August 10, 2009 Hendersonville, NC

McReynolds Claims His Second 2009 UARA Victory at Ace

On a hot Saturday afternoon in Altamahaw, NC young Brandon McReynolds is setting a pace for his fellow competitors to catch up with. McReynolds holds the best times in both practice sessions for the UARA-STARS.

There is only one problem with this scene, McReynolds is running a fever, is pale as a ghost and one sick young man. He has been wrestling with breathing and sore throat problems for several days. Team McReynolds has brought hot shoe friend Corey LaJoie along as a relief driver in the event that McReynolds is unable to complete the race. During the day when McReynolds is not in his car, mom Linda is nursing him and standing guard monitoring his condition keeping him hydrated against the heat and his fever.

McReynolds took the Sunoco Pole at 15.571 followed by Alex Yontz with the KLB Race Cars & Parts outside pole at 15.798. Yontz who has been a regular UARA driver since it’s inception had been making a weekly run at his local speedway until recently was making a return visit to the UARA. Yontz had only run one UARA event earlier this year at Bristol Motor Speedway. Yontz proved he still knows the ropes to run competitively with the STARS drivers.

From the git go so to speak the heat was on. Yontz managed to take the lead for lap one but McReynolds says no way and takes it back for the next 149 laps. The field is strong and the action begins. They are in a line juggling for position. The top ten stay in place as directly behind them R.D. Smith and Lee Tissot put the move on Darrell Wallace, Jr. on lap 13.

Matt McCall passes Jason York for fourth on lap 17 and the train continues with engineer McReynolds leading the show. Paddy Rodenbeck will bring out the first caution as he spins in turn two. The field will take the green on lap 27 but go right back to yellow as Rodney Cook spins. By lap 34 it is McReynolds, Yontz, Caudill, McCall, York, Kyle Grissom, Smith, Tissot, Coleman Pressley and Brennan Poole in the top ten spots.

The top six remain in place for a but from there on back the action is fierce. Tissot passes Smith, Poole passes Pressley. Right behind them Garrett Campbell and Ryan Robertson are making a pass on Wallace followed by Bobby Griffin and Scott Turlington putting the move on Matthew Godley by lap 40. Lap 43 sees Godley spinning on the backstretch. The field will go back to green on lap 48 for a few laps as Ryan Robertson spins in turn 1 on lap 56. Back to green once again until lap 69 when the cars of Turlington, Bobby Griffin and Rodenbeck wreck in turn four.

Lap 74 will see the green fly only to be followed by a yellow as Ryan Gray spins in turn two. Back to green on lap 79 to once again have the caution for a spinning car of Smith. There seems to be a pattern here on this full moon night. The field will see McReynolds take the green on lap 85 and have some serious rubbing going on but caution will fly once again on lap 94 for debree on the backstretch. With a quick caution the field goes green to be plagued with the caution again on lap 97 as Poole, Pressley, Smith, Griffin, Wallace, Rodenbeck and Godley all spin coming into turn four.

The STARS go for a good green from lap 102 thru 140 when the final caution falls as Grissom is everyway but straight coming into turn four. He manages to keep control of his car but the caution has hit the air. The cars are red flagged and stopped on the backstretch to get the lineup set with all the lead lap cars up front. When the field is set and they start rolling Grissom stalls and waits for the push truck.

When the green flies the final time there are six laps to go and Alex Yontz is right there on McReynold's bumper. Yontz gets a fender under McReynolds and gives him a run for the money. Yontz could have leaned harder on McReynolds and who knows what would have happened. Yontz showed what good sportsmanship is all about and gave McReynolds, who was stronger all through the night, plenty of room to have a good safe finish.

UARA president, Kerry Bodenhamer had pointed out during the race, McReynolds has the adrenaline flowing and being sick was not a problem or anything that was on McReynolds mind. Post race McReynolds had gained some coloring to his face and appeared to be feeling quite a bit better. Kowalsky Machine will be the Comp Cams engine builder of the race for the powerhouse they have under McReynolds hood. McReynolds will also bring home the B Square Janitorial Clean Sweep Award for starting and finishing in the same position.

Brennan Poole will come home as the Rookie of the race for his second time in 2009 and also closed the gap between himself and Rookie leader Matthew Godley. Poole gained 15 points on Godley. The G Force shift of the Race award winner was Garrett Campbell who gained 12 positions during the race.

The Aluminum Racing Products Hard Luck Award goes to Darrell Wallace, Jr. who had gone four laps down and was close to getting back on the lead lap when he was in the wreck on lap 97 that ended his night early.

1. Brandon McReynolds
2. Alex Yontz
3. Jamey Caudill
4. Jason York
5. Matt McCall
6. Garrett Campbell
7. Lee Tissot
8. Brennan Poole
9. Kyle Grissom
10. Ryan Robertson
11. Michael Rouse
12. Coleman Pressley
13. R.D. Smith
14. Bobby Griffin
15. Paddy Rodenbeck
16. Ryan Gray
17. Scott Turlington
18. Darrell Wallace, Jr.
19. Matthew Godley
20. Rodney Cook

The UARA-STARS will be in action again at Myrtle Beach Speedway,
Saturday August 15, 2009.

For more info visit www.uara-stars.com or call 828-692-3833
Press Release by: Wink Bodenhamer   Pictures by Langley Austin