By Dan Stillwell
The focus isn’t always on Super Late Models at Beckley Motorsports Park.
Twenty-eight Semi-Late cars showed up last Friday, battling for the 20 spots in the “Steel Block Mafia”/third annual Animal Care-Adopt a Pet Topless 40.
Zach Dohm from Cross Lanes won the feature, in which the Steel Black Mafia cars had their tops and hoods removed.
“It was great,” promoter Jim Williams said. “It was the best racing of the night, and people really came out and supported the two humane societies that were here.”
Fans not only gave a truckload of pet food, but several pets were adopted as well.
Pineville’s Todd Bradford finished second, while Dusty Hamrick, Aaron Barley and Marshall Wiblin earned the next three spots.
Dohm also won the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 53 Dash for Cash. Wiblin had the fastest heat time.
Back on July 24, the three-eighths-mile dirt track hosted the Crash and Burn 30, which gave the Pure Stocks racers their moment in the spotlight.
On the other hand, the number of AMRA Super Late cars has been down since the running of the Randy Thurman Memorial 40.
Only 10 cars ran in last week’s feature, which was run by Rick Williams.
Billy Holbert and Chris Meadows finished second and third, respectively.
The field had been packed for the Thurman race July 17. Jim Williams is a little frustrated with the dropoff of cars.
“I don’t know what else we can do. We’ve got a great purse,” he said. “But we’re competing against Elkins and Rocky Top on Friday nights and there are just so many Super Late Models to go around.”
He hopes to hold a race in mid-September featuring the top Super Lates from around West Virginia.
Williams also said the track has dropped the Modified Streets class because of a lack of drivers. Hornets, which feature 13-18-year-olds, have been added.
“We had eight Hornets last week,” Williams said. “We’ll run them the rest of the year.”
Racing starts tonight at 7 p.m.
In other races last week at Beckley Motorsports Park:
n Mike Wilson overcame Jim Wilson and Joe Cox in the AMRA Modifieds feature.
n Teddy Goins took the checkered flag ahead of James Bolon and Ryan Wakeford in Pure Stocks.
n Jacob Wilson beat out Logan Syner and Tiffany Richardson in the Hornets class.
Standings, with car number in parentheses:
n AMRA Super Lates — 1. Chris Meadows (33) 326; 2. Rick Williams (12) 310; 3. Eslie Bills (36) 232; 4. Rod Evans (R1) 218; 5. Greg Buckland (2) 200.
n AMRA Modifieds — 1. Joe Cox (41) 336; 2. Joe Hamon (44) 258; 3. Robert Garnes (000) 222; 4. Buddy Brogan (5B) 200; 5. Ryan Williams (37) 198.
n AMRA Semi-Lates — 1. Eddie Hambrick Jr. (45) 322; 2. Chad Justice (25) 280; 3. Aaron Barley (28) 274; 4. Jeff Lilly (170) 224; 5. Keith Bills (36K) 222.
n Outlaw Streets — 1. Kevin Fitzwater (1K) 238; 2. Mike Lilly (41) 210; 3. Dale Kessell (12) 168; 4. Jason Cochran (17) 148; 5. Jason Armes Jr. (3) 136.
n Pure Stocks — Matt Schoolcraft (55) 312; 2. (tie) Curtis Wykle Jr. (51) and James Bolon (13) 278; 4. Teddy Goins (81) 244; 5. Mark Snodgrass (50) 236.
n Mini Wedges — 1. Logan Allen (21LA) 296; 2. Jacey Allen (21JA) 184; 3. Zack Fox (7) 96.
