PELETIER, N.C. – Chris Burns picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday afternoon, coming from the back to the front to pick up the victory at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway on Saturday afternoon.
Burns closed in on Stacy Puryear during the mid-stages of the Solid Rock Carriers 100 and, when the two battled for the lead, Puryear went around off Burns’ front bumper – resulting in both drivers going to the rear. Burns quickly battled back and, with four laps to go, made the pass on Jason York to score the victory.
“I feel like we were just a little better on entry than Stacy,” Burns said in victory lane after the race. “Definitely not intentional. He’s a class act racer. I try not to race that way. Using the bumper’s okay but I definitely didn’t mean to spin him out. This is huge for our little team. Last year, we struggled with this car ever since we put it together. Man, to get this win is awesome.”
Burns’ car came to life during long green flag runs as he, on two separate occasions, raced his way into contention for the lead – ultimately making the winning pass with four laps to go. For Burns, it’s the biggest victory of his career as he raced against heavyweights and took home the $5,000 payout.
“It started out shoving the nose in the center,” Burns explained. “I came over the radio and said, ‘it’s still early, I think we might have a chance.’ After that red flag over there, it was like a different racecar. I’m tickled. I couldn’t ask for more. York and Puryear are no slouches, that’s for sure. They’re some of the best in the business, been doing it a long time. Having my little girl with me, that’s a life-changing deal. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Burns’ win came in a wild race which saw multiple incidents. On a lap 43 restart, contenders Rusty Daniels, Tyler Horne, Brandon Clements, and Joshua Yeoman were all involved in a pileup in turn one. Later, on lap 65, Clements and Daniels were again involved in an accident which also collected Thad Moffitt and Gerald Benton.
Jason York inherited the lead when Burns and Puryear got together and led for most of the second half, until Burns came roaring past. York settled for a runner-up finish.
“We were real good,” York said. “We were pleased with the car. Just a little free in the center. We’ll fix it, get it back over here and get some wins here. Congratulations to Chris though. He done a hell of a job winning the race.”
Stacy Puryear, who felt the mid-race contact from Burns was just a racing incident, was able to rebound for a third-place finish.
“We just had gotten loose up off and, you know, we had a good racecar,” Puryear said. “If it had been a little tighter, [Burns] wouldn’t have known which way we went. This is the first time we’ve ever been here. This racecar’s been sitting since Martinsville 2016 and we’re very proud of it.”
Rusty Daniels and Tyler Horne finished fourth and fifth respectively while Thad Moffitt, Lexi Gay, Eric Winslow, Brandon Clements, and Gerald Benton rounded out the top-10.
The win for Chris Burns was his first since April 28, 2018.
Brenton Irving continued his dominance in the INEX Legends division, picking up the win in a thrilling INEX at the four-tenths-mile track which will play host to the INEX Legends Asphalt Nationals later this year.
Irving raced his way past Brian Sullivan on lap 16 in the 35 lap feature and then survived challenges from Zack Brown, Brian Sullivan and Emily Day. On the final turn of the last lap, Brown got loose which resulted in both cars getting together and spinning across the line to a second and third place finish, respectively.
Emily Day finished fourth while Jim Smith rounded out the top-five in the 16 car field.
Kris Hetu made a late race pass on Michael Rouse to pick up the victory in the Sportsman’s Wholesale Mini Stock Division. Rouse dominated for much of the event but a late race caution tightened the field and Hetu was able to make the pass on the outside.
Rouse’s engine expired late. Reigning division champion Stephen Sanders finished second over Travis Provost, Jason Adams and Andrew Deal.
Robert Arch picked up the win in an equally entertaining U-CAR feature. Arch took the lead early and never looked back while Neil Mason, Steve Sullivan and Andrew Jackson engaged in a fierce battle for second behind him. Arch went on to win and Mason prevailed in the battle while Sullivan, Joe Lanier and Jackson rounded out the top-five.
Mike Cooper scored the victory in the Street Stock feature while Gary Rochelle rebounded from a mid-race incident to finish second. Sean Wales picked up the win in a wild Champ Kart feature, defending a late race charge from Justin Mitchell which included an attempted pass in the grass from the eventual runner-up. Justin Hall was victorious in the Mini Cup feature. In the Jr. Mini Cup feature, Scotty Benford, in his first race, collected the victory over Caleb Braswell.