Mercer Sails into Victory Lane
For Immediate Release (May 15th, 2010)
Photos Compliments of L&D Photography
( Newton, NC - - May 15, 2010 ) It was another fantastic night for racing as Hickory Motor Speedway paid tribute to those who have served our country and those who are currently fighting for our freedom, during Military Appreciation Night. The festivities were kicked off as the Catawba Valley Marine Corp. League presented the colors and those who have served our country proudly were honored. The night also included an appearance by the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series featuring the Bojangles Late Models, the Advance Auto Parts Limiteds, the Everything Attachment Super Trucks, the Hickory Street Stocks and the Hickory 4-Cylinders. It was a great night for the No. 10 of Andy Mercer as he battled against last week's Bojangles Late Model race winner, the No. 88 of Kyle Mansch for the lead and the win.
The Bojangles Late Models hit the track for their 50 lap feature with the No. 10 of Andy Mercer leading the field to the green. The No. 5 of Dexter Canipe Jr. quickly maneuvered his way towards the front as he moved into the fourth place position on lap three. Five laps in, the top five had spread out leaving the No. 51 of Josh Wimbish, the No. 36 of Neil Meredith and the No. 92 of Candace Muzny to battle for sixth. By lap ten the No. 88 of Kyle Mansch began to put pressure on Mercer for the lead. Canipe Jr. was also on the move as he began to look for an opportunity to take over the third place position from the No. 43 of Jesse LeFevers. As the two headed into turn four Canipe Jr. pulled under LeFevers grabbing the spot on lap 12. Meanwhile, Mansch was able to complete the pass for the lead.
On lap 14 the No. 2 of Ty Dillon moved under LeFevers taking over the fourth place position leaving LeFevers to ride around in fifth. By the mid-point of the race Mercer had reeled Mansch in and put the high side line to good use as he looked for the opportunity to regain the lead. The first and only caution came out when the No. 5 of Katie Hager spun out on the front stretch on lap 33. Dillon was able to move back into third when Canipe Jr. bobbled after making contact with a fellow competitor on the back stretch during the restart. It didn't take Canipe Jr. long to move back up front as he moved back into third on lap 38. Mercer kept up the fight looking to regain the lead, grabbing the top spot from Mansch on lap 40. The battle for fourth was intense, as Dillon, the No. 2 of Jason Romero and Muzny came around turn four running three wide on the final lap. Mercer came home the victor with Mansch, Canipe Jr., Dillon and Romero in tow to round out the top five.
The Advance Auto Parts Limiteds kept the action going during their 35 lap caution filled event. The No. 5 of Dexter Canipe Jr. quickly took over the lead from the No. 35 of pole sitter Chris Lewis on the first lap. After Canipe Jr. made the pass for the lead the top five began to spread out, leaving the No. 66 of Travis Byrd and the No. 51 of Waylon Flynn to battle for the sixth place position. On lap nine the No. 97 of Brandon Lynn pulled under the No. 11 of Matt Piercy the two ran side by side until lap 11, when Lynn grabbed the fourth place position from Piercy as the two headed out of turn three. The first caution of the event fell on lap 18 after the No. 03 of Russell Stillwell spun out coming out of turn two. The restart didn't pan out so well for Piercy as he fell into sixth. It was however just what Lynn needed allowing him to take over third. Caution number two came out on lap 21 when the No. 45 of Kenneth Pardue spun out heading out of turn three. Lynn continued his move to the front, taking over the second place position on lap 24.
With ten laps remaining Piercy was able to get some momentum back and worked his way back into the top five. The third and final caution fell on lap 29 when the No. 12 of Austin McDaniel and the No. 9 of Matt Daley made contact coming out of turn four, sending Daley for a spin down the front stretch. The action continued into the final lap of the event, as the No. 8 of Mark McIntosh and Piercy were in a tough battle for fifth. McIntosh got under Piercy as the two headed out of turn four, getting Piercy loose sending him into the outside wall. Just as Piercy made contact with the wall, Canipe Jr. led the field to the checkers. Lewis, Lynn, the No. 07 of Tyler Church and Byrd finish second through fifth respectively.
The Everything Attachment Super Trucks had a rocky start to their 35 lap race, after the No. 11 of Thomas Beane missed a gear as the green flag waved causing the No. 69 of Trevor Hignutt to get into the back of Beane. A complete restart was called with the No. 16 of Clint Fields leading the pack. By lap six Hignutt began to fall off the pace due to the damage from the incident during the start of the race. Hignutt would come back out a few laps later. By the mid-point of the race, Fields and the No. 00 of Jamie Weatherford gained a full straight away and a half lead over the field. On lap 26 Weatherford pulled under Fields looking for a chance to move into the lead.
The first and only caution of the race fell on lap 27 when the No. 7 of Justin Crider went for a spin on the front stretch. During the restart the No. 33 of Jeremy Birch bobbled coming out of turn two causing a back up on the back stretch. With only five laps remaining Weatherford pulled under Fields, looking for another shot at the lead and his first win at American's Most Famous Short Track. Fields had to work hard during the final laps to hold off Weatherford, but his hard work paid off as he took the checkers and drove into Victory Lane. Birch, Crider and the No. 25 of Mark Johnson made up the top five.
The Hickory Street Stocks kept the excitement smooth and caution free as they took to the track for their 30 lap race. The No. 25 of Jeremy Pelfrey got the action started as he sailed around the No. 03 of Kevin Eby taking over second. The No. 21 of Roger Pitts used the outside line to make his move by Eby settling into third, pushing Eby back to fourth. Eby wasn't content riding around in fourth, as he powered around both Pitts and Pelfrey as the field headed out of turn one. Pitts stayed tight on the bumper of Eby, as Eby moved into the second place position and Pitts took third. By the half way point, Eby was all over the bumper of the pole sitter, the No. 1 of Taylor Stricklin.
Eby looked for his chance to move into the top spot after he pulled under Stricklin on lap 17. The two ran door handle to door handle until lap 23 when Stricklin pulled away with the lead. With two laps to go Eby inched back up on Stricklin looking for one final opportunity to take the lead, but Stricklin pulled ahead leaving Eby to come home second. Pitts, Pelfrey and the No. 9 of Charlie Watson rounded out the top five.
The Red Baron Race Parts Hobby Stocks brought Military Appreciation Night to a close when they headed out onto the asphalt for a 20 lap race. The No. 85 of Jeff Weisner moved into the lead on the first lap sending the No. 28 of Casey Pierce back to second place. The first and only caution fell on lap 10 when the No. 31 of Steven Willis stalled on the back stretch. Pierce was able to regain the lead during the restart, but Weisner quickly moved into the top spot on lap 12. The race was brought to an early end on lap 15 as the rain began to fall, deeming Weisner the race winner. Pierce, the No. 88 of Andrew Towery, the No. 1o f James Flynn and Willis rounded out the top five.
About Hickory Motor Speedway:
Known as the Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars, Hickory Motor Speedway celebrates its 59 th season of stock car racing in 2010. Opening the gates in 1951, Hickory Motor Speedway is the oldest professional sporting venue in Catawba County, and has been credited as the longest continually operating motor speedway in the country. Producing drivers like Ned and Dale Jarrett, Bobby Isaac, Harry Gant, Ralph Earnhardt and Dennis Setzer, it's easy to see why Hickory Motor Speedway is filled with such rich stock car racing history and has earned the title of, Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars.
Upcoming Events:
The CRA (Champion Racing Association) Super Series invades Hickory Motor Speedway Sunday, May 23 rd for the Twin All-Star 150. Don't miss the Super Late Model Stars of the Winchester 400, SpeedFest, All-American 400 and the North-South Shootout. Street Stocks from area tracks, CRA & the Kimmel Series will also take to the track for the action. And don't miss Motorcycle Stuntman Rhett “Rotten” and his world famous ‘Wall of Death'! Adult tickets are only $15. All net profits to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp. For more information visit www.craracing.net.
The stars of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series will be back in action on Saturday, May 29 for Honey's IGA Hometown Night featuring the Bojangles Late Models, the Advance Auto Parts Limiteds, the Hickory Street Stocks and the Hickory 4-Cylinders. This is going to be one unforgettable night, NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD! Fans pay by the car, truck or van load. Pile you and all of your friends into your car and only pay $10, pack them all into a truck or van and pay only $20. Grandstands open at 2 PM with qualifying at 5 PM. There will be an On Track Autograph Session at 6 PM with racing action beginning at 7 PM. The night will end with a spectacular FIREWORKS show. We will feature $1 Pepsi products and Honey's IGA will also be giving away $500 in Honey's IGA gift certificates. This is certainly a night you won't want to miss. Remember… if you're not here, you're missing out!
Pole Award Winners:
Bojangles Late Models:No. 10 – Andy Mercer – 15.350 seconds
Advance Auto Parts Limiteds: No. 35 – Chris Lewis – 15.812 seconds
Everything Attachment Super Trucks: No. 16 – Clint Fields – 15.995 seconds
Hickory Street Stocks: No. 1 – Taylor Stricklin – 17.050 seconds
Official Race Results:
Bojangles Late Model 50:
1. (10) Andy Mercer
2. (88) Kyle Mansch
3. (5) Dexter Canipe Jr.
4. (2) Ty Dillon
5. (2) Jason Ramero
6. (92) Candace Muzny
7. (51) Josh Wimbish
8. (43) Jesse LeFevers
9. (36) Neil Meredith
10. (5) Katie Hagar
11. (7) Ashley Huffman
12. (1) Megan Reitenour
13. (31) Tim George
Advance Auto Parts Limited 35:
1. (5) Dexter Canipe Jr.
2. (35) Chris Lewis
3. (97) Brandon Lynn
4. (07) Tyler Church
5. (66) Travis Byrd
6. (8) Mark McIntosh
7. (51) Waylon Flynn
8. (12) Austin McDaniel
9. (11) Matt Piercy
10. (45) Kenneth Pardue
11. (9) Matt Daley
12. (13) Dakota Slagle
13. (15) Sheflon Clay
14. (03) Russell Stillwell
15. (23) Trey Buff
Everything Attachment Super Trucks 35:
1. (16) Clint Fields
2. (00) Jamie Weatherford
3. (33) Jeremy Birch
4. (7) Justin Crider
5. (25) Mark Johnson
6. (05) Kyle Wilson
7. (0) Jody Church
8. (69) Trevor Hignutt
9. (11) Thomas Beane
Hickory Street Stock 30:
1. (1) Taylor Stricklin
2. (03) Kevin Eby
3. (21) Roger Pitts
4. (25) Jeremy Pelfrey
5. (9) Charlie Watson
6. (5) Mike Newton
7. (64) Marshall Sutton
8. (51) Dustin Walker
9. (35) David Werner
10. (55) Arrin Matthews
11. (54) Michael Harris
Red Baron Race Parts Hobby Stocks 20:
1. (85) Jeff Weisner
2. (28) Casey Pierce
3. (88) Andrew Towery
4. (1) James Flynn
5. (31) Steven Willis
6. (B-1) Brett Meyers
7. (12) Jeremy Weatherford