The UARA is deeply saddened by the loss of our
dear friend Mrs. Dee Ann Yontz of Walnut Cove, N.C.
Monday October 19, 2009.

Dee Ann was voted as the 2006 UARA Mother of the Year.
It was her dedication to her family and friends that earned her
that award. She was the type of person who would do all
within her power to lend a helping hand where needed and her
bright smile and friendly personality will be greatly missed.

We at the UARA take this time to extend our sincere sympathy
to the entire Yontz family.

A 2:00 pm service will be held at St Mark United Methodist Church.
The family will receive friends from 12:00 noon until 2:00 pm
on Wednesday October 21, 2009 Prior to the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to
St. Mark United Methodist Church Youth or to
The Donald Gray Tilley Fund, both sent c/o Janie Hicks,
P.O. Box 1275, King, NC 27021
 

Pressley wins Inaugural Banjo Matthews 150

David Allio Photo

October 19, 2009 Hendersonville, NC



Coleman Pressley took his Toyota Camry with its crate motor to Hickory Motor Speedway Sunday and claimed the victory in the Inaugural Banjo Matthews Memorial 150. The event was a fund raising event for the Buncombe County School Foundations “Banjo Matthews Motorsports Scholarship”.

Pressley had his game on for Sunday. He claimed the Sunoco Pole with a 15.249 lap followed by good friend Kyle Grissom on the KLB Race Cars and Parts outside pole with a 15.359. Jamey Caudill, Paddy Rodenbeck and Brandon McReynolds rounded out the top five qualifiers.

The green falls with honorary starter Brad Daughtery waving the flag from at the start finish line. It is Grissom who takes the point followed by Pressley, Rodenbeck, Caudill and McReynolds. They will be content with that order just a short time then McReynolds passes Caudill for fourth on lap 10. Pressley has been putting the pressure on Grissom and takes the lead on lap 16. A short way back Andy Loden puts the pass on Brennan Poole and local hero Dexter Canipe, Jr. passes Caudill for fifth.

Lap 24 finds Grissom and McReynolds putting on a whale of a show as they run side by side for three laps running with McReynolds finally claiming second spot on lap 26. Series point leader Matt McCall who qualified 8th is now in seventh place behind Caudill who is second in points.

Dylan Presnell who is having one of his best runs of the season passes Randy Hawkins for twelfth and Canipe passes Rodenbeck for fourth by lap 33.

G Force shift of the race winner Garrett Campbell who had problems all during the morning has come from his provisional starting position up to eleventh by lap 40.

Lap 42 finds the cars of Pressley and McReynolds running side by side and really putting pressure on one another. Lap 47 finds McReynolds taking the lead by a foot only to have Pressley regain it on lap 48 and never let it go again. It was one of those nail biting, edge of the chair experiences watching to see who would be out front. They would continue the side by side thing until lap 52 when the caution flies for the first time. As the Pressley, McReynolds battle is going on, just a short distance back it is a three wide battle with Caudill, McCall and Loden all trying for the position lap after lap. Coming out of turn two Caudill is mid track, McCall on the bottom and Loden trying to squeeze in between. Contact is made and Caudill will spin. Caudill will go a lap down and tempers get a little warm. On lap 60 the Caudill machine makes contact with the McCall machine but all keep running. Caudill will receive a stop and go penalty for rough driving.

By lap 66 Campbell has moved up to sixth place showing what great talent he has and the determination to try to gain his first UARA win. McCall makes a pass on Loden and Poole to get back to 7th. Poole latches on to McCall and passes Loden as well. Loden, Rodenbeck and Lee Tissot now begin a serious battle at this point. Lap 84 will then find Presnell, Caudill and Tissot having a three deep battle. Four laps later it will be Presnell, Rodenbeck and Tissot in a tangle in turn two bringing out caution 2. Former UARA champion Tissot’s race will end at this time as he takes his battered car to the pits.

It will be a short caution and the field will go green with Pressley out front. At lap 99 the Make A Wish car of Ryan Robertson will spin in turn four. The field will go green only to receive the caution again on lap 112 as Grant McGinnis spins on the front stretch. On the next restart Pressley sets sail as McReynolds and Canipe, McCall and Campbell, and Grissom and Loden are all doing side by side lap by lap racing. By lap 120 it is Pressley, Canipe, McReynolds, McCall, Campbell, Grissom, Loden, Poole, R.A. Brown and Caudill charging one another.

The action is fierce and the fourth and final caution will fly as on lap 122 the Campbell car came down and made contact with Grissom and Campbell spins. Campbell being a class act driver came on the radio and apologized for coming down too quick.

Canipe and McReynolds will battle side by side for several of the final laps and it will be Canipe who claims the second place spot with Pressley taking the win.

Dr. Tony Baldwin, Superintendent of Buncombe County Schools, stated how impressed he was with the whole behind the scene activity of racing. He commented on how educational a racing event can be. There is the computer science, mathematics, coordination of media, advertising etc. He said it was all quite a surprise to him. Dr. Baldwin and his sons were attending their first racing event but I feel they will be around for more to come.

Banjo Matthews’ son Jody couldn’t be on hand for the event but his wife Tina and children Trey and Michaela were there to represent the Matthews family. Trey and Michaela gave the command for drivers to “Start your Engines” and for photographs and trophy presentation with winner Coleman Pressley along with Dr. Baldwin post race.

The Chassis Specialty Rookie of the Race was young Brennan Poole.

Second place point contender Jamey Caudill will be the Aluminum Racing Products Hard Luck award winner.

The Comp Cams Engine Builder of the Race will be General Motors with the first crate motor victory in UARA history.

The B Square Janitorial Clean Sweep of the race award will go to Coleman Pressley for being the highest place finisher starting and finishing in the same position.

1. Coleman Pressley
2. Dexter Canipe, Jr.
3. Brandon McReynolds
4. Matt McCall
5. Kyle Grissom
6. Brennan Poole
7. R.A. Brown
8. Andy Loden
9. Michael Rouse
10. Garrett Campbell
11. Scott Turlington
12. Dylan Presnell
13. Ryan Robertson
14. Caleb Holman
15. Randy Hawkins
16. Grant McGinnis
17. Jamey Caudill
18. Paddy Rodenbeck
19. Lee Tissot

The UARA-STARS will be in action again at Concord Speedway on October 31, 2009 for the Make A Wish / Trick or Treat the Driver race and the next to last event for the UARA of 2009.

For more info visit www.uara-stars.com or call 828-692-3833 Press Release by: Wink Bodenhamer