Sunday, July 18, 2010

Grill Dominates In U.S. Auto Sales 100 At Gresham

Augie Grill Dominates In U.S. Auto Sales 100 At Gresham Motorsports Park FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JEFFERSON, GA (July 17, 2010) –Augie Grill beat the rain, the competitors and the heat to pick up his second victory of the season at Gresham Motorsports Park in Saturday night's U.S. Auto Sales 100. Grill held off a hard charging T.J. Reaid on the final restart with two laps to go to pick up the win, with Bubba Pollard third Ryan Blaney fourth and Jeff Fultz rounding out the top five. "It feels very good to win tonight," Grill said in victory lane. "We didn't get the poll and I wished we had but the win more than makes up for it. This car is great to drive and they have built a good machine. "I'm lucky to drive this car." The run didn't look much like luck. After rolling off seventh after an inverted start from a second fastest qualifying run, Grill charged to the lead, passing Pollard on lap 34, and didn't look back all night. Meanwhile, Pollard would scramble with Reaid, Jimmy Garmon, Jason Hogan and Jeff Fultz for position. Grill's strong run was challenged only twice on the night, both during double file restarts. Pollard challenged briefly on one restart near the midpoint of the race, while Reaid would make a run on a late restart. Grill held off both charges to hold the top spot. The event was fast and furious, being slowed twice by red flags. The first flew on lap 74 when the cars of Donnie Wilson and Ben Kennedy tangled on the backstretch. Kennedy's car was pushed up the wall, and rode into turn three on the driver's side before coming down on all four tires in the third turn. Both drivers walked away uninjured. The second red flag flew in the closing laps. While racing for a top five position, Jason Hogan spun after contact with another car in the third turn with three laps remaining. Hogan's car made hard contact with the outside wall, lifting off the ground. It landed on all fours, and came to rest between turns three and four. The crash ended Hogan's night, but he walked away uninjured. Jimmy Weller, Greg Simpson, Jody Lavender, Daniel Johnson and Randy Gentry rounded out the top ten. After being flagged for second, however, T.J. Reaid did not pass post-race tech, and was relegated to 20th place. Results are unofficial until certified by CRA officials. Grill's win in March at GMP qualified him for a guaranteed starting spot in the 27th annual World Crown 300 on November 14, so the starting spot for this event's winner went unclaimed. There was also lots of action in the local divisions. Curt Britt charged to the lead from the drop of the green flag in the Truck division race, and was never seriously challenged again. Brian Huff took second, while Cohen Motes made a late charge to finish third, and Brittney Finley took fourth and Chris Wagner finshed fifth. Spanky Hicks became a four-time winner at GMP with a wire-to-wire run for the win in the Mini-Stock division. He beat out Avery Burgess for the win while Steve Hill took third, Scott Beck fourth and Troy French fifth. Jason Bates, and his dog Roscoe, made their fourth trip to GMP's victory lane in the Outlaw Late Model division, as they held off hard charges from Mike Davidson, Tina Stephens and David Murphy in a tight four car battle for the win. Brian Hardman rounded out the top five. Greg Jarrett held off a hard charging Mike Childers to take the victory in the Renegade feature. Jody Trivette, Brian Beckner and Nathaniel Carlisle rounded out the top five. Will Fagen outdistanced the field to win the first Mini-Cup feature of the night on the GMP quarter-mile. Emilee Riley took second with Brody Bullard third, Mason Elzey fourth and Austin Raines fifth. Casey Willingham made an early charge to the lead in the second Mini-Cup event and never looked back, taking the win over Will Fagen and Emilee Riley. Next up at Gresham Motorsports Park will be a 100-lap Pro Late Model event on Saturday, August 14. The Pro Lates have competed at GMP twice this season with Chase Elliott taking the 100-lap main event victory on April 17 while David Odell captured the checkered flag in the PLM headliner on May 15. Joining the Pro Late Models on Saturday, August 14 will be the Outlaw Late Models, Trucks, Renegades, Mini-Stocks and Mini-Cups. The GMP Grandstand and Trackside Parking for the August 14 event will open at 2 p.m. Opening Ceremonies are set for 7 p.m. with the first race taking the green flag at 7:30 p.m. sharp. Adult Grandstand and Trackside General Admission Tickets are just $20. Seniors (55 and older) and Active Military Personnel are $18 while Children 6-12 are $10. Children 5 and under will be admitted free and, as always, parking is free. Gresham Motorsports Park is located right off I-85 at Exit 140, next to the Jackson County Airport In Jefferson. GA. For more information about Gresham Motorsports Park, please log on to www.GreshamMotorsportsPark.com. Event Results US Auto Sales World Series Of Speed US Auto Sales 100 CRA Super Series Late Models (Unofficial) 1. Augie Grill 2. Bubba Pollard 3. Ryan Blaney 4. Jeff Fultz 5. Jimmy Weller 6. Greg Simpson 7. Jody Lavender 8. Daniel Johnson 9. Randy Gentry 10. Jason Hogan 11. Rodney Benefield 12. Stephen Nasse 13. Jimmy Garmon 14. Allen Karnes 15. Ben Kennedy 16. Donnie Wilson 17. Billy Leslie 18. Don Young 19. Bill Hoose 20. T.J. Reaid Mini Stocks – 20 Laps 1. Spanky Hicks 2. Avery Burgess 3. Steve Hill 4. Scott Beck 5. Troy French 6. Vernon Hicks 7. Jimmy Burgess 8. Ken Candiotti, Sr. 9. Wayne Smith 10. Bryan Muse 11. Tim Greer 12. Bryan Bellew 13. Blake Freeman 14. Jason Alexander 15. Darrell Carlson Renegades – 25 Laps 1. Greg Jarrett 2. Mike Childers 3. Jody Trivette 4. Brian Beckner 5. Nathaniel Carlisle 6. Jackie Manley 7. Jeremy Dills Trucks – 35 Laps 1. Curt Britt 2. Brian Huff 3. Cohen Motes 4. Brittney Finley 5. Chris Wagner 6. Bill Hoose 7. Joel Townsend 8. Brandon Franklin 9. Ashley Harvey 10. Matt Vassar 11. Cecil Flowe 12. Jeremy Parris 13. Kristen Wallace Outlaw Late Models – 35 Laps 1. Jason Bates 2. Mike Davidson 3. Tina Stephens 4. David Murphy 5. Brian Hardman 6. Terry Martin 7. Hoyt Stephens Mini Cups – Feature #1 – 20 Laps 1. Will Fagen 2. Emilee Riley 3. Brody Bullard 4. Mason Elzey 5. Austin Raines Mini Cups – Feature #2 – 20 Laps 1. Casey Willingham 2. Will Fagan 3. Emilee Riley

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