Peyton Sellers said that his adrenaline level was pretty high. He described today as “intense”. Lee Pulliam added that concluding the day was a “relief”. All of this came not on a race day, but in fact on a qualifying day. Such is the toughness of the competition on display Saturday at Martinsville Speedway as teams practiced and then qualified for tomorrow’s MDCU 300 at Martinsville Speedway, the most prestigious Late Model Stock race in the country.
Sellers and Pulliam locked into the front row for tomorrow’s 200-lap feature by virtue of being the fastest two qualifiers today. Seventy-six other competitors will not rest easy tonight as they will have to transfer into the feature through qualifying heats tomorrow prior to the main event.
Skipping those heats would have meant a lot for everyone, but especially to Sellers. Last year’s heat race started a frustrating day for Sellers when he blew a power steering line and did not transfer into the main event. Racing for the Virginia State Late Model Championship, a title he is also up for this year, Sellers jumped in the Tony Keen machine to start the 300, made his way to the front, and then had to salvage a mid-pack finish to claim the Virginia title after more mechanical issues.
Keen elected to make things a bit simpler this year and focus on crew chiefing the Sellers machine. They tested well and it’s beginning to feel like it’s all falling together for Sellers, the former Whelen All-American Series national champion looking for his first Martinsville grandfather clock.
“Whatever happens, this is a really good shot in the arm for me after bad luck last year,” said Sellers just moments after winning the pole. “My crew chief Tony Keen is sitting out this race and it’s all proven to be worthwhile. Me and Lee are right there, tit-for-tat. That’s how we are most weeks between South Boston and Motor Mile. It just goes to show you the competition level here.”
– By Tim Quievryn, 51′s Third Turn. Photo Credit: Speed51.com
Qualifying Results
1 | 99 | Peyton Sellers | 20.234 |
2 | 5 | Lee Pulliam | 20.239 |
3 | 27 | Tommy Lemons, Jr. | 20.306 |
4 | 44 | Dillon Bassett | 20.348 |
5 | 31 | Kaz Grala | 20.348 |
6 | 50C | Jamey Caudill | 20.360 |
7 | 98G | Todd Gilliland | 20.363 |
8 | 14D | Mike Darne | 20.373 |
9 | 15 | Kres VanDyke | 20.386 |
10 | 83 | Matt Bowling | 20.386 |
11 | 9 | William Byron | 20.389 |
12 | 8 | Dave Garbo, Jr. | 20.399 |
13 | 88 | Josh Berry | 20.402 |
14 | 21S | Travis Swaim | 20.413 |
15 | 17 | Stacy Puryear | 20.422 |
16 | 17P | Timothy Peters | 20.426 |
17 | 03 | Brenden Queen | 20.430 |
18 | 91 | Justin Carroll | 20.432 |
19 | 2W | Matt Waltz | 20.436 |
20 | 41 | Brayton Haws | 20.442 |
21 | 2 | Dennis Holdren | 20.456 |
22 | 36A | Anthony Anders | 20.467 |
23 | 02L | Mike Looney | 20.472 |
24 | 08 | Deac McCaskill | 20.490 |
25 | 77 | Blake Stallings | 20.498 |
26 | 14 | Michael McGuire | 20.499 |
27 | 8S | Thomas Scott | 20.506 |
28 | 57 | Eddie Johnson | 20.509 |
29 | 82 | Barry Beggarly | 20.509 |
30 | 59 | Coleman Pressley | 20.519 |
31 | 98 | B.J. Mackey | 20.524 |
32 | 26 | Philip Morris | 20.524 |
33 | 2S | Myatt Snider | 20.525 |
34 | 55 | Alex Yontz | 20.527 |
35 | 58 | Tyler Ankrum | 20.529 |
36 | 00 | Shane Lee | 20.533 |
37 | 73 | Bruce Anderson | 20.536 |
38 | 0 | Justin Snow | 20.539 |
39 | 01 | G.R. Waldrop | 20.544 |
40 | 41S | Rusty Skewes | 20.544 |
41 | 10 | Nick Smith | 20.545 |
42 | 20 | Sam Yarbrough | 20.547 |
43 | 06 | Davin Scites | 20.549 |
44 | 16 | R.D. Smith, III | 20.549 |
45 | 8 | Josh Oakley | 20.554 |
46 | 12 | Ryan Wilson | 20.567 |
47 | 07 | Clint King | 20.568 |
48 | 02 | Austin Thaxton | 20.580 |
49 | 40 | C.E. Falk, III | 20.582 |
50 | 45 | Joey Mucciacciaro | 20.582 |
51 | 5E | Tyler English | 20.589 |
52 | 9K | Brad Kurth | 20.593 |
53 | 17R | Bryan Reedy | 20.606 |
54 | 50 | Garrett Bunch | 20.622 |
55 | 12B | Annabeth Barnes | 20.632 |
56 | 36 | Chris Johnson | 20.651 |
57 | 51 | Kyle Dudley | 20.661 |
58 | 54 | Michael Fose | 20.662 |
59 | 88R | Dustin Rumley | 20.681 |
60 | 90 | Terry Carroll | 20.696 |
61 | 81 | Patrick Coleman | 20.710 |
62 | 1 | Jamie Sweeney | 20.713 |
63 | 22 | Scott Lancaster | 20.739 |
64 | 25 | Derrick Lancaster | 20.760 |
65 | 73L | Gary Lewis | 20.778 |
66 | 87 | Hayden Woods | 20.810 |
67 | 04 | Ronnie Bassett, Jr. | 20.822 |
68 | 87B | Brandon Baker | 20.876 |
69 | 10P | Kevin Parker | 20.886 |
70 | 42 | Jamie Byrd | 20.887 |
71 | 15B | Kyle Barnes | 20.904 |
72 | 7 | Dylan Ward | 20.925 |
73 | 21 | Jimmy Wallace | 20.984 |
74 | 14H | Braeden Havens | 21.194 |
75 | 24 | Philip Sisson | 21.526 |
Heat One
1 | 44 | Dillon Bassett |
2 | 98G | Todd Gilliland |
3 | 83 | Matt Bowling |
4 | 88 | Josh Berry |
5 | 17 | Timothy Peters |
6 | 2W | Matt Waltz |
7 | 36 | Anthony Anders |
8 | 77 | Blake Stallings |
9 | 57 | Eddie Johnson |
10 | 98 | BJ Mackey |
11 | 55 | Alex Yontz |
12 | 73 | Bruce Anderson |
13 | 41 | Rusty Skews |
14 | 06 | Davis Scites |
15 | 12 | Ryan Wilson |
16 | 40 | CE Falk |
17 | 9K | Brad Kurth |
18 | 12B | Annabeth Barnes |
19 | 54 | Michael Fose |
20 | 81 | Patrick Coleman |
21 | 25 | Derrick Lancaster |
22 | 04 | Ronnie Bassett, Jr. |
23 | 42 | Jamie Byrd |
24 | 21 | Jimmy Wallace |
25 | 01 | Jake Crum |
Heat Two
1 | 31 | Kaz Grala |
2 | 14D | Mike Darne |
3 | 9 | William Byron |
4 | 21S | Travis Swaim |
5 | 03 | Brenden Queen |
6 | 41 | Brayton Haws |
7 | 02 | Mike Looney |
8 | 14 | Michael McGuire |
9 | 82 | Barry Beggarly |
10 | 26 | Philip Morris |
11 | 58 | Tyler Ankrum |
12 | 0 | Justin Snow |
13 | 10 | Nick Smith |
14 | 16 | RD Smith |
15 | 07 | Clint King |
16 | 45 | Joey Mucciaccioro |
17 | 17R | Brian Reedy |
18 | 36 | Chris Johnson |
19 | 88 | Dustin Rumley |
20 | 1 | Jamie Sweeney |
21 | 73 | Gary Lewis |
22 | 87 | Brandon Baker |
23 | 15B | Kyle Barnes |
24 | 14H | Braeden Havens |
25 | 23 | Peyton Ryan |
Heat Three
1 | 27 | Tommy Lemons, Jr. |
2 | 50 | Jamie Caudill |
3 | 15 | Kres Van Dyke |
4 | 8 | Dave Garbo, Jr. |
5 | 17 | Stacy Puryear |
6 | 91 | Justin Carroll |
7 | 2 | Dennis Holdren |
8 | 08 | Deac McCaskill |
9 | 8S | Thomas Scott |
10 | 59 | Coleman Pressley |
11 | 2S | Myatt Snider |
12 | 00 | Shane Lee |
13 | 01 | GR Waldrop |
14 | 20 | Sam Yarbourgh |
15 | 8 | Josh Oakley |
16 | 02 | Austin Thaxton |
17 | 5E | Tyler English |
18 | 50 | Garrett Bunch |
19 | 51 | Kyle Dudley |
20 | 90 | Terry Carroll |
21 | 22 | Scott Lancaster |
22 | 87 | Hayden Woods |
23 | 10P | Kevin Parker |
24 | 7 | Dylan Ward |
25 | 24 | Philip Sisson |