8/5/2023
Iron-Man Late Model Series
Michael Chilton and Blake Brown Win Iron-Man Racing Series Pete Abell Memorial/Hall of Fame Events at Ponderosa Speedway
JUNCTION CITY, KENTUCKY (August 4, 2023)– The Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Northern and Southern Series would return to action at Ponderosa Speedway on Friday evening for the 25th Annual Pete Abell Memorial/Hall of Fame 40 event and Michael Chilton of Salvisa, KY would claim the $7,500 victory in the Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series portion of the event, while Blake Brown of Corbin, KY would be victorious in the Brucebilt Performance Parts Iron-Man Open Wheel Modified Southern Series portion of the event.
For the 37-year-old Chilton, the defending Northern and Southern Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series champion, it would be his eleventh career series victory and first of the 2023 season and would come aboard a Rocket Chassis powered by a Cornett Race Engine with sponsorship from Caton Industrial Painting, MKC Transport, Set-N-Stone Marble/Granite/Quartz, Rick Purvis Builders, C&C Redi Mix, Clayton Homes of Williamsburg, Hill’s Truck Repair, Bluegrass Radiator, Irvin Enterprises, Parkview Home Center, and SFP Performance Systems.
Brown, a 24-year-old second generation driver, would claim his 12th career Brucebilt Performance Parts Iron-Man Open Wheel Modified Series victory and second season and it would come behind the wheel of an Elite Chassis powered by a Vic Hill Race Engine with sponsorship from Norman Freight Brokers, Kentucky Farm Bureau-Blake Brown Agent, CoonDog Academy, Kentucky Clutch, Clayton Homes of Williamsburg, Icehouse Bar and Grill, Jerovitz Motorsports Shocks, Don Franklin Ford of London, Lawyer Muscle Racing, KY Clutch, SH Tube, and Elliotte Logistics.
Michael Chilton would grab the lead at the start of the Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Northern/Southern Series 25th Annual Pete Abell Memorial/Hall of Fame 40 main event, followed by Mike Marlar, Forrest Trent, Greg Johnson, and Justin Rattliff. Eighth place starting Josh Rice would take fifth from Rattliff on lap two and a couple of circuits later on lap four, Rice would claim fourth from Johnson. The first and second place duo of Chilton and Marlar would begin to work slower traffic on lap eight as the pair had put some distance back to Trent, who would lose the third position to Rice on lap nine. The first caution of the event waved on lap ten for debris in turn one and fourth place running Johnson would slow in turn two. The restart would see Chilton, Marlar, and Rice first through third, with Trent fourth, and Rattliff back into fifth. Rice would pressure Chilton for second and on lap fourteen, Marlar would slip up in turn two and Rice would take the runner-up slot and then the caution would wave for debris in turn two and Marlar would pull his mount to the infield with nosepiece damage on the car. Chilton again controlled the restart, with Rice, Trent, Rattliff, and Rod Conley now giving chase. The front five remained the same until the next caution waved on lap 20 for a spin in turn two by Shane Bailey and the restart would not see a full lap completed as Mike Bargo would spin in turn four. The restart would see the top five remain Chilton, Rice, Trent, Rattliff, and Conley they would run in this order until the final caution waved on lap twenty-six when Rattliff would slow on the frontchute. The final restart would see Chilton and Rice quickly pull away from the field, while Trent would maintain third, Conley would now be fourth, and Grant Garrison would be fifth. Chilton and Rice would put a full straightaway advantage on Trent with five laps remaining and would have to work slower traffic in the waning laps of the event. As the field received the white flag, Rice would make one final run at Chilton in turns one and two, but would be unable to execute the pass and Chilton would claim the victory, with Rice second and Trent taking the final podium position in third. Conley and Garrison would complete the top five. Rattliff would recover from the earlier caution to finish sixth, while the remainder of the top ten finishers would be Shane Bailey, Mike Bargo, Josh Sneed, and Marlar.
In the Brucebilt Performance Parts Iron-Man Open Wheel Modified Southern Series feature contest, Blake Brown would grab the lead at the drop of the green flag, trailed by Victor Lee, Bryan Barber, Ben Harmon, and Miles Cook, Jr. Brown would build a comfortable advantage, while Barber pressured Lee for second but could not make the pass. The front five remained the same as the field saw the halfway mark of the twenty lap event, with Brown having to begin to lap slower cars at this point. The running order in the top five remained the same as the first caution of the race waved with eighteen laps completed when Layne Rogers would spin his unit in turn two. The restart would not go well either and Rogers and Todd Gregory would tangle in turn four to again set up a two-lap sprint to the finish. Brown would go unchallenged in the final two circuits to score the win, followed by Lee, Barber, Harmon, and Cook, Jr. The rest of the top ten finishers were Brandon Kinzer, Peyton Harlow, Joe Husband, Kyle Cochran, and Jacob Hall.
The next event for the Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Northern Series will be Saturday August 19 at Atomic Speedway in Waverly, OH paying $5,000 to win. The next events for the Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Southern Series will be Friday August 11 at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, AL for the Road to ‘Dega 40 paying $5,000 to win and Saturday August 12 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL for the Governor’s Cup paying $10,000 to win. The next scheduled events for the Brucebilt Performance Parts Iron-Man Open Wheel Modified Southern Series will be Friday October 6 and Saturday October 7 at Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY as part of the track’s Fall Classic weekend, with each event paying $1,500 to win.
For more information on the Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series and Brucebilt Performance Parts Open Wheel Modified Series, phone series promoter Chris Tilley at (828) 361-5981 or by visiting the tour website at www.IMDIRT.net (Super Late Models), www.IMOPENWHEEL.net (Open Wheel Modifieds), or by following Iron-Man Series (@CTPROMOTE) on Twitter or liking Iron-Man Racing Series on Facebook.
The Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series and Brucebilt Performance Parts Iron-Man Open Wheel Modified Series would like to thank the following sponsors and marketing partners for their support of the 2023 racing season: Valvoline, Zerex by Valvoline, Brucebilt Performance Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire, E-Z-GO, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, SFP Performance Systems, MyRacePass, Impact Race Gear, XS Power Batteries, Vic Hill Racing Engines, Racecar Engineering, American Racer Tires, Keltner Contracting, Todd Steel Buildings, TW Taylor Trucking, Earnhardt Technologies Group, Weichert Realtors-Ford Brothers (Judith Dyehouse-Agent), Swafford Signs, KY Clutch, DIRTCAR Racing, Brown Haven Homes, Knowles Race Parts and Bodies, Coosa Heating and Cooling, STAKT Products, KND Safety, Chattanooga Valley Auto Parts, PopBit, Denby’s J&J Construction, Jim and Nancy Viox, Advanced Transportation, Lowe’s Tows, Reno’s Roadhouse, and Racetrack Safety Initiative.
About Valvoline™
Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. It operates and franchises approximately 1,400 quick-lube locations, and it is the No. 2 chain by number of stores in the United States under the Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM brand and the No. 3 chain by number of stores in Canada under the Valvoline Great Canadian Oil Change brand. It also markets Valvoline lubricants and automotive chemicals, including the Valvoline High Mileage with MaxLife technology motor oil for engines over 75,000 miles; Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic motor oil; Valvoline Premium Blue™ heavy-duty motor oil; Valvoline Multi-Vehicle Automatic Transmission Fluid; and Zerex™ antifreeze. To learn more, visit www.valvoline.com.
About Brucebilt Performance Parts
Brucebilt Performance Parts is a one-stop shop for everything dirt racing located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Brucebilt Performance Parts carries a vast array of parts, while also operating a full-scale fabrication and repair shop and their parts menu includes an assortment of new chassis, old chassis, along with new parts of all kinds for your racing vehicle. For more information about Brucebilt Performance Parts, visit www.brucebilt.com.