BRONSON TOPS NEWSOME RACEWAY PARTS CRUSA VOLUSIA FIELD

              DeLEON SPRINGS, FL – Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL led all 25 laps to pocket the $1,500 top prize on Thursday night for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series at Volusia Speedway Park. Bronson was able to pull away from the field on the start and restarts in the Brandon Ford Rocket to score the win.

            The race was the first of three nights of the Sunshine Nationals at VSP that is co-sanctioned with the DirtCar Pro Late Model Series. It was also the second of eight races that make up the 3td Annual Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series Winter Shootout Series.

“Getting the lead at the start of the race was important because clean air is big here,” Bronson said referring to the big half-mile clay oval. “We had a good car tonight. I want to thank all of my sponsors and the fans for coming out tonight. We’re looking forward to the rest of the week.”

Randy Weaver of Crossville, TN came out of retirement to finish second in the B&M Concrete CVR, and Max Blair of Centerville, PA was third in the Murphy’s Logging Rocket. Walker Arthur of Forest, VA took the fourth spot in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Kryptonite, and fifth went to Clay Harris of Jupiter, FL in the Dunnrite Construction Rocket.

Trynt Lloyd of Jacksonville, FL was sixth in the Tom Kelly Construction Longhorn and David Whitener of Middleburg, FL started 20th in the ULC Motorsports Barry Wright and finished seventh to earn the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Hard Charger of the Race Award. Mark Whitener of Middleburg, FL came back from a lap ten spin to take the eighth spot in the ULC Motorsports Barry Wright.

Brandon Williams of Crossville, TN drove the Jeff Woods Construction Capital Race Car to a ninth-place finish and Trevor Taylor of Zellwood, FL rounded out the top ten in the Envy Suspension Snow Brothers Race Car. 

In preliminary action, Weaver out-timed the 41-car field in Group Qualifying with a lap in 16.997 seconds. The four eight-lap KRC Power Steering Heat Races were won by Weaver, Harris, Corey Almond of Appomattox, VA in the AA Contractors Longhorn and Bronson. The two ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Jimmy Waldrop of Seffner, FL in the Johnny Doan Plumbing Rocket and Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL in the CURS Capital Race Car. 

Bronson drew the pole position for the start of the race among the first and second-place drivers in the four heat races, and jumped out to the lead at the start of the race, but the contest was immediately red flagged for a multi-car incident coming off the fourth turn. No one was injured and all but Cody Overton of Evans, GA in the Midstates Equipment Special was able to continue.

The complete restart saw Bronson pull out to a two car-length lead over Mark Whitener, Harris, Blair and Pierce McCarter of Gatlinburg, TN in the Parkway Liquors Longhorn. Blair came from the eighth starting spot to pass four cars in turn two of the opening lap. Harris worked to the inside of Whitener to take over the second spot on lap five.

Nevin Gainey of Fort White, FL brought out the caution flag on lap seven when he stalled the Kryptonite Race Cars Special on the backstretch. Bronson led Harris, Whitener, Blair, Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA in the Clayton Signs Rocket, McCarter, Weaver, Arthur, Williams, and Lloyd doubled up behind him for the restart.

On the restart, Bronson pulled away, the action behind him was fast and furious with wholesale position changes. Whitener was able to get by Harris for second in turn two, and Blair raced by Harris for third in turn three. Knowles gave up a top five spot on lap nine when he stalled on the backstretch.

Whitener and Blair were all over Bronson on the restart, but Whitener spun in turn two on lap ten going for the lead. Whitener had to go to the back of the pack for the restart, which moved Blair up to second followed by Weaver, Williams, Arthur, Lloyd, Almond, and Harris.

Weaver moved up to challenge Blair Side-by-side for the second spot while Bronson pulled away on the restart. Weaver was able to take the second spot away from Blair on lap 15, but by then, Bronson had pulled out to over a two second lead. Bronson caught the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap 18 and easily kept his lead over Weaver as the laps clicked off closer to the checkered flag.

Bronson’s big lead and the lapped traffic were gone on lap 24 when a lapped car got into McCarter, who was running in the top ten, causing him to make heavy contact with the wall. The top ten for the green, white, checkered dash to the finish was Bronson, Weaver, Blair, Williams, Arthur, Lloyd, Harris, David Whitener, Mark Whitener, and Jaden Frame of Decherd, TN in the Denby’s J&J Construction Capital Race Car.

Bronson was able to keep Weaver behind him to take a .830 second margin of victory under the checkered flag. The Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series returns to Volusia Speedway Park on Friday night for a $2,000-to-win race, and the grand finale on Saturday night pays $10,000-to-win.

            For more information and rules about the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site atwww.crateracinusa.com, or visit the series on Facebook at Durrence Layne Racing. You can follow us on Twitter @DurrenceLayneRacing. 

OFFICIAL FINISH OF ROUND 2 AT VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK IN DeLEON SPRINGS, FL ON 1/16/20:

POS      STRT   CAR #  DRIVER                            HOMETOWN                  LAPS    
1.           1            40b       Kyle Bronson                   Brandon, FL                     25
2.           5            116       Randy Weaver                Crossville, TN                  25
3.           8            111       Max Blair                         Centerville, PA                25
4.           9            87          Walker Arthur                Forest, VA                        25
5.           2            6            Clay Harris                      Jupiter, FL                      25
6.           11          2            Trynt Lloyd                      Jacksonville, FL                             25
7.           20          5w         David Whitener               Middleburg, FL               25
8.           4            5            Mark Whitener               Middleburg, FL               25
9.           15          95          Brandon Williams          Crossville, TN                  25
10.         13          7t          Trevor Taylor                 Zellwood, FL                    25
11.         22          313       Devin Dixon                     Apollo Beach, FL            25
12.         14          J8          Jadon Frame                    Decherd, TN                     25
13.         18          38          Jamie Carter                   Clayhill, FL                      25
14.         7            7a          Cory Almond                   Appomattox, VA                            25
15.         23          1            Grant Garrison               Walton, KY                      25
16.         19          17          Nevin Gainey                   Fort White, FL                25
17.         26          11          Cruz Skinner                   Oxford, AL                       24
18.         21          9            Jimmy Waldrop                             Seffner, FL                       24
19.         12          74          Mike Franklin                 Winchester, VA               24
20.         25          84          Sam Halsted                                                                  24
21.         10          27          Joe Denby                         Tullahoma, TN                24
22.         6            71          Pierce McCarter                            Gatlinburg, TN                22
23.         16          33          Jeff Mathews                   Brandon, FL                     22
24.         24          K37      Drew Kennedy                 Lancing, TN                     21
25          3            66k       Jody Knowles                  Tyrone, GA                      7
26.         17          10          Cody Overton                  Evans, GA                         0

ENTRIES: 41
FAST QUALIFIER: Weaver, 16.997 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Halstad and Skinner
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Bronson, 1-25
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: D. Whitener (started 20th and finished 7th)
KRC HEAT RACE WINNERS: Weaver, Harris, Almond, and Bronson
CAUTIONS: 5
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .830 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 19 Minutes and 36.859 Seconds
NEXT EVENT: Volusia Speedway Park, 1/17/2020, $2,000-to-win