Manassas Journal Messenger | Racking up the victories

For the second week in a row, Mark McFarland swept twin races in Late Models at Old Dominion Speedway. ?McFarland collected his 12th and 13th wins of the season in the two 50-lap races.

With the wins Saturday night, McFarland matched the 13 victories in his championship season at ODS in 2000. ?One more victory will break McFarland’s record for victories at the track.

McFarland, however, did not have an easy time in the first twin 50, which had an 18-car field. ?Andreas Kestermann came close to taking the win from McFarland for the second week in a row.?Kestermann, who started on the pole, kept a tight grip on the lead until lap 24 when McFarland scooted around him in turn three after the Woodbridge driver got loose.

McFarland was pleased with the night’s results.

“Whenever you can come out of twin 50s with two wins after starting sixth and third, you’re pretty happy,” ?he said. “[Kestermann] slipped in turns 3 and 4 and it cost him the lead. ?I don’t know if I could have gotten around him if he hadn’t slipped.”

Although Kestermann finished second in the first race, he was disappointed after missing a win for the second week in a row.

“I don’t know exactly what happened yet,” he said. “But something happened to the car and it started getting real loose. We’re looking for a little bit more now. And we’re getting close.”

Jack Bailey, who ran a backup motor, finished third in the first race after starting second.

“It was a good points night for us,” Bailey said, who will likely take over second in points after Stan Owens wrecked out of the first race and finished back in the field in the second race.

Mike Southard, who started fifth, came in fourth. And Mike Colabucci, who once again ran Jim Dean’s 99 car, finished fifth.

In the second twin 50, Jimmy Hardin led from the pole until lap eight when Colabucci pulled around him for the lead in lap eight. McFarland, after starting sixth, cut through the 17-car field quickly and got around Hardin for second coming out of turn two in lap 10. McFarland then wheeled around Colabucci in the front stretch in lap 17 to take the lead. ?

Colabucci was second and Mike Southard was third.

“We ran a good race and I’m happy with where we finished,” Southard said. ?

Bailey ran fourth and Jimmy Hardin was fifth. ?Chuck Lewis grabbed a third in the second race but was disqualified for illegal tires.

“We’re getting closer,” said two-time Grand Stock champion Hardin. “These guys are slowly getting the handle on these wider tires. They’ll get me something that I can drive soon and we’ll do good.”

In Grand Stocks, Willard Lawrence powered to his fourth win in a row and his sixth of the season. ?Lawrence, who started second, tailed race leader Chris Donnelly until turn two of lap 13. Lawrence then took the lead and held it until the checkered flag, with Donnelly finishing second. ?Lawrence now leads Donnelly by two in the points race. Dave Zech came in third, Jim Todd Jr. was fourth and Michael Arnold finished fifth.

“The car’s pretty good through the corner and that’s what you need around here to win,” Lawrence said. ?

“Lawrence is definitely hooked up,” Donnelly said. “But we’re not far behind.”

In Mini stocks, points leader Mike Carte cruised to his third win of the season, holding off hard-charging Colt White in the last 12 laps. Carte started the race second and took the lead in lap one. White started seventh and still managed to snag second after being involved in a five-car wreck midway through the race.

“I was very worried about the rocket [White] coming up there,” Carte said. “But he ran me clean and I can’t ask for any better than that.”

“I think we could’ve had him if we hadn’t got tied up in that accident over there,” White said, who trails points leader Carte by 16 markers. ?

Johnny Lowery was third, Sean Ballantine fourth and Scott Quesenberry fifth. ?

In Speedway Sportsman, Jamie De Mattio barreled to his second win of the season. De Mattio started second behind last year’s points champion, Jeff Sisak. De Mattio tailed Sisak closely until he got around him in turn four of lap 16 for the lead. ?De Mattio is now two markers behind James Lucas, who leads the points race.

Sisak was second, Lucas third, Joe Edwards fourth and Jeff Kauffman fifth. ??????? ?? ??

“Sisak’s tough,” De Mattio said. ?”Whenever you’ve got him out there, it’s going to be hard racing.” ???????