Jamie Elam Rim Rides to Magnolia O’Reilly Southern All Stars Win

Columbus, MS – Jamie Elam may be seriously considering a change in his number. The Senatobia, MS racer normally pilots a Rocket Chassis which carries the number 12. In five previous O’Reilly Southern All Star Racing Series starts he had only yielded one top ten finish. But in his first outing driving a car with 1X on the door Elam has laid claim to his largest career payday and first career OSAS win.

Thirty-five OSAS drivers descended on Magnolia Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s WCBI TV Southern Showdown at the Mississippi 3/8ths mile. Local standout Bub McCool laid down a near perfect lap and picked up the American Billet Fast Award in Sunoco Race Fuels Pole Qualifying. McCool was followed in qualifying by Chris Wall, Dane Dacus, Elam and Jason Cliburn. Billy James, Rick Rickman, Dingus Griffin, David Breazeale and Jimmy Cliburn completed the top ten drivers locked in to the starting field.

Three ten lap qualifying heat races closely followed time trials. But by the time the heats hit the track the surface had turned to the famous “black ice” that Magnolia is so famous for. The three heats told the beginning of the tale for what was to come in the feature. Jason Sanderford picked up the win in heat number one from the fourth starting spot. Sanderford worked the outside groove to bypass Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth for the lead and the eventual win. Bo Shirley and David Ashley took the final two transfer spots.

Heats two and three again saw stellar action from the top to the bottom of the super slick racing surface. It appeared that the outside groove may have been the way to go as Jake Knowles rolled to the win in heat two on the outside. Ivedent Lloyd, Jimbo McDuffie and Mike Boland rounded out the transferring cars. James Ward proved that the bottom groove was just as racy when he captured the checkers in heat three on the hub. Anthony Rushing, Johnny Stokes and Eddie Rickman also finished in transfer positions.

Stokes utilized a GM 604 crate engine to get into the fifty lap feature. “I knew if we could just qualify well enough to get in the show we would be able to race. And that is just what we were able to do. The weight break really didn’t help us but the spoiler did. This place gets so slick you just need all that horsepower.” said Stokes of his crate engine attempt.

On the start of the feature Chris Wall jumped out to the point using the middle lane. McCool went back to the bottom while Elam moved to the outside. McCool rolled by for the lead on lap two and left Elam and Wall fighting for second. Wall moved to the bottom in the tracks of McCool’s Trakstar Chassis. Elam’s outside momentum allowed him to stay in contention for second. Dacus stayed close to the lead trio right through the middle while Cliburn began to fade.

Cliburn slow rolled into the pits one lap later but the track stayed green. Drivers were two and three abreast over the entire 3/8ths mile. Ivedent Lloyd, Jake Knowles and David Ashley waged a wild scramble swapping positions and lanes numerous times per lap. Lloyd found the high groove to his liking and was able clear both Ashley and Knowles leaving them continue their own battle.

As the race reached the mid point Elam began to pick up the pace, driving his Rocket just mere inches from the outside retaining wall nearly every lap. He was able to move by Wall for second and begin to contend for the lead with McCool. Lap after lap the two raced door to door with neither driver giving an inch. With only ten laps remaining the lead duo began to encounter heavy lapped traffic.

Elam inched out McCool at the line on the forty-sixth circuit. Both drivers had been forced to contend with lappers running in their groove who were also racing tooth and nail for position. As the two headed down the back straight McCool was again caught up behind the lap car of Jimbo McDuffie. McCool, trying to keep pace with Elam, and McDuffie made contact which sent McDuffie spinning into the tracks infield.

Elam now took control on the restart moving right back to the top. McCool rolled the dice on the bottom once again but found that his Hoosier tires were all but used up. McCool tried to keep Elam close but found himself being assaulted by the hard charging Chris Wall who had once again moved topside. Wall nabbed second as the field received the two-to-go indication.

Wall threw a last ditch effort at Elam as the white flag flew. Wall drove in high and then dove to the bottom off looking to diamond the turns but it was to no avail. Elam slipped away and took the checkers for his first career O’Reilly Sothern All Star Racing Series victory. Wall settled for second and McCool was able to hold off a fast closing Dane Dacus for third. Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth just edged Billy James at the line for fifth.

Elam’s Rocket Chassised race car is powered by an RPM Race Engine and has sponsor support from FSR Racing Products, O.H. Hendricks Aluminum, Thomas Auto Sales, Jim’s Used Cars, Larry Shaw Racing, Xtreme Graphics, SHY Suspension, Schaeffer Racing Oil, VP Race Fuels, Simpson, Deathridge Opticians and Butler Built.

Ivedent Lloyd will lead the O’Reilly Southern All Star point standings as the traveling series heads into Saturday night May 19th’s 30th Annual Coca-Cola Tennessee Memorial Event at Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland, TN. For event information visit please www.clevelandspeedway.com or call (423) 479-8574 For more information on the O’Reilly Southern All Stars please visit www.southern-allstars.com or call (256) 539-4484

All Photos by Scott Oglesby Click On Images To View Larger Versions

Official Finish

1. 1x Jamie Elam – Senatobia, MS
2. 71 Chris Wall – Holden, LA
3. 57j Bub McCool – Vicksburg, MS
4. 54D Dane Dacus – Memphis, TN
5. 18 Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth – Northport, AL
6. 5JR Billy James – Sikeston, MO
7. 1 Johnny Stokes – Columbus, MS
8. 21 Ivedent Lloyd – Ocala, FL
9. 49 Dingus Griffin – Alexandria, AL
10. W3 James Ward – Lettsworth, LA
11. 86 Rick Rickman – Columbus, MS
12. 222 Mike Boland – Cuba, AL
13. 14 David Ashley – Zachary, LA
14. 4 Mark Vineyard – Powell, TN
15. 66 Jake Knowles – Tyrone, GA
16. 70 ½  Anthony Rushing – Kosiusko, MS
17. 54 David Breazeale – Four Corners, MS
18. 68 Eddie Rickman – Columbus, MS
19. H2 Stacy Holmes – Munford, AL
20. 82 Jason Sanderford – Stewart, MS
21. 88 Jimmy Cliburn – Star, MS
22. 760 Jimbo McDuffie – Meridian, MS
23. 111 Bo Shirley – Gadsden, AL
24. 888 Jason Cliburn – Star, MS

DNS: Jimmy Holland, Scott Slay, Tony Knowles, Bryan Sumner, Roger Shirley, Clint Logan, Ross Camponova, Dean Carpenter, Ray Mottz, Justin McCree and Anthony Borroughs

Time of Race: 21 minutes 37 seconds
Yellow Flags: 1 (Lap 46)
Red Flags: 0
Official Lead Changes: 2
Lap Leaders: Chris Wall (1), Bub McCool (2-45) and Jamie Elam (46-50)