NADTC Margarettsville report

Moorefield makes it 3 at NADTC

MARGARETTSVILLE, NC-Dirt karting standout Justin Moorefield made three trips to victory lane October 24-26 during a rain shortened North American Dirt Track Championships that brought 429 racers to Margarettsville Speedway in Margarettsville, NC. This prestigious race traces its roots to when dirt racing was part of the North American Karting Championship and in it's revived form offers larger purses, more contingency prizes and provisional starting positions for the annual World Dirt Karting Championships at Daytona Beach, FL's Municipal Stadium raced December 26-30. In addition it will be raced at a different WKA Master Tracks each year.

All classes paid $500 to win, except for Briggs Medium and Heavy which offered $1,000 to win, plus contingency prizes and cash from manufacturers whose products helped winners reach victory lane. First and second place finishers were guaranteed 31 and 32 place Daytona provisional and starting positions and race winners drew numbers from a hat offering another racer in there class a 33rd place starting position at Daytona unless they qualify better at that event.

That Saturday racers got in several rounds of early morning practice before qualifying and then just as racers were getting the grid call for features a steady rain began falling that soaked the track just enough to force WKA officials to cancel Feature racing. Feature finishes were based on qualifying and Moorefield, of Sandy Ridge, NC, who earn poles in Briggs Controlled Medium and Azusa Engineering Briggs Medium on the 1/2-mile dirt oval, was awarded those wins. Sunday he had to work a little harder for his third win in Gold Speed USA Briggs Controlled Heavy where a 15.346 seconds qualifying effort earned him a third place starting position.

Pole winner Tod Miller, who topped qualifying with a 15.215 seconds lap, burst into the early lead with Moorefield and Jared Jackson nose to tail behind him. Several laps later Moorefield and Jackson drafted by Miller. A seesaw battle unfolded in the following early laps as Tim Fishel took a turn at the top, Miller battled back and took it from him only to surrender it to Virginian Jason Higginbotham who let Moorefield slip past him in the final laps for the win. At the stripe Moorefield was a comfortable 2.440 seconds ahead of Higginbotham.

"The kart was great, the new Phantom Harrill (Wiggins) has come out with, the Phenom, I really love it, it has been handling good all weekend. That's three for three on that kart this weekend for me so I like it pretty good," Moorefield credited. "I also want to thank Beef Performance, they give me the best engine I could ask for and I want to thank all the guys at the shop and God for a safe race."

Scotty Bajer was the other big money winner with a narrow 0.865 seconds victory over Bordeaux Dyno Cams Briggs Heavy pole winner Kevin Elliot. Elliot, who cranked out a 15.242 seconds pole-winning lap, took the early lead over Higginbotham, the outside pole winner at 15.293 seconds. After an opening lap crash in turn one Elliot led the 30-racer field in a single file start and had Bajer quickly closing in on him from third. Bajer recaptured the lead in the final laps and held off Elliott to the end.

"It was a tight one," Bajer admitted, " I led for a while and then I retook it with three to go and that was about all there was to it, I got the last move. I want got to thank Harrill Wiggins, Tod Miller and Avis Electric. The Phantom Phenom chassis ran real good this weekend and I've got to thank Mike Lee, Brandon Magee, Christina and everybody else that helped out.

"I'm going to spend the $1,000,' Bajer added, "I'm going to put it back into my racing program."

Moorefield wasn't the weekend's only multi winner. Five others were double winners. Lewes, DE based Radical Racing Engines powered Shadow kart pilot Brandon White swept both Briggs Junior Sportsman 1 classes taking Saturday's Lite class with a pole winning 17.312 seconds lap and then backed it up with a race win in Sunday's Briggs Junior Sportsman 1 Heavy.

Sunday White blistered the track with a 16.828 seconds lap for Junior Sportsman 1 Heavy's pole. White hustled into the initial lead and then surrendered it to third place qualifier Cameron Collins on lap two of 20. Several laps later Greenville, NC competitor John Stancill took second from White and then the lead from Collins as White recaptured second.

With the halfway signal showing ahead of them White and Stancill battled side-by-side down the back straightaway heading for turn three. They traded a little paint in the turn sending Stancill spinning and White into the lead. White ran away with the race from there building a huge 4.801 seconds finish line advantage over second place Taylor Brown who took that position in the final laps.

"It's awesome to finally win my first national," White said. "I didn't mean to hit John Stancill, I just came up on him too fast. The kart was a little loose in the beginning, but it got better at the end and Hammer's motor was the bomb. I want to thank my mom, dad, my grandparents and my brother. I also want to thank Lawns Unlimited, Morris Powder Coating, R.E. Givens Builder and Clyde Quigley Mason Contractors for sponsoring me and I want to also thank Jamie Lewis of Upper Cut Tires."

Cole Canady did the same in Briggs Junior Sportsman 2. Saturday the Willow Springs, NC based double winner dominated Briggs Junior Sportsman 2 Lite with a 15.945 seconds top qualifying lap and then Sunday he capped a dicey duel with Daniel Armstrong in Briggs Junior Sportsman 2 Heavy, which he won by 1.100 seconds.

"Oh man it was crazy," described the 12-year-old Beef Performance Racing Engines powered Phantom kart pilot. "He (Armstrong) was fast, I was fast, but the drat was really what made it and then on that last lap he kind of slipped and I thought I could get him so I went inside and you see what happened. The kart handled great, it was a little loose at first and then it came in and got real good and the Beef motor was pulling real good."

Other double winners included Matt Hawkins who won Briggs Limited Heavy and 4 Cycle Open, Chris Williams who topped Briggs Senior and Maxxis Tires Briggs Super Heavy and Greenville, NC competitor John Stancill who swept Briggs Junior Sportsman Champ Lite and Heavy.

A full race report will appear in an up coming issue of WKA's Karting Scene. To subscribe visit the WKA web site at www.worldkarting.com or call the office at 704.455.1606.

-bruce c. walls, guest writer-