Battle of the Bluegrass Dirt Car Racing Series
2009 Press Release Archive

September 6, 2009

Victor Lee Pops O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass Pepsi 40 at Ponderosa Speedway

Junction City, KY-September 6, 2009- The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Graphic Impressions returned to action on Friday evening at Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY for the $4,000 to win Pepsi 40 and Victor Lee of Danville, KY would take the lead in the early stages of the event and never look back in picking up the win in the 40 lap, $4,000 to win Pepsi 40 A-Main.

Lee’s victory would be his fifth of the season and career series victory number 12. Lee would take the win in the seat of the Steve West and Gary Craig owned Quality Pawn/Advance Auto Parts/Kentucky’s Best Racing/ West Towing/Corder’s Competition Engines/American Racer Tires sponsored #55 C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Corder’s Competition Engines powered machine.

Eric Wells of Hazard, KY would take a second place finish in the David Wells owned Expressions Floral and Gifts/GW Performance sponsored #18 Rocket, Custom, with Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY taking third in his MDL Auto Sales/B&W Auto Recyclers sponsored Rocket, Pro Power mount. Fourth place would go to Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN in the Estes Automotive owned Glenn Hensley Trucking/Dyer’s Top Rods sponsored Rocket/Estes unit, while David Webb of Nicholasville, KY comple ting the top five in the David and John Webb owned ORS Auto Body and Collision/JDB Contracting sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car, Pro Power entry.

The remainder of the top ten in the Pepsi 40 would be Mike Jewell, Jeff Watson, Aaron Hatton, Shon Flanary, and 21st starting Tyrel Todd. The 40 lap, $4,000 to win event would slowed by six caution flags.

The initial start would see Tyrel Todd and Daniel Hatcher tangle in turn one. The second start would be a go and Dustin Linville would take the race lead, with David Webb, Victor Lee, Shon Flanary, and Mike Jewell in pursuit. Eric Wells would go from sixth to fourth on lap 2, while the next caution would wave on lap 3 as Linville and Webb battled for the l ead, contact would occur between the pair at the flagstand, resulting in both drivers get out of shape, with Webb spinning to a halt in turn one. The attempted restart would be a no-go as well as Greg Johnson, Hatcher, and Bobby Carrier, Jr. would wreck in turn two. The restart would see Lee now in second as he and Linville battled for the lead, Linville would spin in turn two to bring out the next caution on lap 4. Action would go green for a few laps after this restart, with Lee on the point, followed by Wells, Jewell, Jeff Watson, and Shon Flanary.

Brad Neat would take fifth on lap 5 and as Lee and Wells pulled away from Jewell, Watson and Neat would settle into a side-by-side battle for fourth. Neat would take fourth on lap 9, while Justin Rattliff would go from sixth to fourth one trip later on lap 10. But Neat’s night would end as he would roll to a stop in turn one to cause the caution on lap 13 with mechanical issues. The restart would see Rattliff take third from Jewell, while Mike Marlar would drive to fiourth on lap 15. By the halfway point, Lee and Wells were starting to get some pressure from Rattliff and the trio would be nose-to-tail as the leaders starting working traffic on lap 23. But Dustin Neat would draw the final caution on lap 24 with a spin in turn two. The restart would see the front four remain the same, while Webb had charged his way back toward the front and began dueling with Jewell for the fifth spot on lap 28.

Webb would scoot past Jewell for the fifth spot finally on lap 31, while Lee again put a about three car lengths on Wells, who would receive pressure from Rattliff. The lead trio would enter traffic again on the white flag lap, but Lee would maintain a comfortable lead and take the win, trailed by Wells, Rattliff, Marl ar, and Webb.

In preliminary action, Victor Lee was the Racing Optics Top Qualifier among 29 entries with a lap of 14.14.081conds. Heat race checkered flags went to Linville in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Flanary in Graphic Impressions heat two, and Webb in C.J. Rayburn Race Cars heat three. Scott James would win the B-Main, while provisional starting spots went to Tyrel Todd and Kayne Hickman (series) and Ernie Cordier and Jason Hinkle (track).

The next events for the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Models will be at 201 Speedway in Sikta, KY on Saturday September 5 and Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN on Sunday September 6.

The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series sanctions regional Super Late Model events at tracks in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. For more information about America’s most competitive regional racing series, visit the series webpage on the world wide web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (502) 762-1606 or (502) 931-5068.