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Allen Survives for NCRA Cowtown Victory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Kennedale, Texas - March 6, 2010 - Former three time series champion John Allen played the role of survivor to win the attrition filled season opener for the O'Reilly/NCRA modified south division as the series took part in the annual "February Fast 50" at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas Saturday night.
Allen started on the pole for the 50 lap feature finale but it was outside front row starter Clyde Dunn, Jr. who took the lead at the start. Only one lap would be completed before the first caution of the race fell when Kevin Clemment came to a stop on the front stretch with transmission problems.
Once racing resumed Dunn, aboard the Smiley's Racing Products sponsored, Skyrocket Race Car, continued at the point with Allen and Ronny Sigmon giving chase. Dunn kept the distance to three car lengths by running the cushion atop the quarter mile clay oval. Allen, finding the bottom of the track to his liking, got a run on the leader coming out of turn four to take the lead on lap six.
Allen held the top spot for several laps by before the battle for the lead heated up with Dunn and Jared Webb pressuring the Chanute, Kansas veteran for the lead. On lap eleven the caution would wave for Sean Jones, who came to a stop in turn two.
On the restart it was Allen, followed by Dunn, thirteenth starting Webb and Clonch with Terry Pritchett making his presence felt, moving into the fourth position over Clonch on lap twelve.
Allen would hold the point by five car lengths before Dunn began making his move, finally making a pass for the lead down the front stretch on lap eighteen. Dunn would quickly open up the lead to six car lengths as the top four drivers began distancing themselves from the rest of the field.
Pritchett then began to pressure the two front runners for the lead and on lap 22 and with Dunn up high and Allen down low entering turn two, he then threaded his way through the middle of both to take the lead down the backstretch.While this battle was waging, Webb, who was running a strong fourth at the time, retired to the pit area with mechanical gremlins.
Three laps after taking the lead the caution would wave again on lap 27 when Allen Chickering came to a stop at the top of turn two.
Pritchett would distance himself from the field on the restart and by lap 30 had opened up a ten car length advantage. While Allen and Dunn were battling for the second position, Allen would slide high off of turn two causing him to fall back to fourth with George White now taking over the third position.
On lap 39 the caution would again fall and on the restart Dunn, who was running second, got loose in turns one and two allowing White and Allen to get by for position. In the next corner Dunn would come to a stop while Chase Allen done the same to bring out the final caution. White would also retire to the pits with mechanical gremlins.
Two laps after the restart more changes were made at the front as Pritchett, who looked to be on his way to victory, suddenly slowed and exited to the pit area giving the lead back to Allen, aboard the David Harrison owned car.
The final caution would wave on lap 42 with Allen still your leader, followed by Jacob Pirkle, P.J. Egbert and 24th starting Justin McCoy. The final eight laps would go caution free with Allen opening up his advantage to ten car lengths at the end and the victory.
"Wow, I don't know," said Allen afterwards when asked how he survived the race where only eight cars out of the original twenty-four who started finished the race. "We were trying to stay low and out of the rough stuff to save our car for the end but I lost my brakes and had to pump the pedal just to get them to work about midway, that's what caused me to slip up there off turn two. But we had just enough car left at the end and that's what it took to win this $2000."
Pirkle came home a strong second with Egbert, McCoy and Chase Allen, who came back from changing a flat tire with ten laps to go to round out the top five. Chad Davis of Tulsa, Oklahoma was the best of the finishing series contenders as he came home sixth.
In the first last chance qualifier, Webb put on a passing clinic from his eleventh starting position to pick up the fifteen lap victory followed by Dillon Vike, Mike Dillard, Egbert, Troy Taylor and Randy Kirkland.
The second chance qualifier saw C. Allen take home the victory over Allen Oliva, Jones, Mickey Lassiter, John Webb and McCoy.
The next event for the O'Reilly/NCRA modified south division will be this coming Saturday night (March 13) at Elk Citys I-40 Speedway in Elk City, Oklahoma.
1st Qualifier: 1) (15) Jared Webb 2) (6*)Dillon Vike 3) (66x) Mike Dillard 4) (707) P.J. Egbert 5) (56) Troy Taylor 6) (77) Randy Kirkland 7) (1m) Cody Gearhart 8) (4) Chris Roach 9) (99f) Matt French 10) (112) Darrin Hendrix 11) (21c) Chris Cole 12) (144) Chad Williams 13) (15) Brian Wolfe 14) (30c) Colt Goodman 15) (64) Jay Sale 16) (21d) Ed Dunn DNS: 14x) Josh Landers
2nd Qualifier: 1) (30) Chase Allen 2) (11) Alan Oliva 3) (24) Sean Jones 4) (34) Mickey Lassiter 5) (87) John Webb 6) (72) Justin McCoy 7) (85) Thomas Tillison, Jr. 8) (99mm) Billy Burt 9) (29) Lloyd Ashcraft 10) (8x) Michael Needham 11) (45) Logan Cabbell 12) (43) Michael McCleskey 13) (2x) Gene Weaver 14) (07) Jason Hilliard DNS: (48) Jim Pearcy, (4m) Bobby Malchus, (45t) Eric Thomlinson
A Feature: 1) (98) John Allen 2) (41) Jacob Pirkle 3) (707) P.J. Egbert 4) (72) Justin McCoy 5) (30) Chase Allen 6) (52) Chad Davis 7) (56) Troy Taylor 8) (26) Allen Chickering 9) (20) Terry Pritchett 10) (88xxx) Clyde Dunn, Jr. 11) (10) George White 12) (24) Sean Jones 13) (75) Patrick Daniels 14) (15j) Jared Webb 15) (6*) Dillon Vike 16) (18) Tim Clonch 17) (87) John Webb 18) (34) Mickey Lassiter 19) (11) Alan Oliva 20) (34n) C.A. Nix 21) (1s) Ronny Sigmon 22) (77) Randy Kirkland 23) (32) Kevin Clement 24) (66x) Mike Dillard
C&E Performance Parts 12th place finisher = Sean Jones
Official 2010 NCRA Sponsors: O’Reilly Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tires, Sunoco Race Fuels, Hard Rock Hotel - Casino
Official 2010 Modified South Contingency Sponsors: Arizona Sports Shirts, Bassett Wheels, Belleville Motor Sports, Billsbuilt Race Cars, C&E Performance, Hooker Harness, The Joie of Seating, On Another Level Designs, M&M Custom Graphics, Pro Shocks, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Taylor Cable Products and Ultra-Shield Race Products
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