Post Race Notes From The World Crown 300

The 28^th annual Rheem World Crown 300 may be history, but fans are still buzzing about the great three days of racing put on at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia.

Here’s a few of the post-race items that fans have been talking about since the drop of Sunday’s green flag.

New Format A Success

It would be a lie to say there weren’t doubts about the new segmented format for the World Crown.  Some drivers were worried, thinking that the final 25 lap segment for the lion’s share of the winner’s payout would be a demolition derby.  Fans were worried that the drivers would lay back and make the race boring as everybody waited on the segments to play out.

Those that had doubted had to eat a little crow on Monday morning.

The majority of the accidents occurred during the opening segment of the event, something that probably would have happened if the race had been a straight-up 200 or 300 lap distance.

Eddie Hoffman disproved the “laying back” theory.  After getting caught up in an accident not of his making in the first segment, Hoffman found himself fighting to hold off leader Chris Wimmer late in the second segment, fighting for the right to transfer into the final segment.  It payed off, as a caution came out, allowing him to stay on the lead lap and transfer.  That would translate into a fifth place finish overall in the event.

The final segment itself went caution free, with Wimmer running off with the lead while Ross Kenseth and Chase Elliott put on a fierce battle for second.

The cherry on top was Wimmer doing something nobody thought could be accomplished – he won all three segments, pocketing the entire $20,000 winner’s share for the World Crown.

Now that it’s a proven event, hopefully more drivers will come to Jefferson, Georgia for the 29^th annual World Crown.

Honoring Beau Slocumb

The Gresham family made a very generous gesture Saturday night at GMP.  In an era where corporate dollars rule motorsports, the Greshams put family, friendship and honor first.

Prior to the running of the Beau Slocumb Memorial Pro Late model feature, the main control tower was named in honor of Slocumb, the popular Georgia driver who lost a courageous battle with cancer earlier this year.

The tower now sports a large sign designating it as being in Slocumb’s honor.  That same spot very well could have gone to a high dollar sponsor, as it surely is one of the highest profile spots on the GMP property.

Instead, the Gresham family chose to do something unique today in motorsports.  They put honor first, ensuring that race fans for years to come will have the opportunity to learn about Beau Slocumb, and to learn why he was so important to the Georgia racing family.

It makes one proud to know that there is still top notch, honorable people involved with motorsports.  If you get a chance, make sure you say thank you for putting the right things at the top of the list.

Headache Award

There are several people who qualify for a “headache award” coming out of Sunday’s World Crown.  But the one person that seems to deserve it is Kenzie Ruston.

Ruston, who was vying to be the first female winner of the World Crown, had a fast car all weekend long, leading one practice session and hovering near the top of several others all weekend.

Ruston, who earlier in the season had become the first woman to win a CRA late model feature, had qualified in the top ten, and spent most of the race there.

As the laps began to wind down in the second segment, Ruston seemed to be right where she wanted to be.  She was just outside the top five when she got caught up in an incident not of her making.  It resulted in hard contact with the inside wall, ending her day.

As fans watched her walk dejectedly back up pit road, one had to wonder if she had not had the bad luck befall her, what kind of role she would have played in the final laps of the World Crown.

Pollard Wins For Slocumb

Bubba Pollard had said that he would trade the 18 wins he had scored in 2011 for the victory in Saturday’s Beau Slocumb Memorial, named for Pollard’s late friend.

It was clear early on that Pollard would not be denied, as he charged to the lead then held off a hard late charge by Willie Allen.

In victory lane, an emotional Pollard said he felt like he had a little help from his late friend in getting the win.

“Every time that thing would get loose, I could feel him grab it,” he said.  “I don’t know how I held onto it sometimes but I know he was there with me.”

It was truly a great moment in Georgia racing history.

Winning For Family
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It was also an emotional race weekend for winners in the local divisions at GMP.

On Friday, second generation driver Brian Sosebee scored the victory in the Sportsman division.

In victory lane, Sosebee dedicated the win to his later father, Georgia Racing Hall of Fame member Gober Sosebee, who had lost his life in an agricultural accident on Nov. 11, 1996 – 15 years to the day.

“This one is for my father,” Sosebee said tearfully in victory lane.

On Saturday, Aaron Calvert inherited the lead in the Mini-Stock feature after the two leaders got together late in the going, resulting in a crash.

It was almost as if it was meant to be, as Calvert would go on to score the win.

Calvert dedicated the win to his late grandmother.

“I lost my grandmother a week ago,” said an emotional Calvert in victory lane.  “She was my number one fan, and this is for her.”

Past Winners

Two former World Crown winners were in the field for the 28^th running of the short track classic, Russell Fleeman and Jimmy Garmon.

Fleeman, the 2008 World Crown winner, would have the worse luck of the two, as he was caught up in an early caution that would tear his No. 98 US Auto Sales ride up.  He would return after extensive repairs, soldiering on to a 21^st place finish.

Jimmy Garmon, the 1998 champ, would have his share of troubles to overcome, spinning twice on the day.  Both times he kept the car off the wall, and would continue, eventually transferring into the final segment, where he finished ninth in the final rundown.

Not to be forgotten is 2004 World Crown champion Fredrick Moore, who competed in Saturday night’s Beau Slocumb Memorial 100.  Moore had been looking for speed all weekend, but seemed to be struggling with the No. 31jr American Standard – Aladdin Ford.

On Saturday, as the event came down to the end of the first segment, Moore found himself as the last car on the lead lap, working to keep leader Bubba Pollard behind him.  He was able to hold off Pollard, and transferred to the final 25 lap segment.

He would go on from there to finish 18^th, a solid finish for what had started off as a rough weekend.

Georgia Win Streak Broken

Chris Wimmer snapped a long standing win streak for Georgia racers in the World Crown.

Since 2000, when Micky Cain won the crown, no non-Georgia driver had won the event.  The closest came in 2009, when Jeff Choquette was flagged the winner, but failed post race tech, along with the second place finisher, giving the win to Pendergrass, Georgia’s Paul Kelley.

Wimmer hails from Wausau, Wisconsin.  28 year early, the first World Crown victory was scored by another Wisconsin native, Dick Trickle.  Another Wisconsin native, Rich Bickle, saw good fortune in the World Crown, winning in 1990 and 1992.

No doubt next year the Georgia Gang will be looking to try to start another winning streak.

Elliott Pulls Off The Double

If anybody doubted that Chase Elliott would be a factor in Sunday’s World Crown, just one day after racing in the NASCAR K&N West season finale at Phoenix, Arizona, their doubts were erased by the halfway point.

Elliott started shotgun on the field.  The Dawsonville, GA youngster kept his car out of trouble, avoiding incidents in front of him and biding his time.  By the end of the first segment, he found himself in the top ten.

Over the course of the second segment, Elliott would move himself into position to contend for the victory.  In the final 25 laps, he would do battle side-by-side with another second generation racer, Ross Kenseth, in a scenario eerily similar to the 2010 event.

In the end, Elliott would match his Phoenix finishing position, as he came home third in the final run down.

No Post-Race Problems

For the first time in several years, there were no major changes to the final run down in Sunday’s World Crown feature as a result of post race tech.

In 2009, the flagged winner and second place were disqualified after failing post-race tech.

In 2010, Ross Kenseth failed post race tech.

This year, all the cars passed through the famed “room of doom” with no problems, keeping the final rundown intact and meaning there were no surprises for teams or race fans after the event.