Columbus Speedway
Boland completes Possum Town sweep
By Jerry Carnathan
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Mike Boland (222) moves past Bub McCool (57j) early. (Scott Oglesby)
COLUMBUS, Miss. (Dec. 1) — It took him two weekends to pull it off, but Mike Boland of Cuba, Ala., completed a sweep of the seventh annual Possum Town Grand Prix at Columbus Speedway. Boland rallied from his eighth starting spot to the front to earn a $5,000 payday in a feature event delayed a week by rain. | Slideshow
Along with the $2,000 Boland earned with his Nov. 23 victory in the event's preliminary feature, the veteran driver of the No. 222 closed the 2007 racing season with a $7,000 performance.
Neil Baggett, who turned heads by contending in October's Magnolia State 100 at Columbus, finished second with Bub McCool, Rick Rickman and Scott Slay giving Mississippi four of the top five finishers.
Anthony Rushing and Byron Michael, winner of August's James King Memorial at Columbus, started on the front row for the 50-lapper originally scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend. Rushing's race, however, didn't last long as he was caught up in a second-lap tangle with Clint Smith, David Breazeale and Terry Smith. Michael was out front for the restart with McCool and Boland in pursuit.
But Michael spun out of contention in the early laps, and Boland was in command after just 10 circuits with Baggett and McCool giving chase. Baggett found his way past Boland on the 22nd lap, but a caution negated the pass and reset the field with Boland out front.
Boland stayed safely ahead on the restart and was out front when the final caution appeared on lap 41. Baggett couldn't overtake him over the final five laps as Boland completed his sweep in races separated by nine days.
Possum Town Grand Prix: (1) Mike Boland, (2) Neil Baggett, (3) Bub McCool, (4) Rick Rickman, (5) Scott Slay, (6) Virgil Taylor, (7) Justin McRee, (8) Tony Knowles, (9) Jason Sanderford, (10) Jim McDuffie, (11) Shawn Edwards, (12) Dewayne Estes, (13) Ross Camponovo, (14) Scott Dedwylder, (15) Tony Morris, (16) Nick Howell, (17) Mark Dodson, (18) Byron Michael, (19) Jamie Elam, (20) David Gentry, (21) David Breazeale, (22) Clint Smith, (23) Terry Smith, (24) Anthony Rushing.
