Yontz makes it 7 winners 7 races in the Strutmasters.com 150

By Adam Smith

Times-News

adam_smith@link.freedom.com

ALTAMAHAW There were about 17 laps remaining Friday night when Ace

Speedway announcer Doug Smith invoked Don Meredith’s classic line

 From Monday Night Football lore.

He said the time had come to turn out the lights. Because the party was

over.

Actually, though, a rousing and relieving celebration just was beginning to

 embrace Alex Yontz.

Walnut Cove’s Yontz generated his first winning breakthrough of the season

And drove to a Late Models victory in the 150-lap United Auto Racing

Association feature at Ace.

I ‘am just happy to be here, man, he said after leading the final 117

Laps. I had a perfect car from the green flag on. You just kind of

 put it on cruise control, auto pilot, and just stay behind the wheel.

Yontz’s No. 55 Chevrolet supplied a qualifying run that placed him

 second

on the starting grid. And he proved formidable at the front of the

 26-car field from the outset.

Three caution periods turned the opening 15 laps into a choppy experience,

but the UARA touring series eventually settled in. That’s when Yontz got

comfortable.

His car chased down and passed the No. 27 Ford of fast qualifier Mark

Setzer on the backstretch before ducking into turn three.

Ultimately, as lightning flickered in the distance, Yontz smooth

performance coupled with only one yellow caution flag during the last 132

laps ensured that would be the only lead change.

They gave me a perfect car, he said about his race team. They worked

hard on this car all year. I’ve tore it up and they’ve put it back

together, and they stay with me. I just can’t thank them enough.

It registered as Yontz fifth career UARA victory and second top-five

effort of the year.

He won the famed Bailey’s 300 last fall at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway 

one of the country’s most prestigious Late Models events but had

struggled somewhat to a 12th-place showing in UARA points heading into

Friday night.In April, Yontz failed to qualify for the UARA stop at

 Tri-County Speedway

in Hudson. But a fourth-place result from two weeks ago at Coastal

 Plains Raceway in Jacksonville provided some traction. Our year’s been up

 and down, Yontz said. I think we’ve finally got it turned around here.

Newton’s Setzer finished second and points leader B.J. Mackey of Rock

Hill, S.C., came in third. Mackey applied varying amounts of pressure

 To the back bumper of Setzer’s car, and delivered some contact at times.

Yet a maneuver around Setzer and potential charge on Yontz never

materialized. Lapped cars stood us up there, Mackey said.

Arden’s Lee Tissot and Concord’s Ross Furr placed fourth and fifth,

respectively. Tissot qualified 11th, but his No. 53 Ford climbed

throughout and appeared to be one of the track’s fastest cars by the

 end.

We was about two-tenths (of a second) quicker than them guys during

 That long run, he said, referring to the nearly 75 laps of green-flag

 Racing starting with lap 18. That’s the way it falls and we’re happy

 With fourth.

Reidsville’s Rodney Cook, the defending Late Models champion here,

finished 22nd. He emerged as the only Ace regular to compete. His No.

 14 Ford qualified eighth and moved up to sixth position early on.

Crumpled sheet metal on his hood doomed his chances, though. He pulled

 His car off the pace and into the pits on lap 49 to answer a black-flag

penalty and receive repairs.

Friday night’s other winners at Ace were Creedmoor’s Tripp Massengill

(25-lap Aaron’s Pro Challenge Series), Gibsonville’s Keith Brame Jr.

(15-lap X-treme Cars) and Rural Hall’s Johnny Gregory (20-lap Flathead

Fords).