BOBBY LABONTE – NO. 18VA – QUALIFYING POSITION: 5th, STARTING POSITION: 3rd, FINISHING POSITION: 1st
RYAN NEWMAN – NO. 39VA – QUALIFYING POSITION: 3rd, STARTING POSITION: 22nd, FINISHING POSITION: 2nd
JONATHAN CASH – NO. 16VA – QUALIFYING POSITION: 6th, STARTING POSITION: 4th, FINISHING POSITION: 12th
LABONTE WINS FINAL RACE:
SS Racing ran a third car in the final race of the 2023 Modified Tour season at Orange County Speedway Saturday night, with Jonathan Cash piloting the No. 16VA. The race started rough for Newman after the team discovered a screw in one of his tires during the autograph session and had to change it before the start of the race, resulting in a penalty that forced him to start at the back of the field. All three drivers got a solid start though, and steadily moved up.
The race ran clean all the way to the 30-lap stage break when Labonte charged hard for the line and crossed 2nd by a nose. Cash crossed in 4th with Newman in 15th. Labonte pitted and swapped left side tires; Newman had a similar strategy but Cash stayed out. Labonte restarted 7th and Cash restarted 4th, while Newman made up positions on the pit stop and restarted 11th.
There was a quick series of cautions for a wreck and debris on the track, then a red flag as the track made a repair on the backstretch. Labonte restarted in 8th, Cash in 4th and Newman in 10th. The car in front of Labonte missed a shift and jammed up the field, sending him backwards while Newman was able to shoot underneath and make up several spots. The field then ran under green for several dozen laps.
The caution came out on lap 71 for a spin on the backstretch. Both Labonte and Newman pitted for a new tire. The pit crews had fantastic, fast stops, getting Labonte out 1st and Newman 2nd. On the restart, Labonte chose the outside of the front row, Newman was on the inside.
As the green flag flew, Labonte jumped out front and never looked back. He continued to open up his lead all the way to the checkered flag, winning by 15-20 car lengths. Newman was the next car to finish in 2nd, and Cash brought home a solid run in 12th.
LABONTE THRILLED WITH END OF SEASON:
“We had a good car in practice although I was a little worried about qualifying speed, but it turned out better than I thought it would. We ran up front all night and our pit strategy worked out. The pit crew had a great stop and got me out first with about 30 laps to go. From there, we were really focused on making good lap times. We had done this in practice, so I knew where the fall-off would be. In the end, to finish off the season with a win like this one, is unbelievable. Winning two out of the last three races is just awesome.”