No one can keep up with Jones at Southern SportMod Nationals

By J.M. Hallas

KENNEDALE, Texas (Sept. 3-4) – Sean Jones used a good starting spot and a fast car to capture Saturday’s Southwest Racing Specialties Southern SportMod Nationals main event at Kennedale Speedway Park.

Jones grabbed the lead on lap one and never looked back, leading flag to flag for the $2,000 payday. The closest anyone got to Jones was under caution and on restarts as he easily pulled away from the field.

Troy Taylor, David Ferguson, defending race winner J.P. Dowell and Randy Timms completed the top five.

Jones beat Tom Earl Jr. out of turn two to take the lead in the 24-car, 25-lap feature. Earl fell in line second with Dowell and Ferguson following. Dowell got second on lap two as the top eight sorted out single file. Last night’s qualifying By lap five, Jones had already shown his dominance running out a full straightaway lead.

Jones caught the back of the pack on lap seven and sliced his way through without missing a beat. Dowell, then Taylor took over second before midway.

As the top five separated out, the trio scraping it out for sixth kept the fight going until Gabe Tucker slowed and stopped along the wall to bring out yellow on lap 17.

The yellow came out again on the next circuit. Back under green, Jones pulled away and left Taylor and Ferguson battling for second.

“Drawing two was probably the biggest thing to help me. I usually don’t draw very good,” said Jones. “Then it was a matter of getting out front and getting down to the bottom. I was expecting a track like last night, dry and smooth. But it was fast on the bottom and middle. I knew it was going to be a good race. I was probably more nervous as I’ve been in a long time”

Representing Boyd Raceway, Tucker made up for some of the weekend’s bad luck in Saturday’s Race of Champions. Tucker got past early leader Acey Light and built a big lead that was lost to a late caution, then held off Light and multi-time national champion Keith White for the 12-lap win.

White had just gotten past Light for second when the caution waved after Caleb Stone and Albert McCall hooked bumpers on the backstretch, erasing Tucker’s big lead.

On the restart, White and Light resumed their fight and that gave Tucker the chance to put some distance on both.

“We had some good runs this weekend even through our results don’t show it. We were moving forward and just had some bad luck in the ‘A’ mains,” Tucker said. “Winning the Race of Champions gives us a good feel¬ing as we leave for Super Nationals.”

Keith White once again showed the 24-car IMCA Modified field his rear bumper on his way to another win.

He got by early leader Mike Hathcock and eased away from all but Jeremy Willis. White outdistanced Willis in the waning laps and held his car together despite rough track conditions in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier.

The street stock race was marred by the passing of driver Chris Kent, who crashed while the race was under a lap five caution. Paramedics were quickly on the scene, cut him out of the car and transported him to a local hospital. Unfortunately Kent, who may have had a medical issue leading to the crash, could not be revived.

Taylor took the top transfer spot from Friday’s SportMod qualifier after Jay Bransom was disqualified for illegal connecting rods in post-race tech.

Dowell parlayed a front row starting spot into the opening Friday night Modified win, also in Fast Shafts All-Star ballot qualifying. Dowell had to fend off a race long challenges from Trevor Egbert until Egbert was forced to pit after contact with Emerson in the waning laps.

Once by long-time leader Jason Batt, David Phillips opened up a comfortable margin to score the IMCA Sun¬oco Stock Car win.

Phillips had methodically worked his way up from the fourth row, then scrapped it out with Batt before taking over at the front.

Charles Cosper outlasted the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock field, taking over the lead early when bad luck in the form of a sheared axle befell Ricky Rodriguez.

Cosper was chased throughout the race by Jeremy Carter who gave it his best shot coming up a little short as Cosper took home the victory.

Saturday Results
Southern SportMods – 1. Sean Jones; 2. Troy Taylor; 3. David Ferguson; 4. J.P. Dowell; 5. Randy Timms; 6. Tom Earl Jr.; 7. Devin Burgess; 8. Matt Mueller; 9. Jeff Emerson; 10. Trevor Egbert; 11. Keith Martin; 12. Gary Fox; 13. Kirk Williams; 14. Johnny Torres; 15. Gabe Tucker; 16. Ken Parker Jr.; 17. John Riechard; 18. Acey Light; 19. Keith White; 20. David Redmon; 21. Jay Bransom; 22. Chase Allen; 23. Shane Priddy; 24. Ja¬cob Pirkle.

Heat winners were Burgess, Torres, Parker, Timms, Williams and Pirkle.

1st “B” feature (top three) – 1. Redmon; 2. Allen; 3. Light. 2nd “B” feature – 1. Tucker; 2. Egbert; 3. Martin. 3rd “B” feature – 1. Fox; 2. Priddy; 3. Riechard. 4th “B” feature – 1. White; 2. Emerson; 3. Bran¬som.

Race of Champions – 1. Tucker; 2. White; 3. Light; 4. Bradley Poor; 5. Fox; 6. Ronnie Welborn; 7. Cary Stephens; 8. Albert McCall; 9. Randy Doyle; 10. Jared Rady; 11. Caleb Stone; 12. Torres; 13. Donald Owens.

Modifieds – 1. Keith White; 2. Jeremy Willis; 3. Kevin Sustaire; 4. Jay Bransom; 5. Matt Martin; 6. Jacob Pirkle; 7. Tommy Williams Jr.; 8. B.J. Dulock; 9. Mike Hathcock; 10. Scooter Bates; 11. Daryl Campbell; 12. Mike McCarthy; 13. Kenneth Robnett; 14. Trevor Egbert; 15. Chase Jupe; 16. Jeff Emerson; 17. Brandon Wat¬son; 18. Steve Rutherford; 19. Charlie Harmon; 20. Tommy Fain; 21. Danny Rodgers; 22. Gabe Tucker; 23. J.P. Dowell; 24. Matt Mueller.

1st heat (top three) – 1. Jupe; 2. Hathcock; 3. Willis. 2nd heat – 1. Emerson; 2. Egbert; 3. Rodgers.3rd heat – 1. Fain; 2. Martin; 3. Dowell. 4th heat –1. White; 2. Robnett; 3. Pirkle.

1st “B” feature (top three) – 1. Sustaire; 2. Bransom; 3. Harmon. 2nd “B” feature – 1. Dulock; 2. Mueller; 3. Watson.

Friday Results

Southern SportMods (top six transfer) – 1. Taylor; 2. Jones; 3. Dowell; 4. Ferguson; 5. Mueller; 6. Earl; 7. Torres; 8. Sam Cox; 9. Priddy; 10. Egbert; 11. J.C. Howell; 12. Burgess; 13. Tucker; 14. Roger Strickland; 15. Chase Brewer; 16. Jeff Emerson; 17. Allen; 18. Dean Abbey; 19. Steven Abbey; 20. White; 21. Fox; 22. Chad Hertel; 23. Parker.

1st heat (top two) – 1. Dowell; 2. Burgess. 2nd heat – 1. Fox; 2. Howell. 3rd heat – 1. Bransom; 2. Earl. 4th heat – 1. Mueller; 2. Torres. 5th heat – 1. Tucker; 2. Parker. 6th heat – 1. Jones. Taylor.

1st “B” feature (top three) – 1. White; 2. Dean Abbey; 3. Priddy. 2nd “B” feature – 1. Brewer; 2. Hertel; 3. Egbert. 3rd “B” feature – 1. Emerson; 2. Strickland; 3. Allen. 4th “B” feature – 1. Steven Abbey; 2. Ferguson; 3. Cox.

Modifieds – 1. Dowell; 2. Emerson; 3. Matt Martin; 4. Harmon; 5. Sustaire; 6. Justin Fowler; 7. Justin Redmon; 8. Michael Lamb; 9. McCarthy; 10. John Gober; 11. Egbert; 12. Tucker; 13. Rutherford; 14. Kirk Martin; 15. White; 16. Damon Hammond; 17. Jupe; 18. Mueller; 19. Bransom; 20. Dwayne Grantham; 21. Eddie Prator; 22. Bates; 23. Rodney Hicks; 24. Jimmie Helona.

1st heat (top three) – 1. Dowell; 2. Egbert; 3. Fowler. 2nd heat – 1. White; 2. Hammond; 3. McCarthy. 3rd heat – 1. Emerson; 2. Tucker; 3. Matt Martin. 4th heat – 1. Hicks; 2. Redmon; 3. Gober.

1st “B” feature (top six) – 1. Jupe; 2. Sustaire; 3. Harmon; 4. Bates; 5. Bransom; 6. Prator. 2nd “B” fea¬ture – 1. Helona; 2. Mueller; 3. Kirk Martin; 4. Lamb; 5. Rutherford; 6. Grantham.

Stock Cars – 1. David Phillips; 2. Jason Batt; 3. Duain Pritchett; 4. Matt Guillaume; 5. John Morris; 6. Aaron Ferrell; 7. Damon Hammond; 8. James Potter; 9. Roger Stripland; 10. Jerry Morris; 11. Doug Kennemer; 12. Kirk Martin; 13. Rodney Franklin; 14. Michael Villaneuva; 15. Ronnie Christopher; 16. Willis Price; 17. Caleb Crenshaw; 18. A.J. Hutten; 19. Daniel Parker; 20. Fredrick Widmayer; 21. Robin Batt; 22. Roman Garcia.

Hobby Stocks – 1. Charles Cosper; 2. Jeremy Carter; 3. Cade Lee; 4. Jeff Kinniard; 5. Tobie Talk; 6. Joey Patterson; 7. Andy Roller; 8. Brandon Williams; 9. Todd Hefner; 10. Aaron Elliott; 11. Brandon Ringrow; 12. Rick Barrett; 13. Jackie Dooley; 14. Aaron Bayles; 15. Tommy Phillips; 16. Kyle Harrison; 18. Gene Hadley; 19. Joe Williams; 20. Ricky Rodriguez; 21. Rodney Sparks.

Heat winners were Kinniard, Roller and Carter.