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The 6th Annual Brown Engineering Rebel Challenge would see a what has become a common sight as of late in Columbus Speedway Victory Lane; Don O’Neal in his Jay Dickens powered Mastersbilt holding the checkered flag and taking home the big money back to Martinsville, Indiana. O’Neal would fend off many of the best drivers in the business to take home the $10,000 first place prize and also collect his own $1,000 bounty that had been placed on him from MRC Racing Apparel. O’Neal’s hot streak at Columbus Speedway has resulted in over $42,000 in winnings in the last 3 major events he has participated.
Fans that like hammer down racing were at the place to be as the newly re-clayed surface and addition of the turns 3 and 4 retaining wall would produce the high speed warfare the fans at “The Baddest Bullring in the South” have come to expect and demand.
The evening would get kicked off with Midsouthracing.com Pole Qualifying with Earl Pearson Jr. topping the 49 car field with a lighting quick 13.48 second lap around the wild high banked 3/10’s mile clay oval. The format would see the top 2 qualifiers from each group locked into the field. The remaining top qualifiers were Shane Clanton, Michael England, Shannon Babb, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, Don O’Neal, Steve Francis, and Damon Eller.
The next events in the format would see the top 3 cars transfer from 4 Qualifying Races. Winners in those events would be Rick Rickman, Wendell Wallace, Dean Carpenter, and Jason Smith. The final starters would come from the Last Chance Dash with Mike Boland taking the win.
The 50-lap Rebel Challenge main event would see Clanton jump to the early lead on the outside over Pearson and set a torrid pace on the freshly groomed oval as Clanton caught lapped traffic by lap 5 and as things were heating up among the top 3 for the lead, Anthony Rushing would spin on lap 6 and collect both Pearson and Shannon Babb. Pearson would be done for the night with Babb sustaining heavy cosmetic damage, but able to continue.
Action resumed and Clanton would lunch his assault once again. The leaders caught lapped traffic again by lap 14 as Clanton was being constantly challenge by O’Neal as the two were using all grooves on the racy speedway much like jet fighters in a dogfight.
On lap 17 Clanton bobbled getting off turn two and the sixth starting O’Neal took the lead down the backstretch as Clanton fell back to fourth with Babb in second, and a hard charging Steve Francis now up to third.
The field would continue to battle all over the speedway until a lap 32 caution.
The restart would see Francis jump to second behind O’Neal and then a string of cautions would ensue; especially of interest when Michael England spun and showed Shane Clanton his displeasure resulting in bumper tag, hot tempers, and England being sent to the pits for the evening.
Action resumed on lap 34 with O’Neal romping and stomping to the lead with Francis and Babb going side by side for second. By lap 36 Clanton was back up to third, Clint Smith up to fourth from his fifteenth starting position and sliding Babb back to fifth.
The field would begin to stretch out in the final stages of the event as the race would finish without another caution as Babb raced his way back to 3rd running the extreme high line and riding the outside retaining wall, second running Francis using the bottom third of the speedway, and with O’Neal basically going wherever his car took him in the middle and upper lines of the speedway.
The top five at the finish was O’Neal, Francis, Babb, Smith, and Clanton. Completing the top 10 were Damon Eller, Chris Wall, Jerry Rice, Mike Boland, and Dewayne Kiefer.
The local division Rebel Championships were very exciting including the Open Wheel Modifieds that saw a last lap pass for the lead with Brian Brock taking the lead coming off the top of turn 2 over Paris, Tennessee’s Michael Lee in a great race that had a full24 car field of Modifieds. Completing the top five were Tony Gray, Lee Ray, and Shay Knight.
The Late Model Stock/Crate Model event was exciting as well as Fulton, Mississippi’s Eric Cooley made a late race pass for the win to claim the $1,500 first place prize followed after starting 10th over Anthony Rushing, Terry King, Neil Baggett, and Jerry Inmon.
The Street Stock win was taken by former Cruiser driver Jeremy Robertson after the apparent winner was disqualified. Rounding out the top five were Heath Beard, Danny Gable, Kris Monahan, and Craig Barham.
The next event at Columbus Speedway will be the World of Outlaws Late Models Bullring Brawl as the best Late Model drivers in America invade Columbus Speedway as part of the WoO March Through Dixie on March 24th at 7pm. For more information please contact Johnny Stokes at 662-574-2572 or call the event hotline at 662-241-5004.
Race Summary
49 Entries
Fast time: Earl Pearson Jr 13.48
Qualifying Race winners: Rick Rickman, Wendell Wallace, Dean Carpenter, Jason Smith.
Last Chance Dash Winner: Mike Boland
SUPER LATE MODEL FEATURE
FINISHING POSITION CAR #/DRIVER NAME
1ST 71 DON O'NEAL
2ND 11 STEVE FRANCIS
3RD 18 SHANNON BABB
4TH 44 CLINT SMITH
5TH 25 SHANE CLANTON
6TH I4 DAMON ELLER
7TH 71 CHRIS WALL
8TH 11 JERRY RICE
9TH 222 MIKE BOLAND
10TH 13 DEWAYNE KIEFER
11TH 88 JIMMY CLIBURN
12TH 5E MICHAEL ENGLAND
13TH 86 RICK RICKMAN
14TH 57J BUB MCCOOL
15TH 18 RONNY LEE HOLLINGSWORTH
16TH 12 JASON SMITH
17TH 88 WENDELL WALLACE
18TH 33 SCOTT DEDWYLDER
19TH M31 TONY MORRIS
20TH 54 DANE DACUS
21ST 44 EARL PEARSON
22ND 58C GARRETT DURRETT
23RD 70 1/2 ANTHONY RUSHING
24TH 51 DEAN CARPENTER
Babb takes 3rd Consecutuve Rebell Challenge Friday Night Win
Columbus, MS - Friday night Shannon Babb collected yet another Brown Engineering Rebel Challenge opening night win, his third consecutive victory in the annual Columbus Speedway early-season race. Babb would charge up from his 6th-place starting spot to take the win over a particularly stout field of 57 competitors, especially for a $2,000-to-win, 30-lap event.
The only caution of the event would fall before the race was even underway, as Jimmy Cliburn's machine would not fire at the drop of the green flag and was pushed to the pits. Polesitter Don O'neal would then capture the early lead over Steve Francis with Clint Smith and Shane Clanton behind. Clanton would drive outside Smith, then make his way around Francis to take second as Babb quickly moved in, also on the high side of the track. O'Neal would pull to the infield with driveline difficulties on lap 4, leaving Clanton in first place over Babb.
Babb would take the lead coming off of turn 4 on lap 9 as Clanton, running the rim, bobbled, and Francis moved in to race for second. Clanton would slowly fall back as Babb and Francis began to navigate lapped traffic on lap 11. The race would continue at a torrid pace, with Francis closing on Babb in the late stages but never able to mount a challenge. Babb went on to win over Francis with Clint Smith in third as Chris Wall passed the rebounding Clanton at the line to complete the top five. Damon Eller, Anthony Burroughs, David Breazeale, Bub McCool, and Mike Boland rounded out the top ten.
Anthony Burroughs would dominate the 20-lap Rebel Challenge Weekly Racing Series Invitational feature race to earn a $1,200 payday. Burroughs would fight off Jeff White at the drop of the green, then drive away to take a commanding victory over top five finishers Anthony Rushing, Shawn Edwards, Mike Boland, and Chris Ragan.
In Open Wheel Modified feature action, Jason Brock, brother Bryan Brock, and Brian Rickman would fight for the lead until a midrace crash in lapped traffic saw Rickman planted in the backstretch wall and Bryan Brock pulling to the infield. Jason Brock would fend off hard challenges from Rusty Duncan, then David Griffin on his way to victory. Griffin would finish second over Tony Gray, Lee Ray, and Trinity Wyers.
SUPER LATE MODEL FEATURE – REBEL ROUSER 30
57 SUPER LATE MODELS ON HAND
FINISHING POSITION CAR #/DRIVER NAME
1ST 18 SHANNON BABB
2ND 11 STEVE FRANCIS
3RD 44 CLINT SMITH
4TH 71 CHRIS WALL
5TH 25 SHANE CLANTON
6TH I4 DAMON ELLER
7TH 121 ANTHONY BURROUGHS
8TH 54 DAVID BREAZEALE
9TH 57J BUB MCCOOL
10TH 222 MIKE BOLAND
11TH 12 JASON SMITH
12TH 86 RICK RICKMAN
13TH 12 JAMIE ELAM
14TH 5 SHAWN EDWARDS
15TH 48 MARLON WILD
16TH 99 JEFF WHITE
17TH 44 EARL PEARSON
18TH 68 EDDIE RICKMAN
19TH 11 JERRY RICE
20TH 88 WENDELL WALLACE
21ST 54C STACY CALDWELL
22ND 71 DON O'NEAL
23RD 88 JIMMY CLIBURN
24TH 58C GARRETT DURRETT
SUPER LATE MODEL RC INVITATIONAL
FINISHING POSITION CAR #/DRIVER NAME
1ST 121 ANTHONY BURROUGHS
2ND 70 1/2 ANTHONY RUSHING
3RD 5 SHAWN EDWARDS
4TH 222 MIKE BOLAND
5TH C16 CHRIS RAGAN
6TH 51 DEAN CARPENTER
7TH 99 TERRY SMITH
8TH 19 MARK MEARS
9TH 1 RONALD DUNN
10TH 43 KURT RADOJCSICS
11TH 11 DANNY PEOPLES
12TH 70 1/2 WAYNE BECKWITH
13TH 99 JEFF WHITE
14TH 25 JUSTIN MCREE
15TH 20 TOMBO CALLAHAN
16TH 99 BUBBA FRANKS
Attached Pics: Courtesy of Scott Oglesby
049: # 71 Don O’Neal in Victory Lane
939: Don O’Neal at speed
023: Don O’Neal passing #25 Shane Clanton for the lead
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