April 18, 2014 — official release — COLUMBUS, MS — Chris Wall has long been one of the toughest guys to ever make laps around the Magnolia Motor Speedway. Wall has recorded multiple special event wins at Johnny Stokes’ 3/8ths mile oval.
On Friday night Wall added another to his list of big wins at the track located just outside Columbus. Wall moved by race leader Billy Moyer, Jr. before halfway and then mowed down back-marker traffic to capture capture the opening night of the National Dirt Racing League King of Mississippi, scoring a $7,500 payday.
“Man this is special to me,” a visually excited Wall said in Schaeffer’s Oil Victory Lane. “The best drivers in the country are right here tonight and to outrun Scott Bloomquist, Billy Moyer, Don O’Neal and all these other guys is just an awesome feeling. I take a lot of pride in this one.”
Wall started from third and methodically worked his way past second-place Billy Moyer, quickly giving chase to leader Billy Moyer, Jr. Moyer kept his Longhorn Chassis machine at the point rolling up around the very top of the speedway, while Wall was making up the distance to the leader running right around the bottom of the track. Lap after lap Wall was able to close in on Moyer.
By lap 10 Wall was all over Moyer and just one lap later Wall swept underneath Moyer to grab the lead. It was a lead he would never relinquish.
Once in the lead Wall was masterful, hugging the inside berm and picking off lap traffic one by one. Behind the leaders, fourth starter Don O’Neal began to mount a charge to the front. O’Neal slipped back in the early laps but found a groove through the black-slick middle to his liking. When O’Neal reached 2nd his was able to close up the gap to Wall.
However Wall was able to move through the traffic much better and opened the distance back up. When the checkered flag fell Wall crossed the line with a 12 car length advantage to take the win. O’Neal followed in second and Steve Francis moved up from the seventh starting spot to take complete the podium in third.
49 drivers representing 16 different states signed-in for Keyser Manufacturing Time Trials, and Scott Bloomquist took home the Bell Helmets Fast Qualifier award, laying down a lap of 13.887 seconds to take the honors.
The National Dirt Racing League will conclude the King of Mississippi on Saturday with a $12,500 to win / 60-lap feature event.
To stay up with all of the latest happenings within the National Dirt Racing League, check out www.thendrl.com and make sure to “Like” the National Dirt Racing League on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NationalDirtRacingLeague and follow the NDRL on Twitter at @The_NDRL.
RESULTS: KDRL Kings of Dirt; Magnolia Motor Speedway; April 18, 2014
- 71 Chris Wall
- 5 Don O’Neal
- 15 Steve Francis
- 21Jr Billy Moyer, Jr.
- 21 Chris Brown
- 6 Jonathan Davenport
- 21 Billy Moyer
- 23 John Blankenship
- 0 Scott Bloomquist
- 1c Chad Thrash
- 57J Bub McCool
- 7R Kent Robinson
- 777 Jared Landers
- 19 Tim Fuller
- 1 Jeremy Payne
- 44 Chris Madden
- 22 Chris Ferguson
- C8 Timothy Culp
- 17m Robert Baker
- 111 Max Blair
- 25z Mason Zeigler
- 1 Anthony Burroughs
- 86 Rick Rickman
- 18 Jimmy Cliburn
- 19 William Thomas
- 6m Wendell Wallace
DNS: Dane Dacus, Jack Sullivan, Neil Baggett, BJ Robinson, Brian Rickman, Randy Weaver, Scott Dedwylder, Garrett Alberson, Josh Putnam, Doug Showah, Chris Smith, Leon Henderson, Ray Moore, Chase Washington, Eric Cooley, Jason Hiett, Jason Brock, Skip Arp, Jason Cliburn, David Breazeale, Dave Deetz, Justin Paxon and Shelby Sheedy.