Trackside Now: Grand Stand 250 Presented by BTS

Saturday, 6/20/09  - Clay Rogers Wins Third Straight

Myrtle Beach Speedway - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Saturday - 11:02pm ET  - On a hot night, Clay Rogers stays red hot.  By taking the win in the Grand Stand 250, Rogers pushes his win streak to three in a row.  Can he make it four?  We'll find out next week at Lanier National Speedway (GA).

Brandon Ward finished second after coming back from a lap down, AJ Frank recovered from a spin to finish third as Bobby Gill and Matt Loftin rounded out the top five. That's all from Myrtle Beach, we'll have more later this week on Speed51.com.  Good Night.  

154sClay Rogers

256sBrandon Ward

365sAJ Frank

406sBobby Gill

507nMatt Loftin

600sLucas Ransone

731sJustin Boston

875SCaleb Holman

952nMichael Ritch

1028sBilly Bigley Jr.

1123sJP Morgan

1222nDerrick Kale

1313sJohn Gibson

1468nAllen Purkhiser

1575nRonnie Souders

1602sTyler Young

1704sLarry Barrett

1822sDrew Herring

197nGary St. Amant

2073nJeff Agnew

211nBrett Butler

2228nWally Smith

234sKyle Fowler

243sDana White

Saturday - 9:32pm ET  - Clay Rogers has won the Grand Stand 250 here at Myrtle Beach...  That's his third straight win this season.

Saturday - 9:28pm ET  - 10 laps to go.  Rogers leads Brandon Ward by over four seconds. 

Saturday - 9:25pm ET  - There is a brief scoring confusion among the top five, but not our leader Clay Rogers who is checking out on the field.

Saturday - 9:20pm ET  - As we close in on 25 to go Rogers has a good lead over Brandon Ward.  He also has the aid of a lap car in between them.

Saturday - 9:16pm ET  - GREEN FLAG: Lap 207

Michael Ritch will try to see how long he can hold off the fresher tires of Clay Rogers.  The answer was only a few corners as Clay Rogers takes the lead.  sweeping up into second is Brandon Ward who came from a lap down to get the second spot. Michael Ritch and Bobby Gill are back to third and fourth.

Saturday - 9:11pm ET  - GREEN FLAG: Lap 196

Michael Ritch was trying to hold off Clay Rogers for the lead when Caleb Holeman went around off turn two, he might have had some help from the 65 of Derrick Kale.  We are caution again.  

Saturday - 9:05pm ET  - We went green for a lap and a half as AJ Frank and Drew Herring got together big time in turn three.  Both cars have damage with Herring getting the worst end of it, he's done for the night.  Tough luck as his primary sponsor was also the race sponsor for tonight's event. 

Working caution on Lap 193

Saturday - 9:00pm ET  - YELLOW FLAG LAP 181: Debris in one and two.  This plays well for Rogers and Frank who are the only cars on the lead who have tires left.  Bobby Gill and race leader Michael Ritch tried to play the stategy, but it didn't work.

Ritch will win the race off pit lane with Grill, Matt Loftin, Clay Rogers and AJ Frank rounding out the top five. 

Saturday - 8:55pm ET  - We are closing in on lap 180 and the second long run and we see cars who took tires hitting pit road.  The rundown is very odd looking as Ritch leads Grill.  Right now there are four cars on the lead lap with Frank and Rogers running third and fourth.

Saturday - 8:51pm ET  - With the aid of lap traffic Michael Ritch has taken the lead again.  It's been a strange night at the front of the field.   It looks like Frank and Rogers are toast on tires.  They need a yellow flag. 

Bobby Gill has come all the way back to second.

Saturday - 8:47pm ET  - At lap 150 the top five is Rogers, Frank, Ritch, Bobby Gill, and Gary St. Amant.

We said earlier in the night Bobby Gill might not win tonight, we think that our words were relayed him and got him going.  He also got tires under the last yellow and drove around the leadrs to get his lap back.  He still needs fuel.

Saturday - 8:41pm ET  - We have to give a call to AJ Frank and Clay Rogers they have run at least 50 of the 138 laps thus far side-by-side.  We wonder if the crew chiefs forgot to tell them that this is a 250 lap race. 

Also Derick Kale has gone sour and he has lost a lap on the track, we are not sure of the problem at this point.

Saturday - 8:36pm ET  - We knew it was only a matter of time, Michael Ritch taken the lead on lap 123.  Tires look really good right now, but the rest of the field will get their tires on the next pit stop. 

The lead was only short lived for Ritch as Rogers and Frank are now one and two and are going door-to-door again for the top spot.

Saturday - 8:30pm ET  - GREEN FLAG Lap 114: Gary St. Amant has taken the lead away from Rogers and Kale.

Saturday - 8:25pm ET  - Lead change lap 107 Clay Rogers has taken the lead from AJ Frank.

After all the great battling up front we are under YELLOW for debris in turn two.

We had pit stops and only Michael Ritch and Lucas Ransone took tires.  The rest took fuel only.  That leaves Derrick Kale leads Clay Rogers,  and Gary St. Amant are the top three. 

Ransone lost a lap due a pit member not having a helment on his stop.  

Saturday - 8:22pm ET  - Put 100 laps on the board as AJ Frank still leads.

Saturday - 8:18pm ET  - Bobby Gill is about to loose a lap as the leaders have lapped all the way the 11th place car.  We have been green for close to 70 laps now.  It looks as if the four-time champion will not get his second career win here tonight at Myrtle Beach.

Saturday - 8:15pm ET  - Jeff Agnew is off the pace and is coasting down the backstretch into the pits.  Before that we saw Michael Ritch make a three wide pass to get to third.  He still has a little bit to catch the top two, but he's had the beast car in the last 50 laps.

Saturday - 8:09pm ET  - The leaders are really starting to hit lap traffic.  AJ Frank still leads as he weaves his way around the slower cars. We have 80 laps in the books.

Saturday - 8:09pm ET  - One big mover in the pack has been Michael Ritch.  He started 14th and is now running fifth.  To top things off, he is closing in on the leaders. 

We also heard the 1 car off Brett Buttler come by with a nasty sounding motor.  He has since gone behind the pit wall.

Saturday - 8:06pm ET  - Once again the battle for the lead in heating up as AJ Frank uses the low lane to take the lead on lap 60.  Derrick Kale, and Clay Rogers are right behind him.

Saturday - 8:04pm ET  - We see a lot of guys using the high line in what might be an effort to save tires.  The track has been really hot and slick all day so this might pay off for some latter in the race.  The only change in the top five is that Drew Herring has moved into fifth position.

Saturday - 8:00pm ET  - It's been very busy up front as the top five cars are really going at it.  At lap 40 the top five is Derrick Kale, Caleb Holman, AJ Frank, Clay Rogers, and Brandon Ward.

Saturday - 7:56pm ET  - GREEN FLAG LAP 28: The leaders got away clean, but back in the pack the 4 car of Kyle Fowler had some trouble getting his car into gear.  He coasted around for a lap and it came out of gear again. 

While that was going on Derrick Kale took the lead from Caleb Holeman on lap 32.

Saturday - 7:47pm ET  - YELLOW LAP 25: Dana White has hit the wall in turn one.  Race control had told the team on the radio that they were showing a tire rub, so we suspect that it was a blown tire that sent him into the wall.

No takers for pit stops under this yellow flag.    

Saturday - 7:47pm ET  - Although Rogers took the lead he didn't get away from Holman, in the meantime Derrick Kale has closed in making it a three car fight for the lead at the 15th lap. 

On the 16th lap Caleb Holman has regained the lead from Clay Rogers. Kale has moved into second.

Saturday - 7:44pm ET  - Caleb Holman lead the first few laps without a challenge, but Clay Rogers has closed in on him for the top spot.  The two drivers are running very different lines and on the ninth lap, Rogers takes the top spot.

Saturday - 7:40pm ET  - GREEN FLAG: We are underway here at Myrtle Beach.  Caleb Holeman leads the charge on the first lap.

Saturday - 7:36pm ET  - Engines have fired and cars are rolling around the half-mile track here at Myrtle Beach.

Saturday - 7:27pm ET  - Drivers are strapping into their cars and we are just a few moments away from the green flag.

Saturday - 7:03pm ET  - It will be fun to see how some of the crafty veterans like Bill Bigley Jr, Bobby Gill, and Jeff Agnew do tonight here at Myrtle Beach.  Grill has only one win here in 17 starts, but he does have five top five finishes and nine top 10 finishes.  Bigley has only one top five in seven starts and Agnew has had a runner-up finish here in the past.

Saturday - 6:55pm ET  - Pre-race ceremonies are about to begin.  We talked with Clay Rogers who was really regretting a black car, black driver suit and a black T-shirt.

Saturday - 6:15pm ET  - Fans are flocking to the frontstretch for the autograph session.  The weather is still very warm with race time tempatures expected to be 89 degrees with a heat index of 97.  That's a lot cooler then current track conditions which have the heat index at 108 degrees.

Saturday - 5:25pm ET  - Here are the full results from qualifying.  The local trucks are on the track for their laps of qualifying.  The race is expected to roll off at 7:30pm after an on track autograph session.    

175SCaleb Holman21.440

265sAJ Frank21.476

354sClay Rogers21.481

422nDerrick Kale21.540

556sBrandon Ward21.679

622sDrew Herring21.697

77nGary St. Amant21.711

81nBrett Butler21.724

923sJP Morgan 21.743

1000sLucas Ransone21.746

1168nAllen Purkhiser21.747

1228sBilly Bigley Jr. 21.749

1306sBobby Gill 21.768

1452nMichael Ritch 21.822

1513sJohn Gibson21.854

1607nMatt Loftin21.867

1773nJeff Agnew21.886

184sKyle Fowler21.912

1931sJustin Boston22.054

203sDana White22.127

2102sTyler Young 22.203

2275nRonnie Souders22.513

2304sLarry Barrett22.787

2428nJermey Goddard23.884

Saturday - 5:11pm ET  - Caleb Holman has won the pole for tonight's race.  AJ Frank was second quick, with Clay Rogers, Derrick Kale and Brandon Ward rounding out the top five.  We will have the full list of qualifying results in a few minutes.

Saturday - 4:21pm ET  - We are heading Trackside for qualifying and will be back at the conclusion of the time trial session. 

Saturday - 4:14pm ET  - Tonight's 250 lap event will call for some work on pit road.  Just like in the past teams can change tires or add fuel. They can not do both at the same time.  So we will expect to see teams make two pit stops under the same caution.  Also in an order to save cost teams will only be aloud to have two new tires in their pits.  This should make things interesting considering how bad this track wares on tires.  

Saturday - 4:04pm ET  - The track is quiet once again as the trucks have wrapped up their practice session for the afternoon.  The final few cars are rolling through the tech line in preparation for qualifying.  Six times the pole winner has gone on to win the race here at Myrtle Beach.  Could it happen again today?

Saturday - 3:10pm ET  - We are going to take a quick lunch break and be back before Qualifying.

Saturday - 2:59pm ET  - The trucks will be on track for their practice session at 3pm. They will have a 100 lap race after the Pro Cup event. Qualifying will take place at 4:30pm for the Pro Cup cars.  They are rolling through tech right now.

Saturday - 2:44pm ET  - Updating our entry list we find that AJ Frank will be in the 65N.  That gives us a total of 24 cars for tonight's event.

Practice Speeds

1. Clay Rogers 21.325

2. Caleb Holman 21.416

3. JP Morgan 21.459

4. Derrick Kale 21.894

5. Drew Herring 21.904

6. Michael Ritch 21.912

7. Lucas Ransone 21.969

8. Jeff Agnew 22.012

9. Kyle Fowler 22.036

10. Brandon Ward 22.038

Saturday - 2:32pm ET  - A lot of the focus today is on Clay Rogers who is going for three straight wins.  Looking at the history books we can see that Rogers did win three in a row back in 2007.  The third and final win in that streak came right here at Myrtle Beach.

Saturday - 2:18pm ET  - Today is a historic day for both Justin Boston and Kyle Fowler.   Both drivers are making their first ever starts with the USAR Pro Cup Series today. Fowler is a Late Model graduate from the peach state (Georgia) and Boston come from the UARA Starts Late Model Stock series.  Each driver is hoping for big success on one of the toughest tracks on the schedule.

Saturday - 2:12pm ET  - Practice is already in the books and we hope to have speed for you soon.  We did notice that Clay Rogers who is going fro three straight Pro Cup wins didn't have his car on the track in the final 45 minutes of practice. This could be good news for him and bad news for the rest of the field.

Saturday - 2:00pm ET  - Good afternoon and welcome to the beach!  Today the USAR Pro Cup Series is in town for their annual stop at the historic Myrtle Beach Speedway.   Today we are already setting records as the weather is blistering hot with expected highs in the upper 90's.  The heat index is what series officials, and Pro Cup drivers will be watching as it will reach 110 degress.  

Pre-Race Entry list from USAR:

100SLUCAS RANSONE

202STYLER YOUNG

304SLARRY BARRETT

406SBOBBY GILL

507SMATT LOFTON

613SJOHN GIBSON

71NBRETT BUTLER

822NDEREK KALE

922SDREW HERRING

1023NTBA

1123SJP MORGAN

1228NJEREMY GODDARD

1328SBILLY BIGLEY JR

1431SJUSTIN BOSTON

153SDANA WHITE

164NKYLE FOWLER

1752SMICHAEL RICH

1854SCLAY ROGERS

1955STOM POWERS SR

2056SBRANDON WARD

2165NAJ FRANK

2273NJEFF AGNEW

2375NRONNIE SOUDERS, JR

2475SCALEB HOLMAN

257NGARY ST. AMANT

Past Winners (Career Wins at MB)

6/21/2008Mark McFarland (1)

10/6/2007Trevor Bayne (1)

6/23/2007Michael Ritch (3)

10/28/2006      Clay Rogers (2)

6/24/2006Clay Rogers (1)

10/22/2005      Benny Gordon (4)

6/25/2005Shane Huffman (2)

10/23/2004Benny Gordon (3)

6/26/2004Benny Gordon (2)

10/18/2003Benny Gordon (1)

6/14/2003Shane Huffman (1)

10/19/2002Jason Sarvis (1)

6/15/2002Bobby Gill (1)

10/13/2001Hal Goodson (2)

6/9/2001Hal Goodson (1)

5/6/2000Mardy Lindley (1)

4/17/1999Mario Gosselin (1)

10/18/1998Michael Ritch (2)

4/18/1998Michael Ritch (1)

Today's Schedule

9:00am Garage Opens

11:30am – 1:30pm Pro Cup Practice

1:30 – 2:30pm Super Trucks Enter

3:00 – 4:00pm Super Truck Series Practice

3:30pm Front Gates Open

4:30pm Pro Cup Qualifying Session

To Follow: Super Truck Series Qualifying

6:00pm Autograph Session

7:00pm Pre-Race Ceremonies

7:30pm Grand Strand 250 presented by BTS

To Follow: Super Trucks – 100 lap race

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Bill Bigley Jr. talks things over with a crew member during practice. (51 Sports Photo)

Mark McFarland won the Pro Cup event at Myrtle Beach a year ago. (51 Sports Photo)

Kyle Fowler is making his first start today.  (51 Sports Photo)

Drew Herring at speed. (51 Sports Photo)

Caleb Holman, Tonight's pole sitter.  (51 Sports Photo)

Water will be the key to beating the heat.  (51 Sports Photo)

Clay Rogers in victory lane.   (51 Sports Photo)