Virginia Motor Speedway
Arthur nets $16,500 for VMS title, Fall Classic win
By Dave Seay
Virginia Motor SpeedwayJAMAICA, Va. (Sept. 20) — It came down to the final four laps of the 40-lap feature to decide the 2008 Championship, and Walker Arthur of Forest, Va., finished off a memorable victory. Arthur held off a late-race challenge by Stevie Long of Mechanicsville, MD to take the fourth round of the Victory Lap Late Model $25,000 Challenge presented by BB&T, securing the track championship at Virginia Motor Speedway. The victory netted Arthur $16,500: $10,000 for the championship, a $5,000 bonus for winning two of the four Challenge races and $1,500 from the Fall Classic race purse.
Long and Arthur entered the event tied in track points. Arthur starter on the front row while Long started eighth, and Arthur rocketed to the early lead with Roland Mann, Tom Cohick and Stephen Evans going three wide for third behind Matt Morgan in second.
On the eighth lap, Evans took third from Mann and the Morgan for second. By lap 18, Evans had closed in on Arthur as they worked slower traffic. By lap 20, Evans was on the bumper of Arthur finally taking over the top spot with a slide job in turn three on lap 25.
Evans edged away as Arthur battled Cohick for second. Long took third from Cohick on lap 33 and the race was wide open when Evans blew a motor on lap 36, handing the lead back to Arthur with Long in second. On the final restart, Long tried to slide under Arthur in turn one, but Arthur powered out of turn two to maintain the lead and go on to his lucrative victory. Long's hopes went by the wayside as his right-front tire flattened, leaving him 15th at the checkered flag.
Fall Classic: (1) Walker Arthur, (2) Sommey Lacey Jr., (3) Tom Cohick, (4) Neil McClanan, (5) Anthony Kincaid, (6) Ben Bowie, (7) Brett Carlton, (8) Matt Morgan, (9) Tyler Bailey, (10) Mark Parks, (11) Scott Adams, (12) Davis Lipscombe, (13) Donnie Daniel, (14) Joe Bounds, (15) Stevie Long, (16) Tony Buckler, (17) Stephen Evans, (18) Austin Hubbard, (19) Brad Rigdon, (20) Chris Stacy, (21) Roland Mann, (22) Wayne Carroll, (23) Ronald Jensen, (24) Ed Pope, (25) Roy Skaggs, (26) Kenny Baum.
