NHRA: Castlewood’s Counts Claims Circle Track Challenge

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Jeff Counts climbed from his 1978 Camaro, banged on the hood in jubilation and hugged his family in Victory Lane.
Counts has won over 60 races and several track championships at Coeburn’s Lonesome Pine Raceway, but none compared to his latest victory Saturday night.

The Castlewood resident teamed with Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta to win the 24-lap inaugural NHRA Circle Track Challenge at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“I can’t believe it,” said Counts, who estimated that he had 15 family members at BMS. “It took me a while to get up the ramp in victory lane because I was shaking all over and had tears in my eyes.
“I’ve been racing since back in the eighties. I took a break until last year to raise my daughter. This was the first time she could join me in Victory Lane, so God has just blessed us.”

The unique event featured 17 NHRA regulars paired with local drivers in their Street Stock cars. The NHRA gang drove the first 12 laps.

After NHRA Pro Stock title contender Allen Johnson (Greeneville, Tenn.) led from lap 3 to 10, Kalitta grabbed the lead. Using the same high line employed by Kalitta, Counts then controlled the final 12 laps.

“Doug helped me so much by driving the car and telling me which line to run. As you can tell, I learned by watching him,” Counts said. “We’re big drag racing fans. I know of Doug, but I had never really met him before tonight.”

Kalitta, a former USAC national midget champion, had a big edge in oval track experience on his NHRA brethren.

“I had a lot of fun running sprints and midgets for about 10 years, but it was nothing like these cars and this track,” Kalitta said. “Bristol is quite a facility.
“The banks are really high here. Fortunately, we didn’t tear much stuff up. This is a great opportunity for all us drag racers.”

The battle between Johnson and Kalitta was the highlight of the event, as Johnson repeatedly held off the advances of Kalitta.

“I was trying to get around him,” said Kalitta, who also won a recent Thunder Roadster event in Las Vegas. “Allen was pushing real hard and I just didn’t have enough gear to get off the corner. I was kind
of running out laps. It was a little tight, but Allen left a lane open for me and I was able to get through.”

Johnson drove a Camaro that Jon Cook (Jonesborough, Tenn.) took to victory last week in the Hobby Stock class race at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. Johnson’s night was doomed by a broken spindle.

“I crammed Kalitta into the wall and he still passed me,” Johnson said. “Doug has the most experience out here, but I held my own with him and had fun. I would love to get one of those real [race cars] for a while and try that for a while. That would be a blast.”

Johnson’s car owner also enjoyed the show.

“Allen didn’t smash up my car. He drove the wheels off it,” Cook said. “What can I say? Allen had fun and I had a ball. Kalitta can drive, no doubt about that.”

Ron Capps finished second in the NHRA portion of the event, followed by Antron Brown and Greg Anderson.

For the overall race, the combo of Anderson and Tim Robinson finished second with the Capps-Jeff Williams entry in third and the Justin Humphreys-Robert Austin car in fourth.
Counts said he didn’t have a problem racing his prized Camaro on the famed high banks of Bristol.

“When we signed up for this thing, everybody knew there was a risk involved,” Counts said. “I thank God that everybody came out safe.”

In the 150-lap UARA Stars Late Model race, which ended late Friday night, 16-year-old Matt DiBenedetto from Hickory, N.C. grabbed the lead from Alex Yontz at lap 140 and held on for the win.
Yontz finished second, followed by Cliff Daniels, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and Abingdon’s Caleb Holman.

There were six cautions over the first 105 laps. The field included Nate Monteith (Bluff City), Brandon McReynolds, son of Fox TV announcer Larry McReynolds and Corey LaJoie, son of former Nationwide Series champion Randy LaJoie.

Coeburn’s Mitch Gibson won the 20-lap Charger race, while Terry Horak (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) took the 30-lap event for the Pro Challenge cars.