RaceJunkie
05-08-2006, 01:43 PM
JACK PENNINGTON ROCK AND ROLLS TO CHECKERED FLAG
BEFORE PACKED HOUSE IN FAYETTEVILLE, NC
...Veteran Stock Car Ace Roars from 17th Starting
Position to Take Home Second Carolina Clash Win of
2006
(Fayetteville, N.C. - May 7, 2006) Jack Pennington
became the first Carolina Clash driver of the 2006
season to score multiple wins with a wild charge
through the field from a 17th place starting spot to
earn a $4,000 win at Fayetteville Motor Speedway. It
was a big night for the Pennington family as the
father-son duo of Jack and rookie Travis Pennington
each scored top-ten runs in the special event at
Fayetteville.
Pennington, the 1990 NASCAR Nextel Cup runnerup for
the rookie crown, was pleased to score his second win
of the Carolina Clash season, but was a bit dazzled
with the rough conditions of the track.
'I never look a gift horse in the mouth, because I was
glad we could win here tonight, but these rough track
conditions are getting a little old and tough on all
of our equipment,' said Pennington after the wild
night of racing at Fayetteville. 'We all realize that
rain and certain conditions make things tough for
track owners to prepare their tracks, but there has
got to be a better solution than what we have seen at
different tracks in the last month.'
Heavy rains on Friday created a muddy bog at
Fayetteville and track officials scrambled to get the
track in shape, but were facing an uphill battle with
the extremely wet conditions, which is a situation
which several facilities have encountered during the
past four events.
'I just don't think racecars need to be on tracks when
conditions are like this,' Pennington continued, 'We
need to all work together with communication in order
to try and get the message to the track owners on just
how serious this issue is. But we survived and it was
actually a good night overall for our entire team. We
didn't tear anything up too bad and Travis
(Pennington's son) ended up with a top-ten finish,'
the winning Pennington said with a big grin, 'I think
I'm prouder of him than I am for our win.'
The win was Pennington's sixth career Carolina Clash
victory. Legendary racer Mike Duvall wound up in
second with a strong run of his own as the Cowpens, SC
driver finished just a car length behind the winner,
moving Duvall into third place in the tour's
championship standings. The intense battles for
position on the track saw third place in the event
decided at the finish line when Danny Breuer blasted
past Benji Cole at the checkered flag. Breuer had
started in the sixteenth spot and brought his car
through the field with a charge on the hige side of
the race track. Much like Breuer's run, Cole's fourth
place finish was a crowd thriller as the Georgia
driver overcame the bad luck that has plagued him
during the early portion of the Carolina Clash season
with a run from dead last in the starting grid to end
up in fourth place. Cole's charge earned him the Hard
Charger of the Race award. Noel Tucker followed up his
win last week with with another top-five run keeping
him in second place in the series' championship
standings just fifteen markers behind points leader
Ricky Weeks. Sixth through tenth in the final rundown
were Shawn Beasley, the highest finishing rookie in
the event, followed by David Smith, Scott Shirey,
fifteen year old Travis Pennington and Travis Hair in
tenth.
There were numerous lead changes throughout the event
at different locations on the race track, however,
officially at the start-finish line there were four
different leaders with Pennington taking the front
spot on lap 13 and holding off fierce charges from
Duvall and Cole in the closing laps. The season's
leading Rookie of the Year contender G. R. Smith led
the first 9 laps of the event after setting the fast
time in qualifying to become the first Carolina Clash
driver in 2006 to earn more than one pole award. Smith
rocketed around Fayetteville Motor Speedway in his
Pro-Power Engine/Giacobbe Trucking Pontiac GTO in an
elapsed time of 17.361 seconds to best the 37 entries
in time trials. On a lap ten restart Smith snapped a
driveshaft and would crash with second place running
Neil Welch. Smith's night was over as Welch had to go
to the rear of the field after the caution, thus
handing the lead over to Noel Tucker for lap 10.
Jeffrey Tyndall took the front spot over for laps 11
and 12, until Pennington blasted by in his Warrior
Race Car powered by a Clements Racing Engine on lap 13
to take the lead for good.
'Jack was on a roll tonight and we're real happy for
him, but I think he's as happy for Travis as he is for
his own win,' commented Ronnie Milford who owns the
two car team driven by veteran 'Lighning' Jack
Pennington and his teenage son Travis.
'We just told Travis to take his time and stay calm
and he would wind up with a solid finish,' Milford
continued following the wild and long night in
Fayetteville. 'Travis is a good listener, learns from
his experiences on the track and he's an excellent
young racer with many of the same traits and talents
that have led to his dad's successes. We're glad to
get out of this night with a pair of top-tens and even
more proud of Jack for his winning effort tonight,'
Milford stated as he congratulated winning crew chief
Tim Headen with a bear hug.
'I just want to add one thing,' said Milford in a
serious tone, 'All of the drivers and team owners
understand that the Carolina Clash officials are
trying to do everything possible to communicate with
the track owners about the conditions of some of these
tracks, but the tracks need to listen and understand
that rough tracks like the ones we have encountered
during the past few weeks are dangerous,' Milford
stated with emphasis. 'All of the teams are tearing up
a lot of equipment and that cost a lot of money, but
more importantly these tracks need to start thinking
seriously about the safety of the drivers who are
committed to these events.'
The event was slowed by 11 caution periods with the
most significant coming on lap 16 when Tyndall and
series points leader Ricky Weeks crashed hard exiting
turn 2. Tyndall's car hooked a rut and vaulted out of
shape leaving Weeks no route of escape and when the
two cars collided Tyndall's ride flipped and wound up
on its roof down the backstretch. Both drivers were
able to walk away uninjured, but Tyndall's strong run
was ended. Week's, who had charged up to third from a
21st place start saw his championship points lead
dwindle as he would eventually finish 10 laps off the
pace after returning to the event following a lengthly
visit to the pits for repairs.
Local favorite and former Carolina Clash Series
champion Scott Autry had his Layfayette Ford/Wood's
Logging and Timber sponsored Ford Fusion sprinting to
the front before losing a driveshaft on lap 15. Autry
had started 19th and had blasted into the top three in
just nine laps before his mechanical problems
sidelined his night. Several other drivers, including
Larry Blankenship, who had started the night third in
the tour's point standings, endured scary encounters
throughout the evening. Blankenship's night finally
ended with a lap 28 crash in turn 4, but still managed
an 11th place finish and holds onto the fourth
position in the series' standings.
The Carolina Clash tour moves on to a double-header
weekend with stops at Thunder Valley Speedway on
Friday night (May 12) in Lawndale, NC before moving
down to I-20 Speedway for the Saturday night (May 13)
feature in Batesburg, SC.
Official Finish for Carolina Clash Super Late Model
Series
Saturday (May 6, 2006)
Fayetteville Motor Speedway
Fayetteville, NC
Finish (Starting Position)/Driver/Hometown/Laps
1. (17) JACK PENNINGTON (Winston, GA) 30 $4,000
2. (9) Mike Duvall (Cowpens, SC) 30
3. (16) Dan Breuer (Troutman, NC) 30
4. (24) Benji Cole (Canon, GA) 30
5. (4) Noel Tucker (Mount Airy, NC) 30
6. (18) Shawn Beasley (Raeford, NC) 30
7. (8) David Smith (Inman, SC) 30
8. (22) Scott Shirey (Swansea, SC) 30
9. (12) Travis Pennington (Winston, GA) 30
10. (7) Travis Hair (Fayetteville, NC) 28
11. (23) Larry Blankenship (Mooresville, NC) 28
12. (15) Dean Bowen (Whiteville, NC) 27
13. (14) Gary Mabe (Danbury, NC) 27
14. (10) Hank Edwards (Hope Mills, NC) 26
15. (13) Jeff Smith (Kings Mountain, NC) 21
16. (21) Ricky Weeks (Rutherfordton, NC) 20
17. (3) Neil Welch (Greensboro, NC) 18
18. (6) Jeffrey Tyndall (Autryville, NC) 16
19. (5) Deano Long (Saluda, SC) 15
20. (19) Scott Autry (Fayetteville, NC) 14
21. (1) G. R. Smith (Folsom, NJ) 9
22. (2) David Dick (Summerfield, NC) 9
23. (11) Timmy Blackwell (Fayetteville, NC)
24. (20) Clint Elkins (Lincolnton, NC) 1
Lap Leaders: G.R. Smith, Laps 1-9; Noel Tucker, Lap
10; Jeffrey Tyndall, Laps 11-12; Jack Pennington, Laps
13-20.
Cautions: 11
Fast Gun Qualifying Award: G. R. Smith (17.361
seconds, 82.945 mph avg.)
American Race Tire Consolation Event Winners: Dan
Breuer and Jack Pennington
Hard Charger of the Race Award: Benji Cole
Dirt Trax Motorsports Tough Luck Award: Neil Welch
Rookie of the Race: Shawn Beasley
Entries: 37
Carolina Clash Point Standings following Event #6 of
33 (As of May 7, 2006): 1. Ricky Weeks 915 2. Noel
Tucker 900 3. Mike Duvall 863 4. Larry Blankenship
835 5. David Smith 831 6. Jeff Smith 788 7. Deano
Long 717.5 8. David Dick 689.5 9. Petey Ivey 677
10. Clint Elkins 662 11. Jack Pennington 615 12.
G.R. Smith (R) 603 13. Dennis Franklin 601 14. Scott
Shirey 574 15. Dan Breuer 518 16. Benji Cole 517
17. Doug Sanders 502 18. Kelly Guy 487 19. Jeff
Cooke 479 20. Furman Parton (R) 447
BEFORE PACKED HOUSE IN FAYETTEVILLE, NC
...Veteran Stock Car Ace Roars from 17th Starting
Position to Take Home Second Carolina Clash Win of
2006
(Fayetteville, N.C. - May 7, 2006) Jack Pennington
became the first Carolina Clash driver of the 2006
season to score multiple wins with a wild charge
through the field from a 17th place starting spot to
earn a $4,000 win at Fayetteville Motor Speedway. It
was a big night for the Pennington family as the
father-son duo of Jack and rookie Travis Pennington
each scored top-ten runs in the special event at
Fayetteville.
Pennington, the 1990 NASCAR Nextel Cup runnerup for
the rookie crown, was pleased to score his second win
of the Carolina Clash season, but was a bit dazzled
with the rough conditions of the track.
'I never look a gift horse in the mouth, because I was
glad we could win here tonight, but these rough track
conditions are getting a little old and tough on all
of our equipment,' said Pennington after the wild
night of racing at Fayetteville. 'We all realize that
rain and certain conditions make things tough for
track owners to prepare their tracks, but there has
got to be a better solution than what we have seen at
different tracks in the last month.'
Heavy rains on Friday created a muddy bog at
Fayetteville and track officials scrambled to get the
track in shape, but were facing an uphill battle with
the extremely wet conditions, which is a situation
which several facilities have encountered during the
past four events.
'I just don't think racecars need to be on tracks when
conditions are like this,' Pennington continued, 'We
need to all work together with communication in order
to try and get the message to the track owners on just
how serious this issue is. But we survived and it was
actually a good night overall for our entire team. We
didn't tear anything up too bad and Travis
(Pennington's son) ended up with a top-ten finish,'
the winning Pennington said with a big grin, 'I think
I'm prouder of him than I am for our win.'
The win was Pennington's sixth career Carolina Clash
victory. Legendary racer Mike Duvall wound up in
second with a strong run of his own as the Cowpens, SC
driver finished just a car length behind the winner,
moving Duvall into third place in the tour's
championship standings. The intense battles for
position on the track saw third place in the event
decided at the finish line when Danny Breuer blasted
past Benji Cole at the checkered flag. Breuer had
started in the sixteenth spot and brought his car
through the field with a charge on the hige side of
the race track. Much like Breuer's run, Cole's fourth
place finish was a crowd thriller as the Georgia
driver overcame the bad luck that has plagued him
during the early portion of the Carolina Clash season
with a run from dead last in the starting grid to end
up in fourth place. Cole's charge earned him the Hard
Charger of the Race award. Noel Tucker followed up his
win last week with with another top-five run keeping
him in second place in the series' championship
standings just fifteen markers behind points leader
Ricky Weeks. Sixth through tenth in the final rundown
were Shawn Beasley, the highest finishing rookie in
the event, followed by David Smith, Scott Shirey,
fifteen year old Travis Pennington and Travis Hair in
tenth.
There were numerous lead changes throughout the event
at different locations on the race track, however,
officially at the start-finish line there were four
different leaders with Pennington taking the front
spot on lap 13 and holding off fierce charges from
Duvall and Cole in the closing laps. The season's
leading Rookie of the Year contender G. R. Smith led
the first 9 laps of the event after setting the fast
time in qualifying to become the first Carolina Clash
driver in 2006 to earn more than one pole award. Smith
rocketed around Fayetteville Motor Speedway in his
Pro-Power Engine/Giacobbe Trucking Pontiac GTO in an
elapsed time of 17.361 seconds to best the 37 entries
in time trials. On a lap ten restart Smith snapped a
driveshaft and would crash with second place running
Neil Welch. Smith's night was over as Welch had to go
to the rear of the field after the caution, thus
handing the lead over to Noel Tucker for lap 10.
Jeffrey Tyndall took the front spot over for laps 11
and 12, until Pennington blasted by in his Warrior
Race Car powered by a Clements Racing Engine on lap 13
to take the lead for good.
'Jack was on a roll tonight and we're real happy for
him, but I think he's as happy for Travis as he is for
his own win,' commented Ronnie Milford who owns the
two car team driven by veteran 'Lighning' Jack
Pennington and his teenage son Travis.
'We just told Travis to take his time and stay calm
and he would wind up with a solid finish,' Milford
continued following the wild and long night in
Fayetteville. 'Travis is a good listener, learns from
his experiences on the track and he's an excellent
young racer with many of the same traits and talents
that have led to his dad's successes. We're glad to
get out of this night with a pair of top-tens and even
more proud of Jack for his winning effort tonight,'
Milford stated as he congratulated winning crew chief
Tim Headen with a bear hug.
'I just want to add one thing,' said Milford in a
serious tone, 'All of the drivers and team owners
understand that the Carolina Clash officials are
trying to do everything possible to communicate with
the track owners about the conditions of some of these
tracks, but the tracks need to listen and understand
that rough tracks like the ones we have encountered
during the past few weeks are dangerous,' Milford
stated with emphasis. 'All of the teams are tearing up
a lot of equipment and that cost a lot of money, but
more importantly these tracks need to start thinking
seriously about the safety of the drivers who are
committed to these events.'
The event was slowed by 11 caution periods with the
most significant coming on lap 16 when Tyndall and
series points leader Ricky Weeks crashed hard exiting
turn 2. Tyndall's car hooked a rut and vaulted out of
shape leaving Weeks no route of escape and when the
two cars collided Tyndall's ride flipped and wound up
on its roof down the backstretch. Both drivers were
able to walk away uninjured, but Tyndall's strong run
was ended. Week's, who had charged up to third from a
21st place start saw his championship points lead
dwindle as he would eventually finish 10 laps off the
pace after returning to the event following a lengthly
visit to the pits for repairs.
Local favorite and former Carolina Clash Series
champion Scott Autry had his Layfayette Ford/Wood's
Logging and Timber sponsored Ford Fusion sprinting to
the front before losing a driveshaft on lap 15. Autry
had started 19th and had blasted into the top three in
just nine laps before his mechanical problems
sidelined his night. Several other drivers, including
Larry Blankenship, who had started the night third in
the tour's point standings, endured scary encounters
throughout the evening. Blankenship's night finally
ended with a lap 28 crash in turn 4, but still managed
an 11th place finish and holds onto the fourth
position in the series' standings.
The Carolina Clash tour moves on to a double-header
weekend with stops at Thunder Valley Speedway on
Friday night (May 12) in Lawndale, NC before moving
down to I-20 Speedway for the Saturday night (May 13)
feature in Batesburg, SC.
Official Finish for Carolina Clash Super Late Model
Series
Saturday (May 6, 2006)
Fayetteville Motor Speedway
Fayetteville, NC
Finish (Starting Position)/Driver/Hometown/Laps
1. (17) JACK PENNINGTON (Winston, GA) 30 $4,000
2. (9) Mike Duvall (Cowpens, SC) 30
3. (16) Dan Breuer (Troutman, NC) 30
4. (24) Benji Cole (Canon, GA) 30
5. (4) Noel Tucker (Mount Airy, NC) 30
6. (18) Shawn Beasley (Raeford, NC) 30
7. (8) David Smith (Inman, SC) 30
8. (22) Scott Shirey (Swansea, SC) 30
9. (12) Travis Pennington (Winston, GA) 30
10. (7) Travis Hair (Fayetteville, NC) 28
11. (23) Larry Blankenship (Mooresville, NC) 28
12. (15) Dean Bowen (Whiteville, NC) 27
13. (14) Gary Mabe (Danbury, NC) 27
14. (10) Hank Edwards (Hope Mills, NC) 26
15. (13) Jeff Smith (Kings Mountain, NC) 21
16. (21) Ricky Weeks (Rutherfordton, NC) 20
17. (3) Neil Welch (Greensboro, NC) 18
18. (6) Jeffrey Tyndall (Autryville, NC) 16
19. (5) Deano Long (Saluda, SC) 15
20. (19) Scott Autry (Fayetteville, NC) 14
21. (1) G. R. Smith (Folsom, NJ) 9
22. (2) David Dick (Summerfield, NC) 9
23. (11) Timmy Blackwell (Fayetteville, NC)
24. (20) Clint Elkins (Lincolnton, NC) 1
Lap Leaders: G.R. Smith, Laps 1-9; Noel Tucker, Lap
10; Jeffrey Tyndall, Laps 11-12; Jack Pennington, Laps
13-20.
Cautions: 11
Fast Gun Qualifying Award: G. R. Smith (17.361
seconds, 82.945 mph avg.)
American Race Tire Consolation Event Winners: Dan
Breuer and Jack Pennington
Hard Charger of the Race Award: Benji Cole
Dirt Trax Motorsports Tough Luck Award: Neil Welch
Rookie of the Race: Shawn Beasley
Entries: 37
Carolina Clash Point Standings following Event #6 of
33 (As of May 7, 2006): 1. Ricky Weeks 915 2. Noel
Tucker 900 3. Mike Duvall 863 4. Larry Blankenship
835 5. David Smith 831 6. Jeff Smith 788 7. Deano
Long 717.5 8. David Dick 689.5 9. Petey Ivey 677
10. Clint Elkins 662 11. Jack Pennington 615 12.
G.R. Smith (R) 603 13. Dennis Franklin 601 14. Scott
Shirey 574 15. Dan Breuer 518 16. Benji Cole 517
17. Doug Sanders 502 18. Kelly Guy 487 19. Jeff
Cooke 479 20. Furman Parton (R) 447