Story by: Langley Austin ~ langley@RACE22.com

Asheboro, NC(October 21, 2010) -- Every big race in the Late Model Stock Car world is the same ... you have an entry list populated with some of the best race car drivers in this division and though this past weekend it was divided between two big shows, it was still the best of the best in each race.

While a larger field of cars were up the road in South Boston, VA on Saturday, there were a handful of highly talented drivers starting to take center stage in Asheboro, NC, home of the Caraway Speedway. On Saturday, a few hours before the controversial finish at South Boston Speedway in the Danville Toyota 300, the field was set by qualifying for a Sunday race at Caraway and there was no controversy to be had.

The fact was that the second place finisher from the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville, had placed his Fat Head Racing machine on the pole. Matt McCall was that driver and following his move to Fat Head Racing around mid-season, his fortune had continued to change. McCall, who already had one "big race" win behind the wheel of the Fat Head Racing machine in the Dwight Huffman Memorial and he was poised to do it again.

McCall posted the only time in qualifying to break into the 16 second bracket as the fastest qualifier by nearly a tenth of a second over four-time Caraway Speedway track champion and defending winner of this race, Travis Swaim. A couple more locals occupied the third and fourth positions with Ryan Wilson and Dan Moore clocking in ahead of UARA-STARS Series Rookie of the Year, Robert Johnson and one driver, who was making his return to the drivers seat after being out since early March, Frank Deiny, Jr.

The field however wasn't just set by qualifying as the top six cars got the chance to redraw for position and as he did at the other big race at Caraway Speedway, local veteran, Moore pulled the pole and would start from the first position. Moore would have Wilson along side him on the front row with Johnson, McCall, Swaim and Deiny rounding out the newly lined up top six.

On Sunday, the mood was laid back as there wasn't a whole lot going on around the 4/10 mile track before 12noon and the race wasn't set to begin until 2:00pm. A couple of teams had been really busy throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning however and that was the teams of Tim George, Jr. and Nick Smith. George had blown an engine on Saturday and had taken his car back to his Richard Childress Racing shop to put in a fresh power plant, while Smith had been in South Boston piloting the same car in the Danville Toyota 300 before mechanical issues sidelined the young driver, but he was back and ready to hit the track again.

Both drivers got about seven laps of practice shortly after noon and right before the fields for the Late Model Stock Car, Limited Late Model and Late Model Super Trucks were lined up on track for an autograph session. With 19-cars now set to make the start in the Mid-Atlantic Championship, a 250-lap Late Model Stock Car race, we knew it wasn't going to filled with cautions, but track rules for competition yellows ensured that no more than 50-laps would be run without a caution flag.

First Wayne McHone took home the trophy in an eventful Late Model Super Truck race that saw three cautions in the first eight-laps, including one involving McHone and a spectacular slow-motion flip down the front stretch. In the Limited Late Model race Tony Black dominated by leading every lap en route to the win despite strong challenges from both Dillon Bassett around midway and Mack Little late in the race.

Now it was time to get down to business for the Late Model Stock Cars as the field was ready to vie for a $5,000 prize. Moore and Wilson led the field down for the green flag and while Moore started from the pole, it was Wilson, who would jump out to an early lead as the youngster was out to prove that he could compete with the best drivers in Late Model Stock Cars. The action behind him was intense as well as Deiny was trying to get to the inside of Johnson for fourth, but Swaim was already looking on Deiny for the fifth spot as well.

As the field begins to get strung out, the first 50-laps have clicked off caution free, so the first competition caution waves over the field with Wilson still out in front of Moore, McCall, Johnson, Swaim and Yontz. Deiny has fallen back to seventh position as the veteran seems to riding and just pacing himself for a charge in the second half of the race. Around lap 60 it seems that McCall is ready to make his move on Moore for second and he takes that position away as he tries to close in on Wilson for the lead.

Then at lap 80, McCall took his car to the lead as he bypassed Wilson on the inside asserting himself as the car to beat and out in front with little challenge from Wilson as he begins to fade. At lap 85, Sam Hunt, a new FDJ Motorsports driver, has a tire go down on him and slams the outside wall as he spins coming up off of turn two. Hunt would be done for the day as it took two wreckers to remove his badly damaged car, which was a tough break for a young driver, who was just looking to log laps in his first race at Caraway.

Before this most recent caution and while McCall was going for the lead on Wilson, Swaim and Yontz were able to pick off Johnson as they move to fourth and fifth respectively. At this point the car on the move is Smith, who started shotgun on the field and was already up to ninth place in his first ever start at Caraway and with only seven laps of practice before the race today. Once back green, Deiny continues to fall back as Randy Benson makes his way past him to drop Deiny back to eighth near the lap 100 mark.

At this point Wilson's fade is becoming evident as first Moore gets by him and then Swaim before Yontz gets to him and drops him from second to fifth quickly. Just as the field nears the halfway point Deiny continues his free fall as Smith goes by him for seventh and four laps later the field is brought down pit road for the halfway break at lap 125. At this break not many teams are making big adjustments, but one driver definitely not happy with his car is Wilson, who has fallen to fifth and was the early leader. Wilson said that his car was terrible and that he also was not happy with Yontz for door slamming him, when he passed him just before the halfway point.

McCall, who was out front from lap 80 to the 125 break seemed to be extremely happy with his ride as his team was making minor adjustments and bolting on two new right side tires as is allowed under this break. Moore, Swaim and Yontz also seemed to be pleased with their rides and made little to no changes to their cars. On the flip side, there were at least two guys struggling with their rides greatly as Harrison Rhodes, who started 10th and was now ninth was struggling with the handling of his car due to a rear end issue and Robert Tyler, running a dismal 14th, who believed at halfway, that he had a broken right front shock.

All the cars and teams hit the track once again and were lined back up after the fifteen minute break as McCall was set to lead the field back to the green flag. McCall would again put his car back out front, but Moore was hanging close by and around the lap 150 mark, Moore would begin to put pressure on the veteran, but to no avail as McCall just kept himself out in front of the field. The next caution would wave at lap 165 as Benson, who had challenged for a top six position earlier was now stopped in turn two. Benson broke a rocker arm thus ending his day.

Over the next 35-laps things were looking pretty calm as for the most part everyone was running single file and not really making any noise, but tension was mounting for the fourth position as Wilson was giving Yontz all he could handle. Wilson would get Yontz sideways, much to the dismay of Yontz crew, who from the top of their trailer would throw their hands up at Wilson's crew, just a couple stalls down. This happened a couple times before Wilson got under Yontz and then Wilson goes for a hard ride into the outside wall in turn one on lap 177.

It seems a usually calm and relaxed, Yontz had lost his cool with the other young driver after contact between the two multiple times. Keep in mind that this all stems back to Wilson not being happy with Yontz after the first half of the race, when he said that Yontz "door slammed" him while passing for fourth. As Wilson's car is loaded up by a wrecker, a final hand gesture by the young driver as Yontz passed and things were back to normal as Yontz pitted to try and fix the damage to his racer from this incident and Wilson was done for the day.

The next caution wouldn't wave again until lap 214 as the field was in an intense battle for positions all over the track and as Deiny began to make his move back toward the front, he jumped to the inside of Smith, who jumped up on the wall and broke some suspension parts. Smith was the reason for the caution and he was done for the day. With just over 25-laps to go McCall was still your leader with Moore, Swaim, Johnson, Deiny, Corey Strickland, Rhodes, Jimmy Wallace, John Kidwell and Tim George, Jr.

completing the top ten on the track.

Back to green and again up front, McCall flexes his muscle as he holds on to the lead with little challenge from Moore, who is being pressured by Swaim for second. Heading toward the checkered flag and the only real battle was for fourth place as Deiny was all over Johnson and even passed him, before Johnson bumped him and went back into fourth. As the race headed to a conclusion it was McCall with the win followed by Moore, Swaim, Johnson and Deiny.

McCall celebrated his win by doing a great burnout on the front stretch as his Fat Head Racing team looked on and then celebrated with him in victory lane. For McCall it didn't make up for coming so close in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville and not winning, but it was a big feather in his cap as it was his first career win at Caraway Speedway and in their biggest race of all. For McCall's car owner, Jamie Yelton, owner of Fat Head Racing, it was another big win as the company continues to have its best ever season with it's 10th win and third "big race" win this season.

For Moore, second would have to do, but certainly the veteran driver, who had the best second half of the season of any Late Model Stock Car driver at Caraway, it had to be disappointing not to win. Swaim, who won his division leading, fourth championship this season at Caraway had to settle for third with Johnson fending off challenges like a pro from Deiny, who was making only his second start in 2010.

Jimmy Wallace, who started toward the back of the field drove a great second half of the race to come home sixth with Yontz rebounding from his contact with Wilson to finish seventh, Strickland was eighth with Rhodes coming home ninth despite his rear end problems, which persisted to the end. Tim George, Jr., who overcame his Saturday engine problems came home to finish 10th on the lead lap. Cameron Hedgecock, son of chassis builder and former Modified driver, Jay Hedgecock brought his car home on the lead lap in 13th in his first career Late Model Stock Car start.

All in all it was a great day of racing at Caraway Speedway, but for McCall it was a special day as he added Caraway Speedway to his list of tracks to win on as well as adding a Mid-Atlantic Championship 250 trophy to his illustrious collection.

Results:
1 - Matt McCall #23 - 250 Laps
2 - Dan Moore #10 - 250
3 - Travis Swaim #21 - 250
4 - Robert Johnson #11 - 250
5 - Frank Deiny Jr. #4 - 250
6 - Jimmy Wallace #75 - 250
7 - Alex Yontz #55 - 250
8 - Corey Stickland #99 - 250
9 - Harrison Rhodes #36 - 250
10 - Tim George Jr. #31 - 250
11 - Mike Darne #89 - 250
12 - John Kidwell #7 - 250
13 - Cameron Hedgecock #82 - 250
14 - Sherman Davis Jr. #28 - 249
15 - Robert Tyler #88 - 247
16 - Nick Smith #14 - 207
17 - Ryan Wilson #12 - 177
18 - Randy Benson #02 - 165
19 - Sam Hunt #42 - 83