Southern Division: Top 10 Review/Preview

USAR ProCup, Paul Warner (February 20, 2006)     (Click Here for Original Article)

Longs, SC-Over the next five days, the top five drivers from the 2005 HPC Series Southern Division will be featured in a 2005 Review/2006 Preview format. Today’s featured driver is Jody Lavender, who finished fifth in Southern Division points last year.

5. Jody Lavender (No. 84s Heritage Community Bank/H&R Block Ford)

Final 2005 Regular Season Stats

Wins: 1
Top 5’s: 7
Top 10’s: 12
Poles: 0
Laps Led: 123
Avg. Finish: 11.42
Best Finish: 1st (Ace Speedway)

2005 Review: If there’s such thing as a breakout year, Lavender had one in 2005. The Hartsville, S.C., driver opened the season with a sub-par effort in the season-opening Naturally Fresh 250, finishing 25th. Things didn’t get much better the next four races either, Lavender notched only one top-10 finish in the first five races of the year and averaged a 19th-place finish. And with nearly half the regular season over, Lavender was 18th in points. His hard-luck start changed the following race, however.

Lavender swept around Shane Huffman late in the event at ACE Speedway and held off Jay Fogleman in one of the most exciting finishes in Pro Cup history to take his first win. Fueled by the win, went on a late-season tear, notching six top-10 and four top-five finishes in the final seven races of the regular season and jumping to fifth in Southern Division points.

Lavender’s title hopes to beating in the first Championship Series event at Jennerstown when he finished 18th. But Lavender responded much like he did at midseason, averaging a 6.25 finish and moving to sixth in the final standings.

Lavender also picked up the SPEED51.com’s Most Popular Driver Awards at season’s end.

2006 Preview: Lavender has definitely made himself a legitimate contender for race wins and the championship this season. He’s switched from Upchurch engines to Eatmon/Cole powerplants, but the rest of his team stays the same, including retaining four-time Busch Series champion crew chief Steve Bird for the 2006 season. This pairing proved key for Lavender’s success last season, and, with another year under their belts, they should be a formidable team all season.

 

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