Purdy Picks A Pair In Greenville Late Models; Sorrow Wins $2K In Mulligan Power Truck Main


EASLEY, S.C.- (July 23, 2016) -  Teenage rising star Chase Purdy won his eighth and ninth NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model features of the season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Easley, South Carolina on Saturday. 

The track's limited late model points leader Luke Sorrow led every lap to win the $2,000 lion's share in the Mulligan Power Truck Series main.  Other winners included Tim Sams (super stocks), Spencer Morgan (pure stocks), Michael Cross (four-cylinders) and Ricky Burnett (renegades).  
 
Purdy was the Root's Tire and Auto Service Pole Award winner, so he and Cody Haskins led the field to the green in the first late model feature. 

The 16-year-old  led the first lap but Haskins was strong in the early going and took control on lap two. Tennessee's Kres VanDyke made an appearance at Greenville and held on to third for much of the first half of the race, fending off the repeated challenges of Dylan Hall in the AutoBank No. 4. 

On lap 21, Purdy saw an opening going into turn three and guided his Bama Buggies Off-Road No. 41 underneath the No. 2 of Haskins and took command for good.  

Hall was able to shuffle VanDyke back to fourth and ran inside of Haskins for several laps challenging for third.  At the stripe it was Purdy, Haskins, Hall, VanDyke and Trey Gibson aboard the Blair Addis owned, Headman Hustler Headers No. 1 completing the top five in that order. 

Next out on the track was the Mulligan Power Truck Series for their 60-lap main event.  Tim Lollis in the No. 50 and "The Young One" Luke Sorrow started on the front row. 

This race was all about Sorrow as he drove away from the field and led flag to flag to put the $2,000 winner's share in his pocket with his yellow No. 9.  

Lollis ran second for most of the distance but the battle for third eventually caught up to him.  Veteran racers Randy Porter in his Porter RV Sales No. 32 and Kenneth Headen in the No. 44 went at it tooth and nail for third and fourth and eventually both got by Lollis, who faded at the end.  

Finishing fifth at the checkers was the No. 36 of Brandon Fox.  

The 20-lap super stock feature saw Travis Cox and Ken Guthrie swap the lead back and forth until the evening's first yellow flag was waved on lap two for a multi-car melee that sent the No. 20 of Dale Stancil and the T.J. Johnson No. 98 to the pits for repairs.

Both returned to action.   

Cox, Guthrie, Tim Sams, Stanley Pressley and Travis Stephens were the top five when the race was restarted.  Guthrie grabbed the lead going into turn one and Sams followed, sending Cox back to third. 

Yellow lights came back on again as Stancil and Austin Somero tangled coming out of turn four.  Both went to th epits and Stancil did not return. 

On the ensuring restart, Sams made quick work of Guthrie and sped off into the lead, putting half a straightaway on the field before lap 10 was in the books.  

Cox passed Guthrie for second and set sail after Sams, but was unable to catch him.  Sams had over a two second lead when the checkers waved. Cox, Guthrie, Pressley and Stephens followed him across the line. 

The late models returned for their second 50-lap showdown.  Chase Purdy grabbed the early lead but on lap two Cody Haskins got a piece of the wall and stopped in turn two, necessitating a yellow flag. 

Purdy, Ryan Walker, Hall, VanDyke and Tasha Kummer led the field to the restart.  

After that it was all Purdy as he endured a couple of more caution flags to score his ninth win of the season at the historic half-mile.  Hall came home second followed by Gibson, a strong running Daniel Alvarez and Ryan Walker. 

Spencer Morgan passed early leader Buck Simmons and walked away with the win in the 12-lap pure stock feature.  Simmons beat out "The Flying Schoolteacher" Ashley Granata for the second spot while Granata, Zack Meinders and A.J. Davis filled the remainder of the top five. 

In the 15-lap four-cylinder feature, Hunter Evans had a half-straightaway lead on the rest of the field until the ninth lap when a yellow flag closed the gap.  

Michael Cross used the restart wisely, outracing Evans into turn one and going on to victory.  Evans finished second followed by Tommy Davis, Manuel Molleda and Michael Webster. 

The Renegades finished off the evening with one of their most competitive races of the season.  Ricky Burnett had Steve Guthrie and Alexx Breazele on his bumper the entire distance until slight contact sent Guthrie around and both cars to the tail of the field.  

Burnett scooted away on the restart and ended up with the win.  Chris Whitfield finished second followed by Bobby Emory, Eddie Ray and Larry Nabors.  
 
Next weekend, July 29-30 is the Monster Truck Motornationals at the speedway. Two separate days of Monster Truck action, featuring some of the most competitive Monster Trucks in the nation, descend on the speedway grounds in a no-holds-barred battle.  

Fans will be able to get up close and personal with the trucks and drivers both nights, during the pre-race pit party beginning at 6 p.m. Racing action both nights gets underway at 7 p.m.
 
Then, on Aug. 6, The Pete Store presents the Bandit Big Rigs Series plus Twin 50's for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models and limited late models, pure stocks, four-cylinders, renegades and super stocks in a seven-division, eight race card that will be one of the most exciting shows of the season!

For all the latest updates about Greenville-Pickens Speedway during the week, visit the track website at www.greenvillepickens.com.

You can also find them on Facebook by searching Greenville-Pickens Speedway, and on Twitter @GP_Speedway. You can also call the track office at 864-295-5764 weekdays during regular business hours. 

For media inquiries, contact Tom Baker at 704-997-6399 or email credential requests or questions to RaceChaser@carolina.rr.com. 
 

RESULTS - Greenville-Pickens Speedway; July 23, 2016

Late Model Feature #1 (50 laps) : Chase Purdy, Cody Haskins, Dylan Hall, Kres VanDyke, Trey Gibson, Ryan Walker, Don Morgan, Tasha Kummer, Nick Thunder, Matt Lockee, Daniel Alvarez, Brandon Fox, Cody Satterfield and Robert Hasseleu.  

Late Model Feature #2 (50 laps):  Chase Purdy, Dylan Hall, Trey Gibson, Daniel Alvarez, Ryan Walker, Cody Haskins, Kres Vandyke, Don Morgan, Nick Thunder, Tasha Kummer, Matt Lockee, Brandon Fox, Robert Hasseleu and Cody Satterfield. 

Mulligan Power Truck Feature (60 laps):
Luke Sorrow, Randy Porter, Kennth Headen, Tim Lollis, Brandon Fox, Mart Nesbitt, Jamie Altop, Brad Campbell, Greg Jarrett, Daniel Alvarez and Dakota Slagle. 
 
Super Stock Feature (20 laps):  Tim Sams, Travis Cox, Ken Guthrie, Stanley Pressley, Tyler Stephens, T. J. Johnson, Austin Somero, Danny Gilbert, Dale Stancil and Ricky Burnett. 
 
Renegade Feature (20 laps):  Ricky Burnett, Chris Whitfield, Bobby Emory, Larry Nabors, Eddie Ray, Lance George, Steve Guthrie, Alexx Breazele and Wendell Smith.  
 
Four Cylinder Feature (15 laps):  Michael Cross, Hunter Evans, Tommy Davis, Manuel Molleda, Michael Webster, Randy Hupp, Don Tavernia, Barry Gonsalves, Chad Redding, Ray Mullinax, Dannon Esco, Gary Bryant, Jeb Kelly, Brian Messer and Danny Esco.  
 
Pure Stock Feature (12 laps):  Spencer Morgan, Buck Simmons, Ashley Granata, Zack Meinders, A.J. Davis and Mark Gibson. 

Fast Qualifiers:  Late Models - Chase Purdy (Root's Tire and Auto Service Pole Award), Mulligan Power Trucks - Tim Lollis (Porters RV Sales/Burgess Boys Speed Shop Pole Award), Pure Stock - Spencer Morgan, Four-Cylinders -Micheal Cross, Renegade - Steve Guthrie, Super Stock - Tim Sams    

About Greenville-Pickens Speedway 

Greenville-Pickens Speedway, located in Easley, South Carolina just off Interstate 85, is  the second-oldest NASCAR-sanctioned "short track" still running weekly races.  

Greenville-Pickens has earned a unique niche in racing history. In 1959, local driver David Pearson sped to a record 15 victories in one season, jump-starting a Hall of Fame career. As a young boy, the late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt played in the infield while his father, Ralph, raced to the track championship in 1965. 

In 1971, ABC's Wide World of Sports televised the first live, start-to-finish NASCAR race at Greenville-Pickens. Many big names have competed at the storied facility, but for every David Pearson and Richard Petty, there have been dozens of Donnie Bishops, Anthony Anders, David Roberts and Toby Porters - local favorites providing weekly thrills for a loyal fan base.

The track's history inspired Scott Keepfer, a longtime sportswriter for the Greenville News, to write a book entitled  Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Published by Arcadia Publishing in 2013.  

Former Greenville-Pickens Speedway track champion Anthony Anders moved from driver's seat to promoter's chair in 2015 and is leading a charge to restore the track's rightful place as the place to be on Saturday nights in the region for family fun and exciting racing action.      

For more information about Greenville-Pickens, contact the track office at 864-295-5764 or visit their website at www.GreenvillePickens.com.  

For media inquiries, contact Tom Baker at 704-997-6399 or email credential requests or questions to RaceChaser@carolina.rr.com.  

MEDIA CONTACT: 
 

 Tom B aker - Media Director
Greenville-Pickens Speedway
980-444-2265
RaceChaser@carolina.rr.com





Luke Sorrow - Mulligan Power Trucks


Chase Purdy - both late model races 



Tim Sams - super stocks 



Spencer Morgan - pure stocks



Michael Cross - four cylinders



Ricky Burnett - renegades




Haley Wilbanks / GPS Photos
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