But don’t think for a minute that the top prize came easy for the young driver out of Brookfield, Wi. He used his pole starting position to hold off several fierce challenges from BLS_F1yer for much of the race and pick up the weekend sweep in VLR's season opening week.

VLR_18, 16, had to work hard to pick up the win, holding off a battling group of VLR superstars throughout the distance to record a win in the first Gen 3 race of the Fall 2010 season.

BLS_F1yer of Hildebran, NC., WFO_Rainman of East Moline, Ill., and VLR_Shock of Crossville, Tn., all got close to the lead, but VLR_18 never wavered during the frenetic race around the high-banked, one-third-mile oval.

“It was a great race, F1yer kept getting up there to me, he was quick," VLR_18 said of his biggest challenger. “I kept running the high line getting momentum off the corner. We got together once the whole race, it was a really clean race.”

VLR_18 was just three car lengths away from being in lap traffic at the finish, but fortunately he wouldn't have to deal with the battling cars of VLR_McGee and BLS_Zombie. He powered his Mopar NOS Energy Dodge to the checkered flag 0.543 of a second ahead of BLS_F1yer, who backed up his second place run in the VLR Crates series with another one in the Gen 3 opener.

Further back in third, two of dtr2's fiercest competitors battled around the 1/3 mile oval in the last 20 laps, but WFO_Rainman was able to hold off a charging VLR_Shock by one car length at the line. Behind them, BLS_B1a2e opened his 2010 Fall Season the same way he started the last one - with a fifth place finish.

VLR_18, who started first, outgunned teammate VLR_Shock for the lead at the initial green flag and was quickly challenged by third starting BLS_F1yer. However, 18 was able to finally set sail for good on lap 35 and inch ahead each lap, but that didn't stop him from being a little antsy with F1yer's National Guard Chevrolet lurking behind him looking for an opportunity.

“I was a little nervous, not really, though. I thought it was more fun than anything,” said 18, who extended his lead on VLR's all time Gen 3/Default series win list with 36 wins. "I knew he was coming and I had to run the high line to hold him off.

“Obviously this is a good start, but I gotta keep it going all season, now.”

Sitting in a familiar position in points, VLR_18 will now have to see what he can do in next week's "Blanchard 100" at Brownstown Speedway where he has to start sixth in the feature because he is leading the points heading into the 100 lap race.

“It's going to be tough at Brownstown,” said VLR_18. “It's hard to pass there, but it's 100 laps so it should be another good race.”

VLR_18's victory overshadowed an exciting battle for third in the closing laps of the race. WFO_Rainman (fourth starting spot), and VLR_Shock (second) found themselves battling right to the very end of the 60 lapper.

WFO_Rainman got around Shock early in the race from his outside second row starting position and began to slowly pull away. VLR_Shock was running high in turns three and four, but couldn't gain on the x59 machine. With 25 laps to go he switched to running the bottom all the way around the 17 degree banked track and began making time on Rainman.

The battle would come down to the checkered flag, but it was WFO_Rainman holding VLR_Shock off in a battle that had the fans on their feet as Shock just couldn't find a good place to pass - and clear the x59 Purple Missile. They were both all smiles after the race, though.

"I seen Shock behind me the whole time and that one time he dove bomb into turn three and I didn't expect to see his nose up there that quick. It was fun," WFO_Rainman said after the race.

"Rainman and I had a good race up there at the end. I just didn't know where to pass him. I figured if I went high in turn four and got a run he might have squeezed me up the track there on the front straightaway so I tried to make something happen on the bottom and couldn't," said VLR_Shock, who now sits fourth in the point standings heading into the second race. 

"Looking back I wish I had ran low the whole race, but I thought I found something up there in the heat race and was faster, but the track was a little different come A main time. We had a good clean battle for third, though. I really wish I would have got it, though, you never know when two points may come in handy later in the season."

At times racing three-wide a few car lengths behind VLR_18, the trio of WFO_Rainman, VLR_Shock, and BLS_B1a2e kept the big Attica crowd buzzing. However, it looked as though BLS_F1yer was the only serious threat to the #18 Dodge, but in the end he couldn't pick up the victory, either.

“Oh I had something for him,” BLS_F1yer said of his chances of beating VLR_18. “I ran him down about three or four times. When I got to him he'd just pull back away again. I ran him back down at the end and hit the lip coming off two and got a little bit loose, and he got away from me. It ain't no big deal, it was a good race."

BLS_B1a2e repeated his Summer 2010 season opening result with a fifth place run at Attica. He didn't seem quite as happy this time around, though, after big expectations in the preseason had him predicted to be contending for wins each week.

"I'm starting the season the same way I did the last one," said an unenthusiastic BLS_B1a2e. "It kind of irritates me because I didn't catch the line. I was terrible in the heat race, got lucky that I started on the outside. I got the line about 15 or 20 to go in the A Main and started running 11.50s. With the way Rainman and Shock were running against each other I think I would have caught them in about ten more laps."

WFO_ICE of Tahlequah, Ok. had something to prove to his critics, who thought maybe he was losing a little bit of his luster in dtr2 lately, but he will have to wait another week to make an impact statement after cruising home with a sixth place finish.

"There were a lot of even cars here, a lot of good cars," said the 32-year-old driver, one of the best in the game. "I was sure hoping B1a2e would let me around early and maybe run down Rainman and Shock a little bit, but couldn't get around him and about lap 25 he hooked up and took off. I just kinda rode around in sixth the whole race. I had a sixth place car and finished sixth, so that's about the best I could do with it."

WFO_ICE was optimistic about his chances next week at Brownstown, though, a newer track in the dtr2 scene, but one he has showed some promise at in testing and other league races.

"That's one of them tracks I think wetness is going to play a big part in. The drier it is, it seems like the worse I run there. Hopefully, it rains pretty hard this week and keeps the wetness up on the track. Everytime I've raced there I've ran real good. Hopefully everything works out and get a little rain on the track.

"I'm trying to make a championship push this season."

VLR_AMP! of Welland, Ontario, Cn, charged forward from last to pick up a seventh-place finish. WFO_VOLT made his first start in a VLR A Main since back in January 2009 at Waikaraka Speedway in Auckland, New Zealand and finished in eighth. He is expected to take a stab at running his first full season at VLR since being the champion in Season 9. BLS_Zombie and VLR_McGee of Spartanburg, SC., completed the top 10.

Twenty-seven cars were entered in the season opener – the most at a VLR race since March 2010.

VLR_18 recorded the fastest lap in Time Trials, scooting around the track with an 11.56 fast lap. He just beat out teammate VLR_Shock, who earned an 11.57 lap time.

Heat winners were VLR_18, VLR_Shock, and BLS_F1yer. The B-Mains were captured by WFO_ICE and WFO_Volt.

VLR will be back in action Friday night at 8pm eastern with the second race of the 2010 Crate season at Brownstown Speedway. The drivers will then run Sunday night at the same track for the "Blanchard 100" in honor of VLR_AMP's mother who passed away earlier this month.

For more information on the VLR series', visit www.teamvlr.com.

Qualifying Results: 1. VLR_18 2. VLR_Shock 3. VLR_McGee 4. WFO_Rain 5. BLS_Blaze 6. BLS_F1yer 7. BLS_Zombie 8. BLS_Jsn! 9. WFO_ICE 10. 4H 11. BLS_Stephen33 12. WFO_Volt 13. BLS_Deadbolt 14. VLR_AMP! 15. BLS_OK 16. VLR_KP 17. Doit18 18. BOB 19. Doit 43 20. ERL_BLKJAK 21. IFRT_14 22. RPM_Squirrel 23. BLS_42 24. DS5 25. VLR_Razz 26. 30fireman

Top 10 Results of VLR Late Model series Attica 60 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver): 

1. (1) VLR_18

2. (3) BLS_F1yer

3. (4) WFO_Rainman

4. (2) VLR_Shock

5. (5) BLS_B1a2e

6. (7) WFO_ICE

7. (10) VLR_AMP!

8. (8) WFO_Volt

9. (9) BLS_Zombie

10. (6) VLR_McGee

Time of Race: 11:35.21

Margin of Victory: 0.54 Secs.

Rookie of the Race: VLR_AMP!

SuperClean Fast Time Award: VLR_18/BLS_F1yer 11.49