September 26, 2016 Montgomery, Alabama: Winning a track championship is no easy task and many racers dream of the day that they can proudly say they have accomplished this feat. This past Saturday night 3 earned that right and 2 of them finished off the year in victory lane.
The 3 local divisions had their final race of 2016 and the fans were treated to some great racing. The Modified mini division had some great battles this year and Rusty Alverson was able to clinch his second straight title in the modified minis but that was not the story of the day as #22 David Davis crossed the finish line in the top spot with Alverson right behind him. Sometimes the race is not over until the cars clear post race inspection and Both cars failed in the hallway of happiness awarding the win to Georgia driver Joe Wingard #33 his first of his racing career. Wingard , who pulled his trailered car onto the front stretch for his victory lane photo and interview was overjoyed with the victory and made the comment “ even a blind hog can sometimes find corn in a 40 acre field”
In the Street Stock division it was #38 Brian Hutchinson winning the Budweiser pole award for the first time this year. After a roll of 3 on the inversion the race was on and things looked good till lap 7 when the #33 of Terry Grimes lost his motor going in to turn 3 and the #22 of Michael Garris had nowhere to go resulting in one of the nastiest crashes of the 2016 season wiping out both cars. Although very sore both drivers were able to walk away from the incident. In the end it was 2016 Champion Charles Davis in victory lane for the 12th time this season Followed by #38 Hutchinson and Trey Grimes #51 finishing 3rd in his first stock car race of his career. During trophy presentation F&E sportswear / Rouge Wraps donated a set of numbers for the young racer.
- Charles Davis #6
- Brian Hutchinson #38
- Trey Grimes #51
- William Smith #7
- James O’Neal #114
- Terry Grimes #33
- Michael Garris #22
Interstate Batteries Late Model Sportsman have been a fan favorite in 2016 with new cars showing up all throughout the year. This week was no excetion as Jared James #4jr and Lonny Watson #07 brought their rides to the historic oval for the first time in 2016. Short track veteran Jeff Dawkins had his ride set up for the Late Model sportsman division this week after running it as a super late model in the Alabama 200 just a couple of weeks ago. The car seemed to like the 8 inch Hoosier tires and Dawkins jumped out to the lead on the initial start. Lap 5 saw #51 young gun Perry Patino wrestle the lead away from Dawkins on hold it till lap 21 when Dawkins took it back. Another veteran racer Bert Belter was working his way to the front and looked like he may have something for the front runners. Dawkins appeared to have ignition problem closing out his night on lap 36. Travis Cleckler #5 also seems to have hit on something in his setup and had a very strong run finishing 3rd. #07 Lonny Watson was able to come back from a spin on lap 29 for a 4th place finish.
- Roger Reuse #88
- Bert Belter #21
- Travis Cleckler #5
- Lonny Watson #07
- Perry Patino #51
- Clint Folsum #11
- Jeff Dawkins #2
- John Adams #19
- Jared James #4jr
Montgomery Motor Speedway would like to thank all the drivers, Car owners, Crew members, fans, Sponsors and staff for a great 2016 season. We look forward to an exciting schedule in 2017 and appreciate everyone’s support.
Montgomery Motor Speedway will be back in action October 29th for the MADD MAXX 4 cylinder enduro race and Halloween contest for the kids. Tickets will be only $5 for adults free for kids under 12. The gates will open at 1 with the 1.5 hour enduro starting at 2. Check out our web site for rules and get your cars ready for this fun event.