DOUBLE TIME – 2024 Hibriten Auto Mart 330 At Tri-County Speedway

There’s no secret about our affinity for Tri-County Speedway. Since it’s return to full time racing in 2021, the track has lived up to it’s stated dedication to making the speedway a showcase short track that the whole family can enjoy. But it’s also a tremendous place for racers to compete. It has also become another great place in the region for teams to test new and upcoming drivers as they hone the skills needed to move up the ranks. In short, the best of the best come here to race at one of the nicest tracks in the region for fans to come watch them put on a show. And this week, those fans were also treated to a visit from a touring series that may be new on the scene but one that’s also on the rise. Featuring veteran drivers like Jeremy Mayfield, AJ Henriksen, and Bob Schacht among others, the Grand National Super Series Presented By ECC is a tour that’s also a throwback to the last generation of steel bodied racers, featuring last generation cars from ARCA, Hooters Pro Cup, and some older NASCAR sanctioned touring cars such as the now defunct K&N Series. It’s a series dedicated to providing competitive racing at affordable costs, imperative on today’s short track racing scene. It’s also a series founded by racers for racers with a goal of helping to grow and support the short track racing community. Add this touring series to an already full card of local division racing, and all indications are that we’re in for an exciting night of short track racing. Let’s take a closer look at how it all went down at Tri-County Speedway in the Hibriten Auto Mart 330 this past Saturday night!

CROWN VIC FEATURE

When Tri-County flagman Travis Louk flies the green flag, both Jacob Hayes in the # 0 and Kyle Dubeau in the # 12 make their home up front. Dubeau looks high and low for a way around Hayes, but he just can’t make it work at the moment. But there’s trouble on the frontstretch as Jacob Hickman in the # 22 spins into the outside wall! He gets his machine righted but the caution will fly, giving Dubeau a better shot at taking the lead. Hayes gets a massive restart though, leaving Dubeau back in the same position. Dubeau starts to gain, and before you know it he’s right on Hayes’ bumper! But it won’t be enough as Hayes takes the Crown Vic win over Dubeau and the # 22 of Nic Waldrop!

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE FEATURE

It doesn’t take long for the top two points competitors to find their way to the head of the pack as Jason Garwood in the # 46 and # 27 James Powell rocket through the field to first and second. But right in their shadow is the # 17 of Jackie Stone, who is having an outstanding run tonight. He makes his way around Powell, setting his sights on Garwood. Powell is now left to deal with Randy Hupp in the # 54H, but he’ll hang on to the bronze spot as Stone is starting to eat into Garwood’s lead just a little. There aren’t enough laps however as Garwood collects another Tri-County victory!

RENEGADE FEATURE

Jackson Sparks in the # 7 lines up first followed by the # 28 of Gary Ledbetter Jr and the # 16 of Steve Smart who rounds out the top three. Sparks gets a great start, but he’s in big trouble on the backstretch as he goes hard into the outside wall! He comes to rest in turn three up in flames! Thankfully, Sparks is okay but the car will need major work before it sees a racetrack again. That moves everyone up a spot, including # 9 Klint Townsend in 3rd. Ledbetter Jr and Smart have an amazing battle for the lead, with two of the division’s best not giving an inch. But here comes points leader Townsend! He gets into Smart out of turn 2, spinning the # 16 around! Smart will tag the tail end of the field as Ledbetter Jr leads Townsend and the # 22 of Michael Waldrop. Ledbetter Jr and Townsend duel it out as Smart is already up to third! Townsend is able to motor by Ledbetter Jr for the lead with Waldrop now spinning on the frontstretch behind. That’ll bring another caution out, but it’s no worry for Townsend who gets a great restart. But so does Smart who drives deep down into turn one in an attempt to get into Townsend! He won’t make it work and slips back as Townsend comes home the victor! Ledbetter Jr comes home second while Smart rebounds to third. Townsend and Smart play a little cat and mouse after the checkered, but cooler heads prevail in the end.

STREET STOCK FEATURE

The # 14 of former Tri-County Street Stock champion Davey Smart starts on the point with the # 4 of James Dolan in second, # 12 Mike Hatton third, # 55R John Reynolds fourth, and the # 55 of Johnny Reynolds fifth. Smart and Dolan are even going into one but Dolan spins around! The # 03 of Kevin Eby piles in as both will unfortunately be done for the night. Caution fever seems to be in the air tonight as on the second restart, the # 66 of Marlin Gunter goes around off of turn two. The third time is finally the charm with Jeff Sparks in the # 7 charging his way to the lead. John Reynolds is right behind with Smart in third. Defending title holder Marlin Yoder in the # 08 climbs to fourth, but not for long as he gets around both Smart and John Reynolds. He’ll have his work cut out though as Sparks has built himself a massive lead. They continue to shuffle behind with Johnny Reynolds wheeling to third followed by the elder John Reynolds. # 1 Gene Griffey breaks up the Reynolds party as he’ll move into fourth. None of that matters to Sparks though, as Yoder’s march will come up four tenths short in second. Johnny Reynolds holds onto third accompanied by Griffey in fourth and John Reynolds in fifth.

LIMITED LATE MODEL FEATURE

The always exciting Limited Late Models will start with the # 97 of Isaac Kitzmiller up front. The # 59 of defending champion Austin Harris will join him on the front row, # 9 William Aldred rolls off third, fastest qualifier # 55 Matt Leicht will start fourth, and the # 33 of Coleman Chapman starts fifth. Louk gazes over the competitive field, likes what he sees, and we’re green! Kitzmiller is immediately under fire from Harris, with Harris taking the lead. Leicht is fast early as well, sliding around Aldred and eventually Kitzmiller. We’ll have an early caution though as two cars in the middle of the field spin around in turns one and two. The crowd is treated to an absolute barnburner of a battle once the green comes out once more as Harris and Leicht are deadlocked for the lead. Nearly 15 laps go by with the top two side by side! Now Aldred tries to stick it three wide on the frontstretch! He’ll think better of it but now Leicht goes around in two! That leaves the next restart to be a battle between Harris and Aldred as Kitzmiller stumbles a bit behind when the green waves. The field scrambles a bit, now putting the # 6B of Kade Brown in third. Kitzmiller recovers to remain fourth ahead of Zack Franks in the # 1.

Put the entire top five under a blanket as the racing is furious here at Tri-County! Harris and Aldred are still battling it out with contact now made! Aldred is able to move to the lead, with Brown now sticking his nose in for second. Everytime Brown looks inside, Harris shuts the door, and this continues for multiple laps until Harris finally gets a big enough gap to breathe. All of that battling allows Aldred to pull away at the end, taking home the checkered flag in another instant classic! Harris hangs onto second, a substituting Brown comes home third, Kitzmiller gets an impressive fourth in his Limited Late Model debut, and Franks rounds out the top five.

LATE MODEL STOCK FEATURE

Landon Huffman in the # 75 assumes the lead early with the # 15 of Mitch Walker, # 52 Zach Bruenger, # 7M Tristan McKee, and the # 45 of Parker Eatmon all chasing him. Walker puts his muscle on full display, fighting to the inside of Huffman. But now Walker goes around! That brings the caution out as Walker will unfortunately have to start at the rear. After the choose, Huffman remains your leader joined by McKee, Bruenger, Eatmon, and the # 9 of Annabeth Crum. It’s a dead heat for the lead between Huffman and McKee as Eatmon makes his way by Bruenger. Behind that, the # 23 of Austin Green, son of former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion David Green, breaks into the top five around Crum. The yellow comes out as Walker spins around again, trying his hardest to make his way back up to the front. McKee gets a masterful launch on the restart and eventually clears Huffman for the top spot.

Eatmon will follow McKee through with Huffman settling into third. Bruenger loses a spot to Green but all eyes are on the battle for the lead as Eatmon now tackles McKee. He’ll make it work and takes his Hedgecock Racing Enterprises machine to a great lead! McKee now has a problem and brings his machine to pit road, giving Huffman second. But all over his bumper is Green, searching for a way by. Through all of the fracas, Walker has somehow come back from his two spins all the way to fourth! Green finally makes his machine stick enough to get around Huffman. A determined Walker takes advantage of Huffman’s lost momentum, taking third as Eatmon continues to lead. Bruenger and Crum duke it out for fifth, but the checkered flag will fly on Parker Eatmon for his first career Tri-County Speedway Late Model Stock victory! Green comes home second, Walker has an incredible recovery in third, Huffman guts out a fourth, and Bruenger will take fifth.

GRAND NATIONAL SUPER SERIES FEATURE 1

Jason Kitzmiller in the # 97 travels all the way from the ARCA Menards Series race at Michigan where he finished seventh to Granite Falls, North Carolina where he qualifies the fastest with a time of 16.298 seconds. After the top six redraw, Kitzmiller will remain the first place starter with the # 21 of points leader Jeremy Mayfield, # 1 Shotime Mike, # 75 Bob Schacht, and the # 66 of Larry Wilcox rounding out the top five. Louk looks over the gorgeous field, approves the formation, and we’re green! Kitzmiller gets the advantage off of two as the # 79 of AJ Henriksen powers by Wilcox for fifth. Henriksen doesn’t stop there, going up to the outside and taking away fourth from Schacht. Shotime Mike is next on Henriksen’s radar, also falling victim to the # 79. Back up front, Mayfield has taken advantage of some lap traffic to eat into Kitzmiller’s lead. Now Kitzmiller catches the # 20 Tony Stewart inspired Steve Bush machine heading into three, but he gets trapped! Mayfield has nowhere to go and spins into Bush! Wilcox and the # 57 of Donnie Doster will also get some damage as the caution flies! Kitzmiller somehow gets through without a scratch with Bush being done for race one. While the field paces under yellow, Mother Nature sadly takes the lead as a big storm comes through, halting action for awhile. But after the Front Wheel Drive racers exit the track, we’re ready to go back green!

We’ll revert back to the last lap’s running order for the restart, which sees Kitzmiller, Mayfield, Henriksen, Wilcox, and Shotime Mike as your top five. Mayfield will get the bite on the outside this time, muscling by Kitzmiller for the point. Wilcox and Shotime Mike battle for fourth with Wilcox hanging on for the time being. Shotime Mike is a thorn in Wilcox’s side, finally fighting his way by as for the lead, Kitzmiller looks to the inside each and every lap, but Mayfield will slam the door. Kitzmiller finally gets enough of a run and now they’re door to door for the lead! They slam! Kitzmiller edges ahead as the fans are on their feet! Mayfield experiments with all of the lines Tri-County has to offer, but it won’t be enough as Kitzmiller takes the win! Mayfield crosses the line second, Henriksen notches third, Shotime Mike hangs onto fourth, and Wilcox gets an impressive fifth with damage.

GRAND NATIONAL SUPER SERIES FEATURE 2

After another redraw, Wilcox is the lucky polesitter alongside defending winner Kitzmiller who starts second. Henriksen will start third, Mayfield rolls off fourth, and Doster will round out the top five. Wilcox fires off nicely, but Henriksen will take him three wide down the backstretch! Wilcox falls to third as Kitzmiller takes the lead. Mayfield is on the hunt early, driving his way by Wilcox and eventually Henriksen after a short battle. Schacht positions himself in fifth after getting by teammate Doster as the # 83 of Eric Barber slides up into the turn four wall. He somehow saves it, meaning the caution won’t be thrown. Shotime Mike will unfortunately park his machine before the finish, as an announcement is made that due to the curfew, the 50 lap feature will be shortened down to 30 laps. That means go time for Mayfield and Henriksen, but there’s no stopping Kitzmiller tonight as he brings the broom out and sweeps the evening! Mayfield comes home second, Henriksen grabs third, Wilcox has a great night in fourth, and Schacht rounds out the top five.

MY TAKE

After a beautiful morning and afternoon and with very little chance listed in the forecast, just 14 laps into the first Grand National Super Series race, the first race on the docket, a nagging rain hit the racetrack. And though it didn’t lead to a cancellation or postponement, it did leave the track working double time to get all the racing in. You see, Tri-County Speedway has the daunting task of working around an 11 PM curfew. A curfew that if you know the full history of this speedway, you can begin to understand why it’s tremendously important to adhere to. Hopefully one day the area’s leaders will understand what a great asset Tri-County Speedway truly is and give a little leeway so the track can have even more substantial growth, but, that’s a story for another day. What’s important here is to know the work the track workers and management put in to give the fans the show they came to see. Our hats are definitely off to all of those workers that made it happen. Because of their hard work, the fans were ultimately treated to another awesome short track show that had some more double time stories of it’s own.

First of which was the doubly good performance from Jason Kitzmiller in the twin 50 Grand National Super Series events. But, it’s what Kitzmiller has done all year. Now with eight wins on the season, Jason has been on a tear in the series, only being beaten by his son Isaac Kitzmiller and Marlin Yoder on the tour this year. It has to be a head scratcher for points leader Jeremy Mayfield and his team who have three wins of their own, but have not found a way to beat Kitzmiller who’s running a partial season. We can tell you for sure that that fact doesn’t sit perfectly well with Mayfield, who while is sitting in a great position to grab the Grand National Super Series championship right now, will be working double time to figure out a way to beat Kitzmiller with just 3 races left on the season. And secondly, the double time work that Mitch Walker had to put in, coming back from two spins on the night to finish on the podium, finishing third in the 75 lap Late Model Stock feature that included some heavy hitting competition. The first of the two incidents occurred after contact with the # 75 machine of Landon Huffman that sent Walker around, and the second came as Walker was trying to make up the ground that he lost. Not deterred however, Mitch Walker did indeed bring the # 15 machine back to the podium with true will and determination that should leave the team eager to get back to the track knowing they are a hop and a skip away from victory lane.

Jason Garwood again showed that he has one of the fastest four cylinder racers in the region and the talent to know what to do with it, Jacob Hayes proved that you have to put on a near perfect race to beat him in a Crown Vic, and Jeff Sparks again showed that when the # 7 is hooked up, they are on another planet. Renegade driver Klint Townsend and Limited Late Model competitor William Aldred reminded everyone that they can win the tough ones. But most importantly, for Parker Eatmon, we’re not sure if he realizes how big this win was. But if he continues rising in his career, this will be a win that should prove to anybody that given good equipment, he has the ability to win tough races. And we were reminded once again why we call Tri-County Speedway home. If you’ve never been to this super competitive speedway, it’s time to add an item to your bucket list. We guarantee you’ll be glad you did. Well, that is if you love great short track racing. Until next time, as always, See You At The Track!

(Race write ups by Joshua Weatherman. Intro and My Take written by Billy Weatherman. Copyright 2024 SHORT TRACK REPORT)