JP Stephens, SAYRE, AL–After two rainouts, Mother Nature finally decided to cooperate Saturday as the Southern Superstars enjoyed a perfect day of weather at Sayre. Twelve drivers showed up to start the 2013 season and to see who can knock Mark Day off his championship throne. The 2012 season was the most competitive in series history, with five drivers having a chance to win the points championship during the last race. The 2013 season looks to be even more competitive as the series will also hold races at Huntsville Speedway and Highland Rim Speedway which is located north of Nashville. Brad Lemley, who won three races and took home seven poles, said he will run the whole season as he looks to win the series title. Also new to the series in 2013 is B J Holley from Jackson, Georgia, and J R Bolden of Calera, Alabama.
Before the race, several drivers were recognized for their efforts in 2012. Hunter Spivey was awarded the B J Parker Sportsmanship Trophy which is named after the legendary Southern Superstars founder and long-time race promoter B J Parker. Everybody knows B J Parker’s name in NASCAR and short track racing, and Spivey said it was very humbling to be named the winner of such a special trophy. Spivey also took home another trophy for finishing fourth in the points. Spivey was able to run up front and improve his qualifying efforts the last half of 2012 and has a goal of winning his first SSS race in 2013.
Davey Coble was named the 2012 Rookie of the Year along with finishing fifth in the points. Coble won one race at Sayre last year which solidified his lead in the Rookie of the Year standings. Coble said he has his sights set on the 2013 SSS Championship. Chase Oliver finished third in the points battle but missed the race due to his work schedule. Lee Hansard, who has never missed a race in the Southern Superstars Series, had his best SSS season as he finished second in the points battle.
Brad Lemley was fastest during qualifying with a time of 12.72; Lemley was also won the pole during his last visit to Sayre. He hoped his car would be better than last time he ran at Sayre: “We started up front and went backwards which isn’t a good recipe in racing.” 2012 Series Champion Mark Day was second fastest with a time of 12.83; John Wilkinson III was third fastest at 12.89. Davey Coble was the last driver to qualify. Coble had a great time going but slid up the track exiting turn four; his time of 12.94 was fourth quickest. Justin Ashburn rounded out the top five in qualifying with a time of 12.99.
The field was inverted after Lemley drew a three, which put John Wilkinson III on the pole. Mark Day would start in the second position, which is sometimes not the best place to be as the preferred groove in the low line. Brad Lemley would start third with Davey Coble to his outside in forth. Justin Ashburn would start fifth with Hunter Spivey in the sixth position. Track favorite Nathan Davis would start seventh after a bad qualifying effort. Davis led the most laps last year at Sayre but just could not close the deal as his car got loose each race. Veteran driver Gary Nix, another track favorite, would start eighth. Veteran Georgia short track driver B J Holley would start ninth in his first race at Sayre. Bobby Castleberry would start tenth. Rookie of the Year contender J R Bolden would start eleventh in his very first SSS Series event. Lee Hansard had transmission problems and was unable to complete a lap during qualifying; Hansard said it wasn’t the way he wanted to start the 2013 season.
As the green flag waved, John Wilkinson III was able to hold off Mark Day as they ran door to door for three laps. Brad Lemley was able to push Wilkinson to the lead and settled into the second position. Day was able to get around Lemley and take the second position. Davey Coble followed Lemley in the fourth position. Hunter Spivey was able to hold off Nathan Davis after several laps to secure the fifth position. Lee Hansard showed he had a strong car as he passed six cars in the first ten laps to take the seventh position. Justin Ashburn would retire after ten laps due to mechanical failure. The field would stay single file until lap thirty. Mark Day was able to get his nose under Wilkinson and take the lead exiting turn four. Lemley looked to follow Day into the second position, but Wilkinson would hold off Lemley who settled back into the third position. Wilkinson set his sights on taking the lead back from Day, but Day had other plans as he showed he had the car to beat. Day was able to drive away by ten cars lengths from Wilkinson, who had his hands full with Lemley. On lap forty, Lemley made his move on Wilkinson exiting turn two. Wilkinson’s car was loose exiting the turns. Coble followed Lemley past Wilkinson to take over the third position. On lap forty-five, Wilkinson spun exiting turn four allowing Nathan Davis to enter the pits to work on a tight racecar. Wilkinson was able to drive away without collecting any other cars. Wilkinson drove to the pits to check his tires.
As the field was reset, the green flag waved on lap forty-eight. Day was able to drive away from Lemley who was fighting off Coble. Lemley held the low line and maintained the second position. Coble would drop in behind Lemley. Lee Hansard made his way up to the fourth position and looked to take third away from Coble. Hunter Spivey was able to move into the fifth position. Wilkinson made his way back through the field to Hunter Spivey’s back bumper in the sixth position. Gary Nix maintained the seventh position. Nathan Davis followed in the eighth position with Bobby Castleberry in the ninth position. Rounding out the rest of the field was B J Holley and J R Bolden in tenth and eleventh respectively. Day continued to show the way as he stretched his lead to ten car lengths over Lemley and Coble. Coble had to fend off Lee Hansard who tried several times to take over the third position. Hansard’s strong run would come to an end on lap sixty due to transmission problems. Hansard took his car to the pits to end a night of frustration. As the race continued on the track, Coble tried several times to pass Lemley on the inside as they exited the turns, but each time Lemley would shut the door. Coble said he did not want to wreck Lemley because “Lemley always races you clean. “ On lap ninety-one, Coble was finally able to pass Lemley on the outside as they exited turn four. Coble knew making a pass on the outside of another car isn’t the ideal way to pass someone at Sayre, but he felt his car was just too fast to not give it a try . Coble was able to drive away and looked to reel in Day as the laps wound down. Day knew his lead could go away at any second on a short track. On lap ninety-six, Day’s worries came true as Bobby Castleberry and B J Holley tangled entering turn three. Hunter Spivey who was running in the fourth position barely missed the crash.
Day said he knew Coble had a strong car and he would need a perfect restart to win the race. As the green flag waved, Day and Coble fought for the lead. Day was able to move a couple of car lengths away from Coble. Day said he knew he could not slip up with Coble closing in. As the white flag waved, Coble made his way to Day’s bumper but could not loosen Day up enough to complete the pass. Day took the checkered flag with Coble on his bumper. Lemley was able to hold off Spivey and Wilkinson for third. Gary Nix had a solid run as he came home in sixth. B J Holley finished a strong seventh in his first Sayre Race. Castleberry brought home an eighth place finish with J R Bolden finishing ninth. Nathan Davis finished a disappointing tenth after having such strong runs last year. Lee Hansard finished eleventh which was not the way he had hoped to start his quest for the 2013 SSS title. Justin Ashburn was credited with a twelfth place finish which did not show how strong his car was in practice.
The next Southern Superstars Short Track Series event will be on Friday night May 3rd with a 100 lap event that will be opening night at Huntsville Speedway for the 2013 season.
Official Finishing Order Earlybird 100
1. Mark Day # 8 Clarksville, TN. Whit’s Bar B Q, Scogin Race Car Parts, Sign Pro of Kentucky PWR Construction Chevy Impala SS
2. Davey Coble # 14 Whitehouse, TN. Bradley Paving Chevy Impala SS
3. Brad Lemley #189 Grant, AL. Window World Chevy Impala SS
4. Hunter Spivey #10 Decatur, AL. Alabama Cleaning Service, Automotive Specialist, Dynamic Signs Chevy Impala SS
5. John Wilkinson III #11 Hueytown, AL. Riverchase Kia Chevy Impala SS
6. Gary Nix #99 Warrior, AL. Super Signs Chevy Impala SS
7. B J Holley # 35 Jackson, GA. Holley Properties Chevy Impala SS
8. Bobby Castleberry #14 Rossville, GA. Southern Air Freight, Tindell & Sons Carpet Chevy Impala SS
9. J R Bolden # 24 Calera, AL. Superman Toyota Camry
10. Nathan Davis # 05 Graysville, AL. Michael’s Automotive Chevy Impala SS
11. Lee Hansard #89 Tyrone, GA. Beard’s Cattle Farms, Advanced Industrial Resources, Dough’s Place Chevy Impala SS
12. Justin Ashburn #98 Whitehouse, TN. 31-W Insulation CertainTeed Chevy Impala SS
Entries- 12
Lap Leaders- John Wilkinson III -1-30; Mark Day 31-100
Cautions- 3
Red Flags- None
Time of Race- 33 minutes, 27 seconds
Current Southern Superstars Short Track Series Championship Points
1. Mark Day—100 (Clarksville, TN)
2. Davey Coble—96 (Whitehouse, TN)
3. Brad Lemley—94 (Grant, AL)
4. Hunter Spivey—92 (Decatur, AL)
5. John Wilkinson III—90 (Hueytown, AL)
6. Gary Nix—88 (Warrior, AL)
7. B J Holley—86 (Jackson, GA)
8. Bobby Castleberry—84 (Rossville, GA)
9. J R Bolden–82 (Calera, AL)
10. Nathan Davis—80 (Graysville, AL)
11. Lee Hansard—78 (Tyrone, GA)
12. Justin Ashburn—76 (Whitehouse, TN)
Current AR Bodies Rookie of the Year Points
1. B J Holley—86 (Jackson, GA)
2. J R Bolden—82 (Calera, AL)
Southern All Stars Dirt Racing Series Event Winners:
#1-Mark Day—Clarksville, TN (Sayre Speedway) April 13th
Upcoming Southern All Stars Dirt Racing Series events:
May 3 Friday Huntsville Speedway—Huntsville, AL 100 Laps
May 11 Saturday Highland Rim Speedway—Ridgetop, TN—100 Laps
May 25 Saturday Sayre Speedway—Sayre, AL—100 Laps
2013 Southern Superstars Short Track Series Sponsors:
American Racer “The Official Race Tire” of the Southern Superstars Short Track Series
2013 Southern Superstars Short Track Series Supporters Include: AR Bodies, Chuck Chamblee Racing Photography, Rockauto