A beautiful spring afternoon, mild temperatures and track records broken would be the talk of the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway as several drivers from across the United States, the Southeast and locally, would capture pole positions and record track records for the third annual Short Track US Nationals held at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday.
Tom Gossar of Markelville, IN captured the pole in the Compact Class featuring four and six cylinder street machines you would see driving down the road. Gossar beat out the second place qualifying effort from Fort Wayne, IN native Mark Mason with a 18.698 to 18.881 effort by Mason. Marshall, WI driver Kyle Stark would qualify third with an 18.907 time.
In Pro Late Model Series qualifying, former NASCAR driver Mike Skinner rolled to a 14.939 second lap and a top speed of 128.442 mph to take the pole for the JEGS CRA All Stars Group Qualifying round. Martin Latulippe of Valle Junction, Quebec, would take the second spot with Indianapolis, IN driver Mason Keller taking third. After exiting the car, Skinner who now lives in Port Orange, FL exclaimed, “Its Bristol Baby!” and added that “of all the tracks he has raced in any series, Bristol was and is, his favorite track.”
Street Stock racer Brett Hudson of Owensboro, KY scored a 17.676 lap and a new track record at BMS with his qualifying run in Street Stock Racing Qualifying but it would be short lived as Chuck Barnes, Jr. of Louisville, KY, would take the top spot and unseat Hudson from the top spot with 17.651 lap. Hudson would drop to the second starting spot with Chuck Barnes, Sr. also of Louisville taking the third spot.
The third track record for the afternoon was set in the Super Late Model Qualifying, as Stephen Nasse of Pinellas Park, FL would capture a new track record of 14.526 and the pole for the Super LM race, with Avon, Indiana driver Scotty Tomasik qualifying second and Corbin, KY’s Josh Brock qualifying third. Nasse’s qualifying run knocked Augie Grill from the pole, relegating Grill to a seventh position starting spot and Steve Wallace of Mooresville, NC rolling off eighth from the starting grid.
By Rod Mullins |Augusta Free Press
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