Falk finishes Langley title with win
Published 7:41 pm Monday, October 12, 2009
Capping his championship campaign in style, C.E. Falk led from pole to checkers to claim his 11th victory of the season in the Crossroads Fuel Service 100 for the Late Model Stock Car division Saturday at Langley Speedway.
Falk bagged the pole position in afternoon qualifying. His primary challenger for the championship, Danny Edwards Jr., was second-quickest.
The first caution flag waved on lap 38 for debris. Lining up for the restart, Falk and Edwards Jr. were separated from the rest of the field by a pair of lapped machines.
By lap 83, Falk had extended his margin to half a straightaway. Slower cars, all jousting for position, loomed ahead of him, though.
Falk endured an anxious moment on lap 88 when two of those cars, driven by Duane Shreeves and John Staton, tangled in Turn 2 and Shreeves spun. Falk easily ducked the incident, however, as the field slowed for the third caution flag.
Only two more green-flag circuits were recorded before the last of the race’s four yellow flags appeared. Back under green for an 11-lap charge to the finish, Falk eked out a two-length lead over Edwards Jr. and increased it to three lengths as the front-runners rumbled onto the backstretch. By the finish, the margin had returned to half a straightaway as Falk sailed to the victory — and the championship.
In Victory Lane after the race, Falk distributed hugs to everyone in sight, then offered a few comments on a perfect ending to a banner year.
“Thank you to all the fans and my family down there in Turn 4… and, all my crew guys. They’ve stuck behind me for three years and, finally, we’ve got something to show for it. This is awesome. Langley Speedway track champion. I can’t believe it,” said Falk.
Danny Edwards, Jr., Mark Wertz, Greg Edwards and Dean Shiflett rounded out the top five in the season standings.
In the evening’s other feature events:
In the 50-lap B&C Seafood Modified feature, Shawn Balluzzo moved into the lead on lap 11 and rolled to his fifth win of the season. In the process, he wrapped up his third Mod title in four years.
Over the closing laps, Balluzzo steadily pulled away from second-place Joe Scarbrough. By the finish, his winning margin had swelled to half a straightaway.
In the final standings, Balluzzo easily outpointed Chris Johnson by 32 to take the crown, 582-550.
Jammie Goode took the lead for good on lap 3 and showed the way to his eighth victory in the 40-lap Old Point National Bank Grand Stock race. It wasn’t enough to overcome Ricky Derrick’s 22-point lead in the standings, though, as Derrick nailed down the ‘09 championship.
In the final points tally, Derrick claimed the ‘09 title by 20 over Goode, 624-604. Robbie Parker was third, followed by Billy Fisher and rookie contender Chris Hott.
In a 25-lapper for the Med Express Urgent Care Super Trucks, Robbie Davis rolled to his sixth straight win to close out the season. He didn’t accomplish the ultimate goal of defending his division title, though, as Tommy Nixon took the crown.
In the final standings, Nixon came out on top by 22 points over Davis, 574-552. Brad Adams , Paul Hogge, Sr., and Rick Potter complete the top five.
Suffolk’s Adam Florian grabbed the lead on the final circuit and posted his ninth victory of the season in the 25-lap EZ Auto of Newport News UCAR feature.
A week after setting a new UCAR qualifying mark, Florian encountered problems in time trials and landed in the 23rd spot on the 24-car starting grid.
Allen Dail was cruising with a five-length advantage when a caution flag flew on lap 13. By lap 16, Florian had moved into third. By lap 23, the top four, Dail, Austin Dodge, Florian and Mike Chapman, were bumper-to-bumper.
With the white flag in the air, Dodge made a bid for the lead in Turn 1 and he and Dail locked horns, skidding into the Turn 2 wall. Florian ducked low to miss the incident and was greeted by the yellow and checkered flags when he returned to the start/finish line, notching an unlikely victory.
In the final standings, Suffolk’s Randy Prillaman claimed the championship over Chris Hildebrand, 688-674. Florian finished third for the season.