Racerchaser
11-08-2009, 06:22 PM
HAMPTON, Va. (Nov. 7) -- Defending series champ Adam Florian nosed into the lead on lap 10 and paced the field to his first victory of the 2009-10 season in the 50-lap Top Dog race, the featured event of Saturday evening's Arena Racing Hampton Roads program at the Hampton Coliseum.
Travis Wall drew the pole for the start of the race and vaulted out front as the initial green flag went in the air. Florian, Wall's front-row partner, dropped into second place, followed by Zach Moran, Anthony Perez and Jason Styron.
The first caution flag flew on lap 8 when Jordan Wood spun in Turn 2. As Wood's machine was coming to rest, Perez, Styron and Aaron Leach stacked up in Turn 3. Styron and Perez were eliminated by the incident.
Wall and Florian shared the front row again as the field bunched for a double-file restart. Back under green, they remained side-by-side with Florian edging ahead at the end of the 10th circuit. He cleared Wall at the entrance to Turn 1 on lap 13. Deeper in the field, Scott Prillaman was on the move, slipping by Moran and Michael Weddell to take over third.
By lap 17, Florian had stretched his lead to half a straightaway over Wall, who was busy defending the second spot from Prillaman. Prillaman grabbed the position on lap 22 and set sail after Florian, who was coming into slower traffic.
With Florian mired in traffic, Prillaman quickly narrowed the gap, pulling up on the leader's bumper on lap 32. On lap 33, Prillaman motored to the outside of Florian off Turn 2 in a bid for the top spot.
Before that battle could develop further, the second caution flag waved as Charlie Green slowed to a crawl with a flat tire.
As the race resumed, Florian bolted ahead of Prillaman and left the inside lane open for Wall, who drove underneath Prillaman. Three laps later, though, Wall got loose and spun in Turn 4, prompting caution #3.
The green flag reappeared on lap 40 and, once again, Florian got a jackrabbit start on Prillaman. Officials weren't satisfied, though, and the yellow flag -- the fourth, and final, one of the race -- immediately came back out. During the caution period, Florian was warned about his restart tactics.
Under green for the final time, Prillaman remained on Florian's flank until they reached Turn 1. At that point, Florian gained the clear-cut edge, while Wood poked his nose under Prillaman in a bid for second. The move didn't pay off for Wood, though, as Prillaman pulled away in search of Florian.
Prillaman remained in contention for the win until losing ground in Turns 3 and 4 with a couple laps to go. Suddenly granted some breathing room, Florian cruised on to the checkers. Prillaman tried to rally in the closing circuits, but came up two lengths short at the line.
Wood tailed Florian and Prillaman to the finish, in third, followed by Spencer Saunders and Robbie Davis. Leach was sixth, while Weddell, Wall and Matt Midgett were seventh through ninth, respectively. Chris Crecelius completed the top 10, a lap off the pace.
With three events in the books, the series will take next weekend off, then return to action at the Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 21.
***
Jordan Wood snagged the lead on the first lap and led all the way for his first victory of the new campaign in the 50-lap A Main, which ran caution-free -- an Arena Racing rarity.
Charlie Green was the pole-sitter for the event, sharing the front row with Wood. As the race got going, the two went door-to-door until they reached Turn 4. Exiting the corner, Green two-wheeled the turn and Wood shot ahead.
After giving up the lead, Green settled into second, followed by rookie Landon Florian, Matt Leach, Spencer Saunders and Travis Wall. Adam Florian, who started 11th in the 12-car field, emerged from the opening shuffle in seventh.
On lap 10, Saunders nosed underneath Leach in Turn 1 and took over third place, leaving the door open for Wall and Adam Florian. Landon Florian, who had gotten shuffled back in the running order earlier, followed his brother's cue and bypassed Leach with Patrick Morgan and Scott Prillaman in tow.
Meanwhile, Green had closed in on Wood and was searching for an opening. As they battled, nose-to-tail, though, slower traffic loomed ahead. On lap 28, Adam Florian scooted past Wall for fourth place.
Prillaman slipped by Landon Florian for sixth place on lap 36, gaining the final Top Dog transfer position.
Wood and Green ran up on traffic on lap 40. As they carefully sorted through the slower machines, Saunders and Adam Florian, the third- and fourth-place runners, began to close in.
Saunders' bid to run down the lead duo was sidetracked on lap 43 when Florian ducked to his inside in Turn 2. Saunders and Florian went side-by-side until lap 46 when Saunders regained command of the position.
At the finish, Wood held on to win by a car-length over Green. Saunders was third, followed by Adam Florian and Wall. Prillaman was sixth and joined the top five in moving on to the Top Dog finale.
***
Aaron Leach led from pole to checkers and earned his first win of the young season in the 50-lap B Main.
Leach shared the front row with rookie contender Josh Ayer and moved out front on the opening circuit. Meanwhile, Robbie Davis closed in to challenge Ayer for second.
The first caution flag flew on lap 3 for a multi-car melee in Turn 4 that ended with Brittany Bangas overturning. Of the four drivers involved in the mishap, only Mike Dayton was sidelined. He was joined in the infield by Chris Raiford, who pulled aside during the ensuing caution period.
Back under green, Davis slipped under and past Ayer to take over the runner-up spot. The shuffle allowed Leach to pad his lead to four lengths. With second place firmly in his grip, though, Davis began to narrow the gap.
By lap 17, Davis had closed to within a car-length of Leach's rear bumper. Nearing the halfway mark, however, Leach began to ease away, widening his margin to two lengths.
The second caution flag waved on lap 27 when Clayton Parrish and Curtis Hughes tangled and careened into the Turn 1 wall. The incident eliminated Parrish from contention.
As the race resumed, the top four -- Leach, Davis, Anthony Perez and Zach Moran -- bolted from the pack. Davis poked a fender alongside Leach on lap 30, but couldn't pull off the pass and dropped back in line.
The third and fourth yellow flags appeared on laps 37 and 44, respectively, as the running order at the head of the field remained unchanged.
On the final restart, Leach fashioned a slim edge over Davis and held on to win by a car-length. Perez was third, while Moran took fourth and claimed the final Top Dog qualifying position. Hughes was fifth to the line.
***
Michael Weddell took the lead on lap 9 and showed the way to his first feature victory of the season in the 50-lap C Main.
Matt Midgett drew the pole for the start of the event and grabbed the top spot in Turn 2 on the opening lap. Weddell, who started fifth, moved up to second in the opening circuits, followed by Jason Styron and Sparky West.
Midgett enjoyed a half-straightaway advantage when the first caution flag waved on lap 5 as Mark Brooks overturned in Turn 2.
Back under green, Midgett and Weddell broke away in nose-to-tail formation. Weddell shadowed Midgett for a little more than a lap, then slipped to the leader's inside on lap 6. The two went side-by-side until lap 9 when Weddell surged out front, leaving the door open for Styron and West.
Between laps 13 and 44, the race was interrupted by five more caution flags and the field was whittled down to only five cars. Sidelined in the multitude of accidents were West, Craig Carlton, Mike Conley, Curt Curtis, Sammy Gaita and Cory Millard, who made the most spectacular exit, flipping multiple times in Turn 4.
On the final restart, with five laps left, Weddell jumped out to a four-length lead, while Chris Crecelius challenged Midgett for second.
By the finish, Weddell's winning margin had grown to almost a straightaway over Midgett, who fought off Crecelius for the runner-up spot. Styron was fourth and joined the top three finishers in advancing to the Top Dog finale. Brooks was fifth at the end.
***
Scott Prillaman was fastest among 34 drivers in afternoon time trials, held before doors opened to the public. His 8.091-second lap was 13-thousandths of a second quicker than the effort posted by Adam Florian. The results of the session represented a reversal of fortune for Prillaman, who had been nipped by his former teammate in qualifying for the season's first two events. Spencer Saunders, Derek Miller and Patrick Morgan rounded out the top five on the speed chart.
Just over a second separated Prillaman from the 34th-fastest qualifier, Curt Curtis, and the separation among the top 31 was less than half a second.
***
Nov. 7 RACE RESULTS from Hampton Coliseum:
TOP DOG (50 laps): 1. Adam Florian; 2. Scott Prillaman; 3. Jordan Wood; 4. Spencer Saunders; 5. Robbie Davis; 6. Aaron Leach; 7. Michael Weddell; 8. Travis Wall; 9. Matt Midgett; 10. Chris Crecelius; 11. Charlie Green; 12. Zach Moran; 13. Jason Styron; 14. Anthony Perez. Pole: Wall.
A MAIN (50 laps): 1. Jordan Wood; 2. Charlie Green; 3. Spencer Saunders; 4. Adam Florian; 5. Travis Wall; 6. Scott Prillaman; 7. Landon Florian; 8. Patrick Morgan; 9. Derek Miller; 10. Matt Leach; 11. Nelson Moody; 12. Cody Turbitt. Pole: Green.
B MAIN (50 laps): 1. Aaron Leach; 2. Robbie Davis; 3. Anthony Perez; 4. Zach Moran; 5. Curtis Hughes; 6. Brad Hancock; 7. Josh Ayer; 8. Brittany Bangas; 9. Clayton Parrish; 10. Chris Raiford; 11. Mike Dayton. Pole: A. Leach.
C MAIN (50 laps): 1. Michael Weddell; 2. Matt Midgett; 3. Chris Crecelius; 4. Jason Styron; 5. Mark Brooks; 6. Cory Millard; 7. Sammy Gaita; 8. Mike Conley; 9. Curt Curtis; 10. Sparky West; 11. Craig Carlton. Pole: Midgett.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday, Nov. 21 @ Hampton Coliseum. Doors open at 6 PM and racing begins at 7 PM.
MEDIA CONTACT: Blake Murphy
Phone: 757.216.4426
E-mail: Blake@ArenaRacingUSA.com
Travis Wall drew the pole for the start of the race and vaulted out front as the initial green flag went in the air. Florian, Wall's front-row partner, dropped into second place, followed by Zach Moran, Anthony Perez and Jason Styron.
The first caution flag flew on lap 8 when Jordan Wood spun in Turn 2. As Wood's machine was coming to rest, Perez, Styron and Aaron Leach stacked up in Turn 3. Styron and Perez were eliminated by the incident.
Wall and Florian shared the front row again as the field bunched for a double-file restart. Back under green, they remained side-by-side with Florian edging ahead at the end of the 10th circuit. He cleared Wall at the entrance to Turn 1 on lap 13. Deeper in the field, Scott Prillaman was on the move, slipping by Moran and Michael Weddell to take over third.
By lap 17, Florian had stretched his lead to half a straightaway over Wall, who was busy defending the second spot from Prillaman. Prillaman grabbed the position on lap 22 and set sail after Florian, who was coming into slower traffic.
With Florian mired in traffic, Prillaman quickly narrowed the gap, pulling up on the leader's bumper on lap 32. On lap 33, Prillaman motored to the outside of Florian off Turn 2 in a bid for the top spot.
Before that battle could develop further, the second caution flag waved as Charlie Green slowed to a crawl with a flat tire.
As the race resumed, Florian bolted ahead of Prillaman and left the inside lane open for Wall, who drove underneath Prillaman. Three laps later, though, Wall got loose and spun in Turn 4, prompting caution #3.
The green flag reappeared on lap 40 and, once again, Florian got a jackrabbit start on Prillaman. Officials weren't satisfied, though, and the yellow flag -- the fourth, and final, one of the race -- immediately came back out. During the caution period, Florian was warned about his restart tactics.
Under green for the final time, Prillaman remained on Florian's flank until they reached Turn 1. At that point, Florian gained the clear-cut edge, while Wood poked his nose under Prillaman in a bid for second. The move didn't pay off for Wood, though, as Prillaman pulled away in search of Florian.
Prillaman remained in contention for the win until losing ground in Turns 3 and 4 with a couple laps to go. Suddenly granted some breathing room, Florian cruised on to the checkers. Prillaman tried to rally in the closing circuits, but came up two lengths short at the line.
Wood tailed Florian and Prillaman to the finish, in third, followed by Spencer Saunders and Robbie Davis. Leach was sixth, while Weddell, Wall and Matt Midgett were seventh through ninth, respectively. Chris Crecelius completed the top 10, a lap off the pace.
With three events in the books, the series will take next weekend off, then return to action at the Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 21.
***
Jordan Wood snagged the lead on the first lap and led all the way for his first victory of the new campaign in the 50-lap A Main, which ran caution-free -- an Arena Racing rarity.
Charlie Green was the pole-sitter for the event, sharing the front row with Wood. As the race got going, the two went door-to-door until they reached Turn 4. Exiting the corner, Green two-wheeled the turn and Wood shot ahead.
After giving up the lead, Green settled into second, followed by rookie Landon Florian, Matt Leach, Spencer Saunders and Travis Wall. Adam Florian, who started 11th in the 12-car field, emerged from the opening shuffle in seventh.
On lap 10, Saunders nosed underneath Leach in Turn 1 and took over third place, leaving the door open for Wall and Adam Florian. Landon Florian, who had gotten shuffled back in the running order earlier, followed his brother's cue and bypassed Leach with Patrick Morgan and Scott Prillaman in tow.
Meanwhile, Green had closed in on Wood and was searching for an opening. As they battled, nose-to-tail, though, slower traffic loomed ahead. On lap 28, Adam Florian scooted past Wall for fourth place.
Prillaman slipped by Landon Florian for sixth place on lap 36, gaining the final Top Dog transfer position.
Wood and Green ran up on traffic on lap 40. As they carefully sorted through the slower machines, Saunders and Adam Florian, the third- and fourth-place runners, began to close in.
Saunders' bid to run down the lead duo was sidetracked on lap 43 when Florian ducked to his inside in Turn 2. Saunders and Florian went side-by-side until lap 46 when Saunders regained command of the position.
At the finish, Wood held on to win by a car-length over Green. Saunders was third, followed by Adam Florian and Wall. Prillaman was sixth and joined the top five in moving on to the Top Dog finale.
***
Aaron Leach led from pole to checkers and earned his first win of the young season in the 50-lap B Main.
Leach shared the front row with rookie contender Josh Ayer and moved out front on the opening circuit. Meanwhile, Robbie Davis closed in to challenge Ayer for second.
The first caution flag flew on lap 3 for a multi-car melee in Turn 4 that ended with Brittany Bangas overturning. Of the four drivers involved in the mishap, only Mike Dayton was sidelined. He was joined in the infield by Chris Raiford, who pulled aside during the ensuing caution period.
Back under green, Davis slipped under and past Ayer to take over the runner-up spot. The shuffle allowed Leach to pad his lead to four lengths. With second place firmly in his grip, though, Davis began to narrow the gap.
By lap 17, Davis had closed to within a car-length of Leach's rear bumper. Nearing the halfway mark, however, Leach began to ease away, widening his margin to two lengths.
The second caution flag waved on lap 27 when Clayton Parrish and Curtis Hughes tangled and careened into the Turn 1 wall. The incident eliminated Parrish from contention.
As the race resumed, the top four -- Leach, Davis, Anthony Perez and Zach Moran -- bolted from the pack. Davis poked a fender alongside Leach on lap 30, but couldn't pull off the pass and dropped back in line.
The third and fourth yellow flags appeared on laps 37 and 44, respectively, as the running order at the head of the field remained unchanged.
On the final restart, Leach fashioned a slim edge over Davis and held on to win by a car-length. Perez was third, while Moran took fourth and claimed the final Top Dog qualifying position. Hughes was fifth to the line.
***
Michael Weddell took the lead on lap 9 and showed the way to his first feature victory of the season in the 50-lap C Main.
Matt Midgett drew the pole for the start of the event and grabbed the top spot in Turn 2 on the opening lap. Weddell, who started fifth, moved up to second in the opening circuits, followed by Jason Styron and Sparky West.
Midgett enjoyed a half-straightaway advantage when the first caution flag waved on lap 5 as Mark Brooks overturned in Turn 2.
Back under green, Midgett and Weddell broke away in nose-to-tail formation. Weddell shadowed Midgett for a little more than a lap, then slipped to the leader's inside on lap 6. The two went side-by-side until lap 9 when Weddell surged out front, leaving the door open for Styron and West.
Between laps 13 and 44, the race was interrupted by five more caution flags and the field was whittled down to only five cars. Sidelined in the multitude of accidents were West, Craig Carlton, Mike Conley, Curt Curtis, Sammy Gaita and Cory Millard, who made the most spectacular exit, flipping multiple times in Turn 4.
On the final restart, with five laps left, Weddell jumped out to a four-length lead, while Chris Crecelius challenged Midgett for second.
By the finish, Weddell's winning margin had grown to almost a straightaway over Midgett, who fought off Crecelius for the runner-up spot. Styron was fourth and joined the top three finishers in advancing to the Top Dog finale. Brooks was fifth at the end.
***
Scott Prillaman was fastest among 34 drivers in afternoon time trials, held before doors opened to the public. His 8.091-second lap was 13-thousandths of a second quicker than the effort posted by Adam Florian. The results of the session represented a reversal of fortune for Prillaman, who had been nipped by his former teammate in qualifying for the season's first two events. Spencer Saunders, Derek Miller and Patrick Morgan rounded out the top five on the speed chart.
Just over a second separated Prillaman from the 34th-fastest qualifier, Curt Curtis, and the separation among the top 31 was less than half a second.
***
Nov. 7 RACE RESULTS from Hampton Coliseum:
TOP DOG (50 laps): 1. Adam Florian; 2. Scott Prillaman; 3. Jordan Wood; 4. Spencer Saunders; 5. Robbie Davis; 6. Aaron Leach; 7. Michael Weddell; 8. Travis Wall; 9. Matt Midgett; 10. Chris Crecelius; 11. Charlie Green; 12. Zach Moran; 13. Jason Styron; 14. Anthony Perez. Pole: Wall.
A MAIN (50 laps): 1. Jordan Wood; 2. Charlie Green; 3. Spencer Saunders; 4. Adam Florian; 5. Travis Wall; 6. Scott Prillaman; 7. Landon Florian; 8. Patrick Morgan; 9. Derek Miller; 10. Matt Leach; 11. Nelson Moody; 12. Cody Turbitt. Pole: Green.
B MAIN (50 laps): 1. Aaron Leach; 2. Robbie Davis; 3. Anthony Perez; 4. Zach Moran; 5. Curtis Hughes; 6. Brad Hancock; 7. Josh Ayer; 8. Brittany Bangas; 9. Clayton Parrish; 10. Chris Raiford; 11. Mike Dayton. Pole: A. Leach.
C MAIN (50 laps): 1. Michael Weddell; 2. Matt Midgett; 3. Chris Crecelius; 4. Jason Styron; 5. Mark Brooks; 6. Cory Millard; 7. Sammy Gaita; 8. Mike Conley; 9. Curt Curtis; 10. Sparky West; 11. Craig Carlton. Pole: Midgett.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday, Nov. 21 @ Hampton Coliseum. Doors open at 6 PM and racing begins at 7 PM.
MEDIA CONTACT: Blake Murphy
Phone: 757.216.4426
E-mail: Blake@ArenaRacingUSA.com