Thunderhill Raceway Park
Teammate's DQ gives Thunderhill victory to Johns
By Robert Holman
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Johns (outside) and Owens started on the front row. (Robert Holman)
SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. (Sept. 13) — Donald Johns didn’t lead a single circuit of the $2,000-to-win, 40-lap Crate Late Model special event at Thunderhill Speedway. But that didn’t keep the Alabama native from leaving with the winner’s check for the first-ever Summertown Sizzler.
Johns inherited the victory when polesitter and apparent winner Jerry Owens, of Killen, Ala., didn’t pass tech. Ironically, the two are teammates, with each sporting the No. c66 on the side of their cars, though Johns does have a small “x” alongside his c66.
“We’re partners with these two cars,” said Johns during the technical inspection. “I couldn’t drive a peg up a billy goat’s (butt) if it wasn’t for Jerry Owens.”
Though Owens dominated the race, often leading by a full straightaway while lapping up to the eighth place car, it was the unwarranted assistance he gave his teammate during the tech inspection that proved to be the biggest help of all.
Josh Putnam, of Killen, Ala., was credited with second, followed by Wheel, Tenn., driver David Gentry, and Jaybird Marlin, of Columbia, Tenn. Donovan Henry was fifth.
Johns was fortunate to be in a position to inherit the win. With less than 10 laps remaining, Johns was under heavy pressure from Gentry. The sixth-starting Gentry was trying to pass Johns on the low side in turns three and four when Gentry nearly looped his car. He kept the ride going but lost a position to fourth-running Josh Putnam. It had taken Gentry nearly 20 laps to get around Putnam before running down Johns. Gentry said he had Johns cleared when Johns moved down the track. Regardless, he hardly had enough time to catch Putnam again and never got another chance to pass either one.
As it turned out, the squeeze in turn three played a huge factor in the outcome. Had Gentry gotten by Johns, he would have been the one who inherited the victory. Afterwards, Gentry said he thought he had raced Johns clean and was frustrated that he had to head through the infield to keep from bringing out a caution.
“He said that I pushed him down in the infield,” said Johns. “I saw him down there and then I was back ahead of him and I didn’t see him … that’s dirt racing.”
Notes: John’s car receives its power from his only sponsor, the Fayetteville, Tenn.-based GRE Race Engines. … The Crate Late Models at Thunderhill compete against Late Model Stocks as well. The Late Model Stocks are supposed to be of similar horsepower, but can be built by any engine-machine shop, unlike the store-bought, factory-sealed Crate engines. The rule used to “equalize” the two motors is a vacuum rule on the camshaft of the Late Model Stock motor. Owens’ engine was a Late Model Stock engine, not a Crate, and his disqualification was based on the fact that the engine didn’t pull the required amount of 17 pounds of vacuum by the track gauge. “It was bumping 16 to 16 and a half said the tech inspector in the infield. Owens took it in stride before heading over to congratulate his teammate. “They just said it didn’t pass vacuum,” Owens said matter-of-factly. … The race was slowed by only a couple of cautions, the first of which came early in the race when Jacob France got hard into the frontstretch wall. The second caution was due to s spin by Dwayne Oakley, a driver who dropped off the Super Late Model racing scene a few years ago, but has recently jumped back into the sport. … Johns is the division’s current points leader at Thunderhill. In just his third season of racing, the $2,000 victory is the richest of his career. … Grant Helms, who started third, got into the wall early and slid all the way back to 10th by race’s end. … David Seibers started last among the 19 cars and drove to a seventh-place finish.
Summertown Sizzler: (1) Donald Johns, (2) Josh Putnam, (3) David Gentry, (4) Jaybird Marlin, (5) Donovan Henry, (6) James Sullivan, (7) Dave Seibers, (8) Ben Davis, (9) Jeff Echols, (10) Grant Helms, (11) Shane Echols, (12) Shannon Ardry, (13) Walter Bolton, (14) Albert Yarbrough, (15) Dwayne Oakley, (16) David Young, (17) Robert Ardry, (18) Jacob France. Disqualified: Jerry Owens. Fast qualifier (among 19 cars): Owens.
