Josh Berry won the battle at South Boston Speedway Saturday afternoon, but Bobby McCarty won the war, fighting his way through the field to finish second in the autosbynelson.com 250 and capture the CARS Tour Late Model Stock championship.
He scored a one-point championship win over Berry who sat on the pole and led every lap of the 125-lap race.
“I knew we had our work cut out for us. We played the restarts, staying on the outside picking up a couple of spots,” said McCarty, who not only claimed back-to-back CARS Tour Late Model championships but became the first driver to ever win two titles in the series.
“We had to race the race differently than what we wanted to. We got to fifth or sixth and the leaders were gone so we started saving. I’m just so thankful for this whole team for standing behind me and pushing me to find all I could find.”
McCarty, who came into the race with a five-point lead over Berry, started deep in the field after a poor qualifying effort and barely missed a third-lap crash exiting the fourth turn. After that scare, he patiently worked his way through the field and was in the top five by lap 60.
He got around Corey Heim on lap 78 to take second but the two drivers battled hard the final 30 laps. Heim got under McCarty several times leaving the fourth turn, but each time McCarty pulled away on the front stretch.
Heim made one charge leaving the fourth turn on the final lap, but McCarty beat him to the finish line by several feet for second and the championship.
“I really owe Corey,” said McCarty. “He drove me clean, he gave me plenty of room. I really appreciate that.”
It was the fourth win and fourth pole of the season for Berry, who drives for JR Motorsports.
Layne Riggs wound up fourth while McCarty’s Nelson Motorsports teammate Timothy Peters finished fifth.
- Josh Berry
- Bobby McCarty
- Corey Heim
- Layne Riggs
- Timothy Peters
- Justin Carroll
- Taylor Gray
- Mini Tyrrell
- Tyler Matthews
- Camden Guillie
- Ronald Hill
- Connor Mosack
- Trevor Ward
- Jared Fryar
- Jessica Cann
- Brandon Pierce
- Brody Pope
- Jonathan Findley
- Drew Dollar
- Terry Dease
- Craig Moore
- Stuart Crews
- Deac McCaskill
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