Yontz Inherits Win at Newport after Wallace DQ

Story by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected]

Newport, TN(October 24, 2011) — The UARA-STARS Series 2011 season hasn’t exactly been one for their record books as just like every touring series and every short track, they’ve been struggling.

However, when it came time for race 13 of a 15-race season(shortened from 16), the series had double points on the line for the first time in series history after the season was shortened from 16 races down to 15, when last months race at Ace was canceled due to weather and unable to be made up. The UARA-STARS Series brought a strong 23-car field to the shortest track that the series competes on and with the double points on the line, fans were poised to see a great race.

But, what they saw wasn’t a great race … it wasn’t really even a good race, but there were storylines throughout the field from the drop of the green flag or before and it extended to well after the checkered flag fell. Let us take you through the night from several of the key players perspectives.

VICTORY LANE MEET TECH SHED …
In the UARA-STARS Series, the tech on engines is second to none and this season has proven that maybe more so than any other. This season the series has set out to correct a problem in all of Late Model Stock Car racing, the issue with engine builders going into crate engines, designed to save racers money and making them much stronger than they should be by rules. All the tech officials at the regions race tracks have no clue what to look for, but Mike Cox, an engine man in his own right has began to pull in the reigns in the UARA.

So far this season, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Kyle Grissom and Alex Yontz have fallen victim to the series scrutiny, though all not of the crate engine variety. Steven Wallace dominated the UARA-STARS Series race at Newport Speedway and when it came time for technical inspection, he knew he was screwed. The son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Rusty Wallace, even tried to plead to the officials not to tech his car in his post race interview by saying “If they don’t tech us too hard tonight, we’ll be at Concord next week”.

Not as if the UARA needed a reason to be hard on him, I mean with his track record of being disqualified in Late Model Stock Car races and the UARA looking to prove a point with crate engines this season, he was doomed. Wallace’s engine was found illegal due to work being done his intake, one of the same things that the UARA has been after hard all season. Wallace found out the hard way, just like Bassett, Yontz and Grissom did earlier in the season and though he didn’t win on engine, he still has to play by the rules no matter what his last name is.

ONE MAN’S PAIN, ANOTHER MAN’S PLEASURE …
The 2011 season hasn’t particularly been one of Alex Yontz’ best seasons. He hadn’t won a race all season entering the UARA race at Newport Speedway, a track where he’s been known to be good, but despite having a knack for that track it still wasn’t his night. That is until technical inspection completed and Wallace was found to be illegal and while no racer wants to win that way, they all want to have their photo taken with the trophy girl, they all want to show the fans how good they are, but …. A win is win.

Yontz will take the victory after a struggling season and despite having to win it by disqualification, he’ll take it after being disqualified from a top five spot earlier in the season himself. Yontz will have to hope that some recent strong runs and this win will help him get his whole program on track as the young driver looks to rebound from the tough season.

REDEMPTION …
Chad Finchum is a rookie in the ranks of the Late Model Stock Car world, but this season he hasn’t exactly performed like it. He has had great runs at tracks in East Tennessee and even in select UARA-STARS Series starts, but his lone top five finish with the series early in the season at Kingsport Speedway was negated by an engine infraction with a backup engine, after he blew his engine the day before the race in testing. That second place finish and Rookie of the Race award was gone, but the young driver and his team would rally back.

This time the young driver was ready to get a solid finish at his home track and after a solid effort in practice and a ninth place qualifying effort. The young driver paced himself from the drop of the green flag and by the time the checkered flag waved over the field, the youngster was able to grab a third place finish and with Wallace’s DQ, he moved up to second and this time he got to keep the finish. He’s proven that he can wheel one of these cars and hopefully he’ll spend next season making a name for himself in Late Model Stock Car racing before trying to move up to the next level.

PERFORMANCE OF A CHAMPION …
Brennan Poole posted the fastest time in qualifying and started from the pole position, but he certainly didn’t have a car even close to being the best at Newport. However, championships aren’t won and lost when you have the perfect car, they’re won and lost when you have a decent car and bring it home with a finish way better than you should. Poole has been dominating the 2011 season and he couldn’t down that path Saturday night, but in a whole new way as he held on to his car as driver after driver took shots at him on a double points night.

After starting from the pole, I don’t think he was even able to lead a single lap as he had his hands full as he slipped back through the field. First Steven Wallace moved him for the second position, a move that with Wallace usually causes a wreck, but Poole saved it and continued on. He was unable to save it however a little later when Alex Yontz got to his bumper and turned him around. This incident cost him his front bumper and his car looked like he had been a battering ram all night, but had simply been working to keep his struggling car up front to gain as many points as possible. He showed the heart of a champion as he rebounded from the incident and finish third after Wallace’s DQ, that will likely earn him the championship this season.

THREE CARS, ONE TOP FIVE …
Jamie Yelton’s Fat Head Racing team showed up to Newport Speedway with a little different lineup behind the wheel as Ronnie Bassett, Jr. had completed his final race with the team in the Dwight Huffman Memorial, a week earlier, where he won the race. Now Ben Rhodes, a 14-year old drivers from the Legends car ranks had filled Bassett’s spot, while Marcus Zukanovic was making his first start as a tryout for Marcos Ambrose Motorsports.

Rhodes has proven himself a solid qualifier as he sat on the outside pole at the Dwight Huffman Memorial race and qualified fourth for his first UARA race at Newport. However, he doesn’t really have the ‘racing’ part down as he’s struggled to even finish races, but hopefully for him that will come as he’s got the hardest part of Late Model Stock Car racing down with his qualifying efforts on sticker tires. Zucanovic didn’t have a particularly impressive run, but he was thrown to the wolves as he made his first LMSC start in the UARA, known to have the toughest competition. He ran a fairly clean race enroute to a 13th place finish, while teammate and fellow Aussie, George Miedecke continued his solid season with another top five in fourth position.

QUIETLY IMPRESSIVE AGAIN …
Kaleb Pressley has something figured out at Newport Speedway, and well he should given that it’s his home track, but even against the tough UARA drivers, which he has become one of this season he’s been impressive at the tiny bullring. In the first trip to the track this season he was in the mix late in the race for a top three spot right down to the final laps and this time he backed it up with a solid qulifying effort and a top five finish. Look for this young driver without the backing like many of the other drivers to continue to make gains as he logs laps at all the series’ tracks.