Burrows take Cleveland Speedway's Season Opener

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (April 5) After a month of trying the weather finally let Cleveland Speedway kick off the 2008 season as race hungry fans watched Randy Burrows take the first Late Model checkered flag.

In a dominant run Burrows set fast time and led every lap of the 30-lap Late Model feature. He was the car to catch and try as they might Jake Knowles, Tommy Kerr or anyone else in the 20 car starting field could not get it done. Knowles and Kerr would cross the stripe in second and third with David Payne and Todd Morrow running and finishing fourth and fifth.

Preston Graves was sixth, defending champion Paul Tims seventh, Derek Ellis eight, Keith Frazier ninth and Gabe Wilson tenth.

In Limited Late Model action J.J. Nye would take the early lead from his outside front row starting position. On Nye's bumper was pole sitter John Ownbey and behind him were Lamar Scoggins, Jamie Cardwell and Josh Collins. On lap seven of the 20-lap feature Ownbey would fall out with engine woes moving Scoggins into second with Cardwell and Collins following. With five laps to go leader Nye had problems with a lapped car, which opened the door for Scoggins to take lead and Cardwell and Collins would move into second and third.

When the checkered flag flew it were Scoggins, Cardwell and Collins crossing the stripe one, two and three. Glenn Seaton III was fourth and Danny Pippen fifth.

Jerry Coffman won the Limited Late Model B-Main.

Picking up where they left off last season Todd Hernandez and Tanner Works battled in the A-Hobby feature. After holding off Works' last lap last corner challenge defending champion Todd Hernandez flashed under the flag in first with Works settling for second. Chris Stewart was third, Gary Brown was fourth and Tommy Miller fifth.

In 2007 Patrick Harvey battled with Chad Collins for the runner up spot in the B-Hobby point battle with Harvey finishing second and Collins third. Opening night of the 2008 season Harvey and Collins were at it again in the B-Hobby feature with Harvey taking the top spot and Collins running second. Donald Forgey came home third, Jonathan Sims fourth and Roy Baker fifth.

Taking the lead on the sixth lap from Jimmy Brown, Rocky NcNabb would never look back as he rolled to take the first Pony feature win of the season. Jimmy Elliott would move past Brown for second on the fourteenth circuit. Following McNabb, Elliott and Brown across the stripe were Danny Burnette and Nick Webb.

In the Front Runner feature it was all Kenny Kizzar as he wired the 12-lap event to take the win. Bill Bailey was second across the stripe and was followed by James Bragg, James Breland and Seth Smith.

Next week Cleveland Speedway will feature the Fifth Annual BJ Parker Thunder Series Lamar Lowery Memorial sponsored buy Sonya's Used Cars. The event will pay $3,000 to win plus additional bonuses for Late Models plus racing in all regular divisions.

Racing every Saturday night from March to November Cleveland Speedway is East Tennessee's finest clay oval. The track is located on US Hwy 11 (Lee Highway) just north of the US 64 bypass in Cleveland, Tenn. For more information call the track (423) 479-8574. Or visit www.clevelandspeedway.com/