Parrish Stays Out Of Trouble For Limited Victory

Roger Parrish Jr. rolls to victory under the checkered flag.

Sitting in Victory Lane Sunday evening, Roger Parrish Jr. admitted he didn’t have the best car in the 50-lap Limited Sportsman portion of the Made In America Whelen 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

But he did have the first-place trophy, and at the end of the day, that’s what counts.

The Vinton, VA, driver took the lead on a restart on lap 41 and survived three more restarts to capture the inaugural NASCAR Limited Sportsman race at Martinsville Speedway.

“We didn’t have the best car, but it still feels good to win down here at Martinsville,” said Parrish, who picked up $2,500 for the win.

Brandon Gdovic of Yorktown, VA, had the best car, leading 37 laps of the scheduled 50-lapper that was shortened to 45 laps because of darkness. But he missed a shift on a restart on lap 41 and Parrish shot past for the lead.

“I finally got around him (Gdovic). He had the best car today,” said Parrish.

It was a caution-filled event. The yellow flag waved a dozen times and twice the race had to be red flagged to clean up wrecked racers on the track.

Gary Ledbetter of Lexington, NC, wound up second, while Danny Willis Jr. of South Boston, VA, overcame a mid-race spin that relegated him to the rear of the field, to finish third.

Rounding out the top five were Jeff Oleen of Bethesda, MD, in fourth and Michael Hatley of Chapel Hill, NC, in fifth.

Racing returns to Martinsville Speedway this weekend with the running of the Bailey’s 300 Late Model Stock race. Practice and qualifying are set for Friday and Saturday with four 25-lap heat races and the 200-feature scheduled for Sunday, October 4.

Tickets are on sale and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.