SENOIA, Ga. – Rucker Orr had been shut-out of victory lane at Senoia Raceway since 2014.
That six year drought came to an end Saturday night as the Newnan racer qualified on the pole and then led flag to flag winning the limited late model feature. Orr had to hold off a couple of charges by Oliver Gentry, but he was not to be denied breaking the winless streak.
The first night of the season where fans were allowed to attend saw a packed house of anxious race fans eager to see their short track racing heroes live and in person. The drivers did not disappoint as close finishes, three and four wide racing coincided with a couple of wild wrecks.
“It was great to see the fans back with us,” said promoter Mayes Massey. “The fans are the reason we put these shows on. It is such a good feeling to see the smiles and watch them cheer for their favorites. And tonight, they saw a show.”
Other winners included Michael Page in the Crate Late Models, Wiley McDaniel in the Late Model Sportsman, Rick Ricks in the Hot Shots, David Brackett in the Mini while Bomber winner Dustin Smith, Hobby victor T.J. Joiner and Charger winner Payton Stevenson repeated trips to the winner’s circle.
Orr had a couple of top five finishes so far this season and was working to get a better set-up on the unique gumbo clay at Senoia Raceway. The slick surface has frustrated the veteran driver for years. That frustration turned to elation early in the evening when Orr qualified fastest with an average lap speed in excess of 93 mph. Orr used his pole position to jump out to the feature’s lead at the drop of the green. Oliver Gentry chased him down with Winston’s Landon Bagby holding the third place position.
As the leaders worked through traffic on lap 16, Bagby ran to the outside of Moultrie’s Chance Seary coming out of the fourth turn. Seary not knowing that Bagby was there moved up the track pinching Bagby against the concrete wall causing him to lose control and then collecting several cars running among the top five. Tate McCullom crashed into the slowing cars along with Chris Fennell and then Marty Lunsford. McCullom and Lunsford were running fourth and fifth at the time of the accident.
Orr cruised the rest of the way to win while Gentry ran second. Glenn Morris’ strong charge over the final nine circuits landed him kin third with Curtin Cline fourth and Norman Park’s John Baker fifth.
A classic battle for the lead spot unfolded in the Crate Late Model main event. Page shot out to an early lead only to see it dissolve at the hands of Jordy Nipper. Page led the race until lap 19 when Nipper slid under him entering turn one. The two provided some excitement bumping and banging a little trying to each upset the other before a caution flew with only two laps remaining.
The two lap shoot-out was everything the fans wanted since being shut-out of their Saturday night showplace. The two raced hard coming to the white flag. Page ran low in turn one sliding up to take the lead over Nipper in turn two. Nipper crossed over to the low side entering the third turn retaking the lead as Page ran close to the outside wall. The two were neck and neck coming out of the final turn with Page inching in front at the finish line to claim the victory.
A scary crash in the Charger feature hushed the crowd. Conner Younginer led the first lap before breaking a right front spindle exiting turn two. His race car made a hard right hand turn that slammed him into the outside wall where he launched into the air before being hit by the second place car driven by Jimmy Baxter Jr. That collision caused Younginer’s mount to flip wildly down the back stretch. Both drivers were OK.
Payton Stevenson steered clear of the melee and went on to record his second straight Charger win. Just like her father, Olivia Gentry would finish in second with Newnan’s Johnny Stinchcomb third.
Also doubling up the wins was Wiley McDaniel as he won for the second-straight race in the Late Model Sportsman division. McDaniel battled early with his younger brother Brandon before he tangled with the front stretch wall ending his night. The elder McDaniel held off all challenges from Chris McKeehan for the victory. Dalton Benefield was the hard charger of the race coming from near the back of the pack to garner a top three finish.