By Andy Marquis, RacingForTheWin.com
BUDDS CREEK, Md.—Auto Racing Club of Hagerstown Night at Potomac Speedway this past weekend featured some of the most memorable moments thus far in the 2009 season in the entire Baltimore-Washington region. Three days of non-stop rain followed by unusually warm air temperatures set up for some lengthy track preparation. Due to the weather, track crews struggled with the surface, especially in the corners. Veteran Potomac Speedway competitor Barry Williams, Sr. described it like “driving on gravel.”
The unusual track surface caused a couple scary moments early on. On the second lap of the first Super Late Model heat, Harold Dorsey caught air in the middle of turns 1 and 2 on lap 2, and then got turned off turn 4 when several cars collided.
However, those same track conditions also made the high lane the preferred lane, making the track considerably faster. In the second Super Late Model heat, Jamie Lathroum ran a lap of 15.405 running the high line in the corners. Lathroum’s car was so fast he stretched his lead to well over an entire second in only four laps. Needless to say, Lathroum convincingly won the second heat putting him on the outside of row 1 to start the feature.
A frightening crash halted the action at Potomac Speedway in the Limited Late Model feature. Tony Buckler drove in to turn three when something went terribly wrong. His car made a sharp right turn and slammed head on in to the turn three guardrail. Andy Ball had nowhere to go and t-boned Buckler in the passenger-side door.
Buckler was alert and moving around when rescue crews arrived. He walked away after impact, but he was visibly shaken from the hit. Racing resumed after a 15 minute red flag to clean up the debris. Buckler was okay after the wreck.
“I don’t know what happened,” Buckler told us. “I’m feeling it right now but I’m okay.”
Tony Buckler’s car, on the other hand, was devastated. The car may cost too much to repair, and without another car, Buckler will be sidelined for several weeks.
The short track racing community is a very close community. Sometimes, when a driver is sidelined due to injuries or a total loss of a car, the racing community often pitches in. It was for that reason RacingForTheWin.com, in association with Southern Maryland Online, offered to publish an address or set up a fund for donations from other teams and fans. Buckler appreciated our offer but said he doesn’t want donations.
As exciting as most of the racing was, the Crate Late Model feature was not. JT McLanigan started on the pole and lead every single lap. That was until a late-race caution put Joe Warren in position. Warren rose to the occasion and mounted a charge on the last lap drawing even with McLanigan off turn four. Both cars made contact coming out of turn four sending McLanigan around and in to the jersey barriers separating pit road from the main racing surface. McLanigan’s car went up and over the barriers and in to pit road where it came to a rest on top of the four-foot barriers. The contact gave Warren the win and the early points lead.
Ben Bowie started second in the Street Stock feature and led every single lap en route to his second win of the 2009 season. With that win, Bowie moves to fifth in points, 32 markers behind points leader Donnie Smith.
Jamie Lathroum, with his impressive win in the Super Late Model feature, started on the pole of the SLM Feature. George Moreland, Chris Cromber, and Harold Dorsey all wreck in turn one on the second lap. Matt Quade had trouble in turn two on lap four bringing out the second caution of the race. The third caution came on lap seven for Jeff Pilkerton’s crash in corner of turns 3 and 4. Harold Dorsey wrecked again on lap 9, sidelining him for the remainder of the event. On the ensuing restart, Ray Kable and Eddie Drury tangled.
On the third lap 9 restart, Williams drove around Lathroum on the inside line in turn 2 to take the lead. Williams and Lathroum battled hard for the top spot, as they finally got a long green flag run. That was until lap 23, when Jamie Lathroum spun off turn 4 trying not to run in to a slow car that had been in his way. That put Darryl Hills to second and Deane Guy to third.
Guy got around Hills on the inside line with three laps to go, but Hills pulled a crossover coming off turn 2 to retake the second position. Roland Mann made contact with Deane Guy on the last lap before he moved in to third. All this action took place behind Williams, who was in his own zip-code. David Williams held off everybody after Lathroum spun and captured his first Potomac Speedway win of the season and his first win for car owners Will Ferrell and Mike Cross.
HOBBYSTOCK FEATURE
Rusty Alton started on the pole and led the entire race. The only challenge Alton faced all race was on lap 12, when John Latham mounted a charge and wore Alton’s rear-bumper out. Latham lost ground but was able to mount one more charge at Alton. Alton held him off to score his second win of the year and extend his lead atop the points standings to 26 points.
LIMITED LATE MODEL FEATURE
Sommey Lacey led the field to the green flag, but Steven Axtell beat Lacey to the line to lead the first lap. The second and final lead change took place on lap five, when Derrick Quade drove around Axtell. PJ Hatcher spun in the corner of turns one and two to bring out the first caution. Axtell’s car came to a rest in turn four causing Sommey Lacey and others to stack up behind him. Axtell’s car was unable to get re-fired bringing out the yellow. Everyone else managed to get going.
Stevie Long challenged for the lead on lap nine, but Quade held him off and Long’s car faded. On lap 22, Kyle Lear took 2nd from Long. Two laps later, Long was relegated to third when Tommy Wagner got by him. Neither Lear nor Wagner were able to get close enough to Quade to challenge him for his first win of the 2009 season.
RACE RESULTS
Super Late Models
1. David Williams
2. Darryl Hills
3. Roland Mann
4. Deane Guy
5. Jamie Lathroum
6. Kyle Lear
7. Kenny Pettyjohn
8. Matt Quade
9. Ronnie Dehaven Jr
10. Ray Kable Jr
11. George Moreland
12. Jeff Pilkerton
13. Eddie Drury
14. Rick Hulson
15. Harold Dorsey
16. Chris Cromer
17. DNS: Dale Hollidge
Late Models
1. Derick Quade
2. Kyle Lear
3. Tommy Wagner
4. Steve Long
5. Mike Latham
6. Ben Bowie
7. Ed Pope
8. Paul Cursey
9. P.J. Hatcher
10. Brandon Long
11. Dave Adams
12. Chuck Cox
13. Jeremy Nichols
14. Sommey Lacey
15. Steven Axtell Jr
DNS: Tony Buckler
DNS: Andy Ball
DNS: Glenn Buckler
Crate Late Models
1. Joe Warren
2. Eric McKinney
3. John Imler
4. Jimmy Randall
5. J.T. McLanigan
6. Mike Williams
Street Stocks
1. Ben Bowie
2. Craig Tankersley
3. Barry Williams Jr
4. Barry Williams Sr
5. Kurt Zimmerman
6. Mike Reynolds
7. Kevin Cooke
8. Ricky Edmonds
9. Donnie Smith
10. Ben Oliver
11. Scott Wilson
12. Stephen Quade
13. Country Prince
14. Kyle Nelson
15. Billy Crouse
DNS: Josh Gass
Hobbystocks
1. Rusty Alton
2. John Latham
3. Jimmy Suite
4. Hilton Pickeral
5. Thomas Pickeral
6. Don Breach
7. Josh Dotson
8. Dale Simpson
9. Mike Scaggs
10. Sam Archer
11. Wayne Suite
12. Ronald Meador
13. Tony Archer