By Dawson Elliott
We might have had to wait three months to award “Fab 5” drivers a Firecracker victory, but Volusia Speedway Park made sure it was worth the wait to kick off the Labor Day Classic weekend.
Multiple intense battles, a last-lap pass, a first-time Feature winner, and a driver vying for his first-ever Late Model track championship highlighted the Firecracker Showdown make-up from June on Thursday night.
Garret Stewart, Waylon Haynes, Jason Garver, Robert Brynteson, and Mikey Kopka reigned supreme on a night that saw just about everything in an action-packed program.
604 Late Models
The 604 Late Models kicked off Feature competition with the remaining 18 laps of the $2,500-to-win Feature, and the action picked up right where it left off in June as Stewart, Kole Platt, and Tyler Clem went three-wide entering Turn 1.
Stewart and Platt disposed of Clem and began a side-by-side battle that stretched across three laps, thrilling the fans in attendance at Volusia.
On Lap 10, Stewart slid ahead of the No. 44P of Platt off Turn 2 to gain control of the race as they entered the halfway point.
By Lap 13, Stewart had extended his lead to over a second, and it looked like it was his race to lose until a Lap 22 caution bunched the field back up, giving Platt one last chance to dethrone the race-long leader.
However, Stewart continued to find speed running the middle of the track, driving off to his second win of the season at Volusia and the $2,500 check. He now sits 42 points ahead of Garver as he hunts for his first track championship.
“I’m pretty pumped up these guys don’t have real jobs because I worked my butt off as a UPS driver to get here. Missed Hot Laps. Didn’t know what the setup was. Sat there and here we are,” Stewart said. “I cannot believe it.”
RESULTS
June 13 Make-Up Feature (25 Laps): 67-Garret Stewart [3]; 2. 44P-Kole Platt [2]; 3. 21-Ivedent Lloyd [6]; 4. 74-Jason Garver [16]; 5. 58-Tyler Clem [1]; 6. 31-Tim Swartz [7]; 7. 1A-Dustin Carter [17]; 8. 721-Blake Clouser [10]; 9. 33-Gavin Johnson [8]; 10. 11-Waylon Haynes [12]; 11. (DNF) 23K-Korbin Minchew [13]; 12. (DNF) 54T-Tuck Trentham [5]; 13. (DNF) 32-James Haynes [11]; 14. (DNF) 4-Kale Green [4]; 15. (DNF) 41-Derike Bennett [9]; 16. (DNF) 4B-Billy Boyd Jr. [14]; 17. (DNF) 94-Holden Allen [15]
602 Late Models
Winning is always fun, but winning your first career Feature is a memory you’ll never forget; especially when you do it in the fashion that Waylon Haynes did tonight.
The Dover, FL, charged from third to the lead before the field even reached Turn 1 and then drove away from the field.
Two cautions, one on Lap 2 for a spun car and one on Lap 4 for debris, were the only hindrance in Haynes’ pursuit. But when the race resumed, he pulled away by nearly four seconds at the halfway point in his No. 52 Late Models.
Haynes went on to lead every lap for his first career score with the 602 Late Models at Volusia as part of the Firecracker Showdown make-up.
“I saw how y’all were prepping the track and I just had an idea it would be super moistured up at the bottom of the racetrack, so I did something unconventional and used an irregular gear,” Haynes said. “Man, I was just able to get off the start. I knew the only chance I had was to force my way into (Turn) one there and get by Garver, because if I didn’t, he was checked out. You got one shot, and I knew it. It stuck like gorilla snot down there.”
RESULTS
June 13 Make-Up Feature (20 Laps): 52H-Waylon Haynes [3]; 2. 28-Austin Leamon [6]; 3. 35-Justin Dean [10]; 4. 27-Tim Ryan [8]; 5. 22-Hania Humphries [14]; 6. 37S-Layne Smith [2]; 7. 1J-Jason Papp [4]; 8. 33-Robert Pettet [11]; 9. 10-Rosario Camerone [18]; 10. 45-Jason Garver [1]; 11. 91S-Danny Ahrens Jr. [7]; 12. (DNS) 21M-Mayson Mossow; 13. (DNS) 1A-Dustin Carter; 14. (DNS) 52-Allan McKinney; 15. (DNS) 53-Brandon Yates; 16. (DNS) 40-Adam Bennett; 17. (DNS) 86A-Evan England; 18. (DNS) 41-Gary Sexton; 19. (DNS) 07-Gage Griffin
DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
The DIRTcar UMP Modified division rolled into the Firecracker Showdown make-up with one of the tightest point battles across the “Fab 5” divisions and tonight showed just how intense the battle is.
Jeff Scofield entered with a 12-point advantage over Jacksonville, FL driver Dillon Buhr and 31 points over Starke, FL driver Jason Garver.
The Feature began with Paul Shead leading the opening lap by a nose over Lanich. Shead was vying for his first-ever win at Volusia, but that thought was short-lived as Lanich found momentum on the top to sprint around Shead and lead the second lap. Scofield fell back to fifth after the opening lap from the pole position.
A caution for a spinning Joshua Kunstbeck gave the field a reset, and what happened after was nothing short of spectacular.
Garver used the restart to his advantage, charging from third to the lead on Lap 5 as he narrowly got around Lanich off Turn 4. Behind them, points leader Dillon Buhr was charging from ninth and took second from Lanich.
The top three were nose-to-tail as the race hit the halfway point. Garver maintained the lead, but behind him was a relentless battle for second between Lanich and Buhr, who kept Garver within range.
Garver pushed high in Turn 2, allowing Buhr and Lanich to pull even, making it three-wide for the lead momentarily down the backstretch.
Garver used lap traffic to get away from the duo of Lanich and Buhr to pick up career win No. 10 at Volusia.
Scofield finished outside the top 10 and gave up the points lead to Buhr, who holds a nine-point advantage over Garver going into Night 2 of the Labor Day Classic on Friday.
RESULTS
June 13 Make-Up Feature (20 Laps): 27G-Jason Garver [4]; 2. 51-Dalton Lanich [3]; 3. 24B-Dillon Buhr [9]; 4. 3-Josh Sanford [5]; 5. 21-Ivedent Lloyd [6]; 6. 78-Rich Pratt [21]; 7. 80-Paul Shead [2]; 8. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt [7]; 9. 00B-Buzzie Reutimann [12]; 10. 66-Joshua Kunstbeck [8]; 11. 07S-Jeff Scofield [1]; 12. 3D-Makayla Tyrrell [11]; 13. 34-Rob Giffen [17]; 14. 57-Ethyn Hwan [19]; 15. 5C-Chase Cooke [10]; 16. 99-Wade Olmsted [14]; 17. (DNS) 15H-Gator Hise; 18. (DNS) 18-Richie Wheelihan; 19. (DNS) 42-Steve Hise Jr.; 20. (DNS) 2D-Ray Durrence Jr.; 21. (DNS) 05-Jamie Sullivan; 22. (DNS) 7-Nick Emon
3/4 Modifieds
The field might have been small, but the action was plentiful as the 3/4 Modifieds took their turn around the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” with Jesse Powers leading the opening lap while looking for that elusive first win of the season.
Powers looked like he was finally going to park the No. 32P machine in Victory Lane before disaster struck. Powers slowed with issues, allowing Ethan Hwan to take control of the race on Lap 6.
Hwan looked comfortable out front, but waiting for an opportunity to pounce was Daytona Beach, FL driver Robert Brynteson, who was charging at the No. 57 of Hwan in the closing stages.
Hwan went low, allowing Brynteson to send it on the top and find momentum to steal the victory from Hwan in the final corner of the final lap, picking up the 3/4 Modified victory.
“It’s awesome,” Brynteson said about winning at Volusia. “Kopka and sons, they’re the reason this car is fast.”
RESULTS
June 13 Make-Up Feature (15 Laps): 2B-Robert Brynteson [1]; 2. 57-Ethyn Hwan [5]; 3. 9-Logan Malone [8]; 4. 5C-Chase Cooke [4]; 5. 29-Nathyn Hwan [10]; 6. (DNF) 32P-Jesse Powers [3]; 7. (DNF) 16-Matt Hodges [7]; 8. (DNS) 859-Steven Powers; 9. (DNS) 26L-Colton Lane; 10. (DNS) 13D-Dakota Cleland; 11. (DNS) 21-Timmy Hogan
Factory Stocks
Mikey Kopka, no stranger to Victory Lane at Volusia Speedway Park, found himself there again Thursday night. But it wasn’t easy.
Blake Clouser and Jason Garver put on an early battle for the lead, with the lead duo going side-by-side on the opening lap and Clouser leading by a nose at the line.
As Clouser and Garver battled, this allowed Kopka to patiently wait for his opportunity to make a move. On Lap 3, he decided it was time to go.
Kopka executed a slider on second-place Garver to dispose of the No. 01 before setting his sights on leader Clouser as they entered Turn 1.
Kopka dove under the No. 5C machine, pulling even as Clouser rolled the top off Turn 2 to remain even with Kopka. However, it wasn’t enough, as Kopka found another gear and pulled away off Turn 4 to lead Lap 5.
A series of cautions in the middle stages of the race forced Kopka to execute multiple restarts, but he remained in control as he led the final 15 laps to pick up the win with the Factory Stocks.
“Well, I knew we had pretty much an advantage, not over everyone, but everyone that had a crate, because it was hammer down,” Kopka said. “Poor Blake, he was giving it everything he had with his crate. He stumbled one time, and I capitalized on it, man. I tried giving him room. I’m pretty sure I did. It’s just hard racing. I haven’t won here in a Factory Stock and I’ve been dying to win one.”
RESULTS
June 13 Make-Up Feature (20 Laps): 41L-Mikey Kopka [6]; 2. 5C-Blake Clouser [2]; 3. 01-Jason Garver [4]; 4. 25T-Patrick Thomas [3]; 5. 00-Shaun Daugharty [24]; 6. 91-Bubba Christian [13]; 7. 21M-Mayson Mossow [12]; 8. 23-Willy The Kid Cuddy [7]; 9. 25B-Danny Frye [20]; 10. 41-Barry Sheffield [11]; 11. 7-Bradley Haught [17]; 12. 97-Jeffrey Rook [23]; 13. 118S-Donald Springer [22]; 14. 51-Dustin Peterson [9]; 15. 82D-Larry Masters [14]; 16. 138-JJ Finn [26]; 17. 41W-Jeffery White [10]; 18. 69-Derrick Wood [8]; 19. 1AR-Travis Staats [5]; 20. 1T-Tanner Thomas [1]; 21. 117-Justin Walker [15]; 22. (DNS) 42-Josh Byrd; 23. (DNS) 15G-Gator Hise; 24. (DNS) 110-Corey Certain; 25. (DNS) 20-Justin Reynolds; 26. (DNS) 15-Jamie Carter; 27. (DNS) 67-Michael Czarkowski
UP NEXT: The “Fab 5” divisions return to Volusia Speedway Park for the second night of the Labor Day Classic on Friday, Sept. 4. For more information, click HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, how can you watch every lap? Live on DIRTVision, the premier broadcast for dirt racing.