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Bare Bags $11,000 Topless outlaws Vs. Steel Block Bandits Shootout at The Gap

VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY – BULLS GAP, TN – SATURDAY, AUG. 13, 2022 – Tyler Bare, third generation driver of Rockbridge Baths, VA grabbed his first major late model win on Saturday night and bagged a record $11,000 steel block late model feature in the process. The dual promoted event featured drivers from both the Vision Wheel Topless Outlaws Dirt Late Model Series presented by Discount Tire and the Steel Block Bandits Dirt Late Model Challenge Series.Forty limited late models from seven states checked into Volunteer Speedway on Saturday night vying for their shot at the record payday. Barrett Lowe of Fulcher, NC clocked the fastest lap in Noble Knights Construction Services Time Trials Group A at 13.459 seconds while Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn. notched the fastest lap in Stanley Best Heating & Air Group B with a lap of 13.671.Four Chattanooga Valley Used Cars and Auto Parts heat races, consisting of 10 cars each would set the top sixteen starting spots for the 50-lap A-Main. Skip Arp of Georgetown, Tenn. took advantage of his front row outside starting spot in Heat #1 to claim the pole for the feature. Chase King of Seymour, Tenn. claimed Heat #2, Jason Welshan of Maryville, Tenn. won Heat #3 while Kyle Courtney of Knoxville, Tenn. claimed Heat #4.The seventeenth through twentieth starting spots were set through two Five Star Properties last chance qualifiers. Noah Phillips of Seymour, Tenn. and Josh Collins of Knoxville, Tenn. claimed those wins with Robbie Emory of Milton DE and Dustin Mitchell of Pine Head, NC each finishing second and transferring to the nineteenth and twentieth starting spots.Michael Batten of Rocky Mount, NC, Brad Lowe of Knoxville, Tenn. and Derrick Rankin of Fishersville, VA all received series points provisional starting spots while Austin Neely of New Tazewell, Tenn. got in through a fast time provisional after suffering a flat tire in his heat.From the drop of the green flag in the Vision Wheel/Discount Tire A-Main, the battling was intense on the ultra-high banks of “The Gap� as Arp and Welshan immediately began swapping sliders but it was Arp that would claim the top spot with several side-by-side and three way battles being waged through the field. Mack McCarter of Gatlinburg, Tenn. was able to maneuver his way up to third from his sixth starting spot to battle Welshan for second.As lap ten approached, Arp had stretched his lead by nearly ten car lengths and began closing in on the rear of the field thus allowing Welshan and McCarter to close up on his back bumper. McCarter got by Welshan and then took a bold move to get by Arp on the low side as the two battled each other and lapped traffic in turns one and two. Arp tagged the outside wall then the two made heavy contact down the back stretch bringing out the first caution. Each car retired and did not return to action.This would put Welshan in the driver’s seat but on the ensuing re-start, calamity would strike with a mid-pack melee down the front straight away. Derick Quade of Mechanicsville, MD took the brunt of the damage after he and Ryan King of Seymour, Tenn. slammed doors sending Quade hard into the front stretch wall. Collins and Walker Arthur of Forrest, VA would also retire at this point.The next several laps would see Welshan move out front by a comfortable margin while battles for positions two through five intensified between Chase King, Barrett Lowe and Bare as Johnson began to make his presence known in the top five after starting tenth.On lap twenty-six the unthinkable would happen to Welshan as he began lapping cars at the rear of the field but what appeared to be a slide job gone wrong as his #01 Savage chassis stalled in front of the field exiting turn four creating havoc for the cars behind him. Welshan ultimately spun out just past the flag stand. The caution didn’t wave until several cars had passed the start finish line. It was Bare that crossed first therefore earning him the single car front row starting spot in the Dixie Double-File restart.With only fifteen cars still running, twenty-plus laps would click off before Bare began catching the rear of the field. Johnson was putting on a clinic as he was able to make gains to get by Barrett Lowe and fought vigorously for several laps to get by Chase King for second. He was noticeably the fastest car on the track as he methodically closed the gap on Bare in the closing laps and was able to pull alongside a couple times bringing the crowd to their feet with many cheering him on but many also cheering on the 27 year old Tyler Bare, son of legendary dirt late model driver Booper Bare.It was Bare that would take the checkered flag, finishing a half of a car length ahead of Johnson while Chase King settled for third but increased his series point lead. Jed Emert of Maryville, Tenn. who had just claimed the Sportsman feature win earlier in the night was able to crack the top five after starting twelfth.Tyler Bares Rocket Chassis is powered by a Pro Power Racing Engine and is sponsored by May’s Recycling, Pre-Mach Inc. Blue Grass Farm, Thurston Spring Service, Rhodenizer Heating & Air, Lee-Hi Truck Parts, SLX Southern Cattle Company, JTB Hauling & Excavating, DeSigns and KRS Graphics.Bares 525 Crate engine failed the post race P&G test but was declared legal after a mandatory teardown. Eddie King Jr. of Andersonville, Tenn. won the Vic Hill Racing Engines Non-Qualifiers race.A special thanks goes out to Noble Knights Construction Services Inc., Stanley Best Heating & Air Inc., Chattanooga Valley Used Cars & Parts, Marvelous Grace Coffee and Vic Hill Racing Engines for posting extra money in making this event unique and thanks also to the awesome fans that filled the stands and tier paring at Volunteer Speedway on Saturday night.RACE RESULTS ($11,000-to-win … 50 laps)1. Tyler Bare #302. Ronnie Johnson #53. Chase King #444. Jed Emert #51E5. Barrett Lowe #726. Ryan King #1G7. Rusty Ballenger #298. Philip Thompson #249. Jason Manley #5510. Kyle Courtney #17111. Jason Trammell #90J12. Austin Neely #313. Robbie Emory #914. Michael Batten #2115. Noah Phillips #1516. Derrick Rankin #72R17. Dustin Mitchell #3218. Brad Lowe #1619. Jason Welshan #0120. Walker Arthur #8721. Skip Arp #3122. Mack McCarter #5123. Derick Quade #7424. Josh Collins #144NON-QUALIFIERS RACE ($600-to-win … 15 laps)1. Eddie King Jr. #392. Dan Breur #73. Cody Courtney #C114. Mitchell Childress #25. Cody Wright #116. Chad Alley #167. Luke Crass #008. Clint Hodges #83H9. Lance Brassington #11LDid Not Start: Layne Clifton #23, Donald McIntosh #32, Stacy Boles #11B, Bruce Kane #15, Jeff Wolfenbarger #28, Brian Strickland #B3, Sammie Russell #F4

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