Wallace Gets It

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Wallace Finally Wins First UARA Trophy

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Story by: Corey Latham/RACE22.com
Asheboro, NC ~ "Bout dang time!" That's what Darrell Wallace Jr.'s mother said in victory lane Saturday evening at the Asheboro track. She was saying it in relief, it was something we all saw coming, something most of us expected long before now. We just didn't know when it would happen. He had been close many times, but when the 15 year-old phenom passed the race's dominant car of Matt DiBenedetto with 18 laps to go, we knew it was for real. Mr. Wallace, you are now the youngest winner ever in UARA-STARS competition.

Treacherous

Practice and qualifying were exciting events all by themselves, as many drivers had problems with the run-down race track surface. Joe Pellegrino only ran 4 laps of practice, spun twice, and loaded up before qualifying to make the long trip home to Pennsylvania, he wasn't even going to try, the car in his words was not driveable. Grant McGinnis spun twice, Thomas Hartensveld spun, Scott Turlington blew a motor, and Owen Kelly made slight contact with the turn 4 wall after spinning. The worst damage of practice came from Ryan Robertson, as the rookie driver went to make his sticker tire run, the car broke loose hitting the turn one wall becoming airborne for a split second. Ryan was a little bruised on the outside, but said the only thing that he really hurt was his pride. The team loaded up and left before the feature event to get the car ready for Concord next week, a race the young driver didn't have on his schedule.

Qualifying wasn't much better, as McGinnis, who I mentioned spun twice in practice, went ahead and finished her off exiting turn 4, spinning it around and into the inside wall very hard. Justin Boston also spun entering the track for his qualifying run, and one thing became quickly known, the first 2 laps of qualifying would be throwaway laps. The new Goodyear tires didn't get heat in them quick enough to 'grip' to the weathered track. Darrell Wallace Jr. started the trend on his qualifying lap, he simply weaved back and forth and locked the tires up, and when the heat built up enough he went for it on his final lap, timing in the 5th spot. The drivers in front of him followed his lead, with Garrett Campbell in 4th, B.J. Mackey 3rd, Alex Yontz 2nd, and the other teenage sensation, Matt DiBenedetto putting his part-time ride on the pole with a time of 17.054 seconds.

GREEN, YELLOW

We get the green flag and as strong as DiBenedetto was throughout the day the first lap looked to be a lock. Alex Yontz had other ideas as he took the #55 machine hard into turn one to take the top spot. The back of the pack was a little wild, and it showed as Scott Weaver looped it around to bring out the yellow flag on lap one. After the restart, we would get some good racing going, with 6th through 10th really getting it on, as Thomas Hartensveld goes from 7th to 9th by Travis Swaim and Jamey Caudill, then 2 laps later the former Asheboro champion Swaim gets by Kyle Moon for 6th. We make it to lap 12 when the second caution of the night flies, this one by two cars who usually work together. Garrett Campbell had gotten by BJ Mackey for the 3rd spot, but Mackey wanted it back. As the cars went to exit turn 4, Mackey gets into the back of his "friend" and turns the #12 ride around. Garrett had a fast car, but starting from the back in a field so tight, he burned his stuff up before the end of the race and came home 11th.

We Figured

Matt DiBenedetto has been red-hot this year, when he was driving. He has won at numerous tracks this year, but the lack of seat time had us wondering how this new ride with Steve DeWalt would turn out, with limited success in a pair of races two weeks ago. They had run a few races together, but had a few bugs to work out, the car was fast, but the finishes didn't do it justice. Saturday night, it was obvious.....they were on it. Yontz had taken the lead, but DiBenedetto had the horses to get it back and put the beautiful pink Mopar back in the lead at lap 20, bringing Mackey and Wallace with him. As he then set sail driving away from the field. It looked like everyone was racing for second the longer we ran, but there is a reason it's 150 laps.

Points Battle In The Back

Jake Crum came into the event with a 56 point lead over Richard Boswell II and Alex Yontz. While Yontz was up front, the point leader and Boswell would struggle throughout the day. Boswell could never get the handle on the car, and Crum had numerous things go wrong before the race, dealing with a mysterious vibration and having to change the rear brakes because of a part failure right before qualifying. Crum and Boswell would roll off 15th and 16th, and pretty much ran together the entire event. The pair ran clean, with Boswell getting around Jake on lap 57, and coming home 2 spots ahead of the point leader in 7th spot. Both drivers ran clean and smart, not taking any chance or making their cars do more than they would. Boswell did have a little excitement, as he was moved by his old friend Jamie Yelton in the later stages of the event.

Halfway 1.DiBenedetto 2.Mackey 3.Wallace Jr. 4.Yontz 5.Swaim 6.Caudill 7.Boswell 8.Crum 9.Campbell 10.Yelton

Good Gestures, And Good Racing

Scott Turlington is learning, he's not afraid to tell you that and if you have followed the UARA series this year, you can see how much better the #48 gets week after week. Turlington blew his motor early in practice, a shock to the team, it only had 80 laps on it. Without a backup, the team got with the Ryan Robertson team, and made a deal for them to bring one of their other late-models to the track, so Scott could get points. After the deal was done, Turlington and Robertson's team headed out to get the backup car, but little did they know Ryan maybe needing it as well. Ryan then spun his primary car into the turn one wall extremely hard, the car was done and Robertson knew it immediately. The Robertson team was now without a car themselves, would they go back on their deal and try to talk Scott into giving the car back? No way, a deal is a deal, and the Robertson team went to work getting their car ready, for their new driver, Scott Turlington. In another good gesture, Turlington offered to give the car back, but Robertson would have no part in that.

As Scott was out just logging laps, the field was racy back in the pack. For the longest time, Kyle Moon had held up a train of cars about 8 deep, and the #50 of Jamey Caudill was on his tail. Caudill, known to be one of the cleanest racers around, had no choice but to move the #19 or be wrecked himself, he didn't wreck him, he simply moved him. The log-jam behind him did cause some tense moments as cars spun to avoid, Hickory Speedway Fall Brawl winner, Kyle Grissom was caught with a stalled car and went a lap down. Grissom had been just riding, but after that he had to go. He got the lucky dog and flat out drove the car to death, finally coming home in the 8th spot in the final rundown. When asked if that was all she had, the young Grissom replied " Pretty much. Me and the car".

DeRailed

As DiBenedetto was leading, most eyes wondered through the field, the leaders were spread out and the young shoe was gone. But alas, lap 91 comes and along with it, action up front, something we hadn't seen in a while. Wallace is on Mackey for second, and makes the move to the low side bringing Yontz with him. OK, second position has changed but DiBenedetto is still way gone. A few laps pass, and it becomes noticeable on the track, either Wallace has turned the wick up, or DiBenedetto has lost the handle. It turned out to be a bit of both. We get to lap 119 and the two teenagers are nose to tail, with Wallace looking to take the spot. After a quick caution, Wallace goes to the low side to pass, but DiBenedetto blocks his move, after 2 more corners of this, Wallace gives the bump to DiBenedetto's Dodge sending him up the track and taking the lead. He didn't wreck him, spin him, or slam him, he moved him. Great short-track racing and a great move by the younger less experienced driver.

Persistence Pays Off

Wallace would lead the final 18 laps caution free. As the youngster came around on the cool-down lap, you could see the emotion in his face. His dad and mom hugged everyone in sight, their boy was standing in victory lane, a day that had been waiting for all season. The younger Wallace showed off more skill as he did some impressive burnouts on the tight frontstrech, and then climbed from his car and gave an emotional celebration and interview. The 15 year-old "phenom" was finally where he was supposed to be, in victory lane. I hope mom and dad took this in stride, they are going to have to go through this again soon.......and frequently.

Wallace would lead Yontz, DiBenedetto, Mackey, Caudill, Yelton, Boswell, Grissom, Crum and Swaim to the finish for his first ever UARA-STARS Series win and only his second win in a Late Model Stock Car after getting his first back in May at Franklin County Speedway. For Wallace, winning at Asheboro had to come as a surprise after the young driver had a tough time with the 4/10 mile track in the UARA event last November.

RACE22 Photos
Darrell Wallace, Jr.(left) receives a hug from his mother after the 15 year-old collected his first UARA-STARS victory.

Grant McGinnis(41) spun several times during practice, but finally finshed off his car in qualifying wiht this spin that landed him in the inside wall.

Matt DiBendetto(44) takes the lead back from Alex Yontz on lap 20, who jumped from his outside pole starting position into the lead.

BJ Mackey(22) slides by on the inside after dumping Garrett Campbell(12) for the third position during the first twenty laps of the 150-lap race.

Richard Boswell(72) races to the inside of Jake Crum(1) for position. These two who were 1st and 2nd in point coming into the event seemed to be glued to one another battling cleanly all night. Boswell bested Crum with a seventh place finish to his ninth.

Bob Saville(57) spins out just in front of the leader, Matt DiBendetto(44). Saville had a tough night, but managed a 19th place finish in his first UARA start of the season.

Matt DiBenedetto held the lead for much of the race, but reported handling issues to his team just after lap 100. Darrell Wallace, Jr. used the bump and run technique to get by the young veteran with 18-laps to go in the event.

Darrell Wallace, Jr. smoked up the track after taking the victory in the Marlowe Racing Chassis 150 in Asheboro, NC.