Story by: Langley Austin ~ langley@RACE22.com

Wytheville, VA(December 1, 2009) -- With the Myrtle Beach 250 finally coming to a conclusion after six days of holding at lap 35, we're going to give you the insight into the race that happened that you expect from RACE22.com, but not in story form, but rather as one of our News, Notes & Commentary pieces.

The Myrtle Beach 250 is always one of my favorite three races of the year, but this year it took on a whole new meaning, one that it hadn't in previous years and that was, that this year it ended the 2009 Late Model Stock Car campaign. With it being the last race of the year, we were all excited and we didn't know what kinds of twists and turns we would be seeing and this one played out very similar to all the Myrtle Beach 250's I've seen in the past.

SAVE YOUR TIRES
No one is better at saving his tires than Jamey Caudill, the veteran proved that once again in the first half of the race as he cooled his tires for the first ninety-laps(and six days) and then turned up the wick and was the leader by halfway. However the second half of the race was a different story as Caudill dropped just outside the top ten at one point and never made it back to the front to challenge for the win, but we're certain he had the best tires, but the end of the race was marred with caution flags that slowed his run to the front.

NOT A ROOKIE HERE
Lucas Ransone may have won the 2009 Rookie of the Year award in the USARacing Pro Cup Series this year and while he was once a Rookie of the Year contender in a Late Model Stock Car, this past weekend he proved he was anything, but a rookie. Ransone rallied from a 27th place restart on lap 35, when the race continued on Saturday from the rain out last Sunday to put himself in the thick of things when the money was on the line.

While some call his late race move of Frank Deiny 'dirty', I personally think it was a great move by a young driver, who was up against one of the toughest in the Late Model Stock Car business. Deiny was still able to come home with a second place finish, so the hit couldn't have been too dirty, but Ransone is the one who walked away with the money at the end of the day.

SECOND IS JUST THE FIRST LOSER
Does anyone think Frank Deiny was happy after the conclusion of the Myrtle Beach 250? If so, you don't know Frank at all as he will never be happy with anything, but a victory. Deiny didn't have a lot to say after the race except for saying that his strategy worked until the cautions late in the race killed his momentum. Deiny did add that if he had got back to Ransone there at the end he would have "taught him what it felt like not to turn left".

Deiny did show that his strength at the Myrtle Beach Speedway continues as he was previously a three-time winner of the race hasn't finished worse than second in the last two years. Last year he finished second after leading late while battling with Jamey Caudill and had to back out of it when a car spun in front of them handing the win to Caudill. Turn the page to this year and Ransone moves him coming to the white flag giving Deiny no chance at retaliation and leaving Deiny with a second straight, second place finish.

THIRD OR FORTY-SECOND?
Matt McCall easily had one of the five best cars at the track on both weekends at Myrtle Beach Speedway, but after leading just before the halfway point only to run out laps late in the race when one of the other drivers chose to show his displeasure to the officials by parking on the track. McCall was disappointed with his third place finish and after his car entered tech he would be bitterly disappointed.

McCall's Pistone LTO Chassis failed post race tech after the officials found one of his rear springs to measure 16 inches when the rule is only 14 inches. McCall's team and many of the other competitors claimed that Lynn Carroll, who is the head over the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car division had gave them permission to run taller springs depsite what the rule book says. McCall was disappointed, but he took it like the champion he is and just shrugged it off.

McCall's car owner, Tom Pistone of Performancenter Racing Warehouse wasn't at all pleased with the decision sending me an email afterwords that read ...

"Lynn Carroll cost me $5,000 with their inability to be consistent in the rules," said Pistone. "When they said last year the spring would be allowed - then at some point decided it shouldn't - they need to communicate with us. I had a phone conversation with him after the beach last year and we discussed the spring situation and he again said that the spring could be run. It is in the rule book plain and simple that you can't be taller than 14" but we were going off his word."

Pistone wasn't done there and continued to explain their side of the story, which from other teams I've talked with is exactly the truth about the verbal change in rules last year, but unfortunately the disqualification will stand as is.

"It is no different than the adjustable drivers side track bar. I personally talked with Lynn about it before Martinsville to make sure we did not have to change it and he said it was fine and to run it and they let us run it - then we come to the beach and it was decided at some point not to allow it, NEVER LET US KNOW BEFORE and we had to take it off at the beach."

Tom added that it wasn't McCall's car that had the taller springs on at Martinsville, but rather other customers of his, but that for McCall it was unfortunate timing as he had never run his car as anything but a coilover in the rear until this particular race. For McCall the record will show him as the 42nd place finisher, but he and his team know that isn't the case.

THIS AIN'T HICKORY
Andy Mercer was quickly finding himself being looked at as a "one track wonder" as he is one of those Hickory drivers, who can dominate there, run good at nearby Tri-County, but struggle elsewhere. At Myrtle Beach, Mercer was there to show the world that he could run good anywhere and he pretty much shut his critics mouths.

Mercer put in a great effort in practice, then backed it up with a solid qualifying run and when it came time to race last weekend, he thought he might have ruined his chances when he and Ryan Wilson had got together early in the race. It knocked the toe out on his car and he wasn't going to be able to put together as good of a race as before, but when the rains came and his brother, David Mercer was able to work on the car over the week, he was solid in his return.

He took the lead shortly after the halfway point and looked to be in position to dominate the race and when he faded a little late everyone thought that he had made the common error of wearing his tires out too quickly. However, Mercer says he didn't wear his tires out, it was simply that his car had tightened up too much when the sun went down.

"The car was great and we didn't wear our tires out," said Mercer following the race. "I know everyone thinks that we wore our stuff out, but that's not it, it was just the sun going down. I'm going to tell you we'd have been strong if not for all the cautions and the late finish, we just needed some sunshine."

For Mercer the fourth, then third place finish after McCall's disqualification was a breath of fresh air after problems at the Bailey's 300 at Martinsville Speedway had left people wondering if he really was a 'one track wonder'.

"After all the brake issues at Martinsville and having to load up before the races even started, we were just devestated, but we knew we were better than that," explained Mercer. "We got it all worked out in the last race at Hickory and when we got down here to Myrtle Beach, we knew we were going to be really good and I'm gald we were able to make the most of it. I just wish the sun hadn't have went down so soon."

HEY DAD, GET THE FRAME STRAIGHTNER
Coleman Pressley's trip(s) to Myrtle Beach Speedway over the last couple of weeks weren't exactly what he expected. Pressley had been dominant in the UARA-STARS Series race there in August and he was expecting to be a top contender, but after having to race into the event through a heat race and getting caught up in a wreck before the rain came, he needed a week to repair his car.

The rainout was just what the doctor ordered for the young driver as he used the week to get his car ready to come back and remaining on the lead lap, he was ready to challenge. However, no one thought that he would be as strong as he was coming from the rear of the field to finish fourth. It was a great effort by a young driver, who is another driver with a reputation of being a 'one or two track wonder'.

SO CLOSE TO VICTORY
Brandon Dean is so close to being a winner in the Late Model Stock Car world, there is no driver any closer to breaking through with a victory that hasn't had one yet. Dean nearly won a couple different occasions at Motor Mile Speedway this season first driving for his own team and then driving for the Kiker Tree Service team. Dean never reached victory lane, but even in the big races this season he's been powerful with a chance to win each and every time.

Dean hasn't announced his plans for the 2010 season, but I'm going to make one prediction now and that is no matter where Dean and his team go to in 2010 to compete on a regular basis that he will make a visit to victory lane and maybe many more times than one.

THANKS BOB
Jerame Donley, who destroyed his car at Martinsville Speedway this October in the Bailey's 300 was making his first start in Bob Uncer's car in the Myrtle Beach 250. Donley made the race through a heat race and wasn't running very good all weekend the first weekend, but when the cars returned he was better. Donley rallied from a 27th place restart on Saturday at lap 35 to finish sixth after McCall's disqualification and that was a pretty good run for the young driver for his first time behind the wheel of a completely different car.

LONG SHOT
Scott Riggs and Jonathan Cash were ready to race in the Long Brothers entries at Myrtle Beach, but after the recent struggles for Long's team it wasn't clear how well they would run. Cash led plenty of laps in the first half of the race before fading in the second half while Riggs was never really a factor, but Cash's performance and the non-struggle for the entire team shows that the Long Brothers are back on top of their game and it's just business as usual for them.

FEELS LIKE A TRUCK
Two-time Late Model Truck champion, Jamie Weatherford had an impressive effort in the entire Myrtle Beach 250 throughout both weekends, first qualifying inside the top ten and forcing Frank Deiny, a three time winner of this race to have to change his number from ninety-four to eighty-four and allowing Weatherford to keep his number. Weatherford then turned in a great performance in the feature race only losing his cool once when he was passed on the outside by Paddy Rodenbeck in a daring move.

Weatherford nearly wrecked Rodenbeck after he attempted the pass on the outside on the restart, but he allowed cooler heads to prevail and drove his car home to a ninth place finish. Weatherford was the highest finishing Myrtle Beach Speedway regular in a race where the regular drivers struggled quite a bit.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
Jake Engle was making his first ever start in a Late Model Stock Car, in fact it was his first ever start on the east coast where Late Model Stock Cars are the featured class. Engle hasn't made very many starts in stock cars period as he was only in his ninth start having made eight previous starts on the west coast in California where he's from. He had experience at Irwindale and Orange Show Speedway, but nothing could prepare him for the tough old worn out Myrtle Beach Speedway.

However, Engle did himself proud as he had a decent qualifying effort which put him in a heat race, but when he failed to make the show through the heat race by one position he needed a little help to get in the show. The staff at Myrtle Beach Speedway granted him a provisional and Engle decided to make the most of it as he kept his nose clean all race long and kept his car in one piece, which proves to be a difficult task at Myrtle Beach. Engle continued that way to the finish despite struggling a little in his first start in this type of Late Model and finished 15th right behind NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, Chad McCumbee, who is a seasoned veteran of the 1/2 mile track.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END
As I mentioned above the Myrtle Beach 250 at Myrtle Beach Speedway took on the role of the big season ending race this year and that meant that it officially brought the end of the 2009 season for Late Model Stock Car racing. While there's still the PRI Trade Show next weekend and the Peidmont Racers Expo in January, the Late Model Stock Car racers and fans in this area will be depending upon us for all the latest news and to keep them entertained.

We'll be here all winter long trying to dig up the latest news about all he drivers, industry business, teams and so much more. Don't worry we're digging on some stories right now that might just get your attention as well as working on

getting all the track and series schedules together for the 2010 Schedule/Winners page that will be going up soon.

Don't even begin to think we're going to get lazy around here as we've got more video clips from Myrtle Beach, maybe a year end wrap-up video and some more stories and while it might be a little early we're already thinking about Christmas wishes for racers, tracks and others in the industry ... stay tuned!

Official Results:
1) 00 Lucas Ransone
2) 84 Frank Deiny Jr
3) 10 Andy Mercer
4) 59 Coleman Pressley
5) 5 Brandon Dean
6) 51 Jerame Donley
7) 50 Jamey Caudill
8) 2 Scott Riggs
9) 94 Jamie Weatherly
10) 1 Jonathan Cash
11) 41 Justin Johnson
12) 14 Rodney Cook
13) 70 Stuart Ricks
14) 21 Chad McCumbee
15) 52 Jake Engle
16) 11 Barry Andrews
17) 06 Davin Scites
18) 81 Paddy Rodenbeck
19) 60 RA Brown
20) 74 Ronald Hill
21) 4 Chad Harris
22) 44 Lee Tissot
23) 18 David Roberts
24) 8 Sherman Davis
25) 92 Matt Cox
26) 25 Robbie Mew
27) 24 Travis Swaim
28) 56 Ryan Truex
29) 83 Jeremy McDowell
30) 02 Justin Milliken
31) 32 Kyle Grissom
32) 71 Ed Williams
33) 22 Bo Foust
34) 72 Garrett Campbell
35) 12 Ryan Wilson
36) 48 Scott Turlington
37) 27 Tommy Lemons Jr.
38) 28 Rick Smith
39) 03 Kenny Forbes
40) 20 Terry Evans
41) 15 Phil Warren
DQ) 23 Matt McCall