SENOIA, Ga. - Tod Darda added to his career win total on Saturday night at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Ga. with a win in the Limited Late Model feature. The veteran driver from LaGrange, Ga. held back every charge Austin Horton attempted during the final half of the 30 lap bonus race to score the win.
Darda started on the pole after beating Dusty Jones in qualifying. The duo took the green flag and raced side by side until the race’s first caution. Nineteen-year-old Austin Horton took advantage of the restart to move past Jones into second place, leaving Jones to battle with 17-year-old Joey Armistead for the third place position.
Thomaston’s Shane Fulcher had climbed to the fifth position by lap ten when the field came upon the slowing Shane Criswell. Fulcher made the move low to get around Criswell but his car slid up into the front stretch wall, bringing out the yellow.
Glenn Morris had moved to the number four spot while Darda, Horton and Armistead sped away. Rucker Orr found the top five with a dozen laps remaining.
The show to watch was at the front of the pack. Darda held the low groove but would slide up between the inside and middle groove in each turn. Horton would slide in under him and get alongside only to have Darda shoot back out front entering the next turn.
At the end, Darda would hold off all the challenges to score the win . Horton would have to settle for second with Armistead holding back Orr for third place. Dusty Jones fought his way past Morris in the final five laps to nab a top five.
It marked Darda’s 34th career victory at the 3/8 mile dirt raceway since it returned to clay in the spring of 2010.
Eighteen-year-old Dylan Knowles led the Crate Late Model field at the drop of the green. He was pressured immediately by 16-year-old Trey Wood and Taylor Mitcham. The leaders traded positions, with Mitcham moving past Wood near the halfway mark. One lap later, Mitcham would scoot past Knowles and into the lead. It was a lead that he would never relinquish, including a green-white-checkered finish due to a late race caution. Kyle Clifton finished in second, with Knowles third, Wood in fourth and Frank Rogers in fifth.
In the B Cadet feature, Parrish Duncan led the field to green, with 17-year-old Jake Traylor giving chase. Duncan built a strong lead until he caught up to lapped traffic. That allowed Traylor reeled him in. The leaders darted in and out of traffic until a caution slowed the race on lap seven.
On the restart, Duncan shot back out to the lead leaving Traylor to fight for second with Michael Coggins. Traylor and Coggins swapped the second place position for several laps while Duncan built on his lead for the second time before another caution at the halfway point of the race would bunch everyone back together.
Duncan could not pull away on this restart, as Traylor stayed with him. Coggins faded back and found himself in a race for third with Craig Scott. Duncan and Traylor were the first to catch lapped traffic at lap 16. Duncan slowed down, allowing Traylor to shoot past and steal the lead. But Duncan fought back and returned the favor two laps later. Just behind, Coggins and Scott were racing through the same lapped cars and were swapping their position back and forth.
When the checkered flag flew over the field, Duncan had his second win of the season with Traylor having to settle for the runner-up spot. Coggins would out duel Scott for the third position while Johnny Stinchcomb finished in fifth.
In the Hobby Stock feature, Ben Steele moved past a wobbly Chad Foster to take the lead on lap two. Steele would cruise to the victory keeping Foster in second. Bubba Allen, Lee Traylor and Bill Brown rounded out the top five.
Josh Roddy took advantage of Newnan’s Kevin Evans car breaking on lap 14 of the Bomber feature. Roddy battled Alex Rudolph and Winford Minix before pulling away to take the checkered flag. Minix would end up in second ahead of Rudolph. Hunter Cossette was fourth with Chris Holt in fifth.
In the Mini Stock feature, Brandon Libri swapped the lead several times with Brandon Bright. Bright would settle for second ahead of Senoia’s Robert Caldwell, Sharpsburg’s Darrin Parrott and defending Mini Stock points champion Harold Leath of Griffin.
Clint “Cat Daddy” Smith as the veteran went flag to flag to win the Super Late Model main. Scott Knowles finished in second, with Ricky Williams in third, Madeline Crane in fourth and Cody King in fifth.
Senoia Raceway returns to action on Saturday, with action from the Super Late Models, Limited Late Models, Crate Late Models, B Cadets, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Bomber and Legends Car divisions.
For more info, visit SenoiaRaceway.com.
Senoia Raceway – Senoia, GA
Race Results – March 28, 2015
Super Late Models
1. Clint Smith
2. Scott Knowles
3. Ricky Williams
4. Madeline Crane
5. Cody King
6. Mason Massey
7. Matt Dooley
Limited Late Models
1. Tod Darda
2. Austin Horton
3. Joey Armistead
4. Rucker Orr
5. Dusty Jones
6. Glenn Morris
7. Clifton Moran
8. Jayce Southwell
9. Cameron Heath
10. Ricky Payton
11. Shane Criswell
12. Buddy George
13. Shane Fulcher
14. Shane Barrett
15. Trey White
16. Carey Smith
17. Marcus Caswell
Crate Late Models
1. Taylor Mitcham
2. Kyle Clifton
3. Dylan Knowles
4. Trey Wood
5. Frank Rogers
6. Sean Swetnam
B Cadets
1. Parrish Duncan
2. Jake Traylor
3. Michael Coggins
4. Craig Scott
5. Johnny Stinchcomb
6. Jesse Hollis
7. Jimmy Baxter, Sr.
8. Bennie Croy
9. Brian Womack
10. Ronnie Thacker
11. Corey Pressley
12. Matt Whaley
13. Charles Grogan
Hobby Stocks
1. Ben Steele
2. Chad Foster
3. Bubba Allen
4. Lee Traylor
5. Bill Brown
DQ: Lee McElwaney
Bombers
1. Josh Roddy
2. Winford Minix
3. Alex Rudolph
4. Hunter Cossett
5. Chris Holt
6. Lee Owenby, Jr.
7. Brandon Jones
8. Kevin Evans
9. Carley Arnett
10. Chad Barrett
DNS: John Holder
Mini Stock
1. Brandon Libri
2. Brandon Bright
3. Robert Caldwell
4. Darrin Parrott
5. Harold Leath
6. Travis Harris
7. Marc Leath
8. Cassie Dingler
9. Gary Parker
Modified Mini
1. Austin Brumbelow
2. Mark Newton
3. Todd Brewster
4. Kevin Tullis
DQ: Robbie Scadron
