Watts Wins Round #3 of Two Track Challenge

It was a picture perfect night for racing Friday night as Natural Bridge Speedway hosted Round #3 of the Two Track Challenge series.  Twenty of the best late model drivers from both Natural Bridge Speedway and Eastside Speedway signed into the pit area looking to take home the $1,000 winner’s check at the end of the night.  All other divisions were also on hand competing in regular feature events.
All eyes were on the late model drivers as the featured class of the night. It was a stellar night for Buchanan’s David Watts.  Watts started the night off by setting fast time in hot lap qualifying, turning a lap of 16.340 at 83.721 mph.  The Natural Bridge Speedway Auxiliary awarded Watts one hundred dollars and a plaque for his fast lap.  As the fastest qualifier, he then had the daunting task of drawing the inversion pill.  Watts drew a number three, to start third on the starting grid.  In the race, Watts inherited the lead when Greg Roberson experienced a left rear broken wheel on lap nineteen.   After taking over the lead, Watts set a blistering pace, cruising to his second win of the season.  With the win, Watts now sits atop the two track challenge point standings with only one round left before a champion is crowned.
Roberson and Gladstone’s Ricky Knight led the field to the green flag.  Roberson blasted to the lead using the inside groove as the field entered turn one.  Watts also used the bottom groove to overtake Knight for second before the conclusion of lap one.  Roberson paced the field with Watts in tow for the first nineteen laps.  While under caution on lap nineteen, Roberson’s left rear wheel broke loose.  Roberson entered the night atop the two track challenge point standing but after experiencing trouble finished fifteenth on the night.  Watts took control of the race and never looked back, finishing nearly five seconds ahead of Knight.  J.R. Overstreet turned in another solid performance finishing third.  Last week’s feature winner, Philip Woods was fourth and Gerald Wolfe, Jr. rounded out the top five.
The sportsman division has the closest point battle among the five divisions of racing.  Entering the night, Eric Groah held a two point lead over Clifton Mays.  Groah’s night started off strong as he was the fastest qualifier in hot lap qualifying.  Groah drew a number four for the inversion.  Groah started fourth and Mays started fifth. 
Randy Gardner and Toby Stalnaker led the field to green with Gardner taking the early lead.  Gardner led the race while Mays and Groah worked their way through the field.  The two drivers worked past Robert Steen and  Stalnaker in the early laps.  Mays and Groah then chased down Timmy Mays.  The pass for the lead came on lap nine when Mays made the move on Gardner.  Just one lap later, Groah made the same move and found himself in the runner-up spot.  Mays led the final eleven laps to claim his third victory of the season.  Groah held on for second and Timmy Mays finished third.  Ricky Fox, who started dead last in the feature, rallied to finish fourth. Todd Campbell rounded out the top five.  Clifton Mays and Eric Groah are now tied atop the point standing with just seven races remaining to settle the championship.
The street stock drivers put on one of their best shows of the season.  David Brogan and Earl Brooks, Jr. paced the field to the green flag.  Brogan took the early lead with Brooks glued to his rear bumper.  The man on the move was Stephen Campbell who started fifth on the grid.  By lap four, Campbell moved into third and set his sights on the two leaders.   He made his move coming off of turn four and in the same lap went from third to first.  Michael Taylor, who started sixth, also worked his way to the front, moving into second on lap ten, and then went to work on Campbell.  The two would race nose to tail and door to door the final ten laps.  Taylor mounted one last charge off of turn four on the final lap but came up just short.  Campbell went to victory lane for the second time this season.  Taylor was second, followed by Neil Murray, Earl Brooks, and David Brogan.
This season the pure stock drivers have entertained fans week after week.  This past Saturday was no different as the drivers put on one of the most exciting races of the season.  Howard Hall and Ricky Mayberry led the field to green with Howard Hall jumping to the early lead.  Early on in the feature event, Hall, Mayberry, Derrick Ayers, Todd Garrett, and Ronnie Martin battled for positions using every piece of race track to jockey for position.  Hall led the first fifteen laps when things really got interesting.  Heading into turn one, Hall, Mayberry, Ayers, and Martin all decided they wanted to lead lap sixteen as they dove into turn one four wide.  When the dust settled Hall was in the pits with two flat front tires and Mayberry was the leader.  Mayberry would lead the final ten laps to win his fourth race of the season.  Ayers had his strongest run of the season finishing second.  Ronnie Martin finished third and Todd Garrett came home fourth.  Early leader, Hall, rebounded to finish in the top five.
Brandon Link took the lead from Dustin Ferguson on lap three in the All-American feature event and opened up a huge lead over the rest of the field.  Link, in a league of his own, seemed poised to take the checkered flag when a mechanical failure forced him to the infield pit are as the field picked up the signal for two laps to go. Jeremy Pooley inherited the lead and went on to pick up his eighth win of the season.  Jeremy Boxler had a solid run finishing second.  Brian Newton turned in another solid race, finishing third.  Jeff Mays and Steven Dudley rounded out the top five.
Natural Bridge Speedway will return to Saturday night racing this weekend with five regular feature events.  The Virginia Sprint Series will also be on hand for their second and final visit to Natural Bridge Speedway in 2010.  Gates are scheduled to open at 4 pm with on track activities beginning at 6:15 pm.