Legends Nation ... And Justice For All

SUMMER SHOOTOUT: Bandoleros Round 9 - 7/31/07

By Meghan Dillner, Ashley Thomson & Celita Turner

PLOTT WINS AGAIN LEAVING MATTHEWS FRUSTRATED

Davey Matthews was fast but ran out of time to catch Kyle Plott. (LN Photo)

For the last six weeks in a row, it has been the Kyle Plott show in the Bandits Bandolero division at the Summer Shootout.

He was 35 points ahead of second in points after last week and has stretched that lead even more after his win this week. Starting in the seventh position, Plott had to avoid a first-lap wreck which took out two leaders. He took the lead on lap six and kept a good distance between himself and second-place for the rest of the race. After taking the checkered flag, Plott pulled into the tech area with his big signature smile on his face and was excited to talk about his sixth win of this season.

"On the first lap something happened behind me and I just took that spot and got down and all of a sudden they crashed coming out of (turn) four,” said Plott. “I just tucked down low and went. My car was perfect. I can't say anything bad about it. There was a little bit of dirt in three and four where I'd get on the white line and it kind of upset the car, but not that much. My car was good.”

Plott has driven hard to earn his wins, but has had help with four races being cut short because of too many cautions and bad weather. Davey Matthews has finished second to Plott every time a race was cut short and was not too happy about it this week.

Kyle Plott had to set his trophy down since he ran out of fingers on one hand to show his Shootout wins.(LN Photo)

"I was catching him,” said Matthews. “They've thrown the white flag early three times this season. I've been faster than the leader and I've been catching him and they just throw it early. I think I could have caught him if they wouldn't have thrown it early. It just stinks they way they do that because every time they've thrown the white flag early, I've finished second to Plott. This is the fourth time."

Going into the championship week next week Matthews has decided not to give up on the last race.

"I'm gonna win," said Matthews in hopes that he can close the gap between himself and Plott.

But, Plott has different plans for next week. He doesn’t have to win to take the title.

"I just want to look for a top five. I don't have to win it. I just want to win both the championships at Atlanta and Lowe's. I think I'm third at Atlanta, one point off of second and six points off of first. I'm first here and third there. I just want to try to go win them all."

Another championship title that hasn’t been talked about much was on Dillon Bassett’s mind last night. The Red, White and Blue series includes weeks three, six and nine and was wrapped up Tuesday night. Bassett finished in third place and claimed that he is the winner of that title fight after the points are officially posted on Friday.

"Tonight we were going for the Red, White, Blue championship and all we had to beat is (Matthew) Linker and that's what we were going for tonight and that's what I did. Next week we're going to try to finish top three."

GLENSKI DOMINATES WHILE FRONTRUNNERS STROUPE AND PACK TANGLE

Ryan Glenski took yet another victory in round nine. (LN Photo)

In racing, there comes a time when one driver dominates the rest of the field. The driver and his team find that one little detail that gives them an edge over the rest of the field. In NASCAR Nextel Cup racing, that team is Hendrick Motorsports with drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson dominating races. In the Bandolero Young Guns division at the Summer Shootout, it’s Ryan Glenski.

Glenski won yet again on Tuesday, his third in a row, leaving the rest of the field to duke it out for second.

“We’re doing pretty good,” said Glenski. “Six wins in nine races is amazing. Not too many people have done that.”

Starting mid-pack, around eighth, Glenski was third by lap five and leading by lap nine.

“Right away we fell backwards a little bit and just tried to take it easy,” he said. “Once we got the lead we just kept going.”

Going into next week’s finale, Glenski is confident that he’ll win the championship with ease.

“I think we locked up the Red, White and Blue series, and I think we’ve had a lock on this championship so far,” he said. “I think next week, all we have to do is check the car over and make sure nothing falls apart and try to finish the race. If I finish, I’ll win the championship.”

Runner up man, Ronnie Bassett Jr. said that his car was good, but the rest of the field had nothing for Glenski.

“I was really good at the beginning, the car was great,” Bassett said. “I fell back to third and (Nick) Stroupe and Glenski passed us. I got back by Stroupe and Glenski was gone. I couldn’t catch him. He’s got something for everybody. He’s quick.”

Nick Stroupe and Dylan Pack, along with Bryce Walker, had a tight battle for third going when Pack wound up turned around on the track.

“I started fifth and got up to third,” Pack explained. “Stroupe… I don’t know what his problem is with me, but he just came down and took me out going into (turns) one and two. He didn’t even lift. I’m really mad right now. It’s just you know when you got someone out there that doesn’t like you and doesn’t know how to drive one of these cars and just takes you out; it just ain’t cool.”

Stroupe wasn’t really sure what happened on the track.

Dylan Pack. (Photo by Fastrac Images)

“At the beginning of the race, I got passed on the first lap because I was a little bit loose,” Stroupe explained. “Then I got shuffled back to third and, on the restart, I guess I over shot the corner and Dylan got back by me. I went into the corner and I gained on him real quick. I don’t know, I tried to hit the brakes, but I was gaining way to quick and I hit him. I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean to get into him that is for sure. I guess its just one of those racing things. I didn’t do anything intentional and it’s too bad if he thinks I did.”

Walker wound up getting the third place spot after the Stroupe-Pack contact. Walker also had contact with Pack during the race by getting into him in the corners.

“I got caught up in a little bit of traffic,” Walker said. “Me and Dylan Pack had a battle and he spun. It’s unfortunate for him. We had a little bit of contact during the race. He would check up a little bit going into the corners and I didn’t have anywhere to go a couple of times. Dylan got around the #45 (Stroupe) and drove it in a little hard and spun. It looked like the #45 drove over the top of him after that.”

Pack said the contact with Walker was just racing.

“Yeah, me and Bryce had a little contact,” said Pack. “That’s racing though. The 45 took me out. I like racing with Bryce.”

With the championship battle heating up, and everyone wanting to beat Glenski, Pack said it best.

“There ain’t no telling what’s going to happen next week.”

OUTLAW DIVISION: AS THE SAYING GOES ...

One more win for Sellers this week. (LN Photo)

Sellers, McKinney and Morgan (right to left) appear at the front every week in the Outlaw division. (LN Photo)

As the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This phrase was reflected by last night’s Bandolero Outlaw feature event.

Even though the pressure was on from the new ‘Sizzler’ at the Summer Shootout, it didn’t much affect the outcome of the Bandolero Outlaws race. Kendall Sellers pulled off another victory with Christopher McKinney and Chris Morgan following close behind in a somewhat uneventful race.

Christopher McKinney took the early lead from the #83 of Chris Honeycutt with Sellers on his bumper all of the way. The two took six laps to battle it out before Sellers took the lead and held his position for the rest of the 20-lap feature.

Meanwhile, Morgan was chasing down McKinney for second place and almost caught him coming off of the last turn. But the pull off of four simply wasn’t enough to grasp the position.

“I was close enough to him, but I couldn’t get around him. He was faster than me in the corner. I thought I had him, but he beat me there,” explains Morgan.

These three drivers have pulled off the track in the top three together in seven out of the nine races in this year’s Summer Shootout. There is always a good battle between the three on track.

This time McKinney was getting his hopes up for a win, but after Sellers passed him on lap six, he knew who was going to bring this race home.

“After we had that caution, the heat started getting to my tires and I was pushing. After Kendall got by me, I was pretty sure we were going to run second to him,” says McKinney.

Sellers is used to the competition from both Morgan and McKinney and is very thankful to be racing with them. He understands how strong the competition is from each of his fellow racers and anticipates that on the track.

“I knew (McKinney) was going to be tough. He’s really good out here and he knows how to drive these things. There is nothing bad about him. I just tried to be patient and tried to wait for a moment. I didn’t really have a good moment, but I just chose it wisely. I have to thank him for racing me clean. That is something he’s always done to me,” Kendall says respectively.

Kendall may be getting used to reeling in the victories after his fifth win of the Summer Shootout last night, but in this race he had more motivation than in the past.

“Pray for my grandmother. She has Parkinson’s disease and has taken a turn for the worse. She hasn’t missed a race all year. For her to miss this one meant a lot and I knew I had to come out here strong,” Sellers remarks.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Kendall’s grandmother and the Sellers family.