Skyline Speedway
Carrier edges McGuire, captures first Harvest 50
By Scott Wolfe
Skyline SpeedwaySTEWART, Ohio (Sept. 17) — Taking advantage of a late-race restart, Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., led the final eight laps Saturday at Skyline Speedway for $5,000 and his first career victory in the Harvest 50.
Fellow Kentucky native Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky., led 41 of the first 42 laps but couldn't stave off Carrier's challenge following a lap-40 caution for Tim Dohm's spin.
"The caution was the key to the win," the 40-year-old Carrier said in victory lane. "I don't think I could've got him without the caution, but I might have. Up to that point, I just kept my line and hadn't really tried another line."
"It was to a point where I had to make a move, and then the caution flew. To get by Josh I had to try another line, so I moved to the lower middle and the car was fast there. I had to make sure I cleared him coming out of four."
McGuire had cruised the first 39 laps after getting the jump on Chris Carpenter at the outset, but after the lap-40 yellow, he couldn't maintain his dominance. Carrier inched ahead to lead lap 41, McGuire went back ahead on lap 42 but Carrier led the rest of the way.
"Right before the caution, I felt like I spun my tires in lapped traffic," McGuire said. "Up to that point it was pretty quiet. The caution hurt, but I'm gonna put it down as a mistake on my part. After I spun them, the tires really sealed over and that was the race."
Chris Carpenter, who fought off Carrier for the second spot in the first half of the race, finished third ahead of his father Freddie Carpenter, both of Parkersburg, W.Va., while consolation race winner and 15th-starting Chris Garnes of Evans, W.Va., rounded out the top five.
Notes: Carrier's Grover Motorsports-owned Rocket Chassis has a Grover Racing Engine and sponsorship from Engines Inc., Cox Wrecker Service and Blue Ridge Machinery and Tools. ... The victory was Carrier's seventh of the season paying at least $4,000-to-win. ... The event was run under AMRA rules. ... The night's racing activities were dedicated to Paul Pappy McVey, who spent most of his life around racing and up until last year was active in the C&S Racing Photo stand. ... Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, W.Va., held the fifth spot at the final caution but departed with mechanical problems. ... Among drivers failing to make the main event: K.C. Burdette, Dusty Hamrick, Michael P. Howard, Dan Morrison, Wayne Maffett Jr., Jason Riggs and last year's winner Zack Dohm, who missed transferring from the B-main. ... Skyline's points season is over, but the track is considering adding a sprint-Late Model doubleheader on Oct. 8.
Harvest 50: (1) Eddie Carrier Jr., (2) Josh McGuire, (3) Chris Carpenter, (4) Freddie Carpenter, (5) Chris Garnes, (6) Rick Williams, (7) Tim Senic, (8) Delmas Conley, (9) Tim Dohm, (10) Tyler Carpenter, (11) Ralph Withem, (12) Nick Dohm, (13) Jeff Wood, (14) Larry Bond, (15) Rod Conley, (16) Andy Bond, (17) Butch McGill, (18) Frankie Hall. Fast qualifier (among 47 cars): Senic, 14.62 seconds. Heat race winners: C. Carpenter, McGuire, Carrier, Williams, F. Carpenter. C-main winner: Derek Dull. B-main winner: Garnes.
