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By Sean Franklin
(DuQuoin, IL) Rodney Melvin overcame a string of bad luck on Sunday and eventually found himself in Victory Lane at Tri-City Speedway after winning the Inaugural C.A.R.S. Weekly Racing Series Fall Nationals.

Rodney's bad luck began Sunday when his transporter had a flat tire on the way to the track, this was just the begining of his bad luck. After getting the tire fixed Melvin & crew were back on the road and with less than a mile to go the truck and trailer seperated while traveling down the interstate, resulting in the trailer sliding down a 60 foot embankment. With the help of a towtruck the trailer was retreived and Melvin was able to make it to the track.

Melvin was allready locked in to the dash for cash but when he arrived at the track he had already missed hot laps and the dash. He barely had time to unload the car, get buckled in before the feature started and with zero laps on the track on Sunday he was able to start from his seventh place starting spot and slowly pick cars off one by one until he was able to make the pass for the lead on lap seventeen. When the checkers waived on lap forty it was all Melvin picking up a cool $2,980 for his efforts. Melvin was followed to the line by Al Humphrey, Rylan Dagg, Mark Faust and Shannon Kuhn rounded out the top five. The "Dauminator" Zach Daum finished in the sixth position with C.A.R.S. Weekly Racing Series championship contender Jeff Walston finishing seventh. Nick Lyons finished in the eighth position after battling with brake problems all day. "Mr. Excitement" Danny Jolly took the ninth position and by doing so he gained enough points to win the first ever C.A.R.S. Weekly Racing Series Championship. Late Model veteran Mike Hammerle rounded out the top ten.

C.A.R.S. Fall National Results 10/22/04
33 entries

C.A.R.S. Qualifying Top 5
1 53 John Berlin 14.545
2 U2 Danny Jolly 14.670
3 1x Nick Lyons 14.694
4 R52 Rylan Dagg 14.707
5 5 Zach Daum 14.752

C.A.R.S. Heat 1
1 R52 Rylan Dagg
2 55 Daniel Heck
3 12m Mike Hammerle
4 6 Ray Emling Jr
5 11t Shelby Thacker
6 28b Wesley Briggs
7 15 Will Hicks
8 35 Charles Carriker
9 53 John Berlin
10 13 Jimmy Dearing

Heat 2
1 5 Zach Daum
2 11k Shannon Kuhn
3 U2 Danny Jolly
4 M1 Brandon Imhoff
5 12 Kevin Poole
6 01 Casey Montague
7 84 Tyler Deibert
8 10 Steve Beach
9 49 Larry Grisham
10 71 Louie Baker Jr

Heat 3
1 56 Jeff Walston
2 1x Nick Lyons
3 92k Tom Krankel
4 58 Frankie Martin
5 12t Allen Thomas
6 10x Dj Cygan
7 7b Chad Burks
8 5s Chuck Still
9 59 Daniel Heck

C.A.R.S. Dash
1 92 Mark Faust
2 99 Al Humphrey
3 R52 Rylan Dagg
4 5 Zach Daum
5 16 Shane Cockrum
6 56 Jeff Walston

C.A.R.S. Semi 1
1 10x Dj Cygan
2 1 Casey Montague
3 10b Steve Beach
4 5s Chuck Still
5 71 Louie Baker Jr
6 15 Will Hicks
7 49 Larry Grisham
8 28 Wesley Briggs
9 84 Tyler Deibert
10 59 Aaron Heck
11 35 Corey Carriker
12 7b Chade Burks
DNS 53 John Berlin
DNS 13 Jimmy Dearing

C.A.R.S. Feature
1 U27 Rodney Melvin
2 99 Al Humphrey
3 R52 Rylan Dagg
4 92 Mark Faust
5 11k Shannon Kuhn
6 5 Zach Daum
7 56 Jeff Walston
8 1x Nick Lyons
9 U2 Danny Jolly
10 12m Mike Hammerle
11 58 Frankie Martin
12 12 Kevin Poole
13 92k Tom Krankel
14 10x Dj Cygan
15 6 Ray Emling Jr
16 55 Daniel Heck
17 12t Allen Thomas
18 7 Chad Burks
19 59 Aaron Heck
20 16 Shane Cockrum
21 M1 Brandon Imhoff
22 10b Steve Beach
23 01 Casey Montgue
24 11t Shelby Thacker