Tullis uses Strategy/Luck/Hard Driving
Alabama 200 “HUNT FOR THE BEAR”
Sponsored by Shelby Concrete
March 7, 2021 Montgomery, Alabama: North Carolina’s Matt Craig #54 set a fast time of 19.920 in qualifying to win the Bama Budweiser Fast time pole award and started on the pole after he drew the #1 position. The top 8 were all separated by only .145 of a second in the qualifying session. Craig was followed by Alabama native Justin Bonnett #12 who posted a 19.323 however, luck wasn’t on his side in the redraw and he started the night 8th. Five-time Alabama 200 winner Augie Grill #112 used the first of his two qualifying laps to post a 19.341 time and qualify third, though the redraw put him starting in the seventh position. Georgia native #4 Kyle Plott qualified on the second row along side Augie Grill with a 19.353 time and drew third for the race start. Rounding out the top 5 was the #29 of Hunter Wright of Tennessee, who started on the front row after the draw.
Alabama 200 Qualifying Results
| PLM Qualifying Results | Qualifying Time | Redraw Position (Top 8) | ||
| #54c Matt Craig | 19.290 | 1 | #54 Matt Craig | |
| #12j Justin Bonnett | 19.323 | 2 | #29 Hunter Wright | |
| #112 Augie Grill | 19.341 | 3 | #4 Kyle Plott | |
| #4 Kyle Plott | 19.353 | 4 | #81 Jett Noland | |
| #29w Hunter Wright | 19.369 | 5 | #69 Michael Hinde | |
| #69 Michael Hinde | 19.415 | 6 | #81 Jeremy Williams | |
| #81n Jett Noland | 19.426 | 7 | #112 Augie Grill | |
| 81w Jeremy Williams | 19.435 | 8 | #12 Justin Bonnett | |
| #89 Chase Spradlin | 19.472 | |||
| #14 Chris Davidson | 19.490 | |||
| #29k Mason Keller | 19.504 | |||
| #19 Kason Plott | 19.509 | |||
| #11m Jordan McCallum | 19.509 | |||
| #9 Hudson Halder | 19.530 | |||
| #12t Christopher Tullis | 19.549 | |||
| #2b John Bolen | 19.550 | |||
| #35 Jake Garcia | 19.568 | |||
| #91 Jim Wall | 19.596 | |||
| #21 Jason Furrow | 19.617 | |||
| #18r Johanna Robbins | 19.681 | |||
| #11w JoJo Wilkinson | 19.693 | |||
| #1 Gage Rodgers | 19.812 | |||
| #2d Jeff Dawkins | 19.831 | |||
| #27 David Killian | 19.850 | |||
| #54t Pat Cruise | 21.645 |
Alabama 200 Pro Late Model Race Recap
The last time Christopher Tullis saw Montgomery Motor Speedway, he was in Victory Lane celebrating his 2020 Show Me the Money series championship. He picked up right where he left off in 2020, on Saturday night in 57th Annual “Hunt for the Bear”.
Not often do you see a driver fall a lap down in the middle stages of the race and fight their way back to win. That is exactly what Christopher Tullis did. Tullis regained his lap by being the lucky dog with 22 laps to go. Tullis then took advantage of his newer tires and a late caution on lap 190 by driving through the field and passing Chris Davidson for the lead with just two laps to go. Besides the 8k Check Tullis earned the Hard Charger award posted by Turnco Motorsports of $300
Matt Craig was the fastest car all weekend long, qualifying on the pole and leading 118 of the first 121 laps of the race. Craig’s night ended early on a restart on lap 121 after Jordan McCallum slid up the racetrack on old tires clipping him. The 2020 Alabama 200 Champion Jake Garcia was also involved in the crash while holding the third position. Garcia started in 17th and had driven through the field and contending for the lead when the accident took place. Both Craig and Garcia’s hopes of hoisting the “Hunt for the Bear” trophy were over.
Lap Leaders: Lap leaders paid $10 Lap Bonus
#29 Hunter Wright 1-4
#54 Matt Craig 5-121
#14 Chris Davidson 122-125
#112 Augie Grill 126-181
#14 Chris Davidson 182-197
#12 Christopher Tullis 198-200
John Bolen, former Show Me the Money series champion finished in the third position. Five-time Alabama 200 winner Augie Grill finished the 2021 Alabama 200 in the fourth position. Anthony Campi Racing’s #81 of Jett Noland rounded out the top five.
Alabama 200 Results:
| Christopher Tullis | #12t | |
| Chris Davidson | #14 | |
| John Bolen | #2b | |
| Augie Grill | #112 | |
| Jett Noland | #81n | |
| Justin Bonnett | #12j | |
| Chase Spradlin | #89 | |
| Kyle Plott | #4 | |
| Johanna Robbins | #18r | |
| Hunter Wright | #29w | |
| Mason Keller | #29k | |
| JoJo Wilkinson | #11w | |
| Jeff Dawkins | #2d | |
| Kason Plott | #19 | |
| David Killian | #27 | |
| Jim Wall | #91 | |
| Jordan McCallum | #11m | |
| Jeremy Williams | 81w | |
| Gage Rodgers | #1 | |
| Matt Craig | #54c | |
| Jake Garcia | #35 | |
| Hudson Halder | #9 | |
| Jason Furrow | #21 | |
| Pat Cruise | #54t | |
| Michael Hinde | #69 |
Modifieds of Mayhem
The fast time in the Modifieds of Mayhem set by Bill Burba came in at 19.917 on his first lap of qualifying earning the $200 DG Performance Fast time Bonus. He was followed shortly by Phil Bozell who ran a 19.976, Brian Nester with a 19.990, Derrick Griffin with a 19.997, and Kyle Purvis rounding out the top five with a 20.036.
Modifieds of Mayhem Qualifying Order
| Qualifying Order | Qualifying Time | Redraw Position (Top 8) | ||
| #26 Bill Burba | 19.917 | 1. | #95 Derrick Griffin | |
| #8p Phil Bozell | 19.976 | 2. | #11 Brian Nester | |
| #11 Brian Nester | 19.990 | 3. | #112 Augie Grill | |
| #95 Derrick Griffin | 19.997 | 4. | #97 Stephen Klinect | |
| #13p Kyle Purvis | 20.036 | 5. | #26 Bill Burba | |
| #112 Augie Grill | 20.104 | 6. | #8p Phil Bozell | |
| #5s Gary Sanford Jr. | 20.108 | 7. | #13p Kyle Purvis | |
| #97 Stephen Klinect | 20.136 | 8. | #5s Gary Sanford Jr. | |
| #72 Johnny Walker | 20.138 | |||
| #145 Billy Melvin | 20.190 | |||
| #21 Chad Poorman | 20.308 | |||
| #83 Andy Bozell | 20.375 | |||
| #24 Buddy Gray | 20.454 | |||
| #60 John Gearhart | 20.476 | |||
| #39 Dave Christensen | 20.499 | |||
| #05 Greg Fullerton | 20.549 | |||
| #12b Tim Burkett | 20.597 | |||
| #18 Kevin Peel | 20.667 | |||
| #61 Brad Springer | 20.294 | |||
| #66 Cole Carper | 20.868 | |||
| #12n Dave Nester | 21.014 | |||
| #88 Larry Hughes | 21.490 |
Modifieds of Mayhem Race Recap
The Modifieds of Mayhem always find a way to put on a show at Montgomery Motor Speedway, and tonight was no different. The event pitted “North versus the South” with the Midwest Modified tour making the trip to historic Montgomery Motor Speedway to compete with the Modified of Mayhem Tour. This race saw 9 cautions in only 57 laps. Although qualifying seemed to lean towards the Northern cars the racing saw Augie Grill #112 lead all but the first 11 laps of the race. The race started with pole sitter Derrick Griffin controlling the lead for the first 11 laps until a caution come out on lap 12. The fans got an opportunity to see new drivers and some of the best cars from the Midwest Tour as there were battles going on all through the 23 car field. The $200 Hard Charger award went to #88 Larry Hughes gaining 11 positions. From then on it was “Mr Montgomery” Augie Grill #112 show once again as he dominated from that point forward leading every remaining lap of the 57-lap race. Grill lead a total of 66 laps on his way to the checkered flag. Although Grill controlled the race, Bill Burba and Phil Bozell were not far behind, making it an interesting race to the very end. After a caution came out on lap 52 it turned into a five lap shootout between Grill, Burba, and Bozell. Grill was able to hold off the two fastest cars in qualifying earlier in the day, to claim the win.
Modifieds of Mayhem Results
| Augie Grill S | #112 | |
| Bill Burba S | #26 | |
| Phil Bozell N | #8p | |
| Kyle Purvis N | #13p | |
| Stephen Klinect N | #97 | |
| Chad Poorman N | #21 | |
| John Gearhart N | #60 | |
| Greg Fullerton N | #05 | |
| Dave Christensen N | #39 | |
| Kevin Peel S | #18 | |
| Larry Hughes S | #88 | |
| Andy Bozell N | #83 | |
| Brad Springer N | #61 | |
| Cole Carper N | #66 | |
| Gary Sanford Jr. S | #5s | |
| Buddy Gray N | #24 | |
| Johnny Walker S | #72 | |
| Derrick Griffin N | #95 | |
| Tim Burkett N | #12b | |
| Billy Melvin S | #145 | |
| Austin Evans S | #19 | |
| Dave Nester N | #12n | |
| Brian Nester N | #11 |
Mini Cup Recap
The final race of the night included a 20-lap feature for the Mini Cups. This race saw three lead changes in 20 laps, one of them coming with two to go. Greg Palmer #5 led the majority of the race, until William Cruise #45 made the pass for the lead with 4 to go. Cruise didn’t hold the lead long, when Kevin Kline #99 made the winning pass with 2 laps to go and claim the victory.
| Kevin Kline | #99 | |
| William Cruise | #45 | |
| Greg Palmer | #5 | |
| Steven Kline | #35 | |
| Mikell Rawls | #1 | |
| Hayden Cobb | #18 | |
| Michael Wolfe Jr. | #71 | |
| Jody Pierce | #34 |
Special thanks to the following sponsors of 10 or more laps:
Studio 10 Wraps, JL Tullis, PFC Brakes, SSF Race Products, Impact Zone Photos, GARC, Bolen Construction, Southern Music & Games, JEC Investments, The Rattler at South Alabama Speedway,KMARKS Web & Computer Solutions, Day Enterprises & Bucks Clothing
We would also like to give a special thanks to Turnco Motorsports for sponsoring the Hard Charger Award and GARC for adding purse money to the Alabama 200.
In the Modified event DG Performance added a pole award and a fan and crew member who asked not to be identified put up a $200 hard charger award.
Big shout out to all that purchased laps for the Alabama 200 and the Hunt for the BEAR 57
Join us on March 27th as we kick of the year for our local divisions here at Montgomery Motor Speedway! March 27th will include Street stocks, Late Model Sportsman, Pro 4, and Roadrunners! More info will be posted between now and then. Check us out at https://www.montgomerymotorspeedway.org/ and stay up to date on what we have going on by following us on social media!
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Twitter: @mmsracetrack
Story By: Landon Adams
Photo Credit: Impact Zone Photos