Tuff Spoon 100
Saturday, Aug. 23, 2003
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Tuff Spoon 100 Saturday, Aug. 23, 2003 |
Tonight was the annual running of the Tuff Spoon 100. Both the Modifieds and the Late Models would run a total of 100 laps for tonight's main event. Neither class can make it all the way on fuel or tires, so both races are split into two - fifty lap segments. The rest of the classes also ran two equal segments tonight, with the number of total laps in each segment being the same as a normal Saturday night Feature. Starting line ups for all classes were determined based on each driver's average finish this season. The driver with the best average finish all year lined up last, and the driver with the worst average finish started on the pole. Basically this meant that most of the faster cars were starting the first segment in the back of the field, so there was sure to plenty of GREAT racing towards the front from the very beginning of each race! The line up for the 2nd segment in each division is then based on the way the drivers finished in the first segment. In other words, if you finish 1st in segment #1, then you would line up 1st to start segment #2. We had 300 laps of racing scheduled for tonight - so let's get started!
The Modifieds were first on the agenda tonight, and as always, there was plenty of nose-to-nose competition in this division. The #24 of Jerry Stringham, the #96 of Kirk Anderson, and the #98 of Andy Riggins were running 1st, 2nd, and 3rd by lap #6, but there were several cars making their way through traffic to join in the fun up front! The #28 of "Jammin" Jimmy Hibser lined up way back in the 14th position, but by lap #8, Hibser was alongside the #M21 of Justin Munson in a battle for the 5th spot. Also coming through the field in a hurry was the #48 of Casey Lappin and the #26 of JD Beal. Beal started the race back in 8th, and Lappin started in 10th, but by lap #12, both MRE cars had closed in on the top five. Hibser, however, was "on a mission" towards the front! By lap #13, Hibser was around Riggins and into 3rd, and by lap #16; he was around both Anderson and Stringham and was in the lead. Caution came out on lap #15, when contact between the two Jordan cars, the #1 and the #7, sent Floyd, Jr. into the front stretch wall. Caution came out again on lap #24 when the #1 of Floyd Jordan, Sr. spun in turns #1 and #2, bunching the entire field back up again on the restart. The #11 of Brad Denney, who had come all the way from the back after a lap #6 spin, was also on the move. Denney had come from the back of the field, all the way up to the top five in only 18 laps, and he got around Riggins on the restart, and moved into the 5th spot behind Beal. Caution came out again on lap #29 when contact between Denney and Stringham sent the #24 car spinning, but everyone did a nice job getting around Stringham, who was running in 3rd. In just a couple of laps, Denney was able to clear Beal, Anderson, and Hibser, and by lap #30, Brad Denney was up front and in the lead. By lap #34, a couple of new faces had joined in the battle for the top 5 spots. The #31 of Mark Anderson, who started the race back in 13th, and the #M1 of Dale Munson, who began the race back in the 13th spot, had patiently made their way through the field, and were closing in on Beal & Lappins's back bumpers. Caution came out again on lap #34, and the #1 of Jordan got a little jumpy on the restart, and took off way too soon, driving up and over Hibser's tire. Fortunately, Hibser was able to continue, but Jordan had to take his car to the pits with a flat tire. Usually, simply surviving the Tuff Spoon is quite an accomplishment, and tonight was no exception to the rule. Seventeen modifieds were in the original line up, but by lap 40, only ten were left on the track. Hibser took to his favored high side on lap #44, and was able to get around Denney and move back into the lead, but Denney wasn't giving up just yet. Hibser and Denney traded the lead back and forth several times in the closing laps of the segment, allowing Lappin to close in and also join in the battle. They were THREE WIDE fighting for the lead, but in the end, it was Brad Denney out front, crossing the start/finish line in first place at lap #50, and securing himself the pole for the second segment. The #28 of Jim Hibser finished the first segment in 2nd place, followed by the #48 of Casey Lappin in 3rd place, the #M1 of Dale Munson in 4th place, and the #26 of JD Beal in 5th place.The #55 of Brian Nelson started on the pole in Thunder Truck Segment #1, but the #29 of David Boyer, who lined up in 4th, was ALL OVER his back bumper on the start. The #31 of Harry Fourdyce, and the #30 of Gerald Carter were also moving through traffic in a hurry. Fourdyce, who started the race in 5th, and Carter, who lined up back in 7th, were on Boyer's back bumper and battling for the 3rd spot on the very first lap, and the #28 of Ryan Wilson was right behind them, challenging for the 4th position. The #1 of Doug Pratt lost a driveshaft on lap #3, bringing out the yellow flag, and bunching the trucks back up again for the restart. Wilson got a GREAT jump on the restart, and was nose-to-nose with Nelson at the start/finish line, battling for the lead position. Carter also got a good jump on the restart, quickly moving around Fourdyce and into the 3rd spot. By lap #6, Wilson was out front and in the lead, and he was in the lead to stay. Ryan Wilson finished in 1st in Thunder Truck Segment #1, followed by the #30 of Gerald Carter in 2nd place, the #55 of Brian Nelson in 3rd place, the #8 of Dave Collins in 4th place, and the #31 of Harry Fourdyce in 5th place.
We had several early cautions in E-Mod Segment #1, and lost a few cars from the field before they scored a single lap! After several restarts, they finally scored lap #1, and the #5 of Jake Helfers, who lined up in 5th to start the race, was around the #18K of James Kennedy and in the lead. All bunched up and battling for position behind the race leaders was the #21J of Joe Wagner, the #M3 of Chuck McDonald, the #4 of John Winters, and the #96 of Kirk Anderson. With everyone racing side by side behind them, Helfers and Kennedy were able to open up a nice lead by lap #4, but caution came out again on lap #5, lining the entire field up nose to tail again for the restart. There was a lot of paint swappin' going on between Wagner, Winters, and Anderson, all battling for the 4th spot, letting McDonald take over 3rd all for himself. The yellow came out again when the race leader, Helfers, spun all by himself in turns #1 & #2, handing the lead over to McDonald on lap #10. Another car was coming into view by lap #10 also. The #29 of Chad Terwillger, who started the race back in the 9th spot, had raced his way through traffic and up into the top 5 by lap #11. Terwillger kept picking off the spots, getting around Wagner and into 3rd by the time they scored lap #13. Once out front, Chuck McDonald didn't seem to have any trouble staying out front, and he finished the 1st segment in the lead in his #M3 E-Mod. The #4 of John Winters finished the segment in 2nd place, followed by the #29 of Chad Terwillger in 3rd, the #21J of Joe Wagner in 4th, and the #96 of Kirk Anderson in 5th.The first 50-lap segment for the Late Model division also was a little rocky getting started. Caution came out early on lap #3, for several cars getting together in turn #1. Cars involved in the pile up included the #29J of Lindell Jewell, the #59 of Morey Denney, the #30 of Rob Bauman, and the #41 of Tom Wirebaugh. All the cars were able to continue, with Wirebaugh suffering the worst damage, the entire front end of his car smashed in from the contact. Making his way around the mayhem in one piece was the #M40 of Scott "Scooter" May. May, who lined up way back in the 9th spot, was up to 3rd by the lap #3 restart, and by lap #4, he was around the #10M of Chad Pratt and out front in the lead. A couple of other cars had also come from deep in the field to join in the battle for the top five spots. Jewel, who started the race in 10th, and the #11 of "Bad" Brad Denney, who started in 11th, were both through traffic in a hurry. By lap #8, Jewel and Denney had both closed in on Pratt's back bumper, and were challenging for 3rd place. Denney, Jewel, and Pratt were racing each other hard, running THREE WIDE all the way around the racetrack! With all the side-by-side racing going on behind him, May was able to open up an entire straightaway lead by lap #12. By lap #16, another car, the #B12 of Roger Nelson, had also joined in the battle for 3rd. Finally, nearing lap #20, Denney was able to clear Pratt, and moved up into the 2nd spot, but that was as far as he was going to move up, because May had now opened up a HUGE lead over the rest of the field. May was slowed up a little bit when he ran up on lap traffic, and Denney was able to close the gap a little, but May's lead didn't dwindle much. Pratt got turned around in turns #3 & #4, bringing out the caution on lap #26, but May didn't seem to mind! Denney muscled his way in between the lap cars of Mike Killion and Bill Kettering on the restart, and was ALL OVER May's back bumper for a few laps, but once again, May was able to pull away and open up a nice lead for himself. Scott May had no problem keeping his #M40 Late Model out front all the way to lap #50, and he crossed the start/finish line in 1st place at the end of the first segment. The #11 of Brad Denney finished the segment in 2nd place, followed by the #B12 of Roger Nelson in 3rd, the #29J of Lindell Jewel in 4th, and the #10M of Chad Pratt in 5th.
It took a couple of cautions to get Pro Street Segment #1 started, but when they finally scored lap #1, the #4S of Justin Smith was out front and in the lead, with the #81K of Mark Ross behind him in 2nd. The #18 of Terry Pratt lined up to start the race back in the 5th spot, but Pratt wasn't wasting any time making his way towards the front. By lap #2, he was ALL OVER Ross's back bumper, and he made his way around the high side of Ross in turns #3 & #4, and moved in to the 2nd spot to score lap #3. A few laps later, Pratt tried to get under Smith, challenging for the lead, but couldn't complete the pass. On lap #8, however, Pratt got a GREAT run out of turn #4, and the #18 was able to clear Smith on the high side and moved into the lead at the start/finish line to score lap #9. Once out front, Terry Pratt had no problem staying out front, and he convincing scored the segment #1 win in his #18 Pro Street. The #4S of Justin Smith finished the segment in 2nd place, followed by the #81K of Mark Ross in 3rd, the #27 of Greg Arnett in 4th, and the #79 of Al Farris in 5th.The #91 of Nick Christian lined up in the 2nd spot to start Hobo Segment #1, but he was around the #48 of Jackie Williams and in the lead before they reached the first turn, bringing the #02 of Greg Sullivan along with him into 2nd place. The #68 Of Lance Alcorn started the race way back in the 7th spot, but Alcorn didn't stay in the back for long. On the start, Alcorn was around several cars before he even reached the flag stand, and was up to 3rd place on the very first lap. Caution came out on lap #5, bunching the field back up again, putting Sullivan and Alcorn on Christian's back bumper for the restart. Alcorn seemed to the faster car tonight, and by lap #6, he was under Sullivan and up to 2nd place, and by lap #8, he was able to get under Christian and moved into the lead. Lance Alcorn had no problem staying out front for the last 2 laps, and the #68 Hobo finished Segment #1 in 1st place. The #91 of Nick Christian finished the segment in 2nd place, followed by the #02 of Greg Sullivan in 3rd place, the #42 of Tim Bishop in 4th place, and the #11 of Scott Denney in 5th place.
Modified Segment #2 was next on the agenda, and we had 13 Modifieds in the starting line-up for the last 50 laps of tonight's main event. The #48 of Casey Lappin lined up in 3rd to start the segment, but he was under the #28 of "Jammin'" Jimmy Hibser and into 2nd by lap #51. The #11 of Brad Denney, who started the segment from the pole position, soon had a whole rearview mirror of Lappin, and by lap #52, Lappin was under Denney and took over the lead position. Behind Denney, Hibser was battling side-by-side with the #M1 of Dale Munson for the 3rd spot, with the #26 of JD Beal ALL OVER their back bumpers. Hibser got around the high side of Denney to move into 2nd on lap #57, bringing Munson along with into 3rd. A little further back in the field, there was THREE and FOUR WIDE racing for position, with Beal, the #31 of Mark Anderson, the #17 of Rick Scott, and the #98 of Andy Riggins all trying to sort out 4th thru 8th. Up front, Lappin, Hibser, and Munson were literally nose-to-tail, racing only inches apart in a very close battle for the lead, and when you're racing that close together, it's only a matter of time before contact sends someone spinning. The race leader, Lappin, wound up being that someone, as he got turned around coming out of turn #2 on lap #74, bringing out the caution, and bunching the field back up again for the restart. The blame was laid on Hibser, and the #28 car was sent to the back of the pack, pretty much ending his chances to claim his first Tuff Spoon 100 title. Anderson got a GREAT jump around the outside of Denney on the restart, and quickly moved up into the 3rd spot, bringing Riggins along with him into 4th. Up front, Munson's car seemed to keep getting better and better, and on lap #79, Munson got a GREAT run out of turn #4, and moved around Lappin and into the lead. Anderson also got a run on the outside of Lappin, and settled into the 2nd spot on lap #80. Scott, who had come from very deep in the field, was also on the move, doing a great job on the long green-flag runs and making his way towards the front. Anderson was ALL OVER Munson's back bumper by lap #85, trying every groove on the track to make the pass, but the #M1 car was "hooked up", and it was up front to stay! Munson his hands full with Anderson for the last 15 laps, but "catchin' 'em and passin' 'em" is two different things, and no matter how hard he tried, Anderson couldn't complete the pass. Dale Munson kept his #M1 Modified out front for 21 laps, and took home the checkered flag for the MRE racing team. The #31 of Mark Anderson finished the race in 2nd place followed by the #26 of JD Beal in 3rd, the # 17 of Rick Scott in 4th, and the #48 of Casey Lappin in 5th. Dale Munson was certainly had a big smile on his face. Not only did Munson score his 2nd Tuff Spoon 100 victory, but he also built half the cars that finished in the top eleven spots tonight! Five different MRE cars, Dale Munson, JD Beal, Justin Munson, Casey Lappin, and Andy Riggins, all finished 100 laps up front!MRE race cars were also making their presence known in tonight's E-Mod main event. The #4 of John Winters, the #29 of Chad Terwillger, and the #27W of Greg Ward (all MRE race cars) were all making their way towards the front in a hurry. Winters, who lined up in 2nd, was under the #M3 of Chuck McDonald, and the two were literally "dead even" at the start/finish line to score lap #17 (remember, the 2nd segment started with 15 laps already on the scoreboard!). McDonald got "way loose" in turn #2 the next lap, had to get out of the gas to save it, and Terwillger and the #96 of Kirk Anderson both took advantage, making their way around McDonald and into 2nd and 3rd. Caution came out on lap #21, and McDonald pulled off the track under the yellow, handing the 4th spot over to Ward on the restart. Ward, the #21J of Joe Wagner, and the #52 of Don Entrekin were racing THREE WIDE for the 4th spot, just behind the side-by-side battle for 2nd between Terwillger and Anderson. Wagner won the battle for 4th on lap #22, and quickly closed in on Terwillger, challenging for the 3rd spot. Wagner and Terwillger traded 3rd place back and forth a couple of times, allowing Winters and Anderson to open up a little breathing room for themselves. With everyone racing for position behind him, John Winters had no problem keeping his #4 E-Mod up front all the way to the checkered flag. The #96 of Kirk Anderson finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #29 of Chad Terwillger in 3rd, the #21J of Joe Wagner in 4th, and the #27W of Greg Ward in 5th. (For anybody keeping score, that's 3 MRE cars finishing in the top 5 in the E-Mod Division! Rumor has it that Dale Munson is gonna be REAL BUSY building cars again this winter!)
Tonight's 100 lap Late Model event can be summed up in three words - Scott "Scooter" May! May proved to the crowd that he has a REAL FAST Late Model, and that he knows how to drive it! Scooter "checked out" on the entire field in just a few short laps, and he never looked back! While May was out front all alone from the very start, there was plenty of great racing going on behind him. The #29J of Lindell Jewel and the #B12 of Roger Nelson were racing side-by-side for several laps in a battle for 3rd, with the #10M of Chad Pratt closing in on their back bumpers in a hurry! By lap #60, the handling seemed to go away on Jewel's car, and he started falling backwards in a hurry, eventually forcing him to take his car to the pits. The real battle for position all the way through the race was between the #20 of Mike Killion and the #25K of Bill Kettering. Killion and Kettering races nearly the entire 100 laps side-by-side, trading the spot back and forth from start to finish. Up front, May was dealing with lap traffic, having put the 4th place car a lap down by lap #70. By lap #80, there were only three cars left on the lead lap, and May had the 2nd and 3rd place cars in his sights before the end of the race! Scott "Scooter" May had a HUGE lead by the time the checkered flag waved, and he took his #M40 Late Model to the winner's circle to score a very convincing 2003 Tuff Spoon 100 win. The #11 0f Brad Denney finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #B12 of Roger Nelson in 3rd place, the #10M of Chad Pratt in 4th place, and the #59 of Morey Denney in 5th place.The #18 of Terry Pratt started on the pole in Segment #2 for the Pro Street division, and Pratt stayed out front from green flag to checkered flag. The #81K of Mark Ross lined up at the start in 3rd place, but by lap #16, he was under the #4S of Justin Smith and into 2nd, and quickly set his sights on the race leader. By lap #20, Ross would try to get under Pratt in the turns, and would show him his nose in every corner, but Pratt would come out of the turn with more momentum, and would easily pull away down the straight-aways. The #27 of Greg Arnett, who lined up back in 4th, was able to get around Smith and take over the 3rd spot by lap #25, and the top 4 cars ran the rest of the race pretty much single file from there. Smith, who was running in 4th, looped his car in turns #1 & #2 on the last lap, and both the #J18 of Clayton Murphy and the #79 of Al Farris were able to get around him and move up a spot. Pratt was able to hold off the charge from Ross, and Terry Pratt scored another Feature win in his #18 Pro Street car. The #81K of Mark Ross finished in 2nd place, followed by the #27 of Greg Arnett in 3rd, the #J18 of Clayton Murphy in 4th, and the #79 of Al Farris in 5th.
The #68 of Lance Alcorn started on the pole in Hobo Segment #2, and if you're one of the guys that are racing against Alcorn, the LAST place you want him to start is up front! Alcorn has been very strong all season in this division, and tonight was no exception. The #91 of Nick Christian lined up in 2nd to start the race, but he soon had his hands full with the #42 of Tim Bishop and the #02 of Greg Sullivan. Bishop was trying every groove on the track to get around Christian, until caution came out on lap #15, lining the 2 cars up side-by-side for the restart. Bishop had the preferred outside line on the restart, and got a better jump on the restart to take over the 2nd spot in turns #1 & #2. Sullivan was also able to take advantage of a good restart, and moved into 3rd around Christian in turns #3 & #4. Caution came out again, the #11 of Scott Denney spinning on lap #17, once again bunching the field back up for the restart. Christian was running well under the green flag, but the cautions and the restarts were working against him, and this time, the #35 of Josh Smith got the better jump on the restart, and Smith made his way into 4th place by lap #18. Up front, Bishop and Sullivan were racing side-by-side behind Alcorn, battling hard through every turn for the 2nd spot. Denney, who had to restart in the back after the spin, got a great run on the last lap, and was able to get around Smith and move into the 4th spot after taking the white flag. Lance Alcorn stayed out front from start to finish, and took home another Hobo Feature win for the #68 racing team. The #42 of Tim Bishop held off the competition and took home the 2nd place finish, followed by the #02 of Greg Sullivan in 3rd place, the #11 of Scott Denney in 4th place, and the #35 of Josh Smith in 5th place.
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