Knuckles, Ford, Tharp, Atkins, Stevens capture 2017 season-opening victories at Volunteer Speedway

Knuckles, Ford, Tharp, Atkins, Stevens capture 2017 season-opening victories at Volunteer Speedway By Robert Walden Volunteer Speedway Media/Public Relations BULLS GAP, Tenn. (March 4, 2017) — Volunteer Speedway opened the 2017 racing season Saturday afternoon under new management, with Mitch McCarter and family assuming operation of “The Gap” for the 44th year of racing on the high banks after leasing the facility earlier this winter from longtime owners Joe and Phyllis Loven. With the McCarters offering a special $5 grandstand admission for their first promoted event at the track, fans from all around the region were treated to an exciting five division racing program which produced two- and three-wide action.  In the featured Steel Head Late Model main event, Dakotah Knuckles of Ewing, Va., powered into the lead on the second lap and never looked back en route to capturing his first-ever victory at the track. Layne Clifton set fast-time in qualifying at 13.999 seconds to earn the pole position for the 25-lap feature. With Clifton and Knuckles racing side-by-side on the opening lap, they crossed the start-finish-line in a dead-heat. But working lap 2 off the second corner on the high-side, Knuckles surged ahead of Clifton down the backstretch and quickly began to flex his muscles over those in pursuit. With Clifton maintaining a firm grip on the runner-up position, just behind him Mike Weeks and Carder Miller, who was competing at the track for his first time, were battling for position. Some think the number “13” to be unlucky, and chances are the 12-year-old Miller will agree with that belief. Weeks and Miller were racing side-by-side into the first turn on lap 13, with a slower lapped car directly ahead in their path. Contact between Weeks and Miller sent the youngster spinning high up against the outside guardrail between turns one and two, with fifth-running Bobby Mays also getting collected in the incident to bring out the caution. Both Miller and Mays retired into the pits for the remainder of the race. Caution waved once again when Dale Ball and Greg Estes spun between turns one and two just after one circuit had been completed. Just as he had done from the start, back under green Knuckles began to pull out ahead of Clifton to take control of the race. The 23-year-old Knuckles, driving the Hickory Star Resort & Marina/Marcum Oil Company/Timberline Barns/Florida Veterinary Cardiology/Pat Howerton Roofing/Alaco, LLC/Hill’s Truck Repair/Liberty Sport & Pawn/Vic Hill Race Engines/Hoosier Racing Tire/Brucebilt Performance Rocket/Fastlane Signs & Graphics/Fox Shoxs by IG Shock Service/DDK Motorsports/No. 21K Corvette, captured the $1,000 victory over Clifton, Weeks, Arthur and Ruben Mayfield. Logan Roberson was quickest in Crate Late Model qualifying at 14.176 seconds to nail down the pole starting position, but it was Jensen Ford of Jonesborough who used his outside front-row starting berth to grab the lead on the opening lap over Roberson as the field raced off the second corner down the backstretch. Behind Ford a spirited battle for the second spot involved Roberson and...