Dalton Scores First Win, Burns Tightens Grip On Points Lead At Carteret
by Press Release September 23, 2019 0 commentsPELETIER, N.C. – Ross “Boo Boo” Dalton was finally able to break through and score his first Carteret County Speedway feature win on Saturday night while Chris Burns put himself in position to clinch his second track championship.
Dalton raced his way past pole-sitter Paul Williamson on the opening lap of the 75 lap feature and held as a myriad of incidents took place throughout the race – including a multi-car accident on lap 29 which involved points contender TJ Barron as well as Sarah Cornett-Ching, Daniel Vuncannon, Gerald Benton, and Carson Ware, among others.
Dalton was able to fend off every challenge on the restarts en route to his first Carteret County feature win. The victory was even more satisfying after a tumultuous race at Southern National Motorsports Park a week prior.
“This is huge,” Dalton said. “We worked our butts off to get this racecar good. It took us about four trips here to get it right. We had it this good for the 150 lap race and, unfortunately the clutch went out. This thing was just off the hook tonight. We probably ran about 60 percent right there. Chris started closing in on us and we rolled on through it right there at the end. These guys busted their butts.”
In the midway stages of the race, defending track champion Brandon Clements raced his way up to second after starting in the 12th position. However, his engine began overheating late in the race forcing him to park the car with just 17 laps remaining in the race.
With both Barron and Clements sidelined, Burns was able to cruise to a runner-up finish and pad his points lead. Leaving Saturday’s race, Burns has extended his lead in the championship to an insurmountable 19-point advantage over Barron and 25 over Barron.
“Me and TJ talked earlier today and we were really hoping it would come down to the final race and be neck and neck and that would decide it all,” Burns said after the race. “TJ’s had some terrible luck from the start of the year to now. I appreciate everybody who helps. We’ll be back out here next time.”
When Burns is officially crowned as the 2019 track champion, he will become the first repeat Late Model champion in Carteret County Speedway history. He won his first championship in 2016.
Eric Winslow picked up his third podium finish of the season while Zach Lightfoot and Carson Ware finished fourth and fifth respectively in their first Late Model starts at Carteret County. Lightfoot, who was fastest in afternoon practice, is a former winner in the Legends division at Carteret.
Two more drivers added their names to the winners list in Legends racing on Saturday night. Janson Marchbanks cruised to his first Carteret County Speedway win in the Young Lions/Semi-Pro feature race over Will Bristle and William Cox.
“That was a great race,” Marchbanks remarked. “Will right there, he kept pressure on me and he started to catch me there for a little bit. That was a great race. Can’t thank all the Farbo Motorsports crew enough to make this thing get around the track. That’s the best team out there, I don’t care what anybody says. I’ve got to thank my sponsors, my family, and first and foremost God.”
Carson Ferguson led from the start of the race to the finish in the Pro/Masters feature, holding off Mason Diaz, a former Legends winner at Carteret County and a part-time competitor in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, to score his first Carteret feature win.
“Tim and Cheryl Ladyga stuck with me since 2014,” Ferguson stated in victory lane. “We got back at the end of last year. I’ve got to thank the good lord for keeping us safe and giving us the ability to do this. Thanks, Mason, for racing me clean. You’ve got to have a lot of things go well to win here, to win any race. Everything just went our way.”
Diaz took his second-place finish in stride after a difficult weekend marred by mechanical failures.
“Blew the motor yesterday and the transmission on Thursday,” Diaz said. “We’re on the backup of backup motors here. This is a good practice race for the Nationals. Hopefully we can pick up a little speed.”
Jensen Jorgensen finished third while Spencer Saunders and Jordan Lamothe rounded out the top-five.
Justin Thompson continued his recent dominance in the Champ Kart division, picking up his third consecutive victory. The frantic Champ Kart feature was the nightcap on the racing program for the Bobby Watson Memorial. In all, 16 karts took the green flag, the largest field Champ Kart field in Carteret County Speedway history.
Bill Owens finished second while BJ Thompson rounded out the podium.
Other winners: Mike Cooper (Street Stock) won over Brandon Manning and Billy Slater; Carmen Odum held off older sister Morgan in the Coastal Carolina Jr. Mini Cup feature, Caleb Braswell was victorious among the track’s regulars; Zac Reimer, a gunnery sergeant in the United States Marine Corps., scored his first Mini-Stock victory over Brandon Clements and division points leader Stephen Sanders; Andrew Jackson held off Neil Mason, also an active duty Marine stationed at Camp Lejuene, to win in U-CAR; Johnny Johnson was the overall winner in the East Coast Flathead Ford Racing Association race; and Steven Brewer was victorious in the Coastal Carolina Mini Cup feature race while Charles Pudenz won amongst the speedway regulars.
Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway resumes its fourth racing season on Saturday, October 5th with the Team Chevrolet Swansboro 225 which is headlined by the USAC Eastern Midgets. Super Trucks, INEX Legends, Mini-Stocks, Champ Karts, U-CARs and Mini Cups will also be in action.
For more information about Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway, visit the track’s official website at www.carteretspeedway.com, “like” Carteret County Speedway on Facebook or follow @carteretcoswy on Twitter.
Source: Carteret County Speedway
Photo Credit: Eric Creel
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