![\"Jerry](\"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Jerry-Symons-was-back-in-Modified-victory-lane-Jim-Jones-Photo-275x221.jpg\")
It was one of those crazy nights at New Smyrna Speedway for week number 24 of\nthe NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series Saturday night as one driver got
\na big monkey off his back and, even though their race was completed by 9:15
\npm, several others spent until the wee hours of the morning in the tech shed
\nonly to have to wait until later in the week to get a final ruling and for the
\nofficial results to be posted.
\nThe Modifieds opened up the evening with a 50-lap contest.\u00a0 Jerry “The Hammer”
\nSymons of New Smyrna Beach, who had been mired in a big spate of bad luck
\nrecently, set quick time over Alan Bruns, Wayne Parker and James “Tank”
\nTucker.\u00a0 Symons then drew a four for the field inversion placing Tucker on the
\npole and it would be Tucker leading the first four circuits before Symons blew
\npast and into a solid lead.
\nFifth-fast qualifier Shain Held is another guy who just can’t seem to get a
\nbreak and he pitted his car out of fifth spot on lap 11, then eventually
\ncalled it quits five laps later.\u00a0 Robert Deal stalled his mount at the
\nentrance to pit road on lap 18 to bring out the only yellow flag of the race.
\nOn the restart, Parker got by Bruns for third place and the lead quartet ran
\nin order the remainder of the event As Symons scored just his second win of
\nthe year as he last visited Hampton Inn victory lane with his Gene Kelly
\nRoofing\/American Auto, Tires & Service Special on April 4th.
\nTucker trailed in second followed by Parker, Bruns and Matt Wheeler.\u00a0 Greg
\nKrom made his first start here in a Modified and took sixth followed by Junior
\nBeckner, Bob Glover, Mike Dahm, Deal, Held and George Dahm.
\nA great field of 20 Super Stocks signed in to do battle in their scheduled
\n50-lap special.\u00a0 Qualifying was tight with Butch Herdegen setting the quick
\nlap in his Manheim Orlando machine ahead of Preston Hunt, Shannon Kelly and
\npoint leader Justin Reynolds.\u00a0 Heredegen also pulled a four for the inversion
\nplacing Reynolds on the pole and most figured the Merritt Island hot-shoe
\nwould have things his own way in this one.
\nHowever, Kelly had other ideas as he got the jump on the start and assumed the
\ntop spot.\u00a0 Little did everyone know he was having a really big problem despite
\nhaving a very fast car.\u00a0 “Every time I’d hit the brakes, the car wanted to go
\nhard right,” said Kelly.\u00a0 “So I just settled in and did what I could without
\nusing any brakes,” he said.\u00a0 Unfortunately he got a bit loose in turn two
\nduring lap eight and was inadvertently tapped into a spin by Reynolds.
\nReynolds was not penalized and assumed the point for the restart.
\nReynolds continued to lead Hunt and Herdegen as things began to settle down a
\nbit.\u00a0 That changed on lap 19 as Kelly spun again after getting into the car of
\nBobby Holley.\u00a0 Reynolds, Hunt and Herdegen continued to run 1-2-3 after the
\nrestart until the race was slowed a final time on lap 36 as Joe Gerard’s car
\nstalled at the entrance to pit road.
\nAfter this restart, Hunt began to mount a big challenge on Reynolds that would
\ncontinue until the checkered flag.\u00a0 The 15-year-old Deland High School student
\nbegan to work the low side of the track, pulling ahead of Reynolds in the
\nturns on several occasions and actually leading lap 40.\u00a0 Reynolds continued to
\nwork the preferred middle groove though and held off Hunt at the finish with
\nHerdegen not far behind in third while ninth starter George Spears worked his
\nway up to fourth as the checker flew ahead of Zachary Curtis.
\nVictory lane ceremonies were concluded by 9:15 and it was off to the tech
\ninspection area where the top two cars protested each other’s legality.\u00a0 The
\nwinning car of Reynolds was literally “torn down to the bare frame” while the
\ntransmission was the reason for the protest of the Hunt car.\u00a0 Along with those
\ntwo, the speedway tech officials also wanted to check several items on the
\nthird place car of Herdegen and the fifth place car of Curtis, both of which
\npassed with flying colors.
\nAs the clock raced past midnight into Sunday, things had yet to be resolved
\nconcerning the issues related to the top two cars and things began to get a
\nbit “testy” in the tech area as a large crowd was watching the proceedings.
\nEventually the transmission in Hunt’s car was determined to not be in line
\nwith the rules while the inspectors deemed they needed more time to make a
\ndetermination on the winning car of Reynolds.\u00a0 As of the time this release is
\nbeing written (Tuesday afternoon) no final results have been posted.\u00a0 “I
\ndidn’t get home until 4 am Sunday and here it is two days later and I still
\ndon’t know if I finished first or second,” said Herdegen who, so far, is the
\nonly driver to beat Reynolds this season (on the track).\u00a0 A press release with
\nthe official results will be posted as soon as they are made official.
\nGreg Bruce, Jr. and his Saturn again “ran rings” around the field in the
\n20-lap Bomber feature for his fourth win of the year.\u00a0 Aaron Overman took the
\nchecker in second ahead of Charlie King, Jr. and point leader James Skinner
\nwho blew a tire and pounded the turn two wall on lap eight.\u00a0 Overman has now
\ncut Skinner’s point lead to just five heading into the final two months of the
\nseason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"