Columbus Speedway
Breazeale grabs victory in Thompson's K3
By Bryan Wimberley
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
David Breazeale
COLUMBUS, Miss. — After reeling off 14 victories the last four seasons with Henderson Motorsports, David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss., won for car owner Randy Boyd Thompson at Columbus Speedway on Saturday in his second Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series start of the season.
Breazeale was surprised to learn it was his first-ever MSCCS victory at the third-mile oval, which hosted just its fourth series event.
“We were just in the trailer trying to figure out when the last time we won a race here and I think it was a weekly show about four or five years ago, but I didn't know that we haven't won a Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series here,” Breazeale said. “We have won big races here over the years and have run good, but I am glad to get my first one (in the series) and always like coming to the Bullring.”
Breazeale outdueled MSCCS points leader and hometown driver Rick Rickman for the victory. On a lap-36 restart, Breazeale and Rickman went at it tooth-and-nail shortly after the race’s lone caution. Both drivers rubbed down the front straightaway before Breazeale edged away in the final laps.
“Rick has ran well here and we had a typical Bullring race,” Breazeale said. “On that last restart, he had a good run in the middle and I was running the cushion and at that part of the racetrack, stuff tends to happen. We're cool, it's just racing and we bumped together a little bit — no harm, no foul. We both carried on, finished the race and are happy to get the victory.”
Breazeale had a 15th-to-seventh run in the MSCCS opener at Whynot Motorsports Park and, with his victory at Columbus, appears to be returning to 2010 form when he won five series races and the series title for Henderson Motorsports. The Breazeale-Thompson connection appears to be headed in the right direction.
Breazeale drove Thompson’s tradition No. K3 car instead of his standard No. 54.
“We would have been in the No. 54 tonight, but they found some metal in the Oberg filter last week, so instead of swapping motors in that car, Randy wanted to run that car tonight,” Breazeale said. “We pulled the motor out of the 54, brought it to Jay (Dickens Racing Engines) and should be back in that car next time. We will run whichever car we think is best suited for each track.”
MSSCS competitors take a week off before the tour’s third-ever visit to Louisiana on April 26 for a $2,500-to-win event at St. Tammany Raceway in Lacombe, La., which is hosting its first Super Late Model touring event.
Breazeale, who has run a limited schedule in recent seasons, isn’t certain of his exact schedule with Thompson for 2014.
“When I started out the year, I wasn't going to race much at all, then this deal kind of fell together, so we will run an undetermined amount of local and regional shows and see where it goes,” he said. “As we learn one another and start running better here regionally, we may step out and enter some bigger events, because ultimately that is what I would rather be doing. We want to gel as a team and get the cars up to speed and that is our primary focus right now — but so far, so good right now.”
