Noel Tucker of Mount Airy had the car to beat in the GM Direct Automotive Crate Late Models. He set the quickest time during the trials for this special $1,500 feature and then went on to win his sixth race at Friendship this season.
Tucker fended off Chris Cheek and Mitchell Coble in his quest to reach the Neighbors Stores/100.9 WIFM Victory Lane. Cheek rolled in for second place, while Coble earned third.
Tony Hicks was fourth, retaining a two-point edge over Cheek in the points standings.
Tucker has the most wins in the Late Model division this season but he also has two races where he earned no points and another week with minimal points. He trails Hicks by 44 points, currently sitting in third overall.
On a normal week, 50 points goes to the winner, 48 to second place, 46 to third, etc.
Daniel Moss and Andy Mathis won their heats in the Basic Finance Super Street division to earn spots on the front row for the main event.
The duo found themselves locked in a tight race throughout with Jeff Parsons, George Anen and Jimmy Watson before Mathis took the checkered flag for the second week in a row. Parsons nabbed second place, followed by Anen, Watson and Moss.
Mathis picked up 16 points on Moss in the points chase, moving within two points of the Super Street leader going into an off-week at Friendship.
Justin Hudspeth and Tommy Zachary won front-row positions in the Coffee House Four Cylinder division. But Hudspeth wasn't able to start because of mechanical issues. Zachary went on to win for the third time this season, outdueling Billy Robbins, Sandy Martin, Matthew Warden and Robbie Brown.
While Robbins finished as the race runner-up, he moved into first place in the points standings, edging ahead of Brown by eight. Brown had held a four-point edge going into Saturday.
Jessica Mendenhall and Boo Boo Dalton started on row one in the Southeastern Cars & Parts U-Car feature. But neither saw victory lane. Dalton led early before Ben Walker roared out of the field of drivers to claim the win, his first of the season.
Josh Clonch finished second but was disqualified in the post-race inspections. That gave Dalton second, followed by Matthew Barker in third.
Barker is the new U-Car points leader, surging past C.J. Lyons, Tyler Sidden and Mendenhall.
The next race night at Friendship will be Saturday, Aug. 2. This weekend will be a special FASTRAK Crate event at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat.






