By: T. J. Layne
COAL GROVE, OHIO-I can still remember being so excited for the 2006 season to begin just as if it was yesterday. It’s hard to believe that the 2006 season has already come and gone here at Rocky Top but it was for sure one that would not be forgotten.
The unofficial beginning of the 2006 season came with our Test N Tune on April 22nd. Heavy rains the night before made the entire facility very wet. However, everything dried up and it was good to hear the thunder of the engines on our favorite race track. Little would any of us know at that time that rain would end up canceling eight races on the season. We lost two months of our season this year due to bad weather. As everybody knows, that’s just part of racing though but we were thankful for the many beautiful days the Lord blessed us with.
The 2006 season officially began on Friday, April 28th. We didn’t have as many cars as we had hoped (most of the time that happens early on in the season due to guys not being ready) but the stars were definitely out and the racing was tremendous. R.J. Conley, Randy Boggs, Brett Carey, and Keith Anderson took the checkered flags in what turned out to be one of the most exciting nights of racing witnessed during the 2006 season. One thing that made the night so much fun was a tacky race surface as Late Models were time trialing in the thirteen second bracket.
A tacky, three groove racing surface was the norm during the 2006 season. Randy and Robbie Harmon along with all the other track prep crew did a great job during the season to provide one of the best race surfaces in the country. Rocky Top was one of the few places you could go in 2006 to see a tacky, three groove racing surface each and every week
Our weekly shows during the season were some of the best around as we saw good car counts along with some of the biggest names in dirt track racing to compete on the three groove racing surface. One of the most memorable weekly shows came in our third race of the season on May 19th. The track was extremely fast and the field of 19 Late Models in attendance was good enough for a special event. When you put fast cars on a fast track that definitely makes for some excitement. That all got started in time trials as Josh McGuire turned a breathtaking 13.4 second lap to set a new track record!!! Even more impressive was eight cars were in the thirteen second bracket!!! At the end of the night, Josh McGuire held off a hard charging Jackie Boggs to take his second of three wins on the season against an all star field of cars.
Speaking of special events, the specials at Rocky Top this season were nothing short of spectacular. The “Summer Sizzler 50”, a $3,000 to win 50 lap Late Model show ran on August 11th certainly lived up to it’s name, “the can’t miss race of the summer”. The race saw some of the best drivers in the country in attendance put on what was probably the best race in Southern Ohio. It doesn’t get much better then Jackie Boggs, Tim Dohm, and Eddie Carrier Jr. going three wide for the lead. In the end of that show, the “Showstopper” Tim Dohm took home the win in his first ever trip to Rocky Top by passing Carrier with a handful of laps to go. 2006 also saw the first ever appearance of a sanctioning series at Rocky Top. The AMRA Road Warrior Tour brought in a great field of AMRA Modifieds on August 25th but it was a local driver, Doug Adkins, taking the $1,000 to win show after top RWT runner Kenny Johnson stormed from the 15th starting position to finish second and battle Adkins in the closing laps.
Our 2006 season ended in a huge way too on September 15th with the “First Annual Walter Jenkins Memorial” paying $3,000 to win Late Models, $2,000 to win AMRA Modifieds, and $500 to win Bombers. The race was a great tribute to Walter Jenkins as the Jenkins family worked incredibly hard to help us put on this great show. In the end, Jackie Boggs took home the $3,000 LM win as Tim Dohm nearly swept RTR special events by coming from last to second. This race set a new high car count in the history of Rocky Top for Late Models as 27 of them showed. The unprecedented $2,000 to win AMRA Modified show went to Craig Christian as he pulled off one of the biggest upsets in years as he survived to take the big win. We already can’t wait for the “Second Annual Walter Jenkins Memorial”.
Another thing that made the 2006 season all the more interesting was the number of different winners we had. The Late Model division saw eight different winners in thirteen races with Josh McGuire, Kenny Christy, and Jackie Boggs the only drivers to win more then one time. Bill Bocook, Rick Combs, and Tim Dohm took their first ever RTR feature wins. The AMRA Modified division saw the most parity as ten different drivers took the checkered flag in thirteen races. Todd Robinson, Rick Hensley, and Eddie Harmon were the only drivers to win more then once. The Mods also produced the most first time winners with Rick Hensley, Jeremy Berwanger, Doug Adkins, Mike Wilson, and Craig Christian taking their first RTR feature wins.
The Bombers saw six different winners in twelve races with Wayne Hughes, Brett Carey, Jeremie Bretz, and Tommy Keaton winning more then once race. With four wins, Wayne Hughes won more races at RTR then any other driver. Brian Lawson and Tommy Keaton also took their first career RTR wins. We had 66 different Late Models compete at RTR. The first year of sanctioning with the AMRA turned out good as 85 different AMRA Modifieds received points at RTR. The Bombers saw 45 different drivers race at Rocky Top this season. Cars from Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania came to race at RTR this season.
The battles for the championships were also good as Nick Bocook took home his second career Rocky Top Late Model track championship. Remember, this was only the third season of racing at RTR. Bocook was the model for consistency all year long as his familiar #1 was in attendance at RTR for every race but one, racking up one win, nine top fives, and ten top tens. Todd Robinson also took his second Rocky Top AMRA Modified track championship. It was a tight points battle all season long in the Mods between Robinson, Greg Thompson, and Dave Kelley. In the end, Robinson picked up two wins, six top fives, and nine top tens. Brett Carey never missed a race at Rocky Top and was a top runner every week as he took his first Rocky Top Raceway Bomber track championship. Brett picked up two wins, ten top fives, and ten top tens.
Nick Bocook, R.J. Conley, and Josh McGuire all took turns leading the Late Model points. Bocook took the lead for the final time on June 9th and never lost the points lead. Todd Robinson, Dave Kelley, Greg Thompson, and Randy Boggs all took turns leading the AMRA Modified points. Robinson took the lead for the final time on the next to last race of the season on September 8th. In the Bombers, Brett Carey and Wayne Hughes were the only drivers to lead points. Carey took the lead for the final time on June 16th.
From all of us at the Rocky Top Raceway we want to say a big thanks to all the fans, drivers, and sponsors for their continued support over the 2006 season. We want to thank all of you for making it a successful season. We are already preparing for an even bigger 2007 season and can’t wait to see everybody back out at “the most exciting, action packed show in town” at Rocky Top this spring!!!