Timmy Buckwalter, Doug Hendricks & Steve Lyle Crowned Big Diamond 2021 Track Champions

After a full season of Friday night points racing; the 2021 Modified, Sportsman and 602 Crate Champions were crowned at Big Diamond after the final day of the 2021 points season.

The 2021 Modified champion is Tim Buckwalter and he did not take the points lead until after the final race today.  At one point during the season Buckwalter was behind by 180 to point leader Duane Howard.  But coming into the final race he had the lead down to only 9 points.  When the night ended Buckwalter finished 6^th and Duane Howard 9^th which gave Buckwalter the point championship by a 35 point margin for his first Big Diamond Points championship.

In victory lane Tim Buckwalter noted “Without my guys hard work I wouldn’t be here.  Championships are won at the shop and these guys are at the shop every day.  I got to thank Norm Saxton for giving me an opportunity four years ago.  We thought we were going to do something good last year and I got hurt so this year we were kind of out on a mission…….I’m kind of speechless.  I’ve never been that nervous; I do a lot racing and race for a living; but to be that nervous on the last five laps; I didn’t know what to think and started hearing noises in the car I never heard before and I think it was just me making noises up.  Hats off to these guys.  Without Pat Morrison the car would never be this fast.  I called him Monday and said “This thing is tired I need my other motor” and he said come down.  My kid and I took a ride Monday morning and picked up the new motor.”  I can’t stand here without a great team and good product sponsors.”

The Sportsman point leader Doug Hendricks came into the final night with a comfortable 107 point lead.  Doug took the lead in his heat race and then the motor began smoking and he pulled off after lap 4 as a DNF.  It got interesting when the damage was terminal and the 80D was finished for the night.  But in steps Tyler Reber’s 4R entry and Hendricks had a racecar and started at the back of the field.  Hendricks immediately began moving forward and after the 40 laps finished 4^th which won him his 4^th Big Diamond Sportsman Championship.

In victory lane Doug Hendricks reflected “After the heat I didn’t know what we were going to do.  My brother went down to Reber to see if we could use his car.   You don’t know what you are getting when you get in somebody else’s car.  I think his car is a good.  We made a couple of changes put our wheels and shocks on it and the car worked well.  When I first got in the car; I didn’t know what the car was going to do and it was more unstable than my car.  But once we got going it all fell into place and worked out with us ending up in victory lane with our 4^th sportsman championship.”

Steve Lyle came into the final points race with 120 point lead but for the first time this season did not qualify in the handicap and was a few positions further back in the feature starting grid than normal.  But with a top 10 finish Lyle secured his first 602 Crate Point Championship.

In victory lane Steve Lyle recalled “The weeks felt like months and the months felt like years waiting of for this moment.  Once you are strapped in the race car you do what you do but up to then your go crazy.  We didn’t make the invert tonight for the first time this season.  This old girl is tired it’s been a long season.  We put some gear in it and stood on it.  It’s been a good year, we got some breaks, had some bad breaks but kept our nose down and here we are today 2021 Big Diamond crate champion.”   

The next race at Big Diamond is the $17,000 to win Coal Cracker on Sunday September 5^th with racing starting at 7:45 PM.