LMS Winter Heat 12/15/07: Legends Racing Action
By Jason Buckley
YOUNG LIONS: HEAVLOW HOLDS OFF PRESNELL AND JONES FOR VICTORY
This season in Winter Heat competition, Jimmy Heavlow has seen his fair share of Dylan Presnell’s rear bumper. The two drivers have finished one-two in the first two events of the series with Presnell crossing the checkered flag first both times. This time in round three, Heavlow was able to stick his #3 Legends in front of Presnell, holding off a late charge to take his first Winter Heat victory of the season.
Heavlow, who drove down from Maryland to complete in this year’s racing action, had more than just the challenge of Presnell to worry about. A slick track and pressure from another racer kept him on top of his game during the 20-lap event.
Jimmy Heavlow drove all the way from Maryland to get his first Winter Heat win Saturday. (LN Photo)
“It was definitely nasty,” said Heavlow. “We had two restarts and they were with a few laps to go. I took the white flag and drove turn one a little. It hurt me getting off and he (Presnell) was all over me, but I held him off for the win.
“Coming from Maryland it was pretty good. I finished second both weeks to the #83. It is good to finally get a win.”
Presnell was able to battle back up to the second position after an early spin in the race. He almost pulled off the three-peat, but had to settle for second.
“The first lap I went in there and Martin Truex’s little brother (Ryan Truex) spun me out,” said Presnell. “He is on my good side now though since he came over and apologized. I made my way back up to second because they had a caution there at the end. I tried to get underneath the #3 car and he kind of cut down on me the last lap.
“It is really fun to race in the rain, but I really would have preferred to race in the dry because we have to go back and clean up the whole car now.”
Another driver having to spend time cleaning up his car after a solid finish is Devin Jones, who had to battle back up to third after getting involved in an incident on the track while running second to Heavlow and challenging for the lead.
Devin Jones has some work to do cleaning up his car after the race, but the third-place finish made it worth it.
“We started in the back and worked our way up through the pack,” said Jones. “The car was working really good. Then we had a ton of lappers. It was kind of hard to get around the #3 (Heavlow). We were working on doing it, but the #A1 car (Travis Braden) and I got together and it was unfortunate.”
For Jones, the finish was just what he needed. His strong runs during the prior two Winter Heat races have been dashed by bad luck. This time the bad luck wasn’t enough to overshadow his good run.
“We finally got a finish to show how fast we have been running,” explained Jones. “We have had a lot of bad luck, even today. It is good to have a finish that shows how fast we have been going.”
MASTERS: CLAY HAIR MASTERS THE RAIN WITH A COLD
Last week Clay Hair wasn’t 100%. While he was fast on the track, a lower back muscle strain he received earlier in the week kept him from completely enjoying his victory in the Masters division event.
A week later, Hair’s back was better, but a cold kept the racer once again from being at his best. Somehow the veteran Legends racer gathered up enough strength, willpower and concentration to take the victory Saturday in the third round of Winter Heat competition.
PRO: TIRES MAKES THE DIFFERENCE FOR COBLE’S VICTORY OVER GREEN
Over the course of a race weekend, a team will change and tweak multiple components of their race cars to adapt to the track conditions. When precipitation comes into play, teams have another variable thrown into the mix as to which type of tires to run. That choice is what kept Tyler Green out of victory lane, putting Mitchell Coble in the winner’s circle for the Pro division round three Winter Heat race.
“I got stuck in a battle with three other cars. We were battling pretty hard all the way through the race and it took up a lot of time. There was one guy that was holding us up and we just couldn’t get by him. I probably could have gotten third.”
Kiser, Blaney, Harris and the rest of the Semi-Pro drivers now turn their attention to the road course when the Winter Heat starts back up in January. United Kingdom native Harris is looking forward to the road course action since that is his forte’, but knows that he will have others on the track to contend with.
“I haven’t raced the track, but I have seen the track from the Condos in the first turn of the Speedway,” explained Harris. “I have a good idea of it. It is not as complicated as some of the tracks I have raced on so hopefully I can pick it up quite easily. I am trying not to let me ego overtake me and remember there is going to be a lot of good drivers out there.”
RESULTS
Young Lions
1. Jimmy Heavlow
2. Dylan Presnell
3. Devin Jones
4. Bryan Truex
5. Austin Leitner
6. T.J. Hicks
7. Krisitin Keys
8. Timmy Hill
9. Bailey Freeman
10. Derrick Ramey
11. Tyler DeVault
12. Ronnie Bassett, Jr.
13. Brock Baldwin
14. Travis Braden
15. Tyler Strickland
16. Jordan Stillwell
17. Tyler Kivett
18. Cody Blackburn
19. Robert Kurzmarski
20. Hayden Reeves
31. Harrison Rhodes
Semi-Pro
1. Dennis Kiser
2. Ryan Blaney
3. Kyle Pierce
4. Sam McAulay
5. Matt Harris
6. Michael Brown
7. Gene Kirila
8. Matt Lundstrom
9. Johnny Lovero
10. Steven Ross
11. Chris Moore
12. Kara Clarke
13. John Ellenburg
14. Jermane Donley
15. Cody Johnson
16. Jordan Penninger
17. Jonathan Ross
18. Daniel Hemric
19. Landon Bullock
20. Jamie Smith
21. Justin Boston
Masters
1. Clay Hair
2. Eddie Harwell
3. Jeff Turner
4. Jimmy Gurley
5. Gary Shannon
6. Chip Ferguson
7. Bob Petry
8. Bruce Silver
9. Steve Beck
10. Bill Baldwin
11. Jan Ingram
12. David Denham
13. Glenn Jamieson
Pro
1. Mitchell Coble
2. Tyler Green
3. Matthew Stover
4. Parker Hammons
5. Jordan Paschal
6. Kyle Beattie
7. Christin Pahud
8. Daniel Moskowitz
9. Steven Daniels
10. Rob Hall
Clay Hair showing off his 1st-place reward just after rolling off the scales in tech. (LN Photo)
It wasn’t as easy as Hair probably would have liked it. Eddie Harwell showed muscle early in the event, putting pressure on him for the top spot. Harwell eventually faded back giving Hair the victory.
“We just went out there and tried to be smooth,” said Hair. “We had the same setup, same shocks, same springs and same tires. It was cool.”
Hair, like the other competitors, was ready to get out of the rain, get loaded up and head to the house, but he did sum up the day’s action with the typical Clay Hair smile and one-liner.
“It was wet, it was cold, it was fun and that’s all folks.”
Mitchell Coble used tire stategy to win Saturday's Pro race. (LN Photo)
Coble and Green were the class of the field during their 20-lap feature, but the wet track kept both drivers from showing their true strength as their main concern was grip. Green entered the race on cut tires while Coble did not, making the difference on who would win and who was going to finish second.
“Our heat race was a little wet,” said Green. “It wasn’t as wet as it was in the feature. I kept cut tires on it and I think it would have been better with uncut tires. That is what Coble had. He could get down the straightaway better than I could.”
Coble’s race wasn’t done when the checkered flag flew. Once he crossed the scales, he didn’t have an opportunity to stop and talk to LegendsNation.com as he had to make it back to his pit area to pop off the tires and allow his fellow friend Ryan Blaney use the uncut tires for his Semi-Pro feature. Blaney almost pulled off the win with the set, but finished second in his feature.
Although Green was second guessing their decision to keep the cut tires on his car, he accepted the cards he was dealt.
“If they could have run double features at the road courses (instead of running in the rain) that would have made me happy,” said Green with a smile. “Everybody has to race under the same conditions today so it fair for everyone.”
SEMI-PRO: KISER BUMPS HIS WAY TO VICTORY WHILE HARRIS GIVES THE HIGH LINE A CHANCE
Dennis Kiser started off the 2007/2008 Winter Heat Series by coming across the line second to Steven Ross in the Semi-Pro division. In the second race of the season, he finished eighth while Ross went on to win his second straight race, but that changed Saturday as Kiser used some muscle to take the Semi-Pro victory.
On the wet surface of the 1/5th-mile oval, Kiser moved out on the field, looking to cruise to the win easily, but a close encounter with Ross almost derailed his chances at the top honors.
“It was a good race,” said Kiser. “I had a pretty good lead there until the end. Right there Ross spun out and I got caught up by him. The #10 car (Ryan Blaney) got by me and I got back by him.”
Blaney, who showed his strength getting to the lead, didn’t hold it very long as Kiser put the bumper to him to get by for the lead once again.
Dennis Kiser got his first Winter Heat Semi-Pro victory of the season. (LN Photo)
“I didn’t really want to move him, but I really wanted to win,” said Kiser. “I am here to win, can’t say much other than that.”
Ryan Blaney wasn’t available for comment after the race.
Meanwhile another driver shook the bad luck he has had this season in Winter Heat competition by using knowledge he has gained over the years racing in the wet weather. BDI Racing’s Matt Harris drove his Legends Car from the back in the heat race to make it into the B Main, where he used the high line to get himself into the feature.
Matt Harris got his first top-five finish in Winter Heat competition. (LN Photo)
“The first heat race I was on the pole and I tried the outside line then, but we didn’t have the right settings,” said Harris. “I got bullied a little bit and got wide and ended up last, so that is where I had to start in the B Main. I was determined to use the outside line as it was definitely the quicker way to go. I was kind of surprised no one else used it. I seemed to be the only one doing it that I could see.”
Harris felt at home with the wet weather, quickly working his way up to the top five, where he stalled out due to a four-way battle for track position.
“As soon as the green flag dropped and the revs rose up I suddenly thought ‘I know this music’,” said Harris. “It reminded me of back home in the old Karting days – a little narrow track, lots and lots of cars, lots of spray, mud and cars spinning everywhere and people trying to take me out. It was a lot of fun.
