Third Annual Jack Starrette Memorial Race up Next For Carolina Clash Series At Gordon Park Speedway Of Grovetown, Georgia

First event for southeastern tour since 2008 at Peach State short track.

Mark Huey, Carolina Clash PR

For the first time since May 2008, the Carolina Clash super late models are set to roll into the gates of Gordon Park Speedway on April 27, 2013. The 2003 champion "The Gambler" Ed Basey of Evans, GA won the first three events with the Carolina Clash at GPS, dating back to 2002. The 2008 Carolina Clash winner at Gordon Park, "Rambo" Dennis Franklin, currently leads the point standings and will enter the event with the rest of the Carolina Clash faithful to pay tribute to Hall of Fame member and long-time sponsor of the series Mr. Jack Starrette. The third annual Jack Starrette Memorial race is fifth event in the history of the Carolina Clash series and will be the first race at the track since it was downsized in 2011. Beech Island, SC driver John Henderson and Clover, SC driver Johnny Pursley are the two defending winners of this great memorial event. The 2012 race was sanctioned by the BEAST series, which merged with the Carolina Clash during the winter months.

Mr. Starrette, who first began racing in the mid 1950s at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway, died August 22, 2010. After driving race cars himself, he evolved into a car owner. Drivers of his team cars and others who were sponsored by Starrette Trucking over the years include, Randle Chupp, Chris Ferguson, Mike Duvall, Doug Sanders, Anthony Sanders, John Henderson, Ricky Elliott, Scott Autry, Ed Basey, Steve Phillips, Jeremy Clements, Buckshot Miles, Benji Cole, Casey Roberts and the late Phillip Seifert. He began his trucking business in 1959, which grew into a fleet of over 60 units. Such a successful business allowed Starrette the ability to support multiple race teams over the years. Sponsoring drivers who called asking for support wasn't Starrette's method. The elder statesman, who always wore a plaid shirt, work pants and cap, always worked to give aid to struggling drivers or a team that needed a helping hand, embracing them as members of his own family.

GPS promoter Mr. Brian Stewart is excited about putting this show on. "The track will be ready, the facility will be prepared and race fans need to come ready to see these guys get to work on one of the stoutest little bullrings in the south," stated Stewart. "Mr. Starrette was a pioneer of racing in our area, all over the place really. He has had his name on a lot of cars over the years and has helped this sport survive and thrive, here in the Augusta area. His name has been and can still be seen on cars in this area, and some other areas of South and North Carolina."

In addition to the racing, Mr. Stewart commented on the concession facility that has been the topic of many conversations about racing at Gordon Park.

"I feel that we have one of the finest concession facilities in the south! We serve our famous pork chop sandwiches and rib eye steak sandwiches, so when you come to Gordon Park and you leave hungry, then it was your own fault! I would like to take this time to invite everyone to the Jack Starrette Memorial Carolina Clash super late model show on April 27th at Gordon Park Speedway!"

The Jack Starrette Memorial Race will be the fifth race all-time at the "Peach State" track with the series and Carolina Clash race #249 all-time. It will be fourth race of the 2013 season and the first of three races planned for 2013 at the 3/8 mile track.

Other divisions on the card for this weekend's racing will be the Pro Late Model (Crates), the Super Streets, the Stock V8's, the Super Stock 4 Cylinders, and the Extreme 4 (UCAR) divisions.

Gates open at 3 pm and drivers meeting will begin at 6:15. Get there early to get a good seat. For more information call Brian Stewart at 706-833-0972.

For GPS directions, the track is located at: 3157 Gordon Hwy. Grovetown, GA 30813.

Pit admission is $30.00 and grandstands admission is $20.00. Hope to see everyone at "The Park."


The Carolina Clash would like to thank the following sponsors for their contributions to the series in 2013:

The Carolina Clash Series is sponsored by: JE Pistons, NCPR, sormance, Union eastern Nroth t Cup Martinsville weekend. community of Madison, just off US Highway 311 to Roush Yates Performance Products, Stock Car Steel & Aluminum/SRI, American Racer, Hoosier Racing Tires, VP Racing Fuels, Safety Kleen, Lincoln Electric, Collins Signs & Trophies, XS Power Racing Batteries, Heintz Brothers Performance, Performance Tees, Thomas Clarke Performance Web Designs, The Carolina Auto Racing Show (CARS), NASCAR Technical Institute, Racing Electronics, Lee Furniture Company, Rock Auto.com & R2C Performance Filters


Carolina Clash Points Standings after 3 races:
Driver TOTAL
Dennis Franklin 105
Ross Bailes 99
Luke Roffers 95
Ricky Weeks 94
Johnny Pursley 93
Tim Allen 84
Dustin Mitchell 73
Damon Kotke - R 69
Michael Marlowe 68
Scott Autry 63
Mike Gault 60
Kyle Pierce - R 59
John Pursley 57
Kennie Compton, Jr. 54
Doug Sanders 50
Brian Ledbetter 43
Wayne Hughes 39
Randy Harmon 38
Jonathan Davenport 36
Casey Roberts 35
Craig Shuffield 33
Chip Brindle 30
Mike Parker 29
Gary Mabe 28
Brian Moody 26
Billy Hicks 25
David Yandle 24
Dale Hammond 24
Kevin Wilson 24
Joey Coulter 23
Donnie Austin 21
Chris Ferguson 20
Richard Clew 20
Robbie Turner 18
Steve Blackburn 18
Shawn Beasley 17
Joe Krelich 16
Daulton Wilson 16
Robbie Bailey 15
Bubba McGee 15
Steven Blanton 13
Derek Harmon 12
Raymond Brown 10
Ronnie Poole 10
Barry Arnold 10
Chris Cheek 10