A large, enthusiastic throng of dirt-track racing fans descended on the Natural Bridge Speedway Saturday night to enjoy the speedway’s annual Fall Classic. Friday’s scheduled opening half of the big event was rained out, but a gorgeous Saturday allowed track officials to roll in a wonderful track surface, allowing all scheduled events to be contested.
Vocal fans rose to their feet as Walker Arthur, running alongside front-row partner David Watts, took the green flag in the 28-car, 40-lap late model main feature. Quick qualifier Larry Ramsey was unable to take the green as his machine developed problems after his quick qualifying triumph.
Lurking in the second row behind Arthur was Russell Erwin of Beaverdam, who had previously rolled a modified car at Natural Bridge, who was making the first NBS late model start of his career. Early in the race, Erwin, whose primary competition takes place in the I-95 Late Model Challenge Series, slid past Arthur and Watts low between turns three and four and commandeered a lead he would not relinquish. It was Erwin’s sixth open late model win of the campaign and netted him $2,500 for the win.
As Erwin maintained a consistent 4-to-5 car length edge, Joey Leavell began to close in on Arthur for the second position. Joey McClung and Watts, respectively held positons four and five for several laps as cars were dicing for position all over the 3/8-mile clay banked oval.
A lap 18 restart brought Erwin back to the field, but he took the green and once again became the leader of the pack. Local wheelman Tyler Bare positioned himself for a solid second-place finish. Leavell, Arthur and Greg Roberson completed the top five.
Lee Jamerson and Wes Branner advanced to the main event with a 1-2 finish in the late “B” main.
In what started out to be a head-to-head race between a strong visiting driver and a proven Natural Bridge Speedway driver evolved into what Natural Bridge faithful have seen many times this season: brothers dueling each other for the checkers.
Shaun Whetzel jumped to the lead in the 14-car, 25-lap Fall Classic sportsman feature as the green dropped. Whetzel paced the first seven laps with Samuel Bryant on Whetzel’s rear deck before slipping past Whetzel to take the lead during lap 9. But Whetzel answered and regained the point one circuit later. On lap 12, Samuel Bryant took the lead when Whetzel’s engine expired. Now chasing Samuel Bryant was his younger brother Aaron.
The Bryant brothers ran 1-2 to the checkers, though Natural Bridge Speedway veteran pilot Bobby Thompson made a strong late-race surge to cop third place.
Seventeen vehicles took the green in the Fall Classic street stock feature. Frankie Drewery shot to the lead immediately, a position he would hold until he took the checkers 25 laps later.
Jeff Campbell and John Goin, showed strength, too, as they ran 2-3 behind Drewery throughout the feature and finished in those positions.
The pure stock feature was a thriller, which went down to the last few laps before Matt Whitten emerged from a three-car scramble to surge to victory. Lloyd Wright led the first 10 laps of the 25-lap event before his disabled car retired to the pits. Whitten, Lee Brooks and James Newton finally separated themselves from the pack late in the race, and Whitten pulled side-by-side with Brooks and then shot by with the decisive pass.
Dustin Ferguson, who finished second in qualifying to quick qualifier Jonathan Burnette, reversed that outcome as he rolled home victorious in the Fall Classic All-American feature with Burnette running second. Michael Demers finished third.
Dustin Fisher took the checkers in the Fall Classic Mini-Mod feature. Brett Wallace finished second.
Natural Bridge Speedway will play host to its final racing program of the 2016 season on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with division point championships still to be determined.
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