HAMPTON, Va. (Mar. 27) -- Derek Miller scored his second victory in the 50-lap Top Dog race and Adam Florian put the finishing touch on his second straight Pro Series championship as Arena Racing Hampton Roads closed the curtain on its 2009-10 season with Saturday night's Great Atlantic 200 at the Hampton Coliseum.
Miller drew the pole for the Top Dog feature, sharing the front row with Matt Leach. Travis Wall lined up third, alongside Florian, who had clinched the series title with an A Main win earlier in the evening. Robbie Davis and rookie contender Josh Ayer occupied Row 3.
As the race got under way, Miller generated a tremendous run into the first corner and grabbed the lead. Wall pulled to the inside of Leach and Davis motored underneath Florian.
The first caution flag flew on lap 3 as Leach skittered sideways into Turn 1, collecting Davis, Denver Alvis and Mike Dayton. It was just the first salvo in a rough-and-tumble event, which saw a total of eight yellow flags, including one red flag stoppage at lap 7 for wall repairs.
While all brands of mayhem swirled behind him, Miller was steady as a rock at the head of the field. As the race played out, his main rivals for the top spot were Wall, Ayer and Charlie Green, each of whom took turns in the runner-up spot.
On each of the many double-file restarts, Miller easily outdistanced his front-row colleague, leaving the lane open to the inside and instigating a battle for second, while he pulled away.
On the final restart, with five to go, Miller powered ahead of Ayer, who quickly found Wall on his inside flank. Wall took the second spot and tailed Miller to the checkers, finishing a car-length back. Ayer was third, followed by Green and Davis.
Michael Weddell headed up the second five, in sixth. Aaron Leach was seventh, followed by Florian, who held down a spot in the top five until a spin in the waning circuits. Matt Leach was ninth and Jordan Wood came home in 10th. The top 10 finishers were all on the lead lap at the conclusion. Scott Prillaman, Nelson Moody, Dayton and Alvis completed the rundown.
In the final Pro Series standings, with each driver's best 13 of 15 outings counting toward the title, Florian claimed the championship by five points over Prillaman, 414-409.
A Main
Adam Florian started on the pole and wired the field for his eighth feature win in the 50-lap A Main. The victory, coupled with Scott Prillaman's fifth-place finish, clinched a second straight Pro Series crown for Florian.
Florian leaped ahead of front-row partner Travis Wall as the initial green flag waved. His start was a bit too good to suit race officials, though, and a complete restart was ordered.
On the second try, Florian again motored into the lead, leaving Wall to race door-to-door with Chris Raiford. Behind them, Jordan Wood and Josh Ayer battled for fourth. Eventually, Wall gained control of the runner-up position. Ayer moved up to third, while Raiford slipped to fourth.
The second yellow flag flew on lap 9 as Cody Turbitt spun in Turn 4. Lining up for the restart, Florian headed the pack, followed by Wall, Ayer, Raiford, Wood and Derek Miller. Prillaman, scrambling to keep his championship hopes alive, was seventh, one position out of Top Dog contention.
Back under green, Florian, Wall and Ayer pulled away, while Miller ducked under Wood in a bid for fifth. Wood held off Miller, then went to work on Raiford, taking over fourth place on lap 17. Taking advantage of an open lane, Miller and Prillaman also bypassed Raiford.
At the front, Florian and Wall dueled nose-to-tail. Exiting Turn 4 with the crossed flags in sight, Wall took a quick peek to the inside of the leader, then dropped back in line. Passing lap 30, Florian had managed to eke out a one-length margin over Wall. Two more lengths separated Wall from the third-place tussle between Ayer and Wood.
The final caution flag appeared on lap 31 for a two-car scuffle in Turn 4.
On the last restart, the top six runners -- Florian, Wall, Ayer, Wood, Miller and Prillaman -- snaked away from the rest of the pack in bumper-to-bumper formation. As the laps clicked by, Florian and Wall began to separate themselves from Ayer and Wood's continuing battle.
Prillaman slipped around Miller on lap 37 to gain the fifth position. Four laps later, Wood moved up to challenge Ayer for third. The bid allowed the top two to widen their lead, while Prillaman and Miller closed in from the rear.
On lap 45, Wood ducked under Ayer and Miller poked a fender underneath Prillaman. They quickly sorted themselves out, though, and no spots changed hands.
At the finish, Florian was the winner by a car-length over Wall. Ayer was third, followed by Wood and Prillaman. Miller was sixth and joined the top five in moving on to the season's final Top Dog race.
Up by one point coming into the event, Florian gained four more points on Prillaman and extended his lead to five. Since the most Prillaman could hope to gain in the Top Dog race was four points, Florian claimed the title.
B Main
Pole-sitter Robbie Davis showed the way from flag to flag and captured his second victory of the season in the 50-lap B Main.
Davis jumped out front in Turns 1 and 2 on the opening circuit, leaving his front-row mate, Jason Styron, in a side-by-side battle with Clayton Parrish. Behind them, Matt Midgett and Aaron Leach dueled for fourth.
The first caution flag waved on lap 5 when Styron spun in Turn 2, collecting Leach. As the field gathered for a restart, Leach was returned to the third spot.
Back under green, Davis gained a scant edge over Parrish, who was under pressure from Leach. Leach quickly slipped past Parrish for second, then, just as quickly, gave way to Charlie Green. Meanwhile, Mike Dayton moved into fourth -- the final Top Dog transfer position.
With his pursuers swapping spots in his wake, Davis pulled out to lead by more than half a straightaway.
By the halfway mark, Green had trimmed Davis' margin to five lengths and continued to close. The gap was erased entirely on lap 33 as Davis dealt with a slower machine. The leaders soon broke free, but Davis couldn't shake Green, who was parked on his rear bumper.
The third, and final, caution flag appeared on lap 47 when Landon Florian spun into the inside barricade along the frontstretch after contact with Dayton.
On the last restart, Davis, Green, Leach and Dayton pulled away from the pack. They remained virtually nose-to-tail to the checkers as Davis won by a length. Green, Leach and Dayton tailed Davis to the finish and advanced to the Top Dog feature. Styron was fifth to the stripe.
C Main
Michael Weddell started on the pole and led all 50 circuits to notch his fifth feature win in the C Main.
Weddell shared the front row with Matt Leach and grabbed the top spot as the field rumbled off the second corner for the first time. Denver Alvis, who started third, moved up to second, while Leach dropped to third.
The first caution flag flew on lap 2 when Brittany Bangas spun in Turn 4.
On the restart, Weddell fashioned a slim edge. Behind him, Leach slipped around Alvis to regain the runner-up spot. Caught on the outside, Alvis quickly tumbled to the back of the pack.
The second yellow flag waved on lap 8 as Chris Crecelius slowed with mechanical problems, while running third. He was the first retiree from the event.
Back under green, Weddell led Leach, Nelson Moody and Craig Carlton in a four-car breakaway at the head of the field. Deeper in the pack, Bangas scooted past Dylan Crumpler to claim fifth. As the laps clicked off, Carlton began to lose touch with the lead trio, falling into Bangas' clutches.
Caution #3 appeared on lap 17 as Carlton and Bangas scuffled off Turn 4. Carlton smacked the outside wall and ground to a halt in the first turn. Carlton was eliminated from the race, while Bangas earned a trip to the back.
As the race resumed, Weddell, Leach and Moody pulled away from fourth-place Alvis by three lengths. At the halfway mark, Weddell enjoyed a two-length advantage over Leach.
On lap 34, Weddell caught up to the tail of the field. Before he had to deal with the slower machine, though, the last of the race's four yellow flags was unfurled as Bangas and Crumpler locked horns in Turn 4.
Under green for the final time, Weddell quickly gained a one-length edge over Leach. By the finish, he had extended his winning margin to two lengths. Leach was second to the line, while Moody and Alvis were third and fourth, claiming the last two Top Dog transfer spots. Bangas was fifth.
Youth Series
In a 30-lapper for the Youth Series, dubbed the "Milk-and-Cookies Division" by announcer Mark Potter, Connor Hall capped an unbeaten campaign with his ninth win in a row.
Hall started on the pole and pulled ahead of Patrick Groff to take the lead out of Turn 2 on the opening lap. Once out front, Hall strolled to Victory Lane. Despite two yellow-flag interruptions, his winning margin stood at more than a full straightaway when the checkered flag waved.
Cullen Roberts was the runner-up, followed by Macy Causey and Gummy Cook. Groff was sidelined just before the halfway mark after tangling with Causey off the fourth corner. He was credited with fifth place.
Qualifying
For the second straight week, Jordan Wood led the afternoon qualifying session. He lapped the tenth-mile oval in 8.067 seconds to trim Travis Wall by 55-thousandths of a second. Josh Ayer, Chris Raiford and Derek Miller completed the top five. Championship contenders Adam Florian and Scott Prillaman clocked in seventh- and 10th-quickest, respectively. In all, 29 drivers made qualifying attempts with just over four-tenths of a second separating the fastest and slowest.
In Youth Series time trials, Connor Hall led the way at 8.593 seconds, a little more than a tenth of a second faster than Cullen Roberts. Macy Causey, Patrick Groff and Gummy Cook rounded out the field.
MARCH 27 RACE RESULTS from Hampton Coliseum
TOP DOG (50 laps): 1. Derek Miller; 2. Travis Wall; 3. Josh Ayer; 4. Charlie Green; 5. Robbie Davis; 6. Michael Weddell; 7. Aaron Leach; 8. Adam Florian; 9. Matt Leach; 10. Jordan Wood; 11. Scott Prillaman; 12. Nelson Moody; 13. Mike Dayton; 14. Denver Alvis. Pole: Miller.
A MAIN (50 laps): 1. Adam Florian; 2. Travis Wall; 3. Josh Ayer; 4. Jordan Wood; 5. Scott Prillaman; 6. Derek Miller; 7. Curtis Hughes; 8. Spencer Saunders; 9. Cody Turbitt; 10. Chris Raiford. Pole: Florian.
B MAIN (50 laps): 1. Robbie Davis; 2. Charlie Green; 3. Aaron Leach; 4. Mike Dayton; 5. Jason Styron; 6. Landon Florian; 7. Matt Midgett; 8. Travis Miller; 9. Clayton Parrish; 10. Anthony Perez. Pole: Davis.
C MAIN (50 laps): 1. Michael Weddell; 2. Matt Leach; 3. Nelson Moody; 4. Denver Alvis; 5. Brittany Bangas; 6. Dylan Crumpler; 7. Mark Brooks; 8. Craig Carlton; 9. Chris Crecelius. Pole: Weddell.
YOUTH SERIES (30 laps): 1. Connor Hall; 2. Cullen Roberts; 3. Macy Causey; 4. Gummy Cook; 5. Patrick Groff. Pole: Hall.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday, April 3. 2009-10 Awards Banquet @ Hilton Norfolk Airport. Social hour starts at 6 PM; dinner at 7 PM.