Submitted by Ted Austad
Photo credits: Francis Hauke
(Senoia, GA – May 19, 2019) Michael Page of Winston has found the right combination of speed, skill and sometimes luck to create a dominant presence at Senoia Raceway’s tough 3/8ths mile race track. Page took advantage of the misfortunes of others to take home his third straight Southern All-Stars Dirt Late Model Tour victory at Senoia Raceway and then doubled up the victories with a win in the Crate Late Model main event as well.
“It just feels good to win,” said an emotionally drained Page after his Southern All-Stars victory. “There are just so many people that help me. It feels good to get the win for them.”
Page was not the only driver to visit the winner’s circle on a night that saw 125 race teams pack the pit area for competition. Locust Grove’s Jason Williams won the Late Model Sportsman feature while Alabama’s Jake Sanders took home the glory in the Hobby race. Brooks’ Curtis Turner won his third feature this season in the Bombers and Mississippi’s Tony Coffman made his long journey pay off with a winning run in the Mini Stock special event.
The Southern All-Stars Tour made it’s first trip to the ‘South’s Baddest Bull Ring” this season and the longest continuous running dirt late model tour in the nation did not disappoint the fans of Senoia Raceway. The tour featured more race teams than many other tours and specials that were scheduled in the region on Saturday night.
Local hot shoes and past champions of the Southern All-Star Tour, Austin Horton of Whitesburg and Clint Smith of Senoia, showed early they would be the class of the field with the fastest qualifying efforts. The duo would lead the field to green for the 40-lap $4000 to win race and would build a huge lead over the field within the first eight laps.
As Horton approached the back of the field, he prepared to move past JR Moseley of Columbus. Moseley made a quick move that Horton was not expecting and the two collided with the then leader Horton getting the worst end of the deal. Horton ended up stalled in turn three where the second place driver Smith could get out of the way fast enough and slid into Horton causing heavy damage to two of the strongest competitors of the night. Both of the drivers and teams thrashed on their cars for several minutes while the clean-up on the track took place, but neither would be able to make the necessary repairs to return to the track.
“I appreciate the lapped cars that can hold there lines,” said an irritated Horton following the event. “I hated the way ended for our team. We will be back, hate that it collected the 44. This is all I have to say on it.”
That turned the lead over to Page and he did what he had to do the rest of the way. The veteran used the top side of the race track to build on his lead over Cartersville’s Zach Leonhardi through the middle laps of the race and then sliced his way through the lapped cars keeping Leonahrdi and others at a safe distance.
Leonhardi would lose his second place spot to Riley Hickman over the final ten laps of the race while Page cruised the victory. It was Page’s third straight tour win at Senoia Raceway which includes last year’s May race date, the Michael Head, Jr. Memorial race last June and this win. Page will have a shot at four straight and a second consecutive Head Memorial victory when the series returns on June 22nd.
Shortly after completing his victory lane interview, Page hopped back into a race car starting on the front row of the Crate Late Model race with Alabama fast timer Cruz Skinner. Page picked up right where he left off in the All-Star race running the top side of the track and getting into the lead position. He motored into a near straightaway length lead over Skinner and was never seriously challenged. He would win his second of the night ahead of Skinner while another Alabama driver, Dylan Knowles, came home in third. Winston birthday boy, Marty Massey, was fourth followed by Franklin’s Tanner Collins in fifth.
A crash-filled feature in the Late Model Sportsman marred a race that was filled with just as much great racing action. Drivers raced for positions in the middle of the pack side by side and a few times three wide. It was a mad scramble at times with the drivers in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place.
“That is why going to the races is so much fun,” said track promoter Mayes Massey. “The action is not always at the front of the race like you see on television or facebook live feeds. That coverage is so one dimensional and does not offer the full show and what you get when you are here in person.”
Former Senoia Raceway champion Jason ‘Tin Man’ Williams showed he has not lost his touch as he won going away over Locust Grove’s Billy Stevenson. Baldwin teenager Parris Simmons made a late race charge to gain third place, but had it stripped from him when he crossed the post race scales too light. That moved Byron’s Wiley McDaniel to third place.
“Dune Buggy” Dustin Smith led the first couple of laps in the Bomber main event before Curtis Turner moved past on the inside of turn two. Turner then held off Brandon McDaniel of Byron with Smith fading to third. Turner and McDaniel had split evenly the victories in the first four races of the season.
After over a month of no racing action at Senoia Raceway, the track will again take a week off as it observes Memorial Day weekend. The racing action will crank back up on Saturday, June 1st with the first ever appearance of the National Late Model Super Car Series. Drivers from Alabama and Florida are expected to take on the locals for the expanded pay day special. The Crate Late Models, Late Model Sportsman, Bomber, Hot Shots and Chargers will also compete with the Chargers running a pair of features due to the class not running Saturday night because of the county enforced curfew. There will also be a Kids Candy Scramble on June 1st.
For the full schedule of events along with special attractions, promotions and additional information, visit the track website at www.senoiaraceway.com or call the speedway at 770.599.6161.
Official Results – Saturday, May 18, 2019 (Southern All-Stars Spring Race)
Late Model Sportsman (Feature): 1-Jason Williams, Locust Grove 2-Billy Stevenson, Locust Grove 3-Wiley McDaniel, Byron 4-William Blair, Whitesburg 5-Bobby Arnold, Newnan 6-Shane Payton, Newnan 7-Mike Abercrmbie, Jackson 8-McKenna Nelms, Newnan 9-Jordan Benefield, Carrollton 10-Cord Dodgen, Lafayette, AL 11-Jason Turner, McDonough 12-JJ Drawhorn, Macon 13-Jamie Nicholson, Jr., Locust Grove 14-Hunter Worley, Alvaton 15-Dalton Benefield, Carrollton 16-Jack Mills, Griffin 17-Rickey Payton, Newnan DQ: Parris Simmons, Baldwin (too light) Fast Qualifier: Turner – 16.160 seconds/83.5 mph
Hobby (Feature): 1-Jake Sanders, Camp Hill, AL 2-Landon DeGraff, Barnesville 3-Ryan Ray, Mableton 4-Keith West, Powder Springs 5-Ben Wells, Milner 6-Chris Steele, Franklin 7-Chris Arnett, Lannett, AL 8-Shane Tidwell, Whitesburg 9-Josh Pitt, Stockbridge 10-Chris Kozusnik, Newnan 11-Ben Steele, Franklin 12-James Swanger, Whitesburg 13-JR Hardy, Covington 14-TJ Joiner, Lithia Springs DNS: Brandon Jones, Newnan Fast Qualifier: DeGraff – 16.989 seconds/79.5 mph
Bomber (Feature): 1-Curtis Turner, Brooks 2-Brandon McDaniel, Byron 3-Dustin Smith, Senoia 4-Michael Thomas, Whitesburg 5-Abe Chase, Valley, AL 6-Ricky Neill, Whitesburg 7-Craig Boozer, Jackson 8-Larry Drawhorn, Macon 9-Justin Bonnett, McDonough 10-TJ Boetz, Midland 11-Larry Pierce, Griffin Fast Qualifier: Smith - 17.308 seconds/78.0 mph
Mini Stock/Hot Shots (Feature): 1-Tony Coffman, Florence, MS 2-Bo Minor, Ralph, AL 3-Jamie Godbee, Carrollton 4-Ronnie Teal, Ranburne, AL 5-Eli Bradley, Tifton 6-Steven Shutley, Dallas 7-Cory Greene, Griffin 8-Cody Lively, Locust Grove 9-Corey Wilson, Locust Grove 10-Tommy Smith, Forsyth 11-Jason Burton 12-Jeff Dean, Helena, AL 13-Bob Faulkner, Newnan 14-Joey Graham 15-Stacey Henderson, Senoia 16-Tommy Faulkner, Newnan 17-James Stansel, Carrollton 18-Mikey Shutley, Dallas 19-Lonnie Patterson, Williamson 20-Joshua Till, McDonough DNS: Mark Newton, Hampton; Ernie Turner, Douglasville Fast Qualifier: Till – 18.031 seconds/74.9 mph
Chargers (Feature): Curfew – will be made up on June 1st
