State series returns to Whynot tonight

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July 28, 2006

By Steve Swogetinsky / Staff writer The Meridian Star Fri Jul 28, 2006, 02:03 AM CDT

The drivers in NASCAR’s Nextel Series may be getting a rare weekend off, but that is certainly not the case at the Whynot Speedway.

Tonight, two series of Late Models will be paying a visit to the Whynot Speedway for a double-header of dirt track racing action.

The Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series will be making its second trip to Whynot since the track re-opened in May. Also, many of the drivers from the Stormpay.com Cratemotor tour will stop in before heading to the Pike County Speedway for two nights of action. This is a scouting trip of sorts for the Stormpay. com drivers because they will be here the first of September for two nights of racing action in an official race series race.

Throw those two series in with the competitive races we’ve been enjoying all summer — the Pure Streets, the Minis and the Open Wheel Modifieds — and it should be a big night of racing. The heat laps and qualifying should start after the drivers’ meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Catching up ...

The MSCCS is closing out the month of July with two races this weekend. After tonight’s race at Whynot, the series heads to the Central Mississippi Speedway in Winona for a Saturday night race.

Heading into this weekend, Chris Wall holds a commanding lead in the MSCCS standings with 2,048 points. Jay Blair is in second place with 1,605 points, while two-time series champion Scott Slay is in third with 1,586 points.

David Breazeale is in fourth place with 1,527 points, followed by Bub McCool of Vicksburg with 1,282 and Chad Thrash of Meridian with 1,087 points. Thrash is currently leading the points for series rookie of the year.

These drivers are expected to be here tonight along with some local favorites such as seven-time Mississippi state champ Mike Boland of Cuba, Ala., Jimbo McDuffie of the Clarkdale community and Chris McElhenney of Decatur. It will be good to visit with all of these drivers.

Wall is coming off a big victory in Columbus earlier this month. The “Intimagator” of Holden, La., scored his first-ever Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win at the Columbus Speedway. He took the lead on the third lap of the 50-lap race and held on for the victory. Wall earned $10,000 for his efforts — but it didn’t come easy as he had to hold off Boland the whole night. Boland, by the way, finished second.

Also ...

• Larry Murphy of Laurel, a regular crate motor competitor at Whynot and one of the top contenders in the Stormpay.com Western Division, is recovering from recent heart surgery. I’m told he became ill while racing at Whynot. Keep him in your prayers and let’s hope he can get back on the track soon.

• In talking with Rodney Wing about upcoming action at Whynot, he said that the regular scheduled races should wind down sometime in early September. However, he is planning a big money Late Model race sometime this fall, and Charles Thrash is negotiating to bring the Fall Classic to Whynot at the end of October, which is where it belongs. It sounds like there is still a lot of great dirt track racing action left for 2006.

Steve Swogetinsky writes a column about dirt track racing for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at swog@hotmail.com or call (601) 776-6102.

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