for Bayne to write his name in the Kingsport Speedway record book in the second race as he impressively led flag-to-flag to capture his first victory in just his seventh career start in a stock car.
Zeke Shell was fastest in Late Model Stock Car qualifying at 15.082 seconds, with VanDyke close behind at 15.086.
VanDyke jumped out into the lead at the start of the first Late Model Stock Car twin 35-lap feature over Derrick Lancaster, Shell, Ronnie McCarty and Hayden Woods, who was making a return to racing at “The Concrete Jungle” for the first time in three years. Woods lost spots to both Nik Williams and Robbie Ferguson on lap 4.
Only 10 laps into the race VanDyke, Lancaster and Shell had separated themselves by half straightaway over McCarty, Williams, and Ferguson. Good, hard racing was taking place from seventh back to 14th in the running order involving Woods, Trey Bayne, Wayne Hale, Derek Lane, Dillon Hodge, Joey Trent, Bryson Dennis and Kyle Lockrow.
While Lancaster and Shell battled for second place, in front of them VanDyke was pulling away. With the race running clean-and-green, VanDyke cruised to his third win on the season over Lancaster, Shell, McCarty, and Ferguson. Completing the top 10 finishers were Williams, Bayne, Hale, Lane, and Trent.
“It’s always great to run out front and win,” a smiling VanDyke said while cars were being checked in post-race technical inspection. “We had a really good car tonight and there around the halfway point in the race, Derrick (Lancaster) and Zeke (Shell) got to really battling each other for position and that kind of allowed us to pull away from them by time the checkered flag waved.”
The top eight finishers from the first race were inverted for the second twin 35-lap feature, putting Hale and Bayne on the front row.
Bayne grabbed the lead over Hale on the opening lap with Ferguson, Williams, and McCarty in tow. Ferguson passed Hale for second place on lap 5 racing up off (turn) two and quickly closed right in on Bayne’s rear bumper. Meanwhile, Williams got around Hale for the third spot on lap 7.
Ferguson stuck his nose underneath Bayne racing off the corners for several laps, and on each occasion, Bayne held his ground and maintained the lead. With the veteran Ferguson pressuring Bayne, the young rookie continued to drive a flawless race out front clicking off perfect laps hitting his marks. Lancaster worked his way past McCarty just past the halfway mark to settle into fifth place.
With Bayne showing the way out front over Ferguson and Williams, he progressively got stronger-and-stronger as the laps wound down. There would be no denying Bayne that ever-elusive first visit to victory lane as he won over Ferguson, Williams, Hale, and Lancaster.
Completing the top 10 finishers were McCarty, VanDyke, Shell, Lane, and Woods. … Fourteen cars finished on the lead lap.
“Man, this is just awesome,” Bayne said from victory lane. “Winning your first-ever NASCAR sanctioned race is a very special deal. It’s something you dream about and most definitely you’ll never forget the awesome feeling. I’ll always look at the trophy and remember this very special night. It’s great having both my dad and mom here to share in the joy of this first win.
“With me being a rookie, I guess you could say there’s been a learning period of getting me comfortable driving the car, just being able to race against others. But I’ve got one of the best in the business in Wade Day calling the shots as crew chief and serving as spotter, he’s really taught me a lot. I want to thank Larry (Gibson) and everybody who’s helped with this racing deal, because a lot of time’s been spent back in the race shop getting the car good as it is.”
NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES – LATE MODEL STOCK CAR (Twin #1 – 35 laps)
1. Kres VanDyke #15-Abingdon, VA
2. Derrick Lancaster #25-Christiansburg, VA
3. Zeke Shell #1-Johnson City, TN
4. Ronnie McCarty #5-Kingsport, TN
5. Robbie Ferguson #7-Jonesborough, TN
6. Nik Williams #32-Greeneville, TN
7. Trey Bayne #21-Knoxville, TN
8. Wayne Hale #19-Bluff City, TN
9. Derek Lane #28-Kingsport, TN
10. Joey Trent #26-Gray, TN
11. Bryson Dennis #15-Greeneville, TN
12. Kyle Lockrow #7-La Plata, MD
13. Billy Light #13-Bluff City, TN
14. Darin Silver #12-Spruce Pine, NC
15. Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, TN
16. Joe Salyers #55-Kingsport, TN
17. Dillon Hodge #5-Kingsport, TN
18. Allen Hawkins #14-Kingsport, TN
19. Hayden Woods #87-Piney Flats, TN
NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES – LATE MODEL STOCK CAR (Twin #2 – 35 laps)
1. Trey Bayne #21-Knoxville, TN
2. Robbie Ferguson #7-Jonesborough, TN
3. Nik Williams #32-Greeneville, TN
4. Wayne Hale #19-Bluff City, TN
5. Derrick Lancaster #25-Christiansburg, VA
6. Ronnie McCarty #5-Kingsport, TN
7. Kres VanDyke #15-Abingdon, VA
8. Zeke Shell #1-Johnson City, TN
9. Derek Lane #28-Kingsport, TN
10. Hayden Woods #87-Piney Flats, TN
11. Bryson Dennis #15-Greeneville, TN
12. Joey Trent #26-Gray, TN
13. Dillon Hodge #5-Kingsport, TN
14. Kyle Lockrow #7-La Plata, MD
15. Darin Silver #12-Spruce Pine, NC
16. Allen Hawkins #14-Kingsport, TN
17. Billy Light #13-Bluff City, TN
18. Mardy Roberts #55-Kingsport, TN
19. Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, TN
