Donnie Sullivan Dandy in Sportsman Main Event at Ponderosa Speedway

Ponderosa Speedway
365 Phillips Lane
Junction City, KY 40440

2013 Official Media Release #45 (For Immediate Distribution- July 12, 2013)
Contact-Michael Despain (mgdespain@windstream.net)

Chris Combs Captures Ponderosa Speedway’s Red Clay Bash-The Night Before the Butterball

Junction City, KY-July 12, 2013- Ponderosa Speedway would return to action after a two week layoff on Friday evening with the 2nd Annual Red Clay Bash-The Night Before the Butterball and Chris Combs of Isom, KY would take the $3,000 first place payday for the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Models. Other feature event winners were Jimmy Payne of Glasgow, KY in Bluegrass Drug Store Modifieds, Todd Coffman of Junction City, KY in Smith Automotive Machine Shop FASTRAK Late Models, and Donnie Sullivan of Stanford, KY in D&D Pallet Recyclers Sportsman.

Jeff Watson would take the lead at the start of the 40 lap, $3,000 to win A-Main for the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Models, with David Webb and Tommy Bailey giving chase. Watson would cruise out in front until third place Webb made heavy contact with the outside retaining wall in turn three to draw the caution flag, with Michael Chilton also contacting Webb and having a flat right-rear tire, which he would change and return, but Webb would be finished for the night. The restart would see sixth place starting Dustin Linville charge around Bailey for the second spot and Linville would set his sights on Watson. The duo would race side-by-side for the from lap 10 until lap 13, at which point, Linville would take the race lead. The final caution of the event would fly on lap 17 when Michael Wright shredded a left-rear tire entering turn one, drawing the caution. By underway, Linville continued to lead, while 5th place starter Chris Combs had taken over second, with 14th starting Victor Lee now in third. The leader would begin the process of lapping slower traffic on lap 29 and Combs and Lee would begin to close on the leader, as the lead duo of Linville and Combs worked heavy traffic starting on lap 35. As the leaders got the two laps to go signal and headed into turn one, Linville would have to check up a bit and Combs would squeeze beneath him exiting turn two to make what would turn out to be the winning pass. Combs would see the checkered flag first aboard the Chris and James Combs owned Tim Short Automotive/Combs Trucking/Breeding Heavy Haulers/Adams Brothers Plumbing/Bub’s Trucking/KR Enterprises/AC2 Graphics/Bill’s Marathon/Ramey Racing/D and S Trucking/Combs Transport/Red Fox Tire/Walls Law Office/Bailey’s Gun Shop/GBC Motorsports/American Racer South sponsord #47 Swartz Race Car powered by a Vic Hill Race Engine. Linville would settle for runner-up honors, while the last lap scramble saw 10th place starter Greg Johnson get third, while 13th starting Brad Neat would nip Lee for fourth. The remainder of the top ten would be Justin Rattliff, Watson, Dustin Neat, Michael Chilton, and Skylar Marlar. Twenty-six entries would see Marlar be the Bob Allen Motor Mall top qualifier at 13.469 seconds, while Country 100.9 MIKE FM heats went to Watson, Webb, and Bailey, with Wright winning the Airport Road Salvage Yard B-Main.

The Bluegrass Drug Store Modified main event would see Bryan Barber lead the first nine circuits of the open-wheel divisions main event before Jimmy Payne would drive past Barber for the lead on lap 10, with Barber retiring one trip later with mechanical issues. Payne would survive two more late race cautions to pick up the victory and $1,000 for his efforts in the Richard Harlow owned Maximum Energy Development/Barren River Pest Control/Diamond Auto Collision/Paintless Dent Repair/ Young’s Barber Shop sponsored #K1 Bandit Race Car mount, with a Niebel Race Engine providing the horsepower. J.T. Ayers would turn in his best performance of the season with a second place effort, while Don Adams, Benji Lee, and Dion Benningfield would complete the top five. The second five in the final rundown would be Josh Rice, Keith Smith, Michael England, Brent Denny, and Keith Denny. Twenty-seven entries would see Barber as the Bob Allen Motor Mall top qualifier at 14.654 seconds, with Inter County Energy heat race wins going to Barber, Payne, and Benningfield, while Matthew Jordan would win the Redi-Mart Shell B-Main.

Tyler Allen and Todd Coffman would bring the Smith Automotive Machine Shop FASTRAK Late Model feature to the green flag, with the front-row starting pair battling for the lead before Coffman would assume control of the top spot and keep Allen at bay to claim the victory behind the wheel of the Sharon Coffman owned Premier Self Storage/Auto Connection/The Muffler Shop/All Star Racewear/Coffman’s Photography/Spears Construction/Archie’s Tire Center/Harrod Farms/Todd’s Body Shop/Wilson Equipment sponsored #35 Rocket Chassis, GM604 powered unit. Allen would finish second, while Gary Yeager, Chris Fair, and Jake Henry would complete the top five. Seven entries would line-up via the pill draw and Allen would claim the Colston Paving heat win.

Donnie Sullivan would drive to the lead at the start of the D&D Pallet Recyclers Sportsman feature event and the entire distance to score the victory in the seat of his D&D Pallet Recyclers/Simple Sign and Decal/Crown Cuts/Patriot Sports sponsored #1 Chevy Camaro powered by an Estes Race Engine. Derek Bottoms would score runner-up honors, with Logan Whitis, Glen Hounshell, Jr. and Pat Hagan completing the top five. Ten entries would also line-up via the pill draw and Sullivan and Bottoms would be the Northside RV heat race winners.

SUMMARY-Ponderosa Speedway-Junction City, Kentucky-July 12, 2013

Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Models (26 entries)
Bob Allen Motor Mall Top Qualifier- Skylar Marlar 13.469
Country 100.9 MIKE FM 1st Heat (top 5 transfer)- Jeff Watson, Skylar Marlar, Michael Chilton, Greg Johnson, Brad Neat, Stephen Breeding, Daniel Williams, Clint Vaughn, Jay Mobley
Country 100.9 MIKE FM 2nd Heat (top 5 transfer)- David Webb, Chris Combs, Mike Strunk, Jason Welshan, Victor Lee, Michael Wright, Jake Henry, Clarence Belcher, Timmy Taylor
Country 100.9 MIKE FM 3rd Heat (top 5 transfer)- Tommy Bailey, Dustin Linville, Dustin Neat, Justin Rattliff, Johnny Wheeler, Tim Tungate, Bartley Grant, Donnie Everman
Airport Road Salvage Yard B-Main (top 5 transfer)- Michael Wright, Stephen Breeding, Tim Tungate, Daniel Williams, Bartley Grant, Clarence Belcher, Clint Vaughn, Jay Mobley, Jake Henry, Timmy Taylor (DNS- Donnie Everman)
2nd Annual Red Clay Bash-The Night Before the Butterball- Chris Combs, Dustin Linville, Greg Johnson, Brad Neat, Victor Lee, Justin Rattliff, Jeff Watson, Dustin Neat, Michael Chilton, Skylar Marlar, Stephen Breeding, Jason Welshan, Michael Wright, Daniel Williams, Bartley Grant, Tommy Bailey, Mike Strunk, Johnny Wheeler, David Webb, Tim Tungate

Bluegrass Drug Store Modifieds (27 entries)
Bob Allen Motor Mall Top Qualifier- Bryan Barber 14.654
Inter County Energy 1st Heat (top 5 transfer)- Bryan Barber, Tommy Gregory, Benji Lee, Michael England, Brent Denny, Matthew Jordan, Virgil Parriman, Al Kiernan, Tim Potts
Inter County Energy 2nd Heat (top 5 transfer)- Jimmy Payne, J.T. Ayers, Elliott Despain, Josh Rice, Keith Denny, Robbie Settles, Joe Gray, Jeff Rawlings, Cy Cundiff
Inter County Energy 3rd Heat (top 5 transfer)- Dion Benningfield, Don Adams, Keith Smith, Christian Baker, Aaron Branham, Stacey Decker, Leo Brady, Cody Smith, James Jones
Redi-Mart Shell B-Main (top 5 transfer)- Matthew Jordan, Robbie Settles, Al Kiernan, Jeff Rawlings, Joe Gray, Leo Brady, Stacey Decker, Cy Cundiff, Tim Potts, Virgil Parriman (DNS- James Jones)
Feature- Jimmy Payne, J.T. Ayers, Don Adams, Benji Lee, Dion Benningfield, Josh Rice, Keith Smith, Michael England, Brent Denny, Keith Denny, Aaron Branham, Christian Baker, Jeff Rawlings, Matthew Jordan, Robbie Settles, Elliott Despain, Al Kiernan, Bryan Barber, Cody Smith, Tommy Gregory

Smith Automotive Machine Shop FASTRAK Late Models (7 entries)
Colston Paving Heat- Tyler Allen, Todd Coffman, Gary Yeager, Zane Powell, Jake Henry, Wesley Brummett, Chris Fair
Feature- Todd Coffman, Tyler Allen, Gary Yeager, Chris Fair, Jake Henry, Wesley Brummett, Zane Powell

D&D Pallet Recyclers Sportsman (10 entries)
Northside RV 1st Heat- Donnie Sullivan, Logan Whitis, Pat Hagan, Gary Thompson, Johnny King
Northside RV 2nd Heat- Derek Bottoms, Glen Hounshell, Jr., Glen Branham, Phillip Anderson, Jeremy Howard
Feature- Donnie Sullivan, Derek Bottoms, Logan Whitis, Glen Hounshell, Jr., Pat Hagan, Jeremy Howard, Glen Branham, Phillip Anderson, Gary Thompson (DNS- Johnny King)