By James Essex
Jeremy Hines of Seymour claimed the 2017 ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass Super Late Models Series Championship.
Hines has won the title in back-to-back years. He was the champion of the inaugural season of the ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass in 2016, as well.
Hines piloted his number 5H Longhorn Chassis with a Cornett Engine to a sixth-place finish in the season-opener at Brownstown Speedway. He competed in all ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass Super Late Models Series events in 2017.
Hines is sponsored by Jason Ayers Trucking, Alcon Industrial, Automotive Recycling, Hoosier Tire, VP Fuels and Blondie’s Pizzeria & Pub. He finished the season with 119 points.
“I would like to thank my mom and dad and my crew for all their help this summer,” Hines said. “Without them and my sponsors, this wouldn’t be possible.”
The 40-year-old racer earned a $5,000 check for his points title. Hines was the late-model track champion at Brownstown Speedway in 2012 and again in 2014.
Jared Bailey of Bedford finished runner-up for the 2017 championship. Bailey wheeled his No. 24 Rocket, sponsored by Alan Norman Contracting, CS Prototyping, Tex-a- Con Cut Stone and Sub Surface of Indiana, to a second-place finish at Brownstown Speedway on April 1. He ended the season with 92 points.
The ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass Super Late Models Series was scheduled to wrap up the 2017 season at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, Ohio on Oct. 28th. However, persistent rains and cold temperatures forced the cancellation of the event.
Hines was honored at the annual ULTIMATE and FASTRAK Awards Banquet in January at the Park Vista in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Brownstown Speedway will host the series April 7.
Check out the official website for the ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass Super Late Model Series at ultimatesupers.com, and continue to follow social media networks on Facebook at ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass Super Late Model Series and on Twitter @UBoBluegrass to get up to the minute news and details as they become available.
Fisher takes track title in Kentucky
Columbus native Derek Fisher captured the 2017 super late-model track championship at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Kentucky. The Columbus East graduate drives a car owned by Mike Schwartz of Olympia, Kentucky.
Stewart finishes second at Ocala
Tony Stewart, racing in his own series, the Arctic Car All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars, recorded a best second-place finish among the three races he participated in at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida, last week.
On Feb. 1, the season-opener for the series that Stewart purchased three years ago, Stewart finished second to Chad Kemenah in the main event. Former NASCAR Cup driver Dave Blaney was third, with Parker Price-Miller and Carson Short completing the top five.
On Feb. 2, Stewart finished ninth in the main event won by Tim Shaffer. Kerry Madsen was second, with Mark Smith, Coleman Gullick and Paul McMahan completing the top five.
Then, to wrap up the trip to Ocala, Stewart crossed the finish line in 11th place. Sheldon Haudenschild took the win. Madsen was second, with Kemenah, Shaffer and Miller rounding out the top-five drivers.
The series headed to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida for racing on February 7 and 8.
Lucas Oil late models in action
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, which will be racing on March 17 at Brownstown Speedway, kicked off its 2018 season at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Georgia, on Feb. 2.
Defending series champion Josh Richards got off to a good start, grabbing both events at Golden Isles before the series headed to East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida.
On the opening race at Golden Isles on Feb. 2, Richards had to hold off a hard-charging Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville for the win. O’Neal, last year’s LOLMDS rookie of the year, came from the 15th starting spot to finish second to Richards.
O’Neal had taken the lead heading into Turn No. 3 on the final lap, but Scott Bloomquist spun in turn four blocking the track, which necessitated a caution flag. The one-lap shootout that evolved saw Richards hold off the 17-year- old phenom for the win.
Trailing Richards and O’Neal to the finish line were Jonathan Davenport, Jimmy Owens and Brandon Sheppard.
The second night of racing at Golden Isles saw an improbable win by Richards when he used a backup car and a series provisional to start 26th and come all the way to the front for a last-to-first victory. Kyle Bronson came home in second, with Tyler Erb finishing third. Dennis Erb Jr. was fourth, and Sheppard was fifth.
The series shifted to East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa on Monday, when the series held a 30-lap event, with Sheppard passing Devin Moran at the start-finish line for the win. Earl Pearson Jr. finished in third, followed by Jonathan Davenport and 18th-place starter Scott Bloomquist.
Former series champion Jonathan Davenport held off Brandon Overton on the final lap to win Tuesday night’s event at East Bay. Davenport, who returns to the series full-time in 2018, led Overton to the finish line.
Then on Wednesday, Overton came back to win his first-ever feature at East Bay over Josh Richards, Gregg Satterlee, Jonathan Davenport and Bobby Pierce.
