Rusty Daniels extends winning streak at Carteret County Speedway

Rusty Daniels celebrates in victory lane after winning at Carteret County Speedway. (Andy Marquis/Honey Badger Entertainment photo)

PELETIER, NC – Rusty Daniels picked up his seventh consecutive win in Saturday night’s ClarkCo Construction Summer Thunder at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway.

Daniels once again led from the drop of the green flag to the checkered flag, surviving a late race restart to score the victory.

“I just can’t thank everybody that helps me on this thing enough,” Daniels said in victory lane.  “Just got to give a big shout out to my family for everything they do, as well as Andy and Donna Smith.  We’ve raced together forever.  Jumping around from track to track and still winning all these races, it’s been a wonderful year so far.”

Daniels also has four wins on the season at Southern National Motorsports Park. With his win, Daniels picked up the mid-season championship in the Charger division as well as the Six Pack Charger Series championship.

Behind Daniels, Clements was able to hold off a challenge from Scotty Benford to finish in the runner-up position.  Benford, who finished third, scored his sixth Legend Car win of the season earlier in the evening and clinched that division’s mid-season championship.

Sammy Pacitti dominated in the Down East Homes Bomber feature, but it was Guy Harris who would pick up the win with a last lap pass as the two drivers were mired in lapped traffic in the closing laps.

“That was a lot of fun out there,” Harris said.  “I was having a blast.  I’ve raced at all different tracks for 35 years and that’s the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. I’ve known [Sammy] for a year and a half.  We bounced ideas off each other and finally I said I’m going to come down and race because our cars are basically twins.  The only difference is my car has a hundred pounds from me because I’m a big boy.”

Pacitti’s runner-up finished allowed him to take the mid-season championship in the Bomber division.

Travis Miller scored the victory in the Battlefield Tire Pros Mini Stock feature over Abby Jolly.  After the race, the veteran driver praised Jolly’s performance on track.

“She’s got that thing moving on the start and jumped out front,” Miller said.  “I thought fo a minute there I wasn’t going to have a chance at her, but I guess my rest that I got earlier in the day and my experience was what won that race.  She is definitely impressive in her never give up spirit here, even at the end.  She was drawn up on me when this old man was giving up, but this is a special win for Nana and my friend, Mr. Leon [Burrow].”

Jolly clinched the mid-season championship, her first championship of any kind in racing.

“You know, Travis Miller, he’s the best there is,” Jolly stated after the race.  “I don’t know a Mini Stock driver that’s better than him from here all the way, you know, to the west coast.  Can’t change my mind.  I’ve learned a lot from him and appreciate him for all he’s ever done for me.”

Mitchell Kerstetter held off Haiden Thomas to score the win in the U-CAR division.  The mid-season championship, however, went to Thomas.  Maci Stancill scored the win, and the mid-season championship, in Jr. Mini Cup.  The Bomber B-Main victory went to Jack Kress.

Prior to the race, an honorary victory lap was held in memory of longtime speedway flagman Leon Burrow, who passed away on Friday.  A celebration of life will be held at the track on Saturday, July 26, to remember his life and legacy at the speedway.

A ceremonial victory lap is held prior to the start of the ClarkCo Construction Summer Thunder racing program in honor of longtime speedway flagman Leon Burrow. (Andy Marquis/Honey Badger Entertainment photo)

The next race at Carteret County Speedway will be the Adams Beverage Company Davey Allison Memorial on Saturday, August 2.  The Davey Allison Memorial will be headlined by the Allison Legacy Race Series.  A presentation will be held prior to the start of the race honoring the mid-season championship winners.

Results

Charger (40 Laps): 1. 16-Rusty Daniels[1]; 2. 7-Brandon Clements[2]; 3. 3-Scotty Benford[4]; 4. 21-Gerald Benton[3]; 5. 71-Gator Williams[6]; 6. 42-Lenny Spence[5]

Legend Car (25 laps): 1. 51-Scotty Benford[1]; 2. 28-Oliver Missner[4]; 3. 99-Tyler Garretson[3]; 4. 6-Austin Eckert[5]; 5. 97-Michael Bivens[2]; 6. 6A-Keagan Abrams[6]; 7. 14-Roy Combs[7]

Down East Homes Bomber (25 Laps): 1. 6-Guy Harris[2]; 2. 43P-Samuel Pacitti[1]; 3. 9B-Bradley Morgan[4]; 4. 91-Timothy Medeiros[3]; 5. 43-Travis Watson[5]; 6. 5*-Shawn Wilson[7]; 7. 9-Deanna Stancill[9]; 8. 87-Justin Rountree[10]; 9. 79-Dominic Baez[8]; 10. 72-Harry Artemisio[11]; 11. 11-Kaleb Watson[12]; 12. M19-Kayla McCallister[6]

Bomber B-Main (15 Laps): 1. 5-Jack Kress[1]; 2. 15-Brandon Tartanian[2]; 3. 34-Michael Withrow[7]; 4. 08-Cayce Stucker[3]; 5. 19-Carrie Piercey[4]; 6. 67-Edward Piercey[5]; 7. 3-Alexis Steffan[6]

Battlefield Tire Pros Mini Stock (25 Laps): 1. 99-Travis Miller[1]; 2. 11-Abby Jolly[2]; 3. 7-Nolan Walker[4]; 4. 03-Cornell Williams[3]; 5. 23-Zac Reimer[5]

U-CAR (19 Laps): 1. 13-Mitchell Kerstetter[1]; 2. 22-Haiden Thomas[2]; 3. 33-Nathan Hall[4]; 4. 34-Matthew Newman[6]; 5. 66-Ronnie Kropp[5]; 6. 17-Brian Gooden[3]

Jr. Mini Cup (10 Laps): 1. 18-Maci Stancill[1]; 2. 4-Jase Williams[3]; 3. 19JR-Liam McCallister[2]