ROCKINGHAM — The top teams in the second Crown 9 Champion Series race at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday night were still the same when the race was over.
The series was won again by veteran driver and driving teacher Sergio Pena. Mark Dysart came in second, and Doug Horn came in third.
Pena said that the biggest problem of the night was the many warnings during the final showdown.
The warnings were right after each other, and Pena said, “It was just to keep the heat in the tires and the brakes.” “I’ve played with air pressure during almost all of my practice sessions.”
Because of that warning, Dysart was in front for a few laps.
Pena said, “The 76 (Jon Morton) gave Mark a huge push on that restart. He took the lead, and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get it back.'” “Thank goodness we got another warning, though, because I was able to move on that first outside turn.”
“After that, everything went well. When I came out of the last turn, I felt my engine sputter, and I thought, ‘Oh, what’s that?'”
Peña said he thought the tank had enough gas.
“It looks like that wasn’t enough.” “I guess the fuel splashing around was making it run low on fuel,” Pena said. It was helpful that Mark was right on my bumper as I came around every turn.
He said he’d be fine if he could hold on for one more lap when he saw the white flag.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Eight drivers with different levels of experience were in the second race in the series. Three of them were racing for the first time.
Two cars were entered by Cooke Boys Septic Services. Andy Cooke from Hamlet drove the No. 65 car and Eli “Otis” Russell from Rockingham drove the No. 45 car.
This was Cooke’s first time driving on a road course. He had raced lawnmowers in Ellerbe before this. Russell also raced in the first Crown 9 race and came in fifth.
Steven Franklin was at a wedding, so Alex Bradley, also from Rockingham, drove the No. 13 car from Franklin’s Rod Shop in his place. Bradley has been driving on the track with the MB Drift amateur series.
Franklin said there would be another driver in the car for the race on October 5. This would give each driver time before the team’s other cars went on the track. In 2025, the team will have four cars.
Steven “Smokey” Gaskins, from Rock Hill, South Carolina, made his first appearance on the show. It was the first time in 30 years that he had been behind the wheel.
Gaskins began racing when he was 13 years old and did so for ten years on dirt tracks. One day, he won two races at two different tracks.
His son Derick has been racing in the MB Drift series for three years. At the end of the season, he tied for seventh place with Nathan McDuffie and Dan Stoneburner.
Derick Gaskins said of his father, “That’s where I learn how to drive.”
Warriors in Motion drivers, along with Derick Gaskins, McDuffie, and Brett Dysart (Mark Dysart’s brother), let people ride along with them during the breaks between races.
Another person who made their first showing in Crown 9 was Winston-Salem’s Kaleb Brown, who drove Morton’s No. 11 car. Brown has run in a few races.
Mortons, who lives in Arcadia in Davidson County, has been racing since he was 20 years old. He has driven at Caraway Speedway in Sophia. He has raced in enduro events, where any car is allowed, and he has also driven late models.
Morton said, “I kind of like this grassroots racing.”
Morton won 15 races and the season title in a Crown Vic series at Caraway last year. There are stickers on the back window of the driver’s side showing his success. He’s used to making left turns on an oval track, not the right turns at the Rock’s infield road course.
His American flag-themed No. 76 car, “She’s been through some battles,” he said.
Pena, from Winchester, Virginia, started driving go-karts and worked his way up the racing ranks. In 2012, he came in eighth place in the K&N Pro Series at Rockingham. A Winston-Salem man named Horn, who served in the Army Special Operations, is one of the teachers at the driving school he runs with him.
Dysart was born in Wisconsin, grew up in Illinois, and now lives in Aberdeen. From 1987 to 1996, he raced in regional road races before moving to dirt-track racing.
RACE HIGHLIGHTS
Track Manager Dustin Russell had a group of kids start the race with the words “Gentlemen, start your engines!” right before the big race.
Pena was in first place during the heat race, but Gaskins almost passed him on the inside as they went around the second-to-last turn of the first lap.
Peña said, “I need to do something about my power.” “I tuned my car from the last race to this one and thought it was a bit faster, but I think I have the guys in the corners. On the straightaways, though, I think some of them will be able to get away from me a bit.”
“He had a great run coming out of…” I felt Turn 3 get inside of me and give me a little love tap.
He said, “Slowly but surely I can inch away” to keep the car from rolling.
Gaskins was in a strong third place during the battle until he spun out after Turn 1 and Russell hit him.
The No. 5 car had a flat tire and had to leave the race. When it got back to the pit area in the parking lot, the family thought the day was over.
Desrick Gaskins said, “All we had was a bent rim and a junk 10-year-old tire in the pits.” “When my dad got out of the car, he was still in a good mood.” But I chose to become a tire maker, so I put the flat tire back on the bent rim by hand. We didn’t waste any time getting it pumped up and on the car.
Russell and Brown also quit the race, but Russell came back.
Pena passed Russell in the last turn, and Dysart did the same thing down the front stretch, which led to the first caution of the race.
Russell and Bradley went door-to-door during one of the early pileups, damaging the No. 13’s driver-side mirror. Bradley told them it was only there for a few laps before he took it off and threw it out the window on the front stretch.
During the showdown, Horn and Morton fought for place, just like they did in the first race. Bradley fought both Russell and Cooke at times.
In this season, there are still three races left: the title race on Nov. 16, Oct. 5, and the two races in November.
Pena said, “It was great racing.” He thanked the speedway for having the series and everyone who came out to watch. He also said that he hoped the next race would bring more people to the Rock.
Cooke said the same thing Pena did.
Cooke said Monday, “It gets bigger and better as more people hear about it.” “Tell all your friends about it.”