Booper Bare takes checkers at VMS's Steel Block Bandit Race

D&D Auto Recycling Steel Block Bandits
Virginia Motor Speedway
Jamaica, VA
July 9, 2011

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After a month off the Steel Block Bandits tour arrived at the Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamiaca, VA. The beautiful facility run by the Sawyer family saw 44 cars sign in for the Firecracker 30. Using group qualifying the time trials with Kyle Lear setting fast time at 18.441 seconds. 4 Cline Construction Co. heat races were run off with Kyle Lear, Booper Bare, David Williams, and Scott Adams taking the wins. The Crim Trailer Sales B-Main went to Bruce Kane.

The 30 lap main event got under green with Scott Adams jumping out to the lead over Booper Bare. The caution came out quickly after when Walker Arthur, whom had already suffered damage during qualifying and had qualified in through the B-Main, was caught up and suffered damage to his points leading machine. When the green flag flew again Adams drove into the lead over Bare and Kyle Lear, Lear and Bare would battle together as Adams maintained the lead. A second caution would fly with four complete when Don Woodruff who was attempting to get onto pit road contacted the end of the pit road wall. Scott Adams lead would come to and end shortly after the green flag when Booper Bare, running the high side, jumped in front of Scott Adams and into the lead on lap five. A couple laps later Kyle Lear and David Williams would also get by Adams and begin chase of the leader Bare who was using the high side to advantage.

Trouble would end the longest green flag period of the race at the halfway point when David Williams slowed with a blow right rear tire. At the green flag Bare would again take off with Lear in hot pursuit while Rick Hulson bypassed Scott Adams and moved into third before another caution would fly for VMS regular Tim Shelton. After another pair of cautions for Ryan Hackett on lap 19, and for David Puckett on lap 20, Virginia Motor Speedway officials decided to start counting caution laps in an attempt to avoid a fuel stop for the alcohol fueled cars. Booper Bare again took the lead from the green flag over Kyle Lear, but once again trouble occurred when Matt Marshall, last years Bandit main event winner at VMS, along with Bruce Kane and Tom Cohick got together. With laps counting under caution the event would end with a green, white, checkered finish.

At the final restart Bare again pulled ahead of Lear and would lead the final two laps and take the win in the Firecracker 30. Kyle Lear would cross second, but a post race incident would relegate him to the rear of the field following a disqualification. Derrick Quade would assume second with Rick Hulson third, early leader Scott Adams took fourth, while Andy Fries ran fifth. The top ten was rounded out by Matt Howsare, Stevie Long, Kyle Merkel, Davis Lipscombe, and DJ Troutman. Walker Arthur who had the roughest night possible coming as the points leader was able to secure twelth at the finish.

The series will return to action next weekend with a race at Natural Bridge Speedway in Natural Bridge, VA on Friday night, and on Saturday night the series will head back up I-81 to Eastside Speedway in Waynesboro, VA

OFFICIAL RESULTS(30 laps):

1. 83 Booper Bare

2. 23 Derrick Quade

3. 18H Rick Hulson

4. 2 Scott Adams

5. 82 Andy Fries

6. 5H Matt Howsare

7. 44 Stevie Long

8. 117 Kyle Merkel

9. 71 Davis Lipscombe

10. 7 DJ Troutman

11. 99* Rick Singleton

12. 87 Walker Arthur

13. 118 Sean Merkel

14. 66C Matt Cosner

15. 24 Kenny Moreland

16. 11 Ed Pope

17. 5B Wes Bonebrake

18. 45 David Williams

19. 18 Matt Marshall

20. 00 Tom Cohick

21. 1K Bruce Kane

22. 19 David Puckett

23. 76 Ryan Hackett

24. 55 Tim Shelton

25. 66 Don Woodruff

DSQ: Kyle Lear 1MD

Lap Leaders: Scott Adams 1 – 5, Booper Bare 6 – 30

Cautions: 7

Cline Construction Heat Races:

Heat 1: KYLE LEAR, Derrick Quade, Andy Fires, Stevie Long, Wes Bonebrake, Ed Pope, Matt Morgan, Louie Littlepage, Scott Davis, R.E. Cubbage

Heat 2: BOOPER BARE, Rick Hulson, Kyle Merkel, Ryan Hackett, Matt Cosner, Rick Singleton, Billy Tucker, Kenny Moreland, Andy Gregg, Don Woodruff

Heat 3: DAVID WILLIAMS, Davis Lipscombe, Tom Cohick, David Puckett, Bruce Kane, Buddy Isles, Eddie Groome, Brandon Atkinson, J.R. Overstreet DNS: William Pritchard

Heat 4: SCOTT ADAMS, Matt Howsare, Matt Marshall, D.J. Troutman, Walker Arthur, Sean Merkel, Brandon Long, Brad Rigdon, Mitch Miller, Tim Shelton

These cars Did Not Start the event, not taking a lap in qualifying: Glenn Elliott, Alan Anderson, Matt Quade

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Special thanks to the following: Market America, D&D Auto Recycling, Ernie D’s Enterprises, Glory Days Grill, Cecil B. Arthur General Contractors, Bernheisel Race Components & Lazer Chassis, WRT & Cliff Dove Motorsports Photography, Revolution Band, Muddslinger Web Services, Walrus Signs & Embroidery, Hoosier Tires, Advanced Race Wear, Crims Trailer Sales, Area Auto Racing News, In the Pits Radio 106.7 The Fan, Go Fast Be Safe, Handy Dans Landscaping, Cline Construction, All About Doors, Merkel Rebar, ARC Race Cars, Cecil B. Arthur Bucking Bulls & Beef Farm and Omps Garage.