Garvey wins at South Alabama Speedway

Muskegon's Mike Garvey returned to victory lane as he won the 100 lap event at South Alabama Speedway (AL) in the Viper Pro Late Model Series.

1) Mike Garvey
2) Colt James
3) Brandon Odom
4) Josh Hamner
5) Bobby Knox, Jr

Mike Garvey Picks Up First Win of the Year

Garvey Back In Viper Series Victory Lane

By Ryan McCollough

Mike Garvey took the lead from Josh Hamner and held off a charging Colt James to take the win in the Pigmy 100 at South Alabama Speedway Saturday night.

Garvey and the Tracy Goodson Racing team came to Opp, AL looking to break a season-long slump. The bright spot of the year coming in to Saturday night’s 100 lapper was a win in Mobile in March that was tossed out in post-race technical inspection.

“We are about 50 to 75% to where we need to be,” said Garvey. “We have been fighting tight all year, and tonight it got tight, but not that bad.”

Garvey started on the pole after a re-draw reset the top-five starters, but on the start, Hamner used the outside line to take the lead on lap two. For the next 49 laps, Garvey stalked Hamner, never letting the #7 Hamner Racing Engines Chevrolet to get a comfortable lead.

Garvey dove under Hamner on a restart at lap 50 and scooted by him a lap later off of turn two.

Hamner, who later said that his car, “got way too tight in the second half,” began to fade back. Hamner’s issues allowed for Colt James to take second.

Garvey was able to keep James behind him through a series of late restarts to take home Tracy Goodson Racing’s first win of the year.

“The guy (James) is a good little racer. Over the last couple of years, we’ve had a bunch of real close races. He races hard, and he races clean, and I really appreciate that.”

James made his first start at South Alabama Speedway Saturday night, and nearly came away with a win.

“I’m a little disappointed, but with the way our year has been, I can’t be too upset,” James said. “I really don’t like laying the bumper to somebody, because you always have to think about what they are going to do to you next time around.”

Coming in to Saturday night’s race, the man to beat at South Alabama Speedway was Bubba Pollard. Pollard had won two of the year’s three Viper races, but Saturday proved to be a humbling day at the track. The Ronnie Sanders Racing team had axle issues all day long, and even had to cut one with a grinder to even be able to present the car for the race. The makeshift axle broke on the initial start and Pollard went home, not even completing a lap.

“We knew it was going to be iffy, but we had to try to make a lap to get the points.”
Pollard’s issues gave the Viper points lead to Brandon Odom.

The next Viper series race, the Copperhead 100, is set for August 6th.