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(Bill W) April 21, 2010 – Everything was lined up for the first win of 2010 last Friday night. Billy Alley made what seemed to be the winning pass in the ASCS-Midwest opener at the I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Nebraska. As he was pulling away, a hub broke in the right front wheel, ending that race. Fortunately, the Lincoln, Nebraska native was able to pull things back together and charge from 15th to 4th in the weekend’s finale. Friday night’s opener saw Billy draw inside row two of the heat race. He wasted no time in getting to the front and driving away from the field. “We were really good in the heat,” he says. “Every move you make has to count, and it did for us in that one.” Sporting a new black look supplied by Mike Peterson from the Central Body Shop, Billy started third in the 25-lap feature event. Dustin Morgan led early with Billy right behind him. Jack Dover entered the fray and briefly took the runner-up spot. A lap six restart saw Billy get by Jack on the low side and set his sights on the leader. “Dustin Morgan was good out there in clean air, so after we got back by (Jack) Dover after a good battle, I was waiting for traffic,” he says. “Everything worked out for us and we had them covered.” On lap 14, Billy had taken the lead in traffic, and was pulling away. Unfortunately, with nine laps to go, the right front hub on the wheel broke. Fortunately, Billy was able to save the car from what could have been a bad accident. “I was bummed about the wheel, but the more I thought about it, it could have been a lot worse,” he says. “I’m very lucky that what happened, happened the way it did.” After regrouping, Billy started Saturday’s heat inside row three. He would manage fourth. “(Gregg) Bakker got a great start, and I just couldn’t go with him,” he says. “I got caught behind a couple of cars, and it was still pretty heavy in the first feature. I had a clod come up and destroy the hood. I still should have been better. I just screwed up on the start, and there were some fast guys like Bakker and (Chad) Humston in front of me.” The finish put him inside of row eight, and a surge would see him climb to fourth behind Dover, Humston and Clint Garner. “I was kind of mad at myself,” he says. “I know we came through the field, but finishing fourth is finishing fourth. Every time we’ve been in that car, we’ve been fast.” Of course, Billy wanted a little more. “There was a yellow with five laps to go,” he explains. “I was really hoping we could get up to second. I didn’t figure we could get Dover, because he was out there in clean air. Humston was really fast in the Mark Burch machine too. If I would have hit my marks, those guys would have had to be really fast, because my racecar was about as good as it gets.” The thing Billy can take out of the weekend, is that his car worked flawlessly. “I really could run anywhere, high or low,” he says. “There was a point or two where I may have overrun it (Saturday). I missed my marks a couple of times. That was my own fault, but we can build on it and go on to the next one.” On the Web To learn more about Billy Alley, including updated results and photos, visit www.BillyAlley.com! Billy Alley Gear! For t-shirts and other apparel, visit www.BillyAlley.com! Vintage Ric Flair Clip of the Week! Racing needs the promotion and showmanship of the “Nature Boy”! Learn to love it, learn to live with it, because there’s only one Ric Flair… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piv3Oz8rgpE&feature=related Down the Alley Brent Musburger asks: I know you are a big Husker fan. Where do you think (Defensive Tackle) Ndamukong Suh will go in this week’s draft, and is there a pro team you follow?
Billy answers: I say definitely in the first three picks. He can take control of a football game. The team I follow most is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, just because Barrett (Ruud) plays for them. It’s kind of crazy how well someone I used to play with is doing in the league. Got a question for Billy? Send it to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for Billy" in your subject line. Alley's Anecdotes Billy won the 2006 Knoxville 410 track title by five points over Brian Brown. He won two 410 features that season at Knoxville (May 27 and July 1), and also won a 360 Nationals preliminary feature. Six drivers won two features that year including Billy, Brown, Kaley Gharst, Danny Lasoski, Donny Schatz and Kerry Madsen. Tornado Alley "Tornado Alley" is an up close look at the past, present and future of 2006 Knoxville Raceway track champion, Billy Alley. To receive "Tornado Alley", send an e-mail to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "Alley" in the subject line. Billy would like to thank Buss Excavating, Bolz Farms, Schmit Automotive, Aeroquip Performance Products, K&N Filters, Arrow Ambulance Remounts, Stepping Stone Genetics, Awesome Racewear, Hoosier Tire, McLain Motorsports, The Buckles Brothers, F&K Rod Ends, “High Roller” the Pig Farmer, Harris Decals, Central Body Shop, Design & Fabrication Solutions, Kadavy Fabrication and Speedway Motors.
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