TRAVELERS REST, S.C. (Oct. 17) — Blake Bentley claims the Thunder Bomber division in the Carolinas “is one of the most competitive and affordable classes in the entire region,” and the Duncan, S.C., driver proved his statement by making a gutsy move to the front of a 25-car field en route to a whopping $5,000 victory in the Crate Racin’ USA-sanctioned Thunder Bomber Classic Saturday night at Travelers Rest Speedway.
He successfully emerged as the race’s new leader after executing a gut-wrenching, scramble-type maneuver to snag the point, and paced the rest of the distance to claim top honors over Preston Dimsdale, Shane McDaniel, Benji Knight and Johnathan Hinson. A car count that approached 50 turned out for the high-paying contest.
“There was a lot of good cars here, and it’s the biggest win we’ve ever had,” Bentley said. “Everything has come together, and it just started clicking for us here lately. We won $3,000 at Gaffney, S.C. [Cherokee Speedway] last weekend, and also won a regular show at the same track two weeks ago. When you add this one, it’s a pretty good way to end the season.”
Bentley’s Manuever
Bentley, who started his career in go-karts and worked through four-cylinder machines before reaching the Crate Late Model division in his home region, surged toward the leaders after starting eighth on the grid.
When Shane McDaniel and Steve Greene made contact racing for the top spot on a restart, it sent the frontrunners into scramble mode and opened the high side for Bentley, who was running fourth on the climactic restart. Race leader Grant Parr had been penalized for jumping a previous restart, helping Bentley move forward. Bentley restarted fourth, and made his move when the opportunity arose.
“We went green and those two cars got together, and I went high to avoid it, but they got straightened out and we raced down into the third corner,” Bentley said. “We had a top-dominant car during the earlier stages, and I felt we had everything we needed to win the race. We just had to keep all four wheels on it, and when those two guys tangled a little bit, it opened up the door for me. We were four wide coming off the fourth corner, but I’ve been in those situations a few times in my career, and it wasn’t too bad.”
Thunder Bombers Continue Growth Spurt
His thrilling move capped a highly-competitive affair that featured multiple passes for position, and featured groups of cars bunched tightly together for the entire distance of the lucrative event for what has become one of the region’s fastest-growing divisions.
“It’s a class that’s really growing, man,” Bentley said. “Everywhere you go around here to race one of these cars, it’s growing like crazy. It’s nothing to see 24-28 cars at a weekly show. It’s the most economical car on dirt right now—period. I hope the right people realize it, and leave the rules basically the same. You can always race on a budget in other classes, but it’s really tough to race on a tight budget. These cars are user-friendly, and very affordable.”
The Rest of the Story
Bentley completed the required distance in a car sponsored by Heatherly’s Tree Service, Flatwood Customs, Gregory’s Trailer Service, Sisk Scrap Recycling, Leagon Racing Heads and Whiteside Racing Supply.
He expressed gratitude to a host of family members for their efforts to support his race team, including his father Brian Bentley, wife Caitlin and son Huxton.
"My dad is the backbone of the whole operation, and my wife and son are good about understanding the time and effort it takes to race," Bentley said. "My grandparents Ronnie and Mary, my Aunt Hope and my uncle Michael…they all come to the track and support me no matter the outcome. It's great to have all of them behind me, and it really means a lot to me."
The machine Bentley drove was purchased two months ago from a family friend who had acquired it for his own racing purposes, but came to the rescue when Bentley needed a ride. That appearance turned into more, and Bentley’s career suddenly took a turn for the better.
“Kyle Cox got the car to drive it himself, but my career had slowed a little bit after I’d reached the Crate Late Model class and ran for about four years in that division,” Bentley said. “We got in a spot where we had to sell our stuff, and we kinda fell off a little bit with our racing. We found a few sponsors, he asked me to drive one night, and we later asked him [Cox] if we could keep running the car. Two months ago we bought it, and that lit a fire under us. It’s been awesome ever since.”
Thunder Bomber Classic: 1. Blake Bentley, 2. Preston Dimsdale, 3. Shane McDaniel, 4. Benji Knight, 5. Johnathan Hinson, 6. Greg Carroll, 7. Will Williams, 8. Kyle Guice, 9. Dustin Morris, 10. Brandon Satterfield, 11. Taylor Johnson, 12. Tyler Guice, 13. Tanner Fortune, 14. Colton Dimsdale, 15. Casey Lawson, 16. Justin Barber, 17. Randy Cantrell, 18. Timmy Smith, 19. Perry Waters, 20. Dwight Smith, 21. Grant Parr, 22. Steve Greene, 23. Mattison Hoots, 24. Chris Davis, 25. Jason Edmonds.
Article Credit: Brian McLeod