Story by: Darby Fleenor/Contributor to RACE22.com

Newport, TN(August 9, 2010) -- It was another hot summer evening at Newport Speedway as the teams made final preparations on their machines for a battle royal on one of regions tightest's bullrings. The positions had been set as the sun went down and it was time to go racing. Everyone had been entertained by the Newport support classes and the Allison Legacy Series. We had already seen some good racing and the track was a bit slippery due to all of the rubber that had been laid down.

The pace car staged to pick up the field on the back stretch as the twenty seven Super Late Model competitors fired up their machines and found their way onto the track. Mart Nesbit and Heath Hindman would lead the field to the green followed by Ryan Blaney, Nate Montieth and Preston Peltier. They took a few laps under caution to warm their machines up and everyone stood to their feet as the green flag waved. Hindman quickly grabbed the lead in turn one as Nesbitt, Montieth, Blaney and Peltier settle in behind him. Behind the leaders everyone is racing side by side searching for a place to fall in line. The green flag is short lived as we get our first caution on Lap four when the #48 machine of John Batten takes a tough lick in turn three. The car is pretty torn up and his night is over.

After the car of Batten is moved to the pits, the field lines up double file and gets ready to go back racing. When the green flies, Hindman and Montieth pounce on Nesbitt and Peltier gets by Blaney. This puts Nesbitt back to third and Blaney back to fifth. Caution flies again on lap twelve for another spin in turn three. These boys are pushin' and shovin' like it's the last lap of the race and there is debris scattered all over the track!
 

Once everything is cleaned up the green flag flies again. This time it's Montieth on the outside that gets the advantage. He puts his machine out front and looks to drive away from the rest of the field. Meanwhile, Blaney and Kyle Bonsignore get past Peltier dropping him out of the top five. Hindman is second and Nesbitt runs third. By lap twenty, Montieth has a three car length lead. Everyone is mixing it up behind him. No one is content just to ride. At lap thirty two the caution flies again, this time it is Nesbitt who goes for a spin in turn three. He was challenging Hindman for second. There has been some contact behind them as well. The fender on Peltier's car is flapping in the wind.

Several cars are forced to pit under the caution and it shakes things up a bit. Montieth leads followed by Blaney, Jimmy Weller, Devin Jones and Justin Wakefield. The green flies and Montieth quickly establishes himself out front as everyone else battles behind him. He was trying to drive away again and He was setting a blistering pace. Steven Leicht is stepping it up as well. He gets past Wakefield, Weller and Jones moving himself into third when the caution flies again at lap 55.

Blaney pulls alongside Montieth for the double file restart with Leicht, Wakefield and Weller behind them. The outside groove is working well and Blaney takes advantage as the green falls and gets around Montieth to take the lead. Wakefield moves around Leicht for third taking Jones with him as Jones gets past Leicht and Weller to move into fourth. Up front, Montieth isn't happy running second and he charges hard to move alongside of Blaney. On lap 58 he gets it done and moves back into the lead. The caution flies again on lap sixty for another altercation in turns three and four. Bonsignore has drove back into the top five as he made a move just before the caution flew.

The pace car picks up the field once again. Turns three and four are the action places so far tonight. It seems like all of the trouble is happening over there. The top five are Montieth, Blaney, Wakefield, Jones and Bonsignore. We get the green but the caution immediately flies again. Finally, we are ready to go. The green drops as Blaney and Montieth race side by side for the lead. It takes about three laps but Montieth clears Blaney and establishes himself as the leader once again. Behind them, Jay Fogleman is making a run and moves his machine into fifth. The cars are screaming around this little bull ring and by lap 75 things are starting to get dicey all over the track. The drivers are getting restless because they know it is go time if you have anything left for a run to the front. Wakefield is pushing Jones trying to take third spot away and Blaney is beginning to reel in Montieth. Wade Day (Montieth's crew chief) has been down on the wall in turns one and two trying to urge Montieth to save his car. On Lap eighty one Blaney catches Montieth and passes him for the lead.

The caution flies again on lap eighty three as Jimmy Weller goes for a spin. He refires his machine and rejoins the field. Now we have Blaney out front followed by Montieth, Jones, Wakefield and Fogleman. The cars line up double file and prepare to get the green. Montieth quickly takes advantage of the outside and flies past Blaney off of turn two Wakefield takes advantage as well following Montieth past Blaney. Wakefield then dives to the bottom going down the backstretch and passes Montieth in turns three and four to take the lead. They are door to door all over the track. We get the caution again on lap eighty six. There are several cars involved and the car of Peltier is sending a shower of sparks flying from behind his machine as he heads for pit road. Tim Pinion quickly hits pit road and his crew pulls the hood off of his machine. Wakefield is the new leader followed by Montieth, Blaney, Jones and Fogleman. Mart Nesbitt has worked his way back up to the sixth position.

The green flies again and the drivers charge into turn one on a mission. Wakefield clears Montieth taking the lead as Jones somehow gets by Blaney and Montieth dropping him to third. What a daring move! For now it pays off for Jones but Nesbitt it roaring to the front and is now challenging Montieth for third. I'm not sure how he got there so fast. He restarted in sixth and is now putting the bumper on Montieth for third. The caution flies again on lap eighty nine as Hindman gets into the outside wall in turn three. Wakefield continues to lead followed by Jones, Montieth, Nesbitt, Blaney and Fogleman. Behind them Jimmy Doyle is looking for some action. The green flies again and Wakefield wastes no time getting out front. Jones and Nesbitt follow as Fogleman clears Montieth as well. Blaney gets past Montieth and Scott Patton is pushing him hard down the backstretch. Up front the boys are flying around the track. Nesbitt gets really loose off of turn two but gathers it back in and continues. Montieth was not so lucky. The 80 machine spins in two as the rest of the field roars past him. Montieth had been losing ground and dropping back but fortunately no one else hit him when he spun. The caution flies again at lap 95.

Wakefield leads followed by Jones, Fogleman, Blaney and Nesbitt. The green flies and Wakefield leads but there will be another caution on lap ninety nine as the cars of Brandon Ward, Andy Loden and Montieth get together in turn two. Ward and Loden rejoin the field at the rear and Montieth heads to pit road. Fogleman has got around Jones to move into second so Wakefield will have a new challenger on the outside as the green flag drops. Fogleman is determined to get out front and races side by side with Wakefield. Wakefield has just cleared him as the caution flies again. We have twenty four laps to go and this is getting ready to be the shoot out of the year. Wakefield is out front followed by Fogleman, Jones, Blaney, and Nesbitt. When the green flies, Wakefield doesn't play around. He takes off but Fogleman goes with him. They race side by side for the lead for several laps before Wakefield finally clears him. The caution flies again at lap 105 for debris in turn two. Someone has lost their front bumper tubing. I can't imagine that happening the way these guys have been racing. It has been a dog fight all over the race track all night long.

We get everyone lined up double file again and get ready to go back to green (have I mentioned how much I enjoy the double file restarts?) Wakefield leads the field followed by Fogleman, Blaney, Jones and Nesbitt. Wakefield and Fogleman race side by side again for a few laps with the same outcome as Wakefield takes the lead only this time Fogleman has his rear view full of Blaney who wants desperately to take second from him. By lap 111, Blaney gets around Fogleman and sets his sights on Wakefiled. On lap 119, the caution flies again for a two car spin in turn four. (The 74 machine of Justin Allison and the 02 of Scott Patton are involved.) Jones has suffered some damage as well as he heads for pit road. We also have a change in our top five. It is still Wakefield and Blaney up front followed by Fogleman, Loden and Doyle.

There's six laps to go as the green flies and everyone dives into turn one. Blaney and Wakefield race side by side for the lead. The outside line has seemed to be the place to be on restarts all night and it holds true again. Blaney snatches the lead from Wakefield and takes Loden with him as the white flag flies. Blaney drives away from the field a bit and brings his car to the checkers out front followed by Loden, Wakefield, Ward (who made an awesome comeback) and Doyle rounding out the top five. This was the most exciting and action packed race I have seen all year! That says a lot about the PASS Series and the staff at Newport Speedway, you mix one of the best touring series with one of the toughest short tracks in the Southeast, then put twenty seven of the most talented drivers to the test and you get a race that cannot be adequately described with words!

Newport Results:
1. 10-Ryan Blaney
2. 29-Andy Loden
3. 98-Justin Wakefield
4. 62-Brandon Ward
5. 711-Jimmy Doyle
6. 4-Jay Fogleman
7. 35-Devin Jones
8. 92-Mart Nesbitt
9. 39-Kenzie Ruston
10. 20-Steven Legendre
11. 74-Justin Allison
12. 42-Tim Pinion
13. 02-Scott Patton
14. 26-Preston Peltier
15. 22-Kyle Bonsignore
16. 47-Trey Mitchell
17. 80-Nate Montieth
18. 91-Heath Hindman
19. 23-Jimmy Weller
20. 9-David Flynn
21. 43-Cody Humphrey
22. 99-Steven Leicht
23. 18-Bradley McCaskill
24. 12-Jeff Myers
25. 24-Kieth Rankin
26. 83-Dylan Presnell
27. 48-John Batten