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Travis Dockery • Clay County Progress Michael “Spanky” Barnett rips through turn three and his way to a Modified hobby win.
First time winners were the story of the night at Tri County Racetrack Friday, June 19. It was the fifth weekly show for the track this season. As part of the event, the Kajun Mini Stock Association came to Brasstown for a $1,000 to win race.
Feature racing got underway with the Street Stock division. In what would prove to be the race of the night, four and sometimes five cars were mixing it up for the lead. Pole sitter Troy “The Burner” Turner managed to lead every lap but was constantly fighting off challenges from a rotation of fellow drivers. It was Turner’s first win at Tri County after years of chasing the checkered flag. Charles Divine Jr. finished second with Alex Vance making a last-lap pass for third. “It was huge to get that win,” said Turner. “I’ve wanted that one for awhile.”
Next on the track were the cars of the KMSA series. These cars have the look of a scaled-down late model with the power of a four cylinder motor. The field flashed around the quarter mile clay track side-by-side. Drama filled the event with spins, contact passes and a leader having mechanical issues in the closing laps. When the checkered flag waved, youngster Caylan Kettle held on to get his first career win. Second place went to Tim Ladd and J.J. Garrett finished third.
The Modified Hobby division race was a quick one. It was a caution-free event with Michael Barnett leading from the green flag to the checkered. Ricky Smith and Jacob Parris followed with second and third place finishes.
Jason Deal used a front row starting spot to check out early in the Late Model feature event. Deal piloted his No. 7 to his fourth win of the year. Daniel Wilson settled in for his second runner-up finish in as many weeks. For the final podium spot, Chuck Southard managed to hold of Brian Kinnersley by a nose.
Matt Lockaby won the 602 Rookie race, his first at Tri County and Sean Rice charged to the front for the Front Wheel Drive victory.
Tri County’s next event is the Independence Day Championship set for July 3. As far as fan attendance, fans are encouraged to keep an eye on www.tricountyracetrack.net and the track’s Facebook page for an official announcement.