It was very interestng to read some recent articles with quotes from Coopersvilles Butch Miller and Muskegon's Mike Garvey. Both drivers made their rise up the racing ladder, but interestingly enough read their quotes below.
Miller’s racing career took off in the 1980s when he won 1987 and 1988 championships in the now defunct AC-Delco American Speed Association Challenge Series while driving for Throop. That helped launch Miller’s NASCAR career.
Miller landed a full-time Cup ride with car owner Travis Carter in 1990 but was replaced after 23 races. He later went racing in Nationwide and then NASCAR’s Camping World Truck division, finishing fourth in the series point standings in 1995 and seventh in 1996.
While Miller had an opportunity to race against the best in NASCAR, he said those weren’t the favorite days of his career.
“It wasn’t Cup. Cup was the worst time I ever had,” Miller said. “Up until then, I was hands-on. The minute I went Cup racing, I couldn’t be hands-on. Too many people wanted your attention. The sponsors, press, I don’t know. It was too business-like.
“I will tell you what, the most fun a driver will ever have is running Saturday night at Berlin. If you are lucky enough to get to the (Camping World) Trucks, it’s not going to be as much fun. If you go there from Nationwide, it’s going to be less fun. The higher you go, the less fun that you have.
“Saturday night racing is where the fun is.”
Mike Garvey also has driven in the NASCAR Truck, Nationwide and even Sprint Cup series.
“It’s not that it’s not any fun, it’s just a business,” Garvey said, explaining his decision to keep chasing this year not on the top three NASCAR circuits, but instead going after smaller checks but bigger thrills on short-track asphalt tracks.
Garvey recently talked about short track racing during an interview at Five Flags Speedway in Florida. “It’s a riot,” Garvey said. “I’ve done a lot of other stuff. This is just a lot of fun. We get to hang out with our friends, we get to race. This is way more fun than anything else.”
Garvey said the camaraderie at the small tracks still prevails. The competition is fierce, but friendly. That is getting more difficult to find at racing’s top levels.“These guys are our friends. We work with them,” he said. “It’s not so much money that everybody’s uptight. We have fun doing it. We race hard and we try to win, but we’re having fun doing it.”
“That’s the biggest misconception,” he said. “Not everybody wants to be a Sprint Cup guy. There’s great racers any local race track you go to that are capable of running with anybody, anywhere. And they’re content doing this.“You can find just as much competition here at Opp this weekend as you can in a Sprint Cup race.”
Go visit your local tracks. You might realize what two of top short rack racers of all time already know. Money can buy you top equipment and even a ride, but it can’t buy you talent. Some of the best talent in racing might just be in your own backyard.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Winner at Berlin Raceway brings smoking tire into victory lane
By Steve Ungrey The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
MARNE – Caleb Bisacky didn’t mind taking a little abuse when he entered victory lane.
The Spring Lake driver entered the lane with a smoking right tire, which was quickly taken care of by his track personnel. All this while Bisacky endured showers from his friends and family, with everything from water to beer landing on the driver’s head.
It was a fun time for Bisacky, who captured his first feature win in nearly two years Saturday at Berlin Raceway. Bisacky captured the third Super Late Models feature of the season, beating Hudsonville driver Terry VanHaitsma by .63 seconds and Chris Anthony by 2.86 seconds.
VanHaitsma had captured both previous features, and Bisacky entered the event ranked 14th in the point standings.
“I was using a lot of brake at the end and I think that’s why I had the smoking tire,” Bisacky said. “I think I was three-wide with (Johnny) VanDoorn and (Tim) DeVos at the start of the event.”
Bisacky drove a redone Port City car in the 100-lap feature. He’d had problems with the vehicle during the Rowdy 251 race, so he immediately went back to work to improve the car.
“We were able to finish that race, but we did some work on that car between now and the Super Late and I was very confident about it,” Bisacky said. “It’s a brand new car this year and it’s been really good since I bought it. We were all playing follow the leader in this race and with about 30 laps to go I said it’s time. We wanted to win this badly.”
The feature was part of Racing Awareness night, with proceeds from raffle tickets and T-shirt sales going to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
Jenison driver Kevin DeGood picked up his second Modifieds win of the season, when he beat out teammate Adam Chase by nearly six-tenths of a second in the 30-lap feature. It was his first win since May 19, when DeGood knocked off Ryan Hamm by 2.2 seconds.
DeGood has raced in Sportsman and Pro Stocks for the past decade, finishing sixth in Sportsman in 2005 and was a frequent top-10 finisher between 2006 and 2010. He took last year off and helped Dave Lake with the Racing Awareness vehicle, but the itch to race soon hit once again. รข€¨“I used to race and last year I took the year off to crew for Dave on this car, and I was fortunate enough to have Norm (Jelsma) and Jeff (Striegle) offer me the ride after 2011,” DeGood said.
Jelsma and Striegle are co-owners on the Racing Awareness team.
DeGood needed about two-thirds of the race to pull ahead. DeGood admitted he was riding the car through the first 20 laps before going all out in the final 10 laps.
“I was trying to catch (Chase) but I wasn’t trying to override the car,” DeGood said. “Save the tires and hammer down in the final laps.”
Tony Davis took the checkered flag in the 25-lap Sportsman event. Davis defeated Randy Veldman by .61 seconds to pick up his fifth feature victory of 2012.
The 15-lap 4-cylinder feature went to Charlie DeJong by just over one second, with Dave Duyst finishing in second. DeJong is in second in the point standings behind five-time winner Mike Speet.
Justin Ryan captured his fourth Super Stock victory of the year, holding off Andrew Nylaan by 1.01 seconds and category leader Nate Walton by 2.42 seconds. Ryan was second in the overall standings behind Walton entering Saturday’s action, as Walton held a very slim 1-point lead.
RESULTS4-CYLINDER (15 laps)1. Charlie DeJong (5 minutes, 26.418 seconds), 2. Dave Duyst, 3. Jason Essex, 4. Seth VanHorssen, 5. Jackson Walker, 6. Jerry Smith, 7. Kyle VanDrunen, 8. Zack Clark, 9. Steven Holtzlander, 10. Sierra Lantz.
MODIFIED (30 laps)1. Kevin DeGood (9:12.666), 2. Adam Chase, 3. Billy Shotko, 4. Billy Eppink, 5. Ben Welch, 6. Randy DeBoer, 7. Ryan Hamm, 8. Rob Shoemaker.
SUPER STOCKS (30 laps)1. Justin Ryan (17:35.874), 2. Andrew Nylaan, 3. Nate Walton, 4. Seth Moody, 5. Will Olmsted, 6. Denny Anderson, 7. Dave Hull, 8. Bob Bliss, 9. Jeremy Munniksma, 10. Dennis Mann, 11. Nick Bonstell, 12. Cole Roelofs, 13. Trever McCoy.
SPORTSMAN (25 laps)1. Tony Davis (10:26.367), 2. Randy Veldman, 3. Brian Tillema, 4. Dave Cutler, 5. Scott Root, 6. Kirk Meissner, 7. Mitch Meppelink, 8. Allen Davis, 9. Brian Thome, 10. Nick Sherrington, 11. Tyler Nawrocki, 12. Gerry Shepard, 13. Jared Miller, 14. Matt VanHorsen.
SUPER LATE MODELS (100 laps)1. Caleb Bisacky (47:01.091), 2. Terry VanHaitsma, 3. Chris Anthony, 4. Johnny VanDoorn, 5. Tim DeVos, 6. Ross Meeuwsen, 7. Jordan Dahlke, 8. Seth Moody, 9. Gabe Ensing, 10. Justin Regnerus, 11. Ben Kleis, 12. Tim Green, 13. Dan VanderMolen, 14. Dave Lake, 15. Nick Szotko, 16. Lauren Bush, 17. Tom Thomas, 18. Josh Hobson.
HEAT WINNERS
Super Stocks – Dave Hull, Bob Bliss4-cylinder – Mike SpeetSportsman – Brian Tillema, Allen DavisModified – Adam Chase
TOP QUALIFIERS
Sportsman – Tony DavisSuper Late Models – Terry VanHaitsma4-cylinder – Mike SpeetModified – Kevin DeGoodSuper Stock – Justin Ryan
Charity event, lure of speed draws former Lions great Lomas Brown to Berlin Raceway
By Steve Ungrey The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press
MARNE, MI – Lomas Brown has faced some intimidating football players over the years, and he has also been a fearsome presence to others on the gridiron.
Put the former Detroit Lions standout in a race car, and even the most fearsome football players get a rush of adrenaline.
“That is something else,” Brown said. “The horsepower… just the rush… I’ve never been in a battle that was this fast.”
Brown, who spent the first decade (1985-1995) of his career as an offensive tackle with the Lions, was at Berlin Raceway Saturday as part of Racing Awareness night with Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
“They told me about what the organization was all about,” Brown said, “and it sounded like a great organization and one I could immediately get behind. I came up here this afternoon and I’m turning around tomorrow and taking my son to Canada for a six-week camp.”
Racing Awareness is dedicated to enhancing the lives of children and their families who are coping with injuries or illness. Children associated with the hospital had the chance to meet drivers, take pace car rides, wave the green flag and deliver the “start your engines” command.
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive tackle moved on from Detroit to spend the next three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He then finished his career with the Cleveland Browns (1999), New York Giants (2000-2001) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002).
It was with the Buccaneers that Brown capped a 17-year career by winning his only Super Bowl; the ring is proudly displayed on his right hand.
While with the Lions, Brown was part of some good – and some not-so-good – teams. He is thrilled to see the renaissance the Lions have undergone through coach Jim Schwartz. Detroit, a 2-win team in 2009, made the playoffs in 2011; it was the first time since 1999 the Lions qualified.
“It’s great,” Brown said. “It’s awesome not only for the organization and former players like us,” Brown said. “It seems when the Lions have a down year so does the state. Michigan just lives and dies with its football team.”
Berlin Results June 30th
Caleb Bisacky and Charlie DeJong get first wins of the season
Tony Davis, Kevin DeGood and Justin Ryan also victorious
Marne, MI – It was another beautiful night of racing at Berlin Raceway and the competition was fierce. Caleb Bisacky took home the trophy in the Coors Light Super Late division and also visiting Victory Lane were Charlie DeJong (Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder), Tony Davis (Kerkstra Services Sportsman), Kevin DeGood (Model Coverall Modified) and Justin Ryan (Engine Pro Super Stock).
Starting things off was the Model Coverall Modified division for 30-laps with #68 Randy DeBoer and #67 Ben Welch on the front row. After an aggressive heat race, the feature promised to be just as exciting and by lap 2, they were already going three-wide on the backstretch. DeBoer had the lead and was on the inside with Welch still on the outside when #66 Adam Chase came charging up with a good run on the inside of both of them. Chase then took the lead on lap 3. The next time by, Welch was all shades of sideways coming to the start finish line and this was in front of most of the field. He was able to save it and the cars behind him were able to avoid. The cars then settled in to single-file, green flag racing and with ten laps to go, second position #97 Kevin DeGood was closing in quickly on Chase. With two to go, DeGood took the lead and went on to get the win. Completing the top eight were Chase, #22 Billy Shotko, #8 Billy Eppink, Welch, DeBoer, #7 Ryan Hamm and #29 Rob Shoemaker.
Up next was the 30-lap Engine Pro Super Stock feature; #11 Nick Bonstell and #48 Seth Moody shared the front row. Moody took the lead, but caution was quickly out for the spinning car of #024 Cole Roelofs. Moody went back to the lead after the restart and the battle was on for second between #66 Nate Walton and #78 Will Olmsted; Olmsted got it done and began chasing down Moody. It was just past halfway when Olmsted was drawing even with Moody and while trying to pass for the lead, Olmsted spun, bringing out the second caution on lap 18. With ten to go, the top four were racing extremely close and it was the #51 of Justin Ryan who took the lead on lap 23. With five to go, #77 Andrew Nylaan made the pass for second, but there wasn’t a lot of time left to chase down the leader. Ryan went on to take the win and the rest of the top ten were Nylaan, Walton, Moody, Olmsted, #18 Denny Anderson, #20 Dave Hull, #6 Bob Bliss, #20J Jeremy Munniskma and #00 Dennis Mann.
The Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder 15-lap feature was up next, #9 Zach Clark and #17 Seth VanHorssen led the field to the green flag. Clark took off with the lead and enjoyed a large cushion of space between himself and #10 Dave Duyst. It only took five laps for #76 Mike Speet to catch up to leader Clark; after starting seventh, Speet was taking the lead on lap 6. As always, when Speet take the lead, he completely drives away from the field. Speet took the checked flag 8.89 seconds ahead of #62 Charlie DeJong; the rest of the top ten were #18 Jason Essex, VanHorssen, #20 Jackson Walker, #68 Jerry Smith, #36 Kyle VanDrunen, Clark and #72 Steven Holtzlander. After technical inspections, Speet was disqualified and DeJong was award the win.
It was #1 Randy Veldman and #88 Kirk Meissner on the front row of the Kerkstra Services Sportsman 25-lap feature and Veldman and Meissner were trading the lead back and forth for the first few laps before Veldman cleared him and put some distance between himself and the field. Meanwhile the #15 of Scott Root was up to second and be challenged by both #88 Tony Davis and #76 Brian Tillema. The first caution of the race was on lap 11 when #X Matt VanHorssen spun in turn 1. After the restart, the top four were side by side and Root had a slight advantage. On lap 12, Davis took it three-wide with Veldman and Root for second as Veldman retook the lead. Davis was able to wrangle second from Root and was then stalking Veldman for the lead with ten to go. Lap 17, Davis took the lead and then Veldman was under attack from Tillema. With both Veldman and Tillema occupied, Davis was able to grab win number five and the rest of the top ten were Veldman, Tillema, #40 Dave Cutler, Root, Meissner, #18 Mitch Meppelink, #33 Allen Davis, #26 Brian Thome and #52 Nick Sherrington.
The Coors Light Super Late Models were the final feature of the night; #19 Nick Szotko and #32 Gabe Ensing started on the front row of the 100-lap feature. Szotko maintained the first position and after some jockeying it was the #222 of Caleb Bisacky up to second. It didn’t take long before the yellow flag came out – on lap 4 the #32 of Gabe Ensing spun in turn 2. It was #61 John VanDoorn to the lead on lap 7 after swinging around Szotko and the #12 of Tim DeVos followed through to challenge VanDoorn for the lead. The race was only nine laps in and the top 12 were all side by side. Szotko was battling back and rocketed back to the lead, but VanDoorn took it back on the outside the next time by. On lap 17, Szotko got shuffled back, DeVos was back up to second and was followed by Bisacky. Bisacky made the pass for second and started to reel in VanDoorn. Thirty laps in, the top ten were still running as close as they were from the start of the race and by lap 32, DeVos maneuvered past VanDoorn, but just a few laps later, Szotko was back up there challenging for the lead. DeVos was finally able to get some breathing room and the race was on for second between Bisacky, VanDoorn, Szotko and #21 Terry VanHaitsma. By half-way, Bisacky caught up to DeVos and took the lead on lap 55 and just two laps later, the second caution came out when #21 Tim Greene spun on the frontstretch. DeVos had the lead after the restart, but Bisacky kept just to his inside, trying to gain some ground and he did just that, leading the field by lap 67. DeVos was going all he could to hang on to second as VanDoorn and VanHaitsma were all over him. VanHaitsma cleared him first and then the caution was out; Szotko spun coming out of turn 4 after contact with #99 Jordan Dahlke and the #101 of Lauren Bush was collected in that. Bisacky took off with the lead after the restart and VanHaitsma moved up to second, cutting in to Bisacky’s lead lap by lap. Lap 82 saw another caution when Greene spun in turn three. After a quick clean up, the race was restarted and Bisacky got a great restart, pulling away from the field as the raced single-file. With ten laps to go, Bisacky had almost a one-second lead and while VanHaitsma was able to shave a little bit off, there just wasn’t enough time to catch up. Bisacky got his first win of the season and the rest of the top ten were VanHaitsma, #55 Chris Anthony, VanDoorn, DeVos, #99 Ross Meeuwsen, #48 Seth Moody, #32 Gabe Ensing and #50 Justin Regnerus.
Next Saturday, July 7 is Stars & Stripes Military Night! It is also the Lee Anderson Memorial 118 featuring the Port City Racecars / GL Helicopter Outlaw Late Model, Engine Pro Super Stock, Kerkstra Services Sportsman, Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder and the Vintage Racing Organization of America; also post-race fireworks! Tickets are just $7 for adults and kids 11 and under are free; racing starts at 7:00 p.m.
More information can be found at www.berlinraceway.com or by calling the track office during the normal business hours 9am - 5pm Tuesday - Friday at 616-677-5000.
Tony Davis, Kevin DeGood and Justin Ryan also victorious
Marne, MI – It was another beautiful night of racing at Berlin Raceway and the competition was fierce. Caleb Bisacky took home the trophy in the Coors Light Super Late division and also visiting Victory Lane were Charlie DeJong (Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder), Tony Davis (Kerkstra Services Sportsman), Kevin DeGood (Model Coverall Modified) and Justin Ryan (Engine Pro Super Stock).
Starting things off was the Model Coverall Modified division for 30-laps with #68 Randy DeBoer and #67 Ben Welch on the front row. After an aggressive heat race, the feature promised to be just as exciting and by lap 2, they were already going three-wide on the backstretch. DeBoer had the lead and was on the inside with Welch still on the outside when #66 Adam Chase came charging up with a good run on the inside of both of them. Chase then took the lead on lap 3. The next time by, Welch was all shades of sideways coming to the start finish line and this was in front of most of the field. He was able to save it and the cars behind him were able to avoid. The cars then settled in to single-file, green flag racing and with ten laps to go, second position #97 Kevin DeGood was closing in quickly on Chase. With two to go, DeGood took the lead and went on to get the win. Completing the top eight were Chase, #22 Billy Shotko, #8 Billy Eppink, Welch, DeBoer, #7 Ryan Hamm and #29 Rob Shoemaker.
Up next was the 30-lap Engine Pro Super Stock feature; #11 Nick Bonstell and #48 Seth Moody shared the front row. Moody took the lead, but caution was quickly out for the spinning car of #024 Cole Roelofs. Moody went back to the lead after the restart and the battle was on for second between #66 Nate Walton and #78 Will Olmsted; Olmsted got it done and began chasing down Moody. It was just past halfway when Olmsted was drawing even with Moody and while trying to pass for the lead, Olmsted spun, bringing out the second caution on lap 18. With ten to go, the top four were racing extremely close and it was the #51 of Justin Ryan who took the lead on lap 23. With five to go, #77 Andrew Nylaan made the pass for second, but there wasn’t a lot of time left to chase down the leader. Ryan went on to take the win and the rest of the top ten were Nylaan, Walton, Moody, Olmsted, #18 Denny Anderson, #20 Dave Hull, #6 Bob Bliss, #20J Jeremy Munniskma and #00 Dennis Mann.
The Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder 15-lap feature was up next, #9 Zach Clark and #17 Seth VanHorssen led the field to the green flag. Clark took off with the lead and enjoyed a large cushion of space between himself and #10 Dave Duyst. It only took five laps for #76 Mike Speet to catch up to leader Clark; after starting seventh, Speet was taking the lead on lap 6. As always, when Speet take the lead, he completely drives away from the field. Speet took the checked flag 8.89 seconds ahead of #62 Charlie DeJong; the rest of the top ten were #18 Jason Essex, VanHorssen, #20 Jackson Walker, #68 Jerry Smith, #36 Kyle VanDrunen, Clark and #72 Steven Holtzlander. After technical inspections, Speet was disqualified and DeJong was award the win.
It was #1 Randy Veldman and #88 Kirk Meissner on the front row of the Kerkstra Services Sportsman 25-lap feature and Veldman and Meissner were trading the lead back and forth for the first few laps before Veldman cleared him and put some distance between himself and the field. Meanwhile the #15 of Scott Root was up to second and be challenged by both #88 Tony Davis and #76 Brian Tillema. The first caution of the race was on lap 11 when #X Matt VanHorssen spun in turn 1. After the restart, the top four were side by side and Root had a slight advantage. On lap 12, Davis took it three-wide with Veldman and Root for second as Veldman retook the lead. Davis was able to wrangle second from Root and was then stalking Veldman for the lead with ten to go. Lap 17, Davis took the lead and then Veldman was under attack from Tillema. With both Veldman and Tillema occupied, Davis was able to grab win number five and the rest of the top ten were Veldman, Tillema, #40 Dave Cutler, Root, Meissner, #18 Mitch Meppelink, #33 Allen Davis, #26 Brian Thome and #52 Nick Sherrington.
The Coors Light Super Late Models were the final feature of the night; #19 Nick Szotko and #32 Gabe Ensing started on the front row of the 100-lap feature. Szotko maintained the first position and after some jockeying it was the #222 of Caleb Bisacky up to second. It didn’t take long before the yellow flag came out – on lap 4 the #32 of Gabe Ensing spun in turn 2. It was #61 John VanDoorn to the lead on lap 7 after swinging around Szotko and the #12 of Tim DeVos followed through to challenge VanDoorn for the lead. The race was only nine laps in and the top 12 were all side by side. Szotko was battling back and rocketed back to the lead, but VanDoorn took it back on the outside the next time by. On lap 17, Szotko got shuffled back, DeVos was back up to second and was followed by Bisacky. Bisacky made the pass for second and started to reel in VanDoorn. Thirty laps in, the top ten were still running as close as they were from the start of the race and by lap 32, DeVos maneuvered past VanDoorn, but just a few laps later, Szotko was back up there challenging for the lead. DeVos was finally able to get some breathing room and the race was on for second between Bisacky, VanDoorn, Szotko and #21 Terry VanHaitsma. By half-way, Bisacky caught up to DeVos and took the lead on lap 55 and just two laps later, the second caution came out when #21 Tim Greene spun on the frontstretch. DeVos had the lead after the restart, but Bisacky kept just to his inside, trying to gain some ground and he did just that, leading the field by lap 67. DeVos was going all he could to hang on to second as VanDoorn and VanHaitsma were all over him. VanHaitsma cleared him first and then the caution was out; Szotko spun coming out of turn 4 after contact with #99 Jordan Dahlke and the #101 of Lauren Bush was collected in that. Bisacky took off with the lead after the restart and VanHaitsma moved up to second, cutting in to Bisacky’s lead lap by lap. Lap 82 saw another caution when Greene spun in turn three. After a quick clean up, the race was restarted and Bisacky got a great restart, pulling away from the field as the raced single-file. With ten laps to go, Bisacky had almost a one-second lead and while VanHaitsma was able to shave a little bit off, there just wasn’t enough time to catch up. Bisacky got his first win of the season and the rest of the top ten were VanHaitsma, #55 Chris Anthony, VanDoorn, DeVos, #99 Ross Meeuwsen, #48 Seth Moody, #32 Gabe Ensing and #50 Justin Regnerus.
Next Saturday, July 7 is Stars & Stripes Military Night! It is also the Lee Anderson Memorial 118 featuring the Port City Racecars / GL Helicopter Outlaw Late Model, Engine Pro Super Stock, Kerkstra Services Sportsman, Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder and the Vintage Racing Organization of America; also post-race fireworks! Tickets are just $7 for adults and kids 11 and under are free; racing starts at 7:00 p.m.
More information can be found at www.berlinraceway.com or by calling the track office during the normal business hours 9am - 5pm Tuesday - Friday at 616-677-5000.
Garvey wins at Five Flags
(June 29) Mike Garvey held off D.J. VanderLey in a thrilling end to the Allen Turner Pro Late Model Series 100 race.
Garvey, who recently moved to Perdido Key from the Atlanta area,, took the lead from VanderLey on Lap 88, after VanderLey’s car got loose around a turn. The rest of the race, Garvey kept his race car just far enough ahead to outduel Vanderley.
"Man, with about five (laps) to go, my right rear just quit and I thought, 'Oh no,' but it worked out," he said. "Those last five laps felt like 50, because we were garbage. Luckily I was able to pull it out for the Buddy's Home Furnishings car and we'll take it."
Vanderley, 20, an Auburn University student, seeking his first win at Five Flags Speedway in nearly two years, spun across the finish line and hugged the wall in second place after failing to pass Garvey out of Turn 4 on the final lap of the 100 lap race.
He immediately congratulated Garvey when the two exited their race cars.
"I was trying to drive up under Mike for the win and I lost it," Vanderley said. "That was my fault. It was just a mental lapse as a driver. I can't be having that happen.""Just when our car got up close, the car got looser than I expected," he said. "I lost it twice."
Allen Turner Hyndai Pro Late Model 100 Top Ten
Pos. Car No. Driver
1 1 Mike Garvey
2 2 DJ VanderLey
3 41 Chris Davidson
4 18 Hunter Robbins
5 45 Dwayne Buggay
6 29 Spencer Davis
7 99 Wayne Niedecken, Jr
8 4 Eddie Craig
9 91 Zak Hausler
10 36 Keith Thorpe
Garvey, who recently moved to Perdido Key from the Atlanta area,, took the lead from VanderLey on Lap 88, after VanderLey’s car got loose around a turn. The rest of the race, Garvey kept his race car just far enough ahead to outduel Vanderley.
"Man, with about five (laps) to go, my right rear just quit and I thought, 'Oh no,' but it worked out," he said. "Those last five laps felt like 50, because we were garbage. Luckily I was able to pull it out for the Buddy's Home Furnishings car and we'll take it."
Vanderley, 20, an Auburn University student, seeking his first win at Five Flags Speedway in nearly two years, spun across the finish line and hugged the wall in second place after failing to pass Garvey out of Turn 4 on the final lap of the 100 lap race.
He immediately congratulated Garvey when the two exited their race cars.
"I was trying to drive up under Mike for the win and I lost it," Vanderley said. "That was my fault. It was just a mental lapse as a driver. I can't be having that happen.""Just when our car got up close, the car got looser than I expected," he said. "I lost it twice."
Allen Turner Hyndai Pro Late Model 100 Top Ten
Pos. Car No. Driver
1 1 Mike Garvey
2 2 DJ VanderLey
3 41 Chris Davidson
4 18 Hunter Robbins
5 45 Dwayne Buggay
6 29 Spencer Davis
7 99 Wayne Niedecken, Jr
8 4 Eddie Craig
9 91 Zak Hausler
10 36 Keith Thorpe
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