Florence Speedway
Claycomb capitalizes for victory at Florence
From track reports
Kevin Claycomb (16c) earned $5,000. (Jeremey Rhoades)
UNION, Ky. (April 5) — Consider Kevin Claycomb's retirement officially over. The 47-year-old Vincennes, Ind., driver, driving again full time after his family-owned team shut down in 2004, raced to a victory in Florence Speedway's Spring 50 for his first $5,000 victory since 2001. Claycomb finished ahead of Rod Conley and Cody Mahoney as the only lead-lap finishers at the half-mile northern Kentucky oval, which soldiered on despite heavy rains in the days preceding the event. | Slideshow | Weekend winners
Fast qualifier Eddie Carrier Jr. started outside the front row and led 10 laps before Claycomb took command. But fifth-starting Patrick Sheltra overtook Claycomb two laps later and was in control when a lap-40 flat tire handed the lead back to Claycomb, who led the final 10 laps. Only eight of 24 starters were running at the finish.
Notes: The victory was Claycomb's second in three 2008 starts for Evansville, Ind.-based Scott Clippinger Racing. The first came March 28 at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway. ... Claycomb's MasterSbilt Race Car has a Jay Dickens engine and sponsorship from Allstar Performance, 5150 Race Trailers and Sweet Mfg. ... Claycomb's previous $5,000 victory also came in Kentucky on Sept. 15, 2001, at Barren County Speedway in Glasgow, Ky., for the Kentucky Klassic, a race that marked his return to running a MasterSbilt chassis. ... The Spring 50 was postponed two weeks because of a late-March rainout. ... Joey Kramer, who finished 23rd in the Late Model feature, won the modified main event.
Spring 50 @ Florence: (1) Kevin Claycomb, (2) Rod Conley, (3) Cody Mahoney, (4) Josh Williams, (5) Steve Landrum, (6) David Spille, (7) Tom Sheets, (8) Joe Ramey, (9) Patrick Sheltra, (10) Billy Vaughan, (11) John Holt, (12) Tim Prince, (13) John Gill, (14) Jesse Lay, (15) Mike Meyers, (16) Eddie Carrier Jr., (17) Mike Jewell, (18) Frank Heckenast Jr., (19) Terry Hicks, (20) Robby Hensley, (21) Josh McGuire, (22) Jerry Rice, (23) Joey Kramer, (24) Audie McWilliams. Fast qualifier: Carrier, 16.167 seconds. Heat race winners: Claycomb, Carrier, Kramer. Consolation winner: McGuire.
