Kristen Yeley wins Better Half Dash
Kristen Yeley won Thursday’s Better Half Dash at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Dash” was right.
The race – among wives and girlfriends of NASCAR drivers and team members – lasted only eight of a scheduled 25 laps when it exceeded the 25-minute time limit because of several accidents.
Yeley, the wife of NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley, was fastest in practice this week and fastest in qualifying. She also posted the fastest lap time in the brief race – 43.501 mph.
Despite the number of wrecks, Yeley was able to hold off Heidi Stoddard for the victory.
“It feels pretty good,” Yeley said. “I’ve been waiting for this for four years. I came close last year.”
Stoddard said this year’s race was much more intense than last year’s. “There just wasn’t enough laps,” she said.
Ashton Bayne, wife of driver Trevor Bayne, started from the pole thanks to raising the most money in donations to Motor Racing Outreach before the race. More than $70,000 was raised before the race.
The winner received $10,000 with $2,500 going to Speedway Children’s Charities, $2,500 to MRO and $5,000 to the charity of the winning driver’s choice.
Past winners of the event are Jacquelyn Ragan (2011), Lyn-Z Pastrana (2012) and Ashley Stremme (2013).
Early present for Dale Jr.
Charlotte Motor Speedway president and general manager Marcus Smith presented Dale Earnhardt Jr. an early birthday gift Thursday. Earnhardt’s 40th birthday is Friday.
Smith gave Earnhardt a U.S. Legends dirt modified car, a replica of the dirt car driven by Earnhardt’s grandfather Ralph Earnhardt. Earnhardt Jr. drove a Legends car with the same design when he won his first race at Charlotte.
“That is exactly the way the car looked,” Earnhardt said. “Wow. I’m very appreciative of this. It’s a nice-looking piece.”
Awards voting begins
Voting has begun for the most-popular driver awards in the Nationwide Series, Truck Series and NASCAR’s seven touring series. Additionally, fans also can vote on their top Nationwide Series moment.
Fans can vote once per day online for the most-popular driver awards at www.nascar.com/mostpopulardriver, and for the Nationwide top moment at www.nascar.com/nnstopmoment.
The winners will be announced Nov. 17 during the NASCAR awards gala at Trump National Doral Miami.
UNC Charlotte adds motorsports collection
The J. Murrey Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte recently acquired the Bryant McMurray Motorsports Photograph Collection, which documents the world of stock car racing through images captured over six decades by award-winning motorsports photographer Bryant McMurray.
The collection contains approximately 500,000 photographs, most of which are negatives, in addition to slides and digital photographs. The bulk of the collection was shot between 1969 and 1991.
McMurray is an adjunct professor at UNCC.
Autograph session
Nationwide Series drivers will take part in an autograph session at 1 p.m. Friday on pit road. The event is open to CMS season-ticket holders. The first 150 who visit Smith Tower and show their ticket to the Nationwide race will be provided armbands to attend the autograph session.
Donlavey named award winner
Longtime car owner Junie Donlavey was named the recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association Spirit Award for the third quarter. Donlavey, who died in June at the age of 90, competed in the Cup series for more than four decades, beginning in 1950.
This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Kristen Yeley wins Better Half Dash."