JACKSONVILLE, NC – Eddie Humphrey picked up an emotional victory in the Bomber portion of Saturday night’s Furniture 4 Less Labor Day Classic at New River All-American Speedway.
Humphrey, 47, from Hubert, North Carolina, had previously raced in Street Stocks at New River and competed with Gary Rochelle, Jr. After picking up his 12th career Bomber win at the Jacksonville track, Humphrey dedicated his win to his fallen friend.
“Some of the hardest battles fought at this racetrack were me and him side-by-side for 20 laps,” Humphrey said. “You can look it up on YouTube back in 2009-2010 and you’ll see some good shows. That was fun. I’ve been out of the car for a month-and-a-half and I had the itch and got back in it to see if we could still drive.”
Humphrey, a former Street Stock champion when the track operated under the Coastal Plains Raceway namesake, said he is working on finding a ride for the Gary Rochelle Memorial Street Stock race set for October 7.
Jacksonville’s Richard Smith took home the runner-up position and, by virtue of the result, clinched his spot in the Race for the Championship playoffs in the Bomber division. The playoffs for the Bomber division will take place on Saturday, September 16 for the semifinal round and conclude on Sunday, September 17 with the finals.
“I’ve been working hard trying to get here,” Smith said. “We ain’t got first place yet but we’ll keep on pushing and see what we can do.”
Raleigh’s Carson Haislip held off Supply, North Carolina driver Landen Lewis to pick up the victory in the Legend Car division.
“Dillon Spain gave me a rocket ship tonight,” Haislip said in victory lane. “I’d like to thank [Lewis]. He raced me really clean and it was really hard. I bet it put on a show for the fans because I was kind of biting my fingernails. He raced me real good. It was a good race. He’s a good driver. I’ve watched him come from Legend Cars to ARCA and he dominates anything he drives.”
Lewis, who competes in the ARCA Menards Series and is a protégé of NASCAR legend Ron Honrnaday, Jr., settled for a runner-up finish.
With the victory, Haislip secured his spot in the playoff finals for the Legends division. Jacksonville’s Aiden McConnaughey, who finished third, also advanced, along with Raleigh sisters Phoenyx and Raven Kimball.
Brent Townsend picked up the victory in a photo finish in the Champ Kart division on Saturday night. While the win was initially credited to Keith Webb by a margin of .010 on electronic scoring, a review was initiated and, on Monday morning, New River All-American Speedway announced Townsend as the winner after reviewing photographic and video footage. The win is Townsend’s first at New River. As a result of his sixth-place finish, Herbert Keaton clinched his playoff spot on points.
Mike Kirk picked up his first Grand National Super Series win in the first portion of a series doubleheader, while Kevin Kromer won the second race, while Sarah Whitesell picked up her first New River victory in the Bandolero division, and Rusty Daniels swept in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Late Model double feature.
New River All-American Speedway returns to action on Saturday night with the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour headlining the Milam Equipment Rentals Carolina 125. The Legends and Bandoleros will be in action with INEX National Qualifier races, while Bombers and Champ Karts will hold their final race before the playoffs with the remainder of the playoff grids set.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway, check out the speedway’s website, like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebook, follow @newriverswy on Twitter, or follow the track on Instagram.
Unofficial Results for 9/2/2023 at New River All-American Speedway – Jacksonville, NC
Late Model – Race #1 | 40 Laps | 00:11:20.000
1. 16-Rusty Daniels; 2. 29-Paul Williamson; 3. 40-Brian Thomas; 4. 84-Brandon Gray; 5. 44-T J Barron
Late Model – Race #2 | 00:11:36.348
1. 16-Rusty Daniels; 2. 29-Paul Williamson; 3. 44-T J Barron; 4. 40-Brian Thomas; 5. (DNS) 84-Brandon Gray
Bomber | 25 laps | 00:09:01.720
1. 14-Eddie Humphrey; 2. 77-Richard Smith; 3. 88-Dale Drum; 4. 79-Dominic Baez; 5. 66-Ronnie Kropp; 6. 41-Kevin Wrenn; 7. 33-Nathan Hall; 8. 97-Justin Brooks; 9. 34-Michael Withrow
Legends | 25 Laps | 00:07:42.328
1. 08-Carson Haislip; 2. 99-Landen Lewis; 3. 71-Aiden McConnaughey; 4. 2B-Aaron Linsky; 5. 97-Isaac Kitzmiller; 6. 88-Phoenyx Kimball; 7. 51-Raven Kimball; 8. 02-Zachary Mertes; 9. 9-Brody Rhodes; 10. 14-Mike Ridenour
Bandoleros | 10 Laps | 00:03:40.000
1. 21-Sarah Whitesell; 2. 21A-Addison Schumann; 3. 3-Landon Burbage; 4. (BF) 21C-Carson Haislip
Champ Kart | 20 Laps | 00:07:11.269
1. 06-Brent Townsend; 2. 18-Keith Webb; 3. 2-Aaron Layden; 4. 28-Josh Eubanks; 5. 01T-Jacob Tingen; 6. 20-Herbert Keaton; 7. 10-Ashley Keaton; 8. 127-jimmie whitehurst; 9. 18S-Carlton Sullivan; 10. 13-Miles Rochelle; 11. 28L-Corey Lucas; 12. 1-Daniel Baker; 13. 30-Martin Grasso
Grand National Super Series – Race #1 | 50 Laps | 00:15:04.000
1. 54S-Mike Kirk; 2. 77-Kevin Kromer; 3. 97-Jason Kitzmiller; 4. 7-Frank Kimmel; 5. 79-AJ Henriksen; 6. 57-Donnie Doster; 7. 66-Larry Wilcox; 8. 54-Cody Dennison; 9. 9-Marc Jones; 10. 99-Dusty Silvers; 11. 42S-Brian Sossebee; 12. 38-Joe Wilder; 13. (DNS) 42C-Jody Cash; 14. (DNS) 71-Bob Schacht; 15. (DNS) 42-Mitchell Stapleton
Grand National Super Series – Race #2 | 50 Laps | 00:15:21.331
1. 77-Kevin Kromer; 2. 54S-Mike Kirk; 3. 79-AJ Henriksen; 4. 7-Frank Kimmel; 5. 97-Jason Kitzmiller; 6. 57-Donnie Doster; 7. 38-Joe Wilder; 8. 54-Cody Dennison; 9. 99-Dusty Silvers; 10. 42S-Brian Sossebee; 11. 9-Marc Jones; 12. 66-Larry Wilcox; 13. (DNS) 42C-Jody Cash; 14. (DNS) 71-Bob Schacht; 15. (DNS) 42-Mitchell Stapleton
