Stancill All Smiles While Others Are Left Fuming at Caraway Speedway
By Jason Buckley
Friday night racing at Caraway Speedway (NC) this season has been exciting. With over 20 Legends cars showing up to race, the action has been fast and close. With fierce racing on the track, emotions are always on overload, waiting to spill over. This Friday a few drivers celebrated their divisional wins and couldn’t have been happier. Meanwhile others were miffed at each other for actions on the track and some even left the track frustrated at the officiating staff for calls they made during the race.
John Stancill was one of the drivers smiling at the finish of the race. Stancill started from the second position looking for the lead. When the green flew he wasn’t able to pass pole setter Brandon McKenzie, forcing him to drop back and work his way back to the front.
“I started second and I tried to get the leader on the start but that didn’t happen,” said Stancill. “I dropped back to fourth and I followed Jordan (Anderson) and Justin (Morton) by the #5 car (McKenzie).”
Even though he races in the Semi-Pro division, Stancill has many years of racing experience under his belt. That experience kept him calm during the race, allowing him to work his way back up to the lead and the win.
“I just kept patient,” said Stancill. “My car got better and better. I had to drive it harder and harder but it paid off.”
A late race caution gave Thomas Hartensveld a shot at Stancill, but didn’t have enough stuff to get around him. Hartensveld finished second, giving him the Pro division win.
John Stancill took the overall race win at Caraway Speedway. (LN Photo)
“It was a good race,” said Hartensveld. “Our car wasn’t set up for the short run and it seemed like we got a ton of cautions. That wasn’t what I wanted. The longer the runs got the better my car got.
Thomas Hartensveld had to settle for second behind Stancill, but that gave him the Pro division win.
“I definitely had something for him (Stancill). I got an awesome run out of turn two and showed my nose. He just stuck it down in there. He didn’t give me anything. He is a heck of a driver.”
Wayne Austin was the highest finishing Masters driver, giving him the Masters Division win. But contact on the track with his Nick Pistone Racing teammate Paddy Rodenbeck on lap eight started the night’s frustration for some.
“It was just wild tonight,” said Austin. “I got into my teammate Paddy there. He was just chopping the corner. I hate that I got into him there, but that is racing.”
Rodenbeck was less than thrilled with the contact with Austin on the track that sent him spinning and both being put at the end of the pack for the following restart.
“There are people out here, the local racers, that are just complete idiots,” said Rodenbeck. “They race with no concern of anyone else … put you in harms way. Try to get by a car and they just drive in there and knock the crap out of you.”
Rodenbeck’s frustration didn’t end with Austin. On the restart, officials black flagged Rodenbeck, forcing him to come into the pits during the following caution.
The #29 of Paddy Rodenbeck lined up next to the #44 of Wayne Austin in the staging area. (LN Photo)
“They threw the black flag at me because they said I jumped the start,” explained Rodenbeck. “They said when the green flag waves you can pass on the outside so that is what I did.”
The officials were also the target of Pro division racer Jordan Anderson after the race. While resetting the field during a late race caution, Anderson felt the officials made an error in lining up the field, which he feels cost him a divisional win. He still finished third, but one spot behind fellow Pro driver Hartensveld.
“Ty Dillon dove to the inside of me in turn one and locked his brakes up and slid up into me,” said Anderson. “I got back going and I was in second place but for some reason they put Thomas Hartensveld in front of me and practically gave him the Pro win. I guess the official’s decision cost us the Pro win tonight. I don’t know what else to do about that. It is the second time that it has happened here.”
During the same incident, Justin Morton’s #91 car suffered damage. Morton was vocal about the driving of some on the race track.
Jordan Anderson wasn't too thrilled with the track officials after the race. (LN Photo)
“We ended up getting run over on the restart,” said Morton. “I would say that was a dumb move by a certain someone to come up on the inside of everyone on the restart when you can’t make it three wide here. I don’t know. We will just come back next week and see if we have something for them.”
Dillon had a different take on the incident.
“We had a real nice car,” said Dillon. “We worked our way from 11th to second. Going for second we pretty much got run all the way down to the inside of the track and hit the curb. I had nowhere to go. It probably wasn’t a good decision by the other car to take us both out of winning contention. It is just real frustrating. We had a real good race and it sucks to end it that way.”
With many drivers packing up their cars after a tension-filled night, Stancill might have had the biggest smile of the group. Even with his nerves going wild, he stayed out of trouble and pushed his car when it mattered most, taking the win over drivers with more experience at Caraway Speedway in Legends competition.
“It does make me a little bit nervous that there is guys out here that are fast and have a whole lot more experience than I have had,” said Stancill. “I just drove my car with a good setup. It was a good race.”
Division Winners
Semi Pro: John Stancill (1st overall)
Pro: Thomas Hartensveld (2nd overall)
Masters: Wayne Austin (7th overall)
