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Bobby McCarty started on the pole, Layne Riggs qualified in the second position at Ace Speedway. On the initial start, Bobby McCarty and Layne Riggs stayed side by side. On the second lap, Riggs moved into the lead. The race was hectic with yellows in the early stages. Lap Sixteen saw Brandon Pierce and Connor Jones collide and bring out the yellow, along with slight contact for Trevor Ward. The Brandon Pierce crew had to chop the nose piece off of the car. His ride resembled more of a modified to continue.
After the restart re-racked the running order, Mini Tyrell had a mechanical issue in front of most of the 19-car pack. Tyrell’s fourth place qualifying effort became hampered after his problem almost caused a pig pile. As the field came around, Joe Valento found himself facing the wrong way in turns one and two from contact off of the side of Kaden Honeycut. The gaggle of cars that had stacked up from Mini Tyrell’s issue dodged and ducked around the sideways racecar of Valento.
Cautions continued to fly for liquid on the track. A stalled Mini Tyrell tried returning to the field. Will Cox III pulled into the pit lane on lap 22 for mechanical problems. The roller coaster season continues for the driver of the JR Motorsports entry. There were a few groups of hornets nests that shook up positions in the field. Several cars raced hard and traded paint as the frenetic pace of fresher tires and brakes started to give way to glowing brake rotors for multiple drivers as the laps wore on.
On lap 46, Sam Yarbrough snapped loose and climbed the left side of Daniel Silvestri in the middle of turns three and four. The entire right side of Myrtle Beach racer Sam Yarbrough was pointed towards the sky. Safety crews got the cars separated. The crash looked much more devastating than it had been to both race cars. Despite some heavy damage on both vehicles, both Yarbrough and Silvestri were able to turn some green flag laps after the crews repaired some of the damage.
Sam Butler brought out the amber cloth another time for stalling on a restart on lap 48. After the early action, the race settled into a rhythm. Riggs proved to be the pied piper of the field. The second generation Bahama, North Carolina driver, put a distance between him and the rest of the competitors. Joe Valento ping-ponged from his early spin. His DGR entry passed more cars during the race than any other driver.
On lap 86, a controversial caution flew for debris. The strung-out field would be accordioned back together for another restart. Valento’s hard-charging effort would be all for naught when he and Jonathan Findley collided in turn two. The contact spun Valento around while other cars behind them lost traction with the pavement. Deac McCaskill took the hard blow when he careened into the outside retaining wall. The front end suffered heavy damage from the accident. McCaskill had, “Kids with daddy’s money that ain’t gotta fix it,” to thank for his misfortunes at Ace.
The class of the field was none other than the driver behind the wheel of the Puryear Tanklines Ford. With 25 laps to go, Layne Riggs started to scoot away from the Autos by Nelson Toyota of Bobby McCarty. McCarty had a great car on restarts. Crossover moves and side-by-side racing were common sites. Every time the field got escorted back onto the same straightaway by the pace car, McCarty and Riggs ran right on top of each other. Unfortunately for McCarty, the final portion of the Race at Ace 125 ran under green flag conditions. Layne Riggs drove down into turns three and four one last time before taking his first checkered flag of 2021 at Ace Speedway.
Layne Riggs spoke of his performance in Victory Lane.
“We had a very good long-run car. It took about four or five laps to get going,” Riggs explained. “On restarts, I had to fight for it. I’m glad we could put on a show for the fans. We just set sail, I was able to stay out front. We had a really good car tonight.”
Riggs broke down what it meant to beat a driver with the caliber of McCarty.
“We kind of ventured away from what we know,” Riggs continued. “We went back to our roots. I felt like we were at home in this car. It felt good. I know that Bobby is considered the king of Ace Speedway. He always runs upfront. I feel like we pulled a Bobby McCarty at Ace. I’m very proud of everybody on the team.”
It was yet another heartbreak for McCarty’s CARS Tour efforts at Ace Speedway, after having the fastest short-run car. The two duked it out on every restart, but Riggs was ultimately the benefactor of a green flag run at the end.
The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour continues to have a plethora of competition and parity with another new winner in 2021. Ace Speedway set the scene for yet another action-packed event, as the tour looks ahead to Caraway Speedway in two weeks.