Smith keeps title hopes alive

Rogersville native collects fourth victory at Volunteer Speedway of racing season news@theheraldnewspapers.com Mike Smith of Rogersville got off to a quick start in his quest for winning the “Gateway Ford” ASA Super Late Model track championship back at the start to the season, as he won three of the first five feature events. With Smith a consistent top-five runner throughout the whole season he stood atop the point leader-board before being overtaken for the top spot last week by Kerry Jones. Before a huge crowd on “Racing for Education Night at the Races” Saturday at Volunteer Speedway, Jones began the evening leading Smith by the slim margin of six points. With the waving of the checkers on the 35-lap Super Late Model feature, Smith was parked in victory lane celebrating his fourth victory while Kerry Jones finished in fourth, leaving the duo of tied for the point lead with only two events remaining. Smith toured the high-banked, 4/10-mile oval at 13.035-seconds (110.470 mph) to earn the pole position, while Steve Jones was second-quickest at 13.054 to nail down the outside front row starting berth. Smith and Steve Jones raced off into the first turn at the waving of the green door-to-door, but with Steve Jones riding up high in the banking he powered into the lead racing off turn two down the backstretch. Back around to the stripe to complete the opening lap, Steve Jones led Smith, Kerry Jones, Jerry Broyles and Dale Ball. Ball started from the eighth spot and he split the fifth- and sixth-place starters Rick Norris and Bryan Hendrix with a daring move between turns one and two to quickly move into fifth in the running order. With the front three of Steve Jones, Smith and Kerry Jones putting eight car-lengths between themselves and Broyles and Ball in the first five circuits, Ball made the move on the bottom racing off the fourth turn on lap 6 to pass Broyles for fourth. Just outside of the top five, the battle for positions six back to tenth was intense between Hendrix, Norris, Jeff Maupin, Shane Roberts and Rodney Kiker, who was making his first-ever Super Late Model start. However, a good night for Norris ended on lap 10 racing off turn two when the driveshaft in his car broke and he slowly coasted down the backstretch to bring out the caution. With Steve Jones riding on the point, leading the way over Smith, Kerry Jones, Ball and Broyles, Ball was the man immediately on the move with the waving of the green, as he rocketed around Kerry Jones to move into third. But up front the battle for the lead was heating up between Steve Jones and Smith. Racing down the backstretch into the third turn on lap 13, Smith got to the inside of Steve Jones to challenge for the point. And using a strong run off the fourth turn he powered into the lead, leaving Steve Jones to now battle with Ball for the runner-up spot. While Jones was in command out front with only 10 laps remaining, holding a full-straightaway advantage over Steve Jones, Ball and Kerry Jones, Ball was pressuring Steve Jones for second. On lap 28 between turns three and four, Ball got alongside Steve Jones to wrestle the position away from him. With the laps winding down and it appearing Smith was on cruise-control headed to victory, a late-race caution only three circuits from the end erased Smith’s huge lead.  Ready for a three-lap shootout to the finish, Smith had Ball riding on his rear bumper. But Smith, driving the No. 4 Grand Prix, would not be denied his fourth visit to victory lane as he held Ball off for the win. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Steve Jones, Kerry Jones and Maupin. Completing the top 10 finishers were Broyles, Kiker, Gary Blanken, Tim Frye and Bryan Hendrix. “Boy, it sure has been a long dry spell between this win and our last one,” said a smiling Smith in victory lane, breathing a sigh of relief. “But the competition here at ‘The Gap’ is tough.