Brandon Carpenter
(Photo from Swainsboro Raceway)
By: Candy Carroll
8-20-2016
Ninety-six cars showed up at Swainsboro Raceway Saturday night for down south dirt track racing Dixie Style. In preparation for the upcoming $10,000 to win event Labor Day weekend, sixteen Sunoco Super Street drivers came to town with Brandon Carpenter and Andy Stewart both picking up heat race wins and leading the field to green. Stewart immediately took the lead on the front stretch with Carpenter tight to his inside rear quarter panel. Luke Scott moved inside Michael McTier to battle for the third position. Halfway, Willis McKenzie moved into the fourth position. One lap to go, McKenzie trying the outside off turn four battling for the third position gets sideways hitting the outside retaining wall just before the flag stand. Andy Stewart leads flag to flag earning his ninth win of the year, fifth in a row, and taking over the points lead. After post race inspection, Luke Scott moved into the second position, Michael McTier third, Barry Cates fourth, and Josh Mock rounds out the top five.
Up next Brandon Carpenter picked up the fastest qualifying time in the Zaxby’s Crate Late Model division. As the green flag flew, Carpenter took the lead off four leaving Joshua Bishop and Chet Chester to battle for second. Lap four, Blake Smith moved inside Joshua Bishop for third but Bishop regained control immediately on lap five. Halfway, the leaders began to move through lapped traffic as Chester gets caught up Bishop moves into second. After a caution with six to go, Smith moved inside Chester for third. Brandon Carpenter walked away with the lead taking his first checkered flag of the season. Joshua Bishop took home second place, Blake Smith third, Chet Chester fourth, and Henry Carter fifth.
In the Roger Wheeler Construction Road Warrior division, after a single file restart, Jacob Barwick spun off turn two losing the third position. Terry Cummings leads lap one with John Hooks on the inside at the flag stand. Lap two, Graham Stevenson moves in for a three wide battle for the lead. Stevenson takes the lead at the flag stand. Halfway, a tight side by side battle for the top four positions. John Hooks moved inside Terry Cummings for second in turn three. Two to go, Logan Tanner, Justin Thompson, and Terry Cummings battled three wide for third. Graham Stevenson took the checkered, after post race inspection, Logan Tanner moved to second, Justin Thompson third, Alex Sturkie fourth, and Jamie Foskey finished in fifth.
Willis McKenzie and Jamie Donaldson fight side by side in the Daniels Chevrolet Pure Stock division for the lead with McKenzie leading lap one by inches. Lap three, Roger McKenzie flying on the outside takes over second from Donaldson. Lap five, Ricky Strange moves inside Donaldson for third off turn two. Lap seven, Donaldson regained the position also bringing along brother Rak Donaldson for fourth. Five to go, Roger McKenzie makes a hard run toward Willis McKenzie down the back stretch but unable to go by in the turns for the lead. Four to go, Rak Donaldson moves by Jamie Donaldson for third. On the restart, Rak Donaldson fell asleep allowing Ricky Strange to move to third. Rak takes control of third once again off turn two. Two to go, Rak Donaldson gets loose off turn four and falls to the back. Willis McKenzie strikes again moving to Victory Lane, Roger McKenize falls short in a hard battle taking second, last lap Brent Herndon makes a move to take over third, Ricky Strange fourth, and Cameron Tribble fifth.
Up last in the Scare House of the South 440 division, John Whisnant missed the start as Tommy Davis took the lead and Richard Lastinger moved into second. Whisnant quickly gained control and took second off turn four. Lap two, Rod Morris hugging the inside wall tries Lastinger for third. Halfway, Whisnant once again facing mechanical issues stalls off turn two losing position. On the restart, Lastinger missed the start falling to last. Four to go, Terry Davis broke on the back stretch after running fourth. Two to go, Tommy Davis held a strong lead as Chris Tanner tried inside Morris for second. One to go, Morris cutting out allows Tanner by for second. Down to the checkered, Tommy Davis held a huge lead taking the win, Rod Morris made it back to second, Richard Lastinger third, Chris Tanner fell to fourth, and Jason Myers took fifth.
