August 19, 2023

Imagine, if you will, a cool August night in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. The smell of burgers, hot dogs, and sweet octane have filled the air. History is set to be written at an already historic track. Nestled inbetween Hwy 53 and Road Atlanta stands the historic Lanier National Speedway, now Caffeine & Octane Lanier Raceway. History was made on August 19th when Formula Karts took to the high banks of Lanier for some of the best karting Georgia has to offer.

Steve Newbold here for LRR, covering all of the racing action from C&O Lanier Raceway. This weekend, I was a part of the broadcast as the official pit lane reporter. Lanier was action packed and full of exciting racing. The track layout was brand new and unique for karting. The best part about this race weekend was the simple fact that it was under the lights. Let’s dive into all of the racing action.

The very first group on track in this historic event was the TAG Master and Senior divisions. Oz Cheek III (110) would lead the field to green for this 15 lap event. Sean Akins (22) stormed through the field in the first handful of laps, coming all the way from 6th to 3rd. The father son duo of Oz Cheek III and Oz Cheek IV (88) would take a commanding lead of 4.37 seconds.

The battle of the race was between Chris Orencia (78) and Myer Lewis (23). The two battled throughout their own respective race, until a suspected mechanical issue put Orencia towards the bottom of the scoreboard. Oz Cheek IV would retire early, leaving Oz Cheek III ahead by 6.17 seconds.

Sean Akins would continue his push through the field but would fall 7.84 seconds short. The first checkered flag would fall on Oz Cheek III, followed by Sean Akins, Kyle Clark (25), Talon Laney (12), Myer Lewis, Chris Orencia, and Gabe Ferguson (33). DNF’s: Oz Cheek IV, Bobby Keys (81) and Scott Butler (28).

The second division to take to the “roval” at Lanier was the LO206 Masters. The field of six was led to the green by Richard Pearson (29). Pearson, David Fusco (102) and Chuck Teasley (21) would lead the field to start the 15-lap feature. Teasley would pass both Fusco and Pearson for the lead on lap 5, and he continued his drive until the finish.

For this race, the broadcast crew had a special camera on board with Brandon Miller (31). The footage from the helmet cam was amazing. We were able to see all of the action up close and personal with Brandon. We even got to witness Brandon spin out entering turn seven. At the time of his spin, he was battling with Aaron Cox (05) and Chris Orencia (171).

Miller would pass Cox and continue his push for the 4th position. Miller would pass Orencia with 3 laps to go to secure the 4th position. At the stripe, the winner Richard Pearson was followed by Chuck Teasley, David Fusco, Brandon Miller, Chris Orencia and Aaron Cox.

It should be noted that during tech, Teasley would be disqualified due to being underweight. Every position behind him would move up one position.

The next division to hit the track were the TAG Cadets/Rookies. The field was led to green by Camila Canache (26). The heat was turned up early in this race, as from P1- P4, the drivers where pod-to-pod, bumping and pushing for every position. The action came to an early first climax.

Only 2 laps in, Issac Carvallo (21) and Ryan Peres (12) were battling for the 3rd and 4th positions. Entering turn seven, Peres went for an “under-over” pass and swung wide. This resulted in Peres slamming the barricades and going airborne. Peres stood up and saluted the crowd, taking a bow after his accident.

A mere 2 laps after the incident, Callen Berghoefer (126) would challenge Canache for the lead. Berghoefer would overtake Canache and never look back. The battle was much closer than the video replay showed. Canache would strive for one final push on the final lap, but unfortunately fell short. The final from TAG Cadets/Rookies: P1 Callen Burghoefer, P2 Camilia Canache, P3 Issac Carvallo (21), P4 Ruben Greer (20) and P5 Izziah Williams (24). DNF’s: Ryan Peres.

Let’s reflect back on the past race. After Ryan Peres’s nasty accident, we were fortunate enough to get a quick word with him. We asked Ryan if he was ok after his wreck.

“Yes I am ok, ” he replied. “We just bent some stuff.” When asked about why he stood up, took a bow, and waved at the crowd, he replied, “I just wanted to let my mom and dad know I was ok.”

After the interview, the camera panned in, and he took a bow for the folks at home. Do we have a junior Kyle Busch on our hands?

The next division on track was the very small LO206 Junior division. The two karts on track put on a great display of performance and drive. Tristan Gabarine (39) would lead the entirety of the race. John Mark Nunnally (11) would follow closely. At the stripe, Gabarine had a 10 second lead and would finish first over Nunnally.

Next on track in his lone LO206 Cadet was Ruben Greer (20). Ruben had an intense battle with a “ghost kart” so to speak. The ghost kart edged Ruben on the second lap but Ruben slammed the door on him. Ruben and the ghost kart met again in the final corner on the last lap, where in a photo finish, Ruben beat the ghost kart by .00002 seconds. This was the most exciting race I have ever been in the booth for. The commentators made this young driver feel as though he was battling with some of the greats of Lanier, and it sure put a smile on the crowd’s faces.

The rumblings continued into the night when the LO206 Seniors came to life. Danny May (9) would lead the field to green, but within the first corner, Danny would fall back to P7. Spencer Mast (41), Carson Craig (55), and Juan Pablo Garcia (138) were throwing haymakers early in the race. Side by side, slide job after slide job, this race had it all.

Michael Suco (993) would navigate his way through the chaos all the way to P2. Danny May would get into more trouble when he spun in P4, right in the middle of turn one. Danny would continue his push through the field afterward, however. Craig and Garcia would have an intense battle for 3rd and 4th.

Between all the battles on track, no one in attendance had any idea where to look. The final from LO206 Senior: P1 Spencer Mast, P2 Michael Suco, P3 Harrison Browning (818), P4 Juan Pablo Garcia, P5 Danny May, P6 Carson Craig, P7 Henrique Trevino (124). DNF’s: Christopher Castro (110) and Noah Burchell (6).

There was no better way to finish of the night than with the Vintage Kart division. The 8-kart field was led to the green by Jason “Puddin'” Tidwell (6). Tidwell pulled to a 2.3 second lead within the first lap and never looked back.

Todd Breedlove (12) would make an impressive overtake on Tommy Jernigan (11) for P4. The battle between Billy Johnson (2) and Eric “E-Mac” McMillan (30) was neck and neck. One would overtake the other and vice versa. This battle would continue until the checkers.

Jason Tidwell would win by a staggering 6.32 seconds, followed by P2 Billy Johnson, P3 Eric McMillian, P4 Todd Breedlove, and P5 Jeb Thigpen (10). DNF’s: Tommy Jernigan, Ken Belue (98), Brian Tidwell (9), and Jeff Parker (1).

LRR would like to take a moment and thank all of the wonderful people who made this event happen. A special thank you goes to the wonderful host of this event, Caffeine & Octane Lanier Raceway. Your staff and crew are amazing, and we look forward to coming back for more race day coverage in the future. Another special thanks to our friends at AMP, Will Rigdon, and the wonderful racers who made this event happen.