NASHVILLE, Tenn :: Dalton Armstrong and Donnie Wilson have emerged as favorites to win this weekend’s 75-lap North/South Super Late Model Challenge at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville after important preliminary victories at the track.
On Friday evening, the Champion Racing Association (CRA) and Southern Super Series each staged points-paying 50-lap races to set the first 24 spots in today’s combo feature at the historic Fairgrounds facility. Armstrong won the CRA race, while Wilson took home the checkers in the Southern Super Series portion of the program.
Armstrong started on pole and led wire-to-wire despite mid-and late-race challenges from Travis Braden. A single caution slowed the first CRA points race of 2016.
“I tried to just ride as much as I could until I got pressure; every time I got pressure I’d try to lean forward a little more,” Armstrong said. “[Braden] was fast at the end and we had just enough to where we could hold him off … I think we have a pretty good race car for tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Donnie Wilson rolled off third for the Southern Super Series race. He overtook Stephen Wallace for the lead on lap 24 and survived a single restart ten circuits later to win his second event at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Wilson previously reached Victory Lane in Music City during the 2014 Southern Super Series event at the track.
“We hit on a setup a couple years ago and every time we’ve come it’s been really good,” Wilson said. “I just adapted to this place and figured out what I wanted and what I liked.”
A re-draw featuring the top four finishers from each race set the top eight for Saturday’s 75-lap Super Late Model show. Stephen Wallace drew the number one starting position while Bubba Pollard will line up alongside. The top 12 in each race automatically transferred to the feature program, while the remainder of the field will be set through provisionals and a 20-lap last-chance option on Saturday.
The last-chance race will take the green flag at 3:15 P.M. CT, while the North/South Super Late Model Challenge will commence at 5:45 P.M. CT.
CRA Results
1. Dalton Armstrong
2. Travis Braden
3. Zane Smith
4.Boris Jurkovic
5. Cody Coughlin
6.Quinntion Bear
7. Tyler Ankrum
8. Christopher Bell
9. Wes Griffith Jr.
10. Derek Kraus
11. Brian Bergakker
12. Mason Mingus
13. Ricky Baker
14. Dennis Prunty
15. Thomas Woodin
16. Justin Ashburn
DNS Michael House
Southern Super Series Results
1. Donnie Wilson
2. Stephen Wallace
3. Bubba Pollard
4. Derek Scott Jr.
5. Quin Houff
6. Riley Herbst
7. Dalton Sargeant
8. William Byron
9. Spencer Davis
10. Johnny Brazier
11. Kenzie Ruston
12. Fredrick Moore
13. Allen Karnes
14. Chris Davidson
15. Cole Anderson
16. Dennis Schoenfeld
17. Spencer Wauters
18. Joseph Meyer
