Carolina Clash @ Fayetteville 11/13

[tpope]

Plenty of sunshine, no threat of rain, but it's gonna get a tad chilly tonight. The drivers' meetings are supposed to start at 5 p.m. and hot laps at 5:30. Main event is the Jack Starrette Tribute, a 50-lap, $5,000-to-win show. Dennis "Rambo" Franklin has a 40-point lead over Dean Bowen heading into tonight's season finale - the difference between first and eighth in the finishing order tonight. Championship's worth $10,000 and runnerup is $6,000. Bowen can do no worse than finish second and win Rookie of the Year.

I'll post updates on Twitter at FO_ThomasPope during the show; a full rundown here when I get home from the track; and there'll be a story Monday at www.fayobserver.com/sports.

Thomas Pope
Motorsports editor
The Fayetteville (NC) Observer

[tpope]

28 clash cars have signed in and another hauler just now approaching the gate

[tpope]

Carolina Clash / Fayetteville Motor Speedway / 11.13.10
50 laps; $5,000 to win

1. Dean Bowen (started second, led all 50 laps), 2. Ray Tucker, 3. Jeff Smith, 4. Dustin Mitchell, 5. Dennis "Rambo" Franklin, 6. Travis Hair, 7. Jay Sessoms, 8. Gary Mabe, 9. Dale Hammond, 10. Timmy Blackwell.

11. David Taylor, 12. Travis Yow, 13. Donald Bradsher, 14. Brian Ledbetter, 15. Scott Shirey, 16. Ricky Weeks, 17. Steve Blackburn, 18. Chuck Smith, 19. Michael Marlowe, 20. Chris Ferguson.

21. Justin Labonte, 22. Kerry King, 23. Chris Meadows, 24. Craig Shuffield

DNS: Kyle Pierce, Mike Evock, Andrew Brock, Ronnie Boykin, Michael Mason
Fast qualifier: Chris Meadows, 17.195 seconds
Heat winners: Chris Ferguson, Jeff Smith
B-Main winner: Chuck Smith
Provisional starters: Michael Marlowe, Craig Shuffield
Points champion: Dennis "Rambo" Franklin (worth $10,000) 2,286 points + 155 = 2,441; 2. Dean Bowen ($6,000) 2,246 + 180 = 2,426 --- 15-point margin
Rookie of the Year: Dean Bowen
Banquet is Jan. 29, 2011, @ Charlotte Motor Speedway

[jog49]

....and that which is too often becoming the case.....50 laps of competition and what seemed like 500 laps under caution!!!!!
Congratulations to Rambo for his consistency and to Dean for giving it his best shot!

[sceneplenty2no]

I find it sad that there is so much straight up racing down south that turns an event into a snoozer. Its obovious to many that pressure from the top teams have blackmailed fans and promoters into thinking that straight up racing is the best and most fair way to race. A good example is what Bloomer and Earl Pearson has done to Lucas Oil Series. Staight up racing has provided $$$$ and two champion ships for Bloomers PR effort. Has the racing been better without the wheel? ? ?
I am glad that there still are tracks like Eldora and Cedar Lake that are not afraid to stand up to the prima donnas and use a type of an invert. Unfortunity the fans south of the Mason Dixon are just use to alot of flag to flag boring races. You don't complain, well you just get more of the same. Good luck to the fans that still hunger to spend an evening watching a " race".

[slick01]

I find it sad that there is so much straight up racing down south that turns an event into a snoozer. Its obovious to many that pressure from the top teams have blackmailed fans and promoters into thinking that straight up racing is the best and most fair way to race. A good example is what Bloomer and Earl Pearson has done to Lucas Oil Series. Staight up racing has provided $$$$ and two champion ships for Bloomers PR effort. Has the racing been better without the wheel? ? ?
I am glad that there still are tracks like Eldora and Cedar Lake that are not afraid to stand up to the prima donnas and use a type of an invert. Unfortunity the fans south of the Mason Dixon are just use to alot of flag to flag boring races. You don't complain, well you just get more of the same. Good luck to the fans that still hunger to spend an evening watching a " race".

Hurrah!!!! There are quite a few of us who feel the same way, but we are outnumbered by the herd of sheep that follow the primadonna's and promoters to the ticket window......

[F22 RAPTOR]

I personally don't care for inverts, but I am in favor of draw & heat race to determine starting spot. The crux is the track's have to step up and reconfigure there outdated layouts to support more multi-lane racing or provide better prep so passing can occur. I loathe qualifying, it is dull, especially in crates. My comments are not directed towards Fayetteville, I've never been there, my comments are in general to all of DLM racing. It use to be draw & heat was the norm, but then the money people lobbied so they wouldn't have to risk there equipment, that and a high HP motor is more of an asset during qualifying than in the feature, but by then they can just get in the way and ride around. This is why I like the SPEC/525 engine packages that SAS and other series allows, with the big blade so the low HP, lesser funded guys have a fighting chance... JMO

[sceneplenty2no]

I like your post on draw and heat race. Qualifying is just another convienent way of turning a one day event into a two dayer. In a large field(60 plus), I think passing points takes more of the luck factor out of it by giving a driver the opportunity to make the show in the case of a bad draw .Drivers always complaining about the high cost of motors, so why not take out the need for a 900 horse $40 to $50 grand power plant out of the equation. Its an uphill battle for sure!

[seifertfan2]

Well first let me say Im sorry to the original poster, for us hi-jacking your thread. I am not a fan of inverts, never have been and never will be. I however am a fan of the format that WoO uses. Run the heats straight up and then redraw the top 2 for the feature, that way you are not penalizing the guys who actually have fast cars, but formats are not the entire problem down here in the South. TRACK PREP is probally the biggest problem we have down here. I dont know if its something in our dirt or what but we just cant seem to get the side by side racing that you guys have up North.