Nashville, TN (Saturday, May 29, 2021) – A cool night greeted fans and drivers of Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Saturday night for the Local Racing program the kicked off Memorial Day Weekend in the Music City. Excitement also filled the air as the program unfolded in front of a passionate spring crowd. In the Pro Late Model division, a third different winner went to the Winner Circle in as many races.

 

Kyle Neveau and Hunter Wright led the field to green for the 100 Lap Pro Late Model nightcap. It was Wright who came around to lead the first rotation, and he would continue to pace the field for the first 66 laps. The Lebanon, TN driver looked to have a comfortable lead early, then clear weaknesses started to arise in the 29 car. Wright first appeared to be tight in the center of the corner, allowing defending Champion, Dylan Fetcho to reel him in. Then, Wright’s car became loose on the exit, giving Fetcho more ambition to charge toward the front. Finally, after the halfway point, the wait was over.

 

Fetcho, who was feeling pressure from 8th place starting Willie Allen, went on the offensive to track down Wright. On lap 67, the change of the guard happened when Fetcho moved to the inside of Wright to take the top spot. The issue for Fetcho was that as he passed Wright, he also opened the door to allow Allen to set-up for a pass. Down the backstretch, Allen pulled alongside Fetcho and completed the pass before the cars could exit turn four – officially giving Allen the lead on lap 68. The rest, as they say, is history, as Allen set the cruise control and led the next 32 laps en route to his first Nashville win of the season. Fetcho held on for second with Michael House fighting back from a slide back to 6th to round out the podium.

 

A thrilling Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Super Trucks race featured a battle of future relatives that resulted in Frank Bauer collecting his first win. The race began with Bauer at the point, but facing heavy pressure from John Burns and Tanner Arms. Just five laps into the contest, Bauer had been displaced by Burns and Arms for the top spot. The front duo settled in, clicking off laps as Burns set the pace and Arms struggled to find enough grip to challenge for the lead. After the halfway mark, the first caution of the night was displayed when Michael Curran and Phillip Hill tangled on the backstretch. The crash ended the night for both drivers, and setup a thrilling race to the finish.

 

Arms seemingly continued to battle a loose race truck on the restart, but it didn’t slow him from continuing to try to wrestle the lead from Burns. Inside five laps to go, Arms laid the pressure on Burns, looking for a way to pass the 2019 Champion of the division. The opportunity came on the white flag lap when Arms worked his way to the inside of Burns. Both trucks washed up the race track, with Burns hitting the outside wall. The contact with the wall sent Burns back into Arms, which sent Arms spinning into the inside wall. Meanwhile, Bauer waited in the wings for his chance to strike. Entering turn three, Burns pushed high with damage to the right front suspension, allowing Bauer to turn underneath him and drive on to his first Super Trucks win. Burns crossed the line second, with Howard Tucker taking home third. 

 

An aggressive Limited Late Model feature capped off the night’s action on the quarter-mile track. Jonathan Dishman survived a caution filled event to win his first Limited Late Model Feature of the season. Kevin Rollins finished second and Allen Carter third. 

 

The Baby Grand Pro Series made their first appearance at NFS in 2021. Jake Tredow used a late race caution to overtake racelong leader, Danny Trent in the final laps to pick up the win. Tredow held on for second with Jessie Binkley finishing third.

 

In BH Holmes Construction Legends action, Michael Crafton III survived his own caution-filled event en route to his second Nashville win of the season. Crafton held off a charge from former Track Champion, Kevin Rollins who finished second, and third place finisher, Austin Farr.

 

Pure Stocks held their own feisty contest that ended in bent sheet metal. For the second race in a row, rookie John Bradley conquered the NFS quarter-mile oval. Bradley wrestled the lead away from Robert Forsythe and Dylan Jones and never looked back. A crash in turn four coming to the checkered flag drastically changed the finishing order behind Bradley – Landin Dickens finished second ahead of Forsythe who brought home third.

 

The Dye Hard Hair Salon Bandoleros kicked off feature racing as they typically do, with a riveting 25 lap feature. In the end, 2020 Track Champion, Aiden Potter picked up the win on his way to defending his track title in 2021. Killian McMan and Gavon Veach completed the podium.

 

The next event at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is Saturday, June 9th featuring the Modifieds of Mayhem Tour as they compete on the famed 5/8ths mile oval. Tickets to that event are available now at www.NashvilleFairgroundsSpeedway.Racing. Follow Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on Facebook and Twitter @RaceNashville.

 

Story – Zach Hiser, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway

Photo – Paradigm Racing