A huge field of sixty-nine Super Late Models entered this weekends 12th annual Gobbler 100 at the Cleveland Speedway for the Southern All-Star season finale Sunday morning. At the end of the 100 lap event it was Lenior City, Tennessee racer Patrick Duggan in his # 15 "Waldrop Transmission, Eddy's Body Shop, K&K Trailers" sponsored Stinger racecar taking the checkered flag after leading the last five laps to win his first career S.A.S. feature event.

In Sunoco Race Fuels S.A.S. qualifying Duggan set the standard early turning a lap of 14:699 seconds around the 1/3 mile clay banked facility as the events third competitor to take the track. Dale McDowell came close to Duggan's time but it wasn't 'til defending Gobbler 100 champion John Jones took to the track, that Duggan would be dethroned from the top qualifying seed. Jason Welshan took the track as the twenty-fifth qualifier and shocked everybody when he knocked Jones off the pole spot turning a 14:653 lap. The remaining forty-four cars completed time trials and no one could touch Welshan's time. As the top eighteen fastest qualifiers were locked into the feature, S.A.S. officials drew-up four "Sudden-Death" last chance consolation races. These 10 lap events only transferred the winner's to the feature.

In the first consi. S.A.S. points leader Clint Smith raced to the checkers. Derrick Duggan passed by Scott Sexton and Kevin Gibson to finish second. Gibson, Sexton and Jerry Owens rounded out the top five. In the second consi. David Gentry held off former (1998) Gobbler 100 winner Danny Peoples for the win. Mike Head finished third with Gusty Christenberry and outside pole sitter David Payne rounding out the top five. The third consi. was won by Mark Martin. Brandon King, Shane Tankersly (who along with John Llewellyn would use one of the two S.A.S. provisional's to make the race), Skip Freeman and Richard Harvey followed Martin across the checkers. And in the fourth and final consi. Johnney Chastain held off former track champion (1994) Rick Hixson for the win. Dennis Franklin, Mike Tinker, and Ronnie Norton rounded out the top five.

As the twenty four car field raced under the green an eight car pile-up occurred when Keith Frazier and Ricky Holland collided down the back straight-away. Greg Skinner and Martin became the first casualties of the event as the field restarted. Welshan again jumped into the lead, with Duggan, McDowell, Jones and Chris Madden following. This time it was turn four of lap one when Frazier and Holland tangled. Unfortunately Keith Hays got collected into the wall with Holland. As the field went green again Duggan began his onslaught upon Welshan attempting to uproot the leader from the bottom line. As the halfway point came to pass Welshan was still holding off Duggan lap after lap with McDowell, Jones and Madden in tow. Despite minor cautions Welshan showed the way to the ¾ mark, when smoke began to show from the back of the car. Duggan put the nose of his Pontiac under Welshan for the final time on lap 95 and uprooted the pole sitter, bringing McDowell with him to second. Welshan dropped in front of Jones and Mears trying to salvage a top three and in turn caused a collision that would end his and Jones night four laps premature. On the final restart of the race Duggan sailed to not only his career first S.A.S. win but his first win of the season. McDowell, Mears, Madden, and Paul Tims rounded out the top five. Though Tims finished fifth, Clint Smith took his third career S.A.S. series championship by finishing within twelve positions of Tims.

Official Gobbler 100 Finish:
1.Patrick Duggan (# 15) of Lenior City TN
2.Dale McDowell (# 111) of Rossville GA
3.Mark Mears (# 19) of Decatur AL
4.Chris Madden (# 6) of Spartianburg SC
5.Paul Tims (# 84) of Georgetown TN
6.Billy Ogle Jr. (# 201) of Knoxville TN
7.Rex Richey (# 07) of Ringgold GA
8.Jimmy Owens (# 2) of Oak Ridge TN
9.Randy Burrows (# 95) of Chattanooga TN
10.Clint Smith (# 44) of Senoia GA
11.Johnney Chastain (# 00) of Murphy NC
12.Keith Frazier (# 11) of Cleveland TN
13.Shane Tankersly (# T31) of Morganton GA
14.Jerry Coffman (# 56) of Soddy Daisy TN
15.Jason Welshan (# 29) of Maryville TN
16.John Jones (# J1) of Ringgold GA
17.David Killian (# 25) of Murphy NC
18.John Llewellyn (# 90) of Knoxville TN
19.Stan Amacher (# 21) of Tullahoma TN
20.David Gentry (# 28) of Shelbyville TN
21.Keith Hays (# 8) of Morris AL
22.Ricky Holland (# 42) of Ooltewah TN
23.Mark Martin (# 90) of Baxter TN
24.Greg Skinner (# 11) of Oxford AL

Open Wheel Modified:
Winner: Jimmy Owens (# 20) of Newport TN (Sponsored By: West Haven Speed Equipment)
2.Mike Marlar (# 157), 3.Shannon Davis (# 1), 4.Billy Palmer (# 16), 5.Chris Rickett (# 1)

Claimer Late Model:
Winner: Charles "Peanut" Clinton (# 51) of Rossville GA (Sponsored By: Lambert Concrete)
2.Bobby Doss (# 28), 3.P.D. Doss (# 1), 4.Nick Yancy (# 28), 5. Tim Damron (# 23)

Hobby:
Winner: Doug Works (# 35) of Cleveland TN (Sponsored By: Auto Zone)
2.Richard Dixon (# 3), 3.Ken Muse (# 58), 4.Jeff Paige (# 17), 5.Stephanie Yancy (# Y7)

Pony Stock:
Winner: Kenneth Elliott (# 39) of Cleveland TN (Sponsored By: Elliott's Used Cars)
2.Adam Roberts (# 94), 3.Wendall Ingram (# 24), 4.Greg Henderson (# 86), 5.Blake Carter (# 409)

Street:
Winner: Roy Nichols (# 00) of Cleveland TN (Sponsored By: Parkway Tire)
2.Anthony Hawkins (# 3), 3.Donald Forgey (# 71), 4.Tom Swearingen (# R2), 5.Jimmy Shields (# 10)