Herrington Sweeps Mountain View CRUSA Run With Armstrong Steering

SPRING CITY, TN – Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA swept the program by winning the Spring City 50 for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series on Saturday night at Mountain View Raceway. Herrington led all 50 laps in the Poole’s Service Center Rocket despite losing his power steering on lap ten on the ¼-mile high banked clay oval.

In addition to leading every lap in the main event, Herrington earned the pole position for the main event on a track he had never seen before by setting a new track record in Qualifying at 11.011 seconds to shatter the old track record of 11.195 seconds set by Randy Weaver. In all, five drivers were under the old track record in qualifying.

“The car was perfect tonight, as we set a new track record in qualifying, then we took the lead at the start of the race, and then the power steering went out on lap ten while we were in lapped traffic,” Herrington said. “Now I’m not a big guy, but I somehow got a rhythm going, but boy I was tired at the end of the race.”

Herrington my have had a rhythm, but the rest of the field didn’t like the tune, as Herrington took the checkered flag with a 1.078 second margin of victory over Ahnna Parkhurst of Evans, GA who claimed her best Crate Racin’ USA career finish with a second-place effort in the EZ Go Special.

Parkhurst made a late-race charge up into the second spot, as she was the only driver to dust off the top shelf outside groove of Mountain View Raceway, a maneuver that earned her the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award.

Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL battled side-by-side with Parkhurst late in the race but had to settle for third in the Skinner’s Body Shop Rocket. That was good enough to put Skinner on top of the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series National point standings. Bryson Mitchell of Russellville, AL took the fourth spot in the Sparks Energy Rocket.

Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN started 12th and finished fifth in the Car Smart Auto Sales Special to earn the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Hard Charger of the Race Award. Corey Dunn of Milledgeville, GA was sixth in the Georgia Timber CVR, and Braden Mitchell of Russellville, AL drove the Sparks Energy Rocket to a seventh-place finish and the Fullmoon Graphics Lucky 7 Award.

T.J. Brittain of Center, AL finished eighth in the Brittain Hauling Warrior, and KRC Power Steering B-Main winner Rodney Martin of Cartersville, GA took the ninth spot in the Martin’s Wrecker Service Special. Barry Goodman of Spring City, TN rounded out the top ten in the Charlie’s Used Auto Parts CVR. Troy Dixon of Dallas, GA finished 14th in the Granite Hauling and Grading Rocket and was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race.

Herrington took the lead at the start of the race from the pole position followed by Dunn, Bryson Mitchell, Goodman, and Parkhurst. Ethen Hunter of Harrison, TN in the ETSB Construction Special got by Parkhurst for the fifth spot on lap five. Herrington caught the cars on the tail end of the lead lap on lap seven in the close confines of Mountain View Raceway.

Dunn was able to close in on Herrington by lap ten while the leader tried to negotiate putting cars a lap down. The first of eight caution flags came out on lap 12 when Ty Ellis of Covington, GA cut down a tire on his Precision Bodyworks Special.

The field lined up for a Dixie-Style Double-File Restart with Herrington in the lead while Dunn, Bryson Mitchell, Goodman, Hunter, Cody Overton of Grovetown, GA in the Mid-States Equipment Rocket, Parkhurst, Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA in the Clayton Signs/Gentry’s Used Auto Parts Special, Braden Mitchell and Martin doubled up behind the leader.

The race resumed for one more lap when the yellow caution bulb was fired up again when Jason Markewitz of Killen, AL stalled the Rock Hard Wheel Covers Special in turn four. Dixon spun in turn four on the restart for the third yellow flag, and Hunter surrendered the fifth spot, as he pitted with a cut tire during the caution period.

When the green flag came back out, Overton made a bold move on the restart to move up from fifth to third. On lap 19 the red flag came out when Knowles car burst into flames on the backstretch. The Mountain View Raceway Safety team was quickly on the scene, extinguished the fire, and Knowles was unhurt.

The top ten for the restart had Herrington out front with Dunn, Overton, Bryson Mitchell, Goodman, Parkhurst, Braden Mitchell, Skinner, Martin and Ashley Newman of Ripley, TN in the Scott Davis Farms Special doubled up behind the leader. Overton stepped to the outside on the restart and passed Dunn for second in turn three.

The halfway point in the race on lap 25 saw Herrington catch lapped traffic with a 1.4 second lead on Overton. Herrington’s lead had shrunk to six tenths of a second by lap 34 when the caution flag came out for Heath Alvey of Dandridge, TN who stalled the Stinnett Chevrolet Special in turn two.

Skinner was on the move when the green light flashed back on, as he came the fourth spot to pass Dunn for third, and then began to challenge Overton for the second spot. As they came off the second turn on lap 35, Skinner pulled ahead of Overton, but Skinner’s right rear bumper, and Overton’s left front bumper hooked up and Skinner spun to the right to bring out the caution flag.

Overton was ticketed with the caution and had to go to the tail of the cars on the lead lap for the restart that saw Herrington still the leader and Skinner lined up in second. When the field back to green flag action, Parkhurst stepped to the outside and moved up to the third spot. Markewitz spun in turn four on lap 40 to bring out caution flag number seven.

The top ten for the double-file restart showed Herrington the leader followed by Skinner, Parkhurst, Dunn, Bryson Mitchell, Elliott, Goodman, Braden Mitchell, Newman, and Martin. Parkhurst went to her comfort zone on the restart and used the outside groove to sail past Skinner and into the second spot.

Skinner raced side-by-side with Parkhurst for several laps challenging to regain the second spot. The final caution flag came out on lap 46 when Ellis spun in turn two. With the race inside of five laps to go, it was a single-file restart with Herrington leading Parkhurst, Skinner, Bryson Mitchell, Dunn, Elliott, Braden Mitchell, Goodman, Brittain, and Martin.

The final five laps of the race saw Herrington go unchallenged to the checkered flag, with Parkhurst holding off Skinner for the runner-up honors. As Herrington used “Armstrong Steering” for 40 of the 50 laps, his arms felt 100 pounds heavier and six feet longer as he guided his race car into Victory Lane.

Coming up next for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series is the three-race “Salute To America Nationals” that begin Thursday night with a $2,000-to-win 40-lap event at Clarksville Speedway in Clarksville, TN. On Friday night, it is a $2,500-to-win 50-lap race at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. The finale will be on Saturday night with a $2,500-to-win 50-lap race at Cochran Motor Speedway in Cochran, GA.

The economical Aluminum Head, Steel Block, Chevrolet Performance 604 Circle Track Engine is the engine of choice for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series competitors. The Chevrolet Performance 604 Engine is in stock and available for free next day delivery from Newsome Raceway Parts in Hartsville, SC.

Newsome Raceway Parts gives a portion of the sales from each Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine sold back to the Crate Racin’ USA Point Funds in four different Divisions. Each economical Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine is built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. To place an order call 1-877-497-3624.

For more information and rules about the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.crateracinusa.com, or visit the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CrateRacinUSA/. You can follow us on Twitter @CrateRacinUSALM, and at Instagram at crateracinusa.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 4 AT MOUNTAIN VIEW RACEWAY IN SPRING CITY, TN ON 6/27/2020:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 14 Wil Herrington Hawkinsville, GA 50 $3,000
2. 4 23 Ahnna Parkhurst Evans, GA 50 $1,500
3. 9 11 Cruz Skinner Oxford, AL 50 $1,100
4. 6 46 Bryson Mitchell Russellville, AL 50 $900
5. 12 J39 Jimmy Elliott Cleveland, TN 50 $700
6. 3 21 Corey Dunn Milledgeville, GA 50 $625
7. 10 64 Braden Mitchell Russellville, AL 50 $550
8. 13 05 T.J. Brittain Centre, AL 50 $525
9. 11 92 Rodney Martin Cartersville, GA 50 $500
10. 2 24 Barry Goodman Spring City, TN 50 $450
11. 16 115 Cody Gentry Gallatin, TN 50 $425
12. 14 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN 50 $400
13. 15 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 50 $375
14. 20 39 Troy Dixon (R) Dallas, GA 48 $350
15. 17 7 Heath Alvey Dandridge, TN 47 $325
16. 9 1 Ty Ellis Covington, GA 45 $300
17. 7 10 Cody Overton (R) Grovetown, GA 39 $300
18. 18 99 Ryan Boudreaux Harvey, LA 38 $300
19. 21 1m Jason Markewitz Killen, AL 38 $300
20. 8 03 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 18 $300
21. 5 15 Ethan Hunter Harrison, TN 17 $300

ENTRIES: 21
FAST QUALIFIER: Herrington, 11.011 Seconds (New Track Record)
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Herrington 1-50
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Elliott (started12th and finished 5th)
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Parkhurst
FULLMOON GRAPHICS LUCKY 7 AWARD: Braden Mitchell
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Dixon
KRC POWER STEERING B-MAIN WINNER: Martin
CAUTIONS: 8
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.078 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 47 Minutes and 17.934 Seconds
NEXT RACE: July 2, $2,000-to-win, Clarksville Speedway, Clarksville, TN