Kyle Barnes scored his first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock victory Friday night at Kingsport Speedway. Photo courtesy Kingsport Speedway Media
There’s a saying that good things will eventually come to those who patiently wait.
For Kyle Barnes of Draper, VA, his patience was beginning to wear thin. Plain and simple, the 20-year-old wanted to win a race.
Through the first eight events in 2015 he’d shown everybody at Kingsport Speedway in Kingsport, TN, he was chauffeuring a fast ride by recording two runner-up and two third-place finishes, and entered Friday’s racing program in the Model City sitting second in points.
Barnes captured his first-ever NASCAR Whelen All-American Series “First Kingsport Credit Union” Late Model Stock victory Friday night in impressive fashion. He started the evening off by setting fast-time at 15.118 seconds to earn the pole award, and then proceeded to lead all 60 laps en route to recording the win.
“Man, finally, we’ve got a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Car victory,” said a smiling Barnes following the race while cars were going through post-race technical inspection. “Winning your first-ever NASCAR sanctioned race is a very special deal. Getting to hold the checkered flag out the window and drive around the track taking a victory lap and hear the fans cheer, I had cold chill bumps all over my body.
“To get your first-ever NASCAR victory, it’s something you dream about and once it happens, you’ll never forget the awesome feeling. I’ll always look at the trophy and remember this night.”
Barnes and Wayne Hale led the 19-car field to green from the front row. Barnes bolted out into the lead over Hale, Kres VanDyke, Justin Fontaine and Austin Peters.
During the early going, racing action was intense around the .375-mile banked concrete oval with the top 11 cars in the running order running nose-to-tail, and door-to-door while battling for position.
Barnes was riding a rocket, as he began to put some distance between his closest challengers by lap 10. The event’s only caution flag waved on lap 25 when Steven Deskins spun between turns one and two, thus erasing a 10 car-length advantage Barnes held over Hale and VanDyke.
Off the ensuing double-file restart, once again Barnes moved back out into the lead over Hale and VanDyke. But back behind the front-running trio, attention was focused on Fontaine, Peters, current point leader Ronnie McCarty, Taylor Coffman, Joey Trent, Derrick Lancaster, Lee Tissot and Zeke Shell.
With the race running clean-and-green reaching 10 laps to go, Barnes was in command out front. He would not be denied his first-ever visit to victory lane in winning over Hale, VanDyke, Fontaine and a strong fifth-place effort for Trent.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Peters, McCarty, Lancaster, Tissot and Shell.
“It’s tough to put into words just how much getting this win means to not only me, but for our race team period,” said Barnes. “We’re just a small, family-owned operation and compared to many teams racing NASCAR Late Model Stock Cars, we don’t have anywhere near the funding behind us compared to who we’re racing against.
“Here at Kingsport Speedway, it’s no secret that the Ford crate engine package has been winning races. For us to win tonight running a Chevrolet crate engine, we proved to everybody it’s not all in what engine you have under the hood. You’ve got to have a car that’s handling well, and tonight our car was just great. We were so good entering the corner and then through the center of the turns, and when I picked the throttle (gas) back up, we just launched off the corner down the straightaway.”
Jared Broadbent of Bakersville, NC, grabbed the lead at start of the Street Stock feature over John Harrell, the current point leader who had won five of the season’s first six events.
Broadbent had a rearview mirror full of Harrell the first 20 circuits, and on lap 21 racing down the backstretch into the third turn, Harrell drove to the inside of Broadbent.
Between turns three and four, contact from Harrell sent Broadbent spinning to bring the caution out. Both had to restart from rear of the field, Broadbent for bringing out the yellow flag and Harrell for running into and spinning Broadbent from the lead.
Off the double-file restart, Royce Peters moved to the point ahead of Chris Tunnell. But behind the front-running duo, Broadbent was a man on a mission, as he quickly closed to Tunnell’s rear bumper. After getting around Tunnell for second, Broadbent set his sights ahead on Peters.
Racing off the fourth turn on lap 29 to take the white flag, Broadbent drove under Peters to take the lead on the front straightaway to go on and record his first win of the season. Peters came home in second, with Mark Christian in third, Tunnell in fourth and Dennis Deese in fifth.
Keeping it all in the family, John Ketron and his son Jason Ketron led the Pure 4 feature to green from the front row. After racing the opening three circuits side-by-side, the elder Ketron moved into a lead he would never relinquish in winning over sons Billy Ketron in second and Jason Ketron in third, followed by Kenny Absher in fourth and Dylan Bates in fifth.
Kirby Gobble of Abingdon, VA, easily captured his second Mod 4 victory over Dennis Arnold, with Hershell Robinette, Chris Amburgey and Darrell Whitehead rounding out the top five.
Chris Wilhelm led from start-to-finish in recording his first-ever Kingsport Speedway victory in Rookie Pure 4. Wilhelm was chased to the checkered flag by William Hale, with Larry Stapleton finishing third, Craig Phelps fourth and Dennis Stanley fifth.
Kingsport Speedway returns to action on Friday, June 5 for the Tony Ward Memorial, featuring action from the Late Model Stocks, Street Stocks, Pure Fours, Rookie Pure Fours, Pure Streed and Legends.
For more info, visit NewKingsportSpeedway.com.
Kingsport Speedway – Kingsport, TN
Race Results – May 29, 2015
Late Model Stocks
1. (1) Kyle Barnes #0-Draper, VA
2. (2) Wayne Hale #19-Bluff City, TN
3. (4) Kres VanDyke #15-Abingdon, VA
4. (6) Justin Fontaine #60-Fletcher, NC
5. (7) Joey Trent #26-Gray, TN
6. (5) Austin Peters #66-Kingsport, TN
7. (3) Ronnie McCarty #5-Kingsport, TN
8. (10) Derrick Lancaster #25-Christiansburg, VA
9. (8) Lee Tissot #7-Asheville, NC
They forget that their health is cipla cialis generika the main aspect for having a stress free and successful life. It is generic levitra (when successfully achieved) akin to a profound effect on a man. If your doctor finds something abnormal, he could use Associate in nursing ultrasound to appear at order cheap cialis the pocket and testicles. order viagra india You don’t have to leave your home or office PC. 10. (11) Zeke Shell #97-Johnson City, TN
11. (12) Scott Lancaster #22-Christiansburg, VA
12. (13) Allen Hawkins #14-Kingsport, TN
13. (15) Derek Lane #28-Kingsport, TN
14. (14) Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, TN
15. (16) Steven Deskins #67-Sevierville, TN
16. (17) Jamie Harrison #76-Church Hill, TN
17. (9) Taylor Coffman #30-Bean Station, TN
18. (18) Tyler Goodman #64-Kingsport, TN
19. (19) Royce Peters #9-Kingsport, TN
Street Stocks
1. Jared Broadbent #74
2. Royce Peters #48
3. Mark Christian #43
4. Chris Tunnell #6
5. Dennis Deese #24
6. John Harrell #19
7. Robbie Allison #12
Pure 4
1. John Ketron #27
2. Billy Ketron #26
3. Jason Ketron #28
4. Kenny Absher #11
5. Dylan Bates #6
6. Chris Neeley #94
7. Brandon Sutherland #5
8. Billy Byington #01
9. Kevin Darnell #4
10. Tim Abelseth #66
11. Bruce Crumbley #33
12. David Trent #57
13. Richard Quillen #15
14. Keith Helton #44
Mod 4
1. Kirby Gobble #88
2. Dennis Arnold #7
3. Hershell Robinette #9
4. Chris Amburgey #7
5. Darrell Whitehead #43
6. James Deese #8
7. Jessie Amburgey #17
8. Worley Glover #44
DQ: Billy Duty #45
Rookie Pure 4
1. Chris Wilhelm #99
2. William Hale #47
3. Larry Stapleton #15
4. Craig Phelps #00
5. Dennis Stanley #21
6. Dwayne Banks #66
7. Frank Dice #44
8. Robert Young #59
9. Daniel McMurray #0
10. Larry Bowens #18
11. Jerry Miller #13
12. Alexia Ray #99
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