Story by: Langley Austin ~ langley@RACE22.com

Hudson, NC(July 18, 2010) -- No UARA-STARS Series race is without drama and that proved to be the case from the time the gates opened at Tri-County Motor Speedway on Friday night until technical inspection was over in the early morning hours of Saturday.

The first bit of drama began as series non-regulars were the class of the field in practice as Matt Kurzejewski and Grant Wimbish surprised the tour regulars with their speed in the opening practice session. Kurzejewski, who started the season on the tour, but fell off after being disqualified for an engine infraction and running outside the top ten in most starts, was at home at his new 'home track' at Tri-County and was ready to prove himself against the tours best. Kurzejewski proved himself once again after sitting out the final practice, he backed up his early speed with the fastest time in qualifying and his first career pole, while Wimbish backed up his early speed qualifying fifth.

To Kurzejewski's outside would be three-time series winner and the hottest driver in the Late Model Stock Car world, Brennan Poole, who had earlier paced the second practice session with Kurzejewski sitting it out. Kurzejewski and Poole lined up ahead of rookie, Clint King, recent winner, Michael Rouse, Wimbish and Garrett Campbell for the start of the 150-lap affair. From the drop of the green flag it was all Poole, all the time as he jumped out into the lead right from the start of the race and set the tone ahead of Kurzejewski and the field.

Two drivers, who had started up front were fading fast, as Rouse and Wimbish, who made a sway bar adjustment right before the start of the race were headed back in a hurry. Rouse was fighting an issue with forward bite and found himself in trouble right from the get-go after qualifying solidly fourth at a track he's struggled at in the past. With those guys fading it was eighth place starter, Kyle Grissom, who was most on the move as the young driver, who has had a trying season had his car up to third behind Kurzejewski and Poole, who seemed to have the field covered at this point in the race.

While Grissom was making his way to the friend, old friends from Lonesome Pine, King and Campbell were racing each other hard, with neither giving an inch, but racing cleanly time after time for a top five position. Around lap 60, Grissom's hard charge began to fade and Lee Tissot first took the third position from him and then Campbell, who had got rid of King was making his way by Grissom for fourth position. Just past the lap 70 mark and Poole makes a daring move as the lapped cars of Tyler English and Rouse ran side by side ahead of him. Poole made it three-wide and by passed the duo and put some seperation on Kurzejewski as he was stuck behind English and Rouse for more than a lap.

The first caution would then wave as coming out of turn two, the battling duo of English and Rouse would make contact with English spinning in front of the third place car of Tissot. Around lap 95, Campbell finally cleared Grissom, who he had been battling with since lap 75 as Grissom's free-fall from the top three was to continue. Ronnie Bassett, Jr. was having another good run as he slips by the fading car of Coleman Pressley for sixth at this point in the race and it was bad news for Pressley as after several laps of running side by side with Scott Turlington, who was charging to the front, the two collided.

Turlington felt like he had been hit by Robert Johnson, who was on his tail for the position and that sent Turlington and Pressley around. Turlington got going quickly, but Pressley and Alex Yontz, who was having a decent run just inside the top ten, got trapped a lap down as Poole passed them before they could get going again. Out front Poole is doing exactly what he did here in the first UARA-STARS Series race of the 2010 season at Tri-County in April and that's dominating. The young driver is utilizing the inside line to just simply drive away from Kurzejewski and Tissot, who both primarily are using the outside line back behind him.

Meanwhile back in the field, Grissom and Campbell are battling again with Bassett right behind Grissom and Robert Johnson right behind Campbell. These four cars ran in tandem for a while with Campbell eventually slipping away as well as Johnson, while contact was made several times as Bassett looked for a way around Grissom. Grissom eventually let Bassett get by him, but this wasn't over as the young Bassett would go for a spin in turn four off the front bumper of Grissom, who admitted to intentionally dumping him after repeatedly being hit by Bassett, while side by side with Campbell.

King, who had slipped from being among the top five runners early in the race, now found himself in a battle with Turlington, who was trying to make his way back to the front of the field. The two eventually made contact with King spinning and Turlington then getting collected with Turlington upset about the wreck with King as both drivers were pretty much finished, with little to no chance at a good run. That caution would set up a green, white, checkered finish, giving Kurzejewski another chance to get by Poole on the restart as they were still using two totally different lines.

However, Poole has become a master at restarting from the lead lately and pulled away from Kurzejewski for his third win in a row with Kurzejewski second, Campbell coming home third ahead of Tissot and Johnson, who completed the top five. Brandon Knupp rebounded from going a lap down early to finish sixth with Grissom, who was black flagged for the contact with Bassett rebounding to seventh, Pressley finished eighth ahead of Matt Leicht and King.

As sometimes is the case, the drama wasn't over at the finish line as after the victory lane celebration was over, the cars were rolled into technical inspection and Poole's car was deemed to have 'grind marks' on his heads. The heads fit the gauges and this was a visual observation that Poole was disqualified for and thus Poole and his Fat Head Racing team led by, Jamie Yelton will be appealing the decision this week. Unofficially as of right now, Kurzejewski will be awarded the victory until the appeal can be heard, which is expected to happen in the early to midpoint in this week.

Of course, RACE22.com will be the first to bring you the latest from the appeal decision as soon as a decision is made and we plan to give you an in-depth look into how the appeal works as well as what both sides bring to the table for the appeal process.

Results:
1 - Matt Kurzejewski #10
2 - Garrett Campbell #12
3 - Lee Tissot #27
4 - Robert Johnson #11
5 - Brandon Knupp #15
6 - Kyle Grissom #32
7 - Coleman Pressley #59
8 - Matt Leicht #28
9 - Clint King #07
10 - Ronnie Bassett, Jr. #04
11 - Alex Yontz #98
12 - Michael Rouse #23
13 - George Miedecke #41
14 - Julia Dawson #1
15 - Tyler English #18
16 - Scott Turlington #48
17 - Patrick Molesworth #47
18 - Grant Wimbish #57
19 - Kaleb Pressley #54
20 - RA Brown #60
DQ - Brennan Poole #5