Division 8 Roadeo wraps up at Rockingham Dragway
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
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ROCKINGHAM — Jimmy Maness and Tony Brown stood watch at the simulated alley dock station on Thursday morning at Rockingham Dragway.
The event was one of six parts of the single axle dump truck finals. There were five North Carolina Department of Transportation Division 8 competitors. The top two earned a spot in the state competition in July in Raleigh. With two local garage workers in the field of five, there was good chance Richmond County would be represented in the state roadeo.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Allen Hancock, a mechanic in the Richmond County garage with the N.C. Department of Transportation, took first place in the single ample dump truck competition.
But Allen Hancock and Charles Ford swept the division. Hancock’s front tire was a mere 1.25 inches from the white line in parallel parking — his back wheel 2.75 inches off the white paint — and he led all five drivers with 265 points.
“They ain’t playin’,” Maness said as Hancock, the third driver through the obstacle, was a mere 4 inches off. Ford, up next, was a single inch off Hancock’s effort. “That won’t be easy to beat.”
To Hancock, he offered words of advice unheard over the sound of the truck’s rumbling engine: “Don’t hit nothin’ on the way out.”
Ford was second with 260 points, followed by J.B. Bostick (Scotland County, 230) and Mitchell Lee (Moore County) and Allen Williams (Randolph County), each of whom finished with 195 points.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Charles Ford uses his mirrors to pull his single axle dump truck to parallel park.
Hancock, who has been employed with the North Carolina Department of Transportation for 25 years as a mechanic, said his strategy was a bit different today over Tuesday’s preliminary round.
Today, he said, was “all or nothing.”
“If you hit something or go over the line, you lose all your points,” Hancock said.
Hancock scored a perfect 50 in three events: parallel parking, straight line and the alley dock, where he was only 4 inches from the barrier. Ford was also perfect in the straight line and alley dock events.
Danny Oldham, a Division 8 safety engineer, said the event is about more than competitive drive. It’s also about safety. DOT workers often are contained within tight working spaces, limited as much as possible the inconvenience to motorists. Brushing a barrel or barricade in the roadeo could be bumping against a motor vehicle or fellow DOT employee in real life.
Submitted photo
Rob Stone(Division Engineer), Jay Lewis(Division Safety Officer), James Morris(Motorgrader-Montgomery Maintenance), Fred Harrelson(Lowboy Truck-Randolph Maintenance), Travis Warren(Tandem Dump Truck-Randolph Bridge), Brad Cook(Backhoe-Lee Maintenance), James “Buck” Dawkins(Tractor Mower-Richmond Maintenance), Danny Oldham(Division Safety Consultant), Charles Ford (Single Wheel Base Dump Truck-Richmond Equipment.
Submitted photo
Front Row: Hereld Dowdy(Tractor Mower- Roadside Environmental) Steven Perkins(Tandem Truck- Scotland Maintenance), Allen Hancock(Single Wheel Base Dump Truck -Richmond Equipment).
Back Row:
Rob Stone(Division Engineer), Jay Lewis(Division Safety Officer),John Bean(Motorgrader-Montgomery Maintenance), James “Viper”Peters(Lowboy Truck-Montgomery Maintenance),James Hines(Backhoe -Moore Maintenance), Danny Oldham (Division Safety Consultant).
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Allen Williams, of Randolph County, wasn’t the only one to hit a barrier in the serpentine event. Some drivers hit more than one.
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