Michael Atwell Wins Bigley 128 after Ty Majeski DQ

Michael Atwell inherited the win and the $30,000 check that came with it when Ty Majeski was disqualified in technical inspection following the Bill Bigley Memorial 128 at 4-17 Southern Speedway in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Majeski had just won the race following a spirited duel with Atwell but was dropped to last in the running order for a gun-drilled bolt in the rear suspension.

Every major sanctioning body rule book has had a variation of that rule in place for at least two years and the 4-17 Super Late Model rule book was no exception:

Midwest Tour: “Drilling holes to lighten any part of the body, chassis, suspension or bolts is not permitted.”
CRA/SSS/SRL: “No hollowed-out bolts of any kind on suspension components.”

For his part, crew chief and car builder Toby Nuttleman accepted responsibility to the oversight that cost them $30,000.

”I’m owning it,” Nuttleman wrote on his social media channels. ”This was a dumb oversight on my part. I was putting the trailing arm together and was one bolt short. I used one, old, hallow bolt as I only had three solid ones at the time. I knew I needed to replace it and I forgot to do it. I effed up.

”I can’t say sorry enough to Ty Majeski, this entire team that has busted their asses, and of course our sponsors.”

Such bolts were commonplace over the past several decades until rule makers started to crack down on them in recent years and there are no shortage of them in tool boxes across the country. The reasons for such rules were structural integrity as cars continue to be built lighter and lighter. There are also competition reasons to put a lighter bolt in the car as well.

And financial reasons — thus the need to protect racers from themselves.

All told, what could be the final race at 4-17 Southern Speedway, the former Charlotte County Speedway, goes in the books with a race decided in technical inspection.

Photo: Daniel Vining, Pixelated Speed