By Robert Walden BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Sept. 1) — Chad Ogle of Sevierville began the 2007 racing season at Volunteer Speedway by reeling off four consecutive open-wheel modified feature wins, but the class was eliminated back in the spring following 15 seasons of competing at the track due to a declining car-count over the last couple of years. During his open-wheel career Ogle captured over 30 victories, and back in 2001 he even recorded a late model feature win at “The Gap” after briefly stepping away from the modified. But over the past five seasons he strictly had competed in the open-wheel ranks. Faced with the dilemma of his home-track no longer running the modified class, Ogle’s family-owned race team decided to build a new super late model, and the dividends paid off immediately. Making his first appearance at the track in his newly built ride, Ogle grabbed the lead Saturday on the opening lap from his outside front row starting spot in the “Gateway Ford” Super Late Model feature, and once out front he never looked back en route to cruising to an impressive flag-to-flag victory on A&L RV Sales Night at the Races. “To win our first night out is just awesome, because you never know how a new race car is going to run,” said Ogle after climbing from his car in victory lane. “We were really fortunate to have everything work out well for us, because the car was good from the drop of the green to the waving of the checkered flag. I just couldn’t have asked for a better driving car. “The track was in good shape tonight, and I could really roll around the top-side between turns one and two, and that allowed the car to really carry a lot of momentum off the corner down the backstretch. Being this is our first time racing this new car, I believe getting out to the early lead really helped to build my confidence … and the more laps we ran the more comfortable I felt in the car. To be able to come out here and beat (Scott) Sexton, (Kerry) Jones, Herman (Goddard) and everybody, man, this is awesome.” Mike Smith earned the pole for the 35-lap feature after running a fast-lap at 12.745-seconds, with Ogle timing-in second-quickest at 12.815. Completing the opening lap the duo was running side-by-side into the first turn, but down on the bottom racing off (turn) two, Smith looped his mount to bring out the event’s first caution, forcing him to the rear of the field for the restart. Lining up behind Ogle was Kerry Jones, Herman Goddard, Bryan Hendrix and Scott Sexton. Only one circuit back under green and the caution waved once again when Van Lester and Jody Teffeteller tangled and spun in turn two. After starting sixth, Sexton got around Hendrix to move into fourth-place on the fifth lap, then passed Goddard to take over the third spot on lap 11. With Ogle driving with confidence out front, running consistent lap-after-lap, he began to put some distance between himself and his closest challenger Jones as the race reached the halfway point. On lap 21 between the third and fourth turns, the fifth-running Goddard tangled with the lapped car of Phil Helton to bring out the caution. Going back green Ogle was riding on the point followed by Jones, Sexton, Hendrix and Smith, who had worked his way back into the top-five following his spin on the second lap. Ogle, driving the S&J Machine/AFCO Racing Products/JT Kerr Racing Equipment/Team DBM (David Bryant Motorsports)/Ogle Motorsports/GRT Race Cars/No. 10 Monte Carlo, once again flexed his muscle in pulling away from both Jones and Sexton. With five circuits remaining, Ogle was in control out front. But the trio of Jones, Sexton and Hendrix were running nose-to-tail. With Sexton rim-riding in the corners, Hendrix would stick the nose of his car under Sexton’s as they raced off the turns. The 31-year-old Ogle easily captured the victory, while Sexton passed Jones for second-place on the white flag lap, with Hendrix and Smith rounding out the top-five at the checkers. Completing the top 10 finishers were Goddard, Dwight Sams, Jackie Hughes, Van Lester and Marty Calloway. “You know, I love racing here at Volunteer Speedway … and it’s so good to be back running here. I’ll admit, back earlier in the year when the open-wheel modified class got eliminated we (race team) were really disappointed. We’d won several races here over the years, and all at once to no longer have a local track to race at was tough. Racing is expensive, and we’ve got a really good car and I truly believe we can win on a consistent basis … but we need some sponsor help in the worst way to help us to be able to keep running up front. “I really want to thank my dad, Rick Ogle for all of his support over the years of my racing. Because without him there’s no way I could race on my own. I also want to thank my brother Aaron (Ogle), David Bryant and Travis down at JT Kerr Racing Equipment for all the help they’ve been working on getting this car ready. And I can’t forget my wife, Mary, and my sons Reece and Dawson, they love watching me race.” Making just his 17th career start at “The Gap,” Jensen Ford of Johnson City passed Allen Champ for the lead only five laps from the finish to capture his first career “Ramey Ford” Crate Late Model victory. Success behind the wheel has come quickly for the 19-year-old Ford, who graduated from Science Hill High School back earlier this spring in May. It was a given the teenager Ford would one day strap in a race car, being he had grown up around racing and the motorsports business (TNT Race Cars & Parts) owned by his parents Tony and Teresa Ford. From an early age he has worked on race cars, plus his uncle (Randy Ford) is a former Volunteer Speedway late model track champion, with many feature wins to his credit during his career. During qualifying for the 25-lap feature event for crate-engine cars Champ set a new track record at 13.648-seconds, lowering the standard set back on July 14 of 13.652 by current point leader Bobby Mays. Champ sped out to an early lead over Kelly Glass, Ford, Brad Dyer and Mays. Anthony Arnwine got around both Mays and Dyer to move from sixth in the running order to fourth following a lap 6 restart after a spin by Casey Greenlee. But Mays battled back to overtake both Dyer and Arnwine to take over the fourth spot. With Champ in command out front, Ford worked around Glass racing off the fourth turn on lap 11 to move into the runner-up position. With the lead cars working lapped traffic, Ford made his move around Champ racing off the fourth turn on lap 20 to grab the lead. Just one circuit later the yellow flag waved when Brad Kenyon slowed with a flat tire, setting up a dash to the checkers. But Ford, driving the TNT Race Cars & Parts/Byrd's Radiator & Used Racing Parts/Hy-Tec Specialty Coatings/Traffic Graphic - We'll Wrap Your World/AFCO Racing Products/Wilwood Racing Products/Quick Car Racing Products/Sweet Mfg./Bert Transmissions/Mason Racin'/No. 83 Monte Carlo, would not be denied his first trip to victory lane, as he held on for the win over Mays, who got past Champ racing off the fourth turn to the checkered flag to take second-place by a couple of feet. Glass and Arnwine finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Mike Hodges of Morristown started from the pole position and when the checkers waved was still running out front to record his third “Rusty Wallace Toyota” Hobby Stock feature win over Jon Cook, Dustin Shaver, Mike Kelley and Dennis Metcalf. Newport’s Joey Allen captured his third “Century 21 Masengill-McCrary Realtors” Mini Stock feature win by easily outdistancing Brent Hensley for the victory. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Toby Jones, Ernie Stubblefield and Brandon Johnson. “GATEWAY FORD” SUPER LATE MODEL (35 laps) 1) Chad Ogle #10, 2) Scott Sexton #52, 3) Kerry Jones #6, 4) Bryan Hendrix #5, 5) Mike Smith #4, 6) Herman Goddard #22, 7) Dwight Sams #54, 8) Jackie Hughes #27, 9) Van Lester #50, 10) Marty Calloway #7, 11) Jody Teffeteller #21, 12) Dennis Alverson #71, 13) Phil Helton #24, 14) Alben Watts #0, 15) Jimmy Cox #8, 16) Randy Davidson #28 “RAMEY FORD” CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps) 1) Jensen Ford #83, 2) Bobby Mays #19, 3) Allen Champ #11c, 4) Kelly Glass #01, 5) Anthony Arnwine #11, 6) Jerry Broyles #72, 7) Josh Henry #B00, 8) James Cole #5, 9) Chris Manning #03, 10) Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf #56, 11) Travis Trent #5, 12) Joe “Dirt” Good #911, 13) Todd Brooks #T1, 14) Tom Eastridge #37, 15) Donnie Henry #12, 16) Casey Greenlee #02, 17) Brad Kenyon #98, 18) Brad Dyer #20, 19) Gerald Smith #12s, 20) Ricky Moore #75, 21) Tony Trent #18, 22) Alan Poyner #2 “RUSTY WALLACE TOYOTA” HOBBY STOCK (20 laps) 1) Mike Hodges #m2, 2) Jon Cook #0z, 3) Dustin Shaver #7, 4) Mike Kelley #8, 5) Dennis Metcalf #55, 6) Roger Hunter #7-11, 7) Everett Cobb #13, 8) Jesse Helton #28, 9) Shorty Ledford #41, 10) Chris Long #75, 11) Jason Light #50, 12) Gary Dean Morgan #07, 13) Ray Jarnigan #31, 14) Shannon Davidson #4, 15) Dale Reed #52, 16) Jesse Wilder #79, 17) Jeremiah Carr #2, 18) Jamie Whitt #1, 19) Phillip Nichols #33, 20) Robbie Woods #16, 21) Mike Mays #30 – Did Not Start: Rick Fillers #21, Charles Bates #27 “CENTURY 21 MASENGILL-MCCRARY REALTORS” MINI STOCK (20 laps) 1) Joey Allen #A00, 2) Brent Hensley #70, 3) Toby Jones #66, 4) Ernie Stubblefield #21, 5) Brandon Johnson #B01, 6) Allen Carrier #B1, 7) John Broce Jr. #44, 8) Shawn Henry #B00, 9) Kevin Atwell #95