NORMAN Park, Ga. (Nov. 20) — Jimmy Thomas of Phenix City, Ala., entered the final weekend on the Newsome Raceway Parts-sponsored Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series Saturday night at Needmore Speedway with three Newsome Raceway Parts-sponsored Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series victories under his belt, and trailing Jason Welshan by 22 points in a hotly-contested championship chase.
Using a business-like efficiency through the weekend and ending the year in dream-like fashion, he capped off a double-win weekend with a victory in a $10,000 E-Z-GO $100,000+ Challenge event Saturday night, and the night’s Early Bird 50 also served as the season-ending contest for the Eastaboga, Ala-based organization’s regular touring series.
Thomas’ victory was accomplished with a lap-10 pass on fastest qualifier Richie Stephens, and the eventual winner paced the rest of the distance to win by a semi-comfortable 2.118 seconds, which equated to nearly a full straightaway at the 4/10-mile oval. He was rarely challenged in a race slowed by two caution flags, and drove away from runnerup finisher Cole Exum’s David Poole Motorsports-fielded entry to secure the top prize.
Completing the top five in the 25-car field were Dillon Brown, newly-crowned Rookie of the Year Tanner Collins and Jeremy Faircloth.
Rookies and Champions
While Thomas was wrapping up the series title worth $10,000 to the overall champion, Collins notched his fifth top-five finish of the season on the regular touring series, and was crowned during postrace ceremonies as the series’ Rookie of the Year.
The Franklin, Ga., driver remained in the top five all night long, and gained some personal vindication with a fourth-place finish in the season finale after falling behind in the points standings over the final two or three races of the season.
Meanwhile, Mark Whitener placed 12th to help put the finishing touches to the first-year E-Z-GO $100,000+ Challenge championship, which was worth $5,000 to the overall titlist. Seven races were held during a rain-battered season, and all of those events paid at least $10,000 to the winner.
Guts and Glory
Stephens started from the outside of the front row. He took an early lead, but Thomas went searching for a route around the early pacesetter as the pair approached lapped traffic, and struck for the top spot on the 10th trip around the facility. He started the maneuver at the end of the backstretch and drove underneath the early leader exiting turn four on the frontstretch to nab the point.
Thomas led the final 41 circuits, and the victory gave him a sweep of the two-race weekend in the win column. It marked the first time in his career that he swept a weekend doubleheader, and it sealed a championship-winning season for the driver of a Scorpion Race Cars-chassied machine that carried sponsorship from Appliance Gallery, High Roller Recovery, Sugar Land Garden Soil & Materials, Wimmer’s Wrecker Service, Bilstein Shocks and Allstar Graphics by Bruce Carroll.
“This is fairytale stuff right here,” said the driver of the iconic No. 22 machine after overcoming a 22-point deficit in the points standings to claim the title over the final two races—ironically by a 22-point margin. “Not until the white flag waved did I finally realize what happened—to come in here and have this kinda weekend to get our first national championship. What more can you ask? I felt coming over here like we still had a shot at the title even though we came here 22 points down, but it still feels like a dream.”
Matched Up for a Title
Thomas squared off with Welshan for the title during the final race of the season, starting from the pole while Welshan initiated his own championship efforts from 11th in the 25-car starting field. Unable to establish much forward momentum on a track that narrowed during the 50-lap contest, which made progress in the higher groove rather difficult, Welshan eventually suffered a flat tire about the time that Thomas was getting more worried about his own rubber.
“I was so scared I was gonna have a flat tire leading the race,” Thomas said. “I’m out there feeling it slidin’ around, and then I saw Jason [Welshan] have the flat, and I was really worrying at that point. I knew we had to protect our tires, because I’m pretty sure we both went out on the same compound. I was trying to use the right-front tire more, and not abuse the right rear and wear it out. I never seen the halfway flag, and never seen nothing until five laps to go. I was concentrating on taking care of those tires, and counting the laps down in my head.”
The victory triggered a postrace celebration on the roof of his car for Thomas, a rare show of emotion for him. He was raised in a well-known racing family, and has carried on their tradition in a professional manner.
“I was raised to act like like we’ve been here before, and to be professional at all times,” the 29-year-old Thomas said. “We came in here knowing we had to be on top of our game, and I think we accomplished what we needed to do. I stood on the roof when I realized we had just become a national champion, and that was pure emotion. That tight of racing like we had all season, and to be close all year for points…I felt like it was finally time to stand on that roof.
Looking both relieved and ecstatic, Thomas’ broad smile during postrace festivities told the story. He’s rarely one to show extra emotion, keeps his nose to the grindstone, and earned much respect from his fellow competitors during a breakthrough season that was accomplished before his 30th birthday. He’s not without accolades during his racing career, but had never won a national championship.
“This is the most fun and the most learning I’ve ever had in racing,” said Thomas, who ended the season with five victories on the tour. “I probably learned more than I have in the past four years together. All the different tracks and places we’ve visited, and learning that you have to prepare a lot different to race on a touring series. It’s been a great year competing against some really good drivers. This has been a very fun weekend for us, and overall a very special year.”
Welshan Comes Close Again
Where there’s a champion, there’s always a runnerup. Taking the Maryville, Tenn., drivers’ situation into context, Welshan has been runnerup on five occasions in his career while chasing series championships. That includes past second-place points finishes on the Ultimate Super Late Model Series and the Southern Regional Racing Series.
This year alone, he added three more runnerup performances in points chases, including a second-place points finish (to champion Dylan Knowles) in the Crate Racin’ USA Winter Series, a second-place finish in the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series (to champion Jimmy Thomas), and a bridesmaid spot (behind series champion Mark Whitener) in the first-year E-Z-GO $100,000+ Challenge standings.
It’s a disappointing streak for the veteran driver, who still managed to joke about his fate by comparing his racing program to the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills. That franchise owns the dubious distinction of participating in four straight Super Bowls from 1990-93, and not winning a single one with superstar quarterback Jim Kelly heading the offense.
“I guess you can just call me the Buffalo Bills,” Welshan deadpanned after the event. “I’m just gonna start calling myself Jim Kelly. We’re three for three on bridesmaid finishes with this organization, and that’s just this year. I’ve lost two other points chases, and the crazy part about the whole deal is that I led every single one of them at some point in time. I guess we’re pretty good at choking.”
While Welshan probably doesn’t need a reminder, he was leading Thomas by 22 points entering the final Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series weekend. He did trail Whitener by 52 points in the E-Z-GO standings, and it would have taken a miracle for him to overcome that deficit.
Rather than focus on the negative, Welshan took time to concentrate on the positive aspects of his season. Through long hours and just plain hard work, he and his staff have gradually established Savage Race Cars as a respected chassis brand over the past couple of years. It has steadily become a flourishing business for him, along with Competition Racing Equipment. He has a solid customer base to service, and it’s growing.
“I can almost say with 100 percent certainty that we’ll be running the [Crate Racin’ USA] Winter Series again in 2022, but I’m not too sure about the rest of it,” Welshan said. “Our business is growing, and we’ve gotta take care of our customers, and really focus on selling these race cars. We’re blessed with a strong business, and our customers are important to us. We’re getting to a point where that’s going to be more important than me going racing every single weekend.”
Welshan balanced his disappointment with his accomplishments, and walked away with his head held appropriately high. He has matured as a driver over the years, and has gained respect from those who appreciate a grease-under-the-fingernails approach to the sport.
“I had a blast running this deal, and we wouldn’t trade it for nothing,” Welshan said. “It was probably the most fun we’ve ever had running a series. The people we met, the drivers we raced against, the whole staff treated us well…it was truly an awesome experience. Everyone has been so good to us, and that means a lot in my book.
“Jimmy [Thomas] came in here this weekend and ran a perfect race both nights. We didn’t do that the way we needed, so he deserved to win the championship. Fifteen years ago I’d have been tore up and bummed out about losing this championship, but the older I get I realize that I just enjoy being here. I’m very blessed with our racing program and the friendships we have made in the sport. I enjoy it, and to me that’s what counts the most.”
E-Z-GO Race #7 finish: 1. Jimmy Thomas, 2. Cole Exum, 3. Dillon Brown, 4. Tanner Collins, 5. Jeremy Faircloth, 6. Joseph Brown, 7. Clay Harris, 8. Jake Knowles, 9. Matt Henderson, 10. Kyle Bronson, 11. Kyle Bridges, 12. Mark Whitener, 13. Henry Carter, 14. Jason Welshan, 15. Jonah Bozeman, 16. Colton Leyendecker, 17. Kyle Van Sickle, 18. David Whitener, 19. Mike Combs, 20. Cody Stevens, 21. Pratt Cooper, 22. Jody Nipper, 23. Richie Stephens, 24. Troy Dixon, 25. Jeremy Pate.
Crate Racin’ USA (final points): 1. Jimmy Thomas, 1,784 points; 2. Jason Welshan, 1,762; 3. Jake Knowles, 1,730; 4. Tanner Collins, 1,656; 5. Mike Combs, 1,378; 6. Troy Dixon, 1,248; 7. Matt Henderson, 831; 8. Colton Leyendecker, 783; 9. Mark Whitener, 740; 10. Jadon Frame, 524; 11. Wil Herrington, 496; 12. T.J. Brittain, 440; 13. Jake Rainey, 402; 14. Jimmy Elliott, 392; 15. Garrett Mosley, 384; 16. Clay Harris, 374; 17. Trynt Lloyd, 346; 18. Kyle Bronson, 344; 19. Austin Horton, 340; 20. Joseph Joiner, 338.
E-Z-GO $100,000+ Challenge (final points): 1. Mark Whitener, 636 points; 2. Jason Welshan, 580; 3. Jake Knowles, 536; 4. Jimmy Thomas, 400; 5. Wil Herrington, 380; 6. Tanner Collins, 372; 7. Cody Overton, 314; 8. Kyle Bronson, 276; 9. Matt Henderson, 276; 10. Trynt Lloyd, 272; 11. (tie) Cory Hedgecock and Joseph Joiner, 270; 13. Mike Combs, 238; 14. Troy Dixon, 230; 15. Garrett Mosley, 211; 16. Jake Rainey, 207; 17. Pearson Lee Williams, 206; 18. Walker Arthur, 192; 19. Henry Carter, 190; 20. Cole Exum, 178.
Entries: 40
Boyd-Bilt Fast Qualifier: Richie Stephens, 15.213 seconds
Lap Leaders: Richie Stephens 1-9, Jimmy Thomas 10-50.
Margin of Victory: 2.118 seconds
Cautions: 2
KRC Power Steering Heat Winners: Richie Stephens, Dillon Brown, Cole Exum, Jimmy Thomas
KRC Power Steering B-main Winners: Henry Carter, Jordy Nipper