Three Drivers Pick Up First Wins of Season

Fans celebrated Memorial Day weekend at Natural Bridge Speedway Saturday night with five outstanding feature events.  Racing resumed at the speedway after Mother Nature washed out all activities last weekend.  The week off gave drivers and fans alike time to catch their breath and regroup before kicking off the summer racing season.

The All-American cars kick off the night’s racing program with a pair of 10 lap heat races.  The preliminary events were won by Jeremy Pooley and James Campbell.  Both drivers led all 10 laps to claim the victory and earn a front row starting position for the feature event.  The pole position would prove to be crucial for Pooley later in the night as he would lead flag to flag in the 20 lap feature.  Leading flag to flag was easier said than done for Pooley during the highly contested event.  While Pooley was holding down the number one position, James Campbell, Brian Newton, Ryan Kassab, and Jeff Mays were battling door to door and nose to tail lap and lap.  Their battle would be for the runner-up position as Pooley held on to claim his third victory of the season.  Newton claimed the second spot, followed by Mays, Kassab, and Campbell.

Toby Stalnaker started on the pole in the sportsman feature and never looked back.  Stalnaker picked up his first career sportsman victory by leading all 25 laps.  Stalnaker, a long time competitor and supporter of Natural Bridge Speedway, moved up to the sportsman division for the 2010 season.  Third starting Clifton Mays moved into second on lap four and stayed within striking distance throughout the event.  Coming off turn four on the final lap, Mays made one last charge at Stalnaker but came up just short.  Robert Steen had another solid run finishing third, followed by Eric Groah in fourth and Shad Cooper rounded out the top five.
Stephen Campbell also found victory lane for the first time in 2010 in the street stock feature.  Campbell got the jump on Tom Guthrie heading into turn one at the drop of the green flag and kept the field in his rear view mirror until the checkered flag waved.  A number of cautions slowed the 25 lap feature but each restart Campbell was able to fend off any challenge by his closest competitor.  David Brogan slipped by Guthrie on lap 11 and went on to finish in the runner-up spot.  Guthrie crossed the stripe in third.  Neil Murray passed Scottie Hostetter for fourth on the final lap. 

Gerald Wolfe, Jr. set a blistering pace in the late model feature event.  It took just under 10 minutes for Wolfe to complete all 35 laps in the caution free feature.  Wolfe lapped all but the top five machines.  Just two weeks ago Wolfe suffered heavy left front suspension damage on his car.  Wolfe and his crew used the extra week off to rebuild his racer to near perfection.  He crossed the finish line over five seconds ahead of second place Ricky Wells.  After starting on the outside pole, David Bennett fell back to third.  Ricky Knight, the current point leader and defending track champion, came home fourth.  Timmy Stalnaker had another solid run to round out the top five. 

The pure stock feature event is always a fan favorite at Natural Bride Speedway and Saturday night was no exception as the top four finishers would all cross the line within one second.  Todd Garrett became the third driver of the night to pick up his first victory of 2010.  Garrett and Ronnie Martin led the field to the green flag.  Garrett took command of the race heading into turn one but had to fend off a number of challenges from Martin to earn the right to go to victory lane.  Martin had his hands full with Justin Williams in the closing laps but Martin was able to hold on for second.  Williams settled for third, followed by Ricky Mayberry in fourth and Lee Brooks in fifth. 

The Steel Block Bandit Late Model Series will make its first of two visits to Natural Bridge Speedway this Saturday night, June 5th.  Drivers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina are expected to invade the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to compete for the $2,000 winner’s check.  Gates will open this weekend at 3:30 p.m., with hot laps scheduled for 5:30 p.m.  Fans can see many of the drivers and their machines that will compete in the Steel Block Bandits race earlier in the afternoon at Heritage Hall’s Race Day & Community Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Heritage Hall in Lexington, Virginia.