3/12/2023
DayMotorSports.com Race Recap: Alberson, Hatton, Cummings win at Ronny Adams Memorial
GREENWOOD, Louisiana (March 11, 2023) — Touring Super Late Model sensation Garrett Alberson, open-wheel stalwart Chase Hatton and oval ace Kyle Cummings all earned big wins in their respective divisions, as officials completed their Ronny Adams Memorial on Saturday night at Boothill Speedway.
Alberson, of Las Cruces, NM, pulled off a thrilling victory in the $10,000-to-win A Main for Comp Cams Super Dirt Series (CCSDS) teams; Hatton prevailed in a caution-filled affair for the Limited Modifieds; while Cummings held off regional star Justin Whitehead to win the Factory Stock A Main.
After setting Fast Time in Super Late Model qualifying both Friday and Saturday nights, Alberson took the green flag for Saturday's A Main inside Row 2 on a 24-car grid. In impressive fashion, he powered around the outside of Billy Moyer to take control at lap 36 and pulled away to earn top honors.
Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Moyer appeared poised to earn his 849th career win yet settled for second, while local favorite BJ Robinson drove up from 18th on the grid to finish third. Louisiana native Cade Dillard crossed the stripe in fourth, while Billy Moyer Jr. completed the top five.
“That was really special,” a humbled Alberson told series announcer Wesley Gwaltney in Victory Lane. “Me, Kyle and BJ, we raced hard and we raced clean, that was awesome. I was a little worried that the track was going to be bottom dominant. It was a matter of positioning yourself; that was really fun.
“It means a lot to win this race. I was really fortunate to get to know Ronny (Adams) a little kind of late in his career. He was fun to be around and had lots of great stories. I had a ton of respect for him, and got to race with him a few times. I want to thank his family, he really meant a lot to this whole area.”
Moyer, who started on the pole, was gracious after the race as he described the event from his view.
“We tried, but just didn't lead the right laps,” he said. “It's always fun to run in front of a good crowd, and they sure had a big one here tonight. We did our best, but Garrett did a heck of a job there. I felt like I was a sitting duck; he was just kind of biding his time until he made that pass.
“I thought maybe we'd get lucky and it would fall my way. But I kinda knew when it came to the end, he was going to make his move. Anyway, we'll go back to work on this thing and try to make it better.”
Robinson, who has more laps at Boothill than most, talked about what it meant to do well on this night.
“It wasn't the way we wanted to start the features either night,” he said. “Last night, it was my error in the Heat race, but we recovered pretty well. Last night had a lot of attrition. Tonight, the car was really good. We made some changes, and I hoped if I could get on the outside of Garrett I might have a shot.”
Finishing sixth through 10th in the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series 40-lap A Main were Logan Martin, Kyle Beard, Cody Leonard, Morgan Bagley and Jon Kirby. Five cautions slowed the pace, all for minor incidents. Alberson's margin of victory was a whopping 3.1 seconds, as his No. 58 entry was dialed in.
Other notable finishers in Saturday's CCSDS feature include Jon Mitchell (11th); Shreveport native Jarret Stuckey (15th after starting 23rd); Jamie Burford (17th); Clayton Stuckey (19th); national star Terry Phillips (20th); and Vivian, Louisiana native Brett Frazier (24th).
Hatton, of De Berry, Texas, started second on the 22-car grid and led all 20 laps of his Limited Mod feature. Connor Mewborn challenged Hatton throughout yet settled for second, while older brother Colby Mewborn filled out the podium.
Polesitter Stephen Guidry crossed the stripe in fourth, while Josh Baucom completed the top five.
“We made some last-minute adjustments,” Hatton told track announcer Josh Bell in Victory Lane. “I can't thank Willy enough; he gave me a motor and this thing runs flawlessly. I also want to thank my girlfriend and my Dad, they come to the races every weekend to make sure I'm doing the right things.”
Finishing sixth through 10th in the 20-lap Limited Modified feature were Dustin Henigan, J.D. Ammons, Logan Griffin, Adam Roy and Bailey Turner. Five cautions slowed the pace (laps 6, 8, 8, 8, and 8 yet again), two for multi-car pileups and solo spins and one for debris in Turn 1.
Cummings, of Shreveport, used heads-up driving on an early restart to take command of the Factory Stock feature at lap 2 and held off a hard-charging Justin Whitehead to earn top honors. Whitehead started seventh on the talent-filled 23-car grid yet settled for second, while Gary Harvin finished third.
Cody Myers (Bossier City) crossed the line in fourth, while Jason Ingalls drove all the way up from 18th at the start to round out the top five.
“We're still working on this new tire package,” Cummings said in Victory Lane. “I feel like we struggled a little on corner-exit trying to make it rotate. This should have been our second win of the year. We had a rough weekend to start it off, so to come out and win this one was real special.”
Finishing sixth through 10th in the USRA Factory Stock A Main were Rodney Howell, Neil Kemp, Bubba Jones, Chris Burrows and Dalton Dubois. Four cautions slowed the pace, all for minor spins. Cummings' margin of victory was a scant .514 seconds over the red-hot Whitehead.
The annual Ronny Adams Memorial at Boothill Speedway drew a collective 113 entries in three divisions. Led by 40 Factory Stock teams and 39 Limited Mods, turnout among race teams was strong. While it was a fairly lengthy program (five hours), fans were treated to a full night of exciting races.
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By Phil Whipple, RaceOnTexas.com Staff Writer
Article Credit: Race On Texas Staff