08/16/12 Ironically, the top four finishers Friday night in the Outlaw Late Model division at Plymouth Speedway ended the race in the same order they finished the season.
Veteran racer Brian Ross finally notched his first track championship, and also took the checkers Friday night. He was followed by Shawn Amor in second; Steve Stacy in third and Rich Boal in fourth.
Sal Bustamante put on quite a show for the asphalt season finale when during a caution, having some mechanical trouble, he headed to the pits. By the time the track was cleaned off to go green again, Bustamante had re-entered the race and found his way toward the front with just a few laps to go. Battling Brennon Morning, Bustamante pulled ahead for the win, and the season championship in the Hornet division. Following Morning, Sean Stuart took third; Travis Erhart fourth; and Sunny Chilafof fifth. For the season, Daren Miller was second and Nelson Frost was third.
Shawn Amor won the Late Model race and also the championship in this division. Rich Boal, who wound up third in the race, and Rodney Spencer, who placed second, raced each other hard through the first half of the race, but Amor got by the two for the win. Rich Boal finished second for the season in points, and Kevin Gunkel finished third for 2012.
Scott Frost held off a late-race charge by Pee Wee Warren in the Street Stock series race Friday. Following Warren, Henry Stremme was third and track qualifying record-holder, 13-year-old J.J. Haley, was fourth. Haley had an early spin and was almost caught up in another wreck at Turn 3, but he battled back for a top-5 finish. Jeff Stetler finished in the fifth spot. For the season, D.J Frost finished in the points lead, with Warren taking second and Haley coming in third.
Haley, whose qualifying record holds for 2012 at 14.73, says it feels amazing that he could set any kind of record at the track. “I never thought that was possible,” he said. “Mentally, I’m really not afraid and I think that helps, because if I was, I couldn’t concentrate on my driving line.”
How does Haley get such good times? “For qualifying,” he said, “I try to push the car to its limits. I try to give it all the car has.”
Finishing in the top three, Haley said, “It feels great to be up there and working for the lead. It’s a tough crowd of cars I’m racing against.”
While the asphalt races concluded for the season, there are more races scheduled for the Bullring, including this Saturday night’s race when Tony Stewart comes back to race at Plymouth Speedway.
