Thursday, Aug. 30, 2003
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Thursday, Aug. 30, 2003 |
It had been hot all week long, ………….REALLY HOT! It was nearly unbearable for Thursday night's races, especially for the drivers once they were inside their cars. But for those in attendance Thursday night, it was worth it. Scott May did another nice job promoting the UMP Summer National Late Model event, and it was a GREAT night of racing from start to finish. By Saturday, the weather had taken a drastic turn, and by intermission it was so cool, you were reaching for a jacket. The drivers and their crews, as well as the fans, certainly approved of the change, so the only thing "heating up" tonight was the action out on the track.
The #8 of Lonnie Edmunson lined up 3rd to start E-Mod Heat #1, but Edmunson got a GREAT run through turns #1 & #2, and took the lead by turn #3 on lap #2. Lonnie Edmunson opened up a nice lead by lap #3, and he took home the checkered flag in E-Mod Heat #1. The #59T of Tom Goodwin finished the heat in 2nd place, followed by the #18K of James Kennedy in 3rd. The #M3 of Chuck McDonald lined up in 5th to start E-Mod Heat #2, but McDonald was on the move in a hurry. By Lap #5, McDonald was in the lead, and he was there to stay. Chuck McDonald drove a great race to score the E-Mod Heat #2 won for the #M3 racing team. The #27W of Greg Ward finished in 2nd place, followed by the #21J of Joe Wagner in 3rd place. The #96 of Kirk Anderson started on the pole in E-Mod Heat #3, and he led the race from green flag to checkered flag. Kirk Anderson scored another very convincing win for the #96 team, followed by the #4 of John Winters in 2nd place, and #52 of Don Entrekin in 3rd place. Making his debut tonight in the E-Mod division was Shawn Glazer. Glazer, who normally drives the #4 Hobo car, was in the #7W E-Mod tonight, and was doing a really good job for the Wyatt racing team. Watch for Glazer in races to come, we might be seeing a lot more from him in this division next year!The #30 of Gerald Carter lined up in 3rd to start the Thunder Truck Heat race, but by the time they reached the start/finish line to score lap #3, he was nose-to-nose with the pole sitter, the #8 of Dave Collins. Carter got under Collins in turns #3 & #4 the next lap, took the lead down the front stretch, and opened up a nice lead for himself on his way to victory lane. The #30 of Gerald Carter scored another strong Thunder Truck heat race win, followed by the #8 of Dave Collins in 2nd place, and the #31 of Harry Fourdyce in 3rd place.
The #420 of John Eppers started on the pole in Modified Heat #1, and Eppers led the first 6 laps, but he had his hands full all the way with the #P1 of Tim Hancock. Hancock got a better run out of turn #4 to take the lead at the white flag, but Eppers wasn't giving up. Tim Hancock was able to hold off the competition, and he scored the Modified heat race win for the #P1 Predator racing team. The #420 of John Eppers finished in 2nd place, followed by the #7 of Floyd Jordan, Jr. in 3rd place. Modified Heat #2 finished exactly the way it started. The #96 of Kirk Anderson started on the pole, the #48 of Casey Lappin lined up in 2nd, and the #49 of Todd Bates started in 3rd, and the three cars ran 1, 2, 3 all the way from start to finish. Kirk Anderson scored another Modified Heat race win for the #96 racing team, followed by the #48 of Casey Lappin in 2nd, and the #49 of Todd Bates in 3rd. The pole seemed the place to start so far, and for the #17 of Rick Scott, Jr., Modified Heat #3 was no exception. Rick Scott, Jr. started on the pole, and led all 7 circuits to score the Modified Heat race win for the #17 racing team. Second place was a hard fought battle from start to finish between the #26 of JD Beal, the #31 of Mark Anderson, and the #C40 of Mike Chasteen. In the end, Mark Anderson won the fight, and the #31 finished the heat in 2nd place, followed by the #C40 of Mike Chasteen in 3rd place.The #18 of Terry Pratt drew the pole position in tonight's Pro Street Heat race, and like many before him, he jumped out to an early lead, leaving everyone behind to battle for position. The #81K of Mark Ross, who lined up to start the race in 3rd, quickly settled into the 2nd spot, and Pratt and Ross pulled away from the rest of the field by lap #3. There was plenty of side-by-side racing going on further back in the field, with the #27 of Greg Arnett, the #6 of Scott Wallace, and the #79 of Al Farris all racing each other for the 3rd spot. Caution came out on lap #3, bunching the field back up again for the restart, but Pratt didn't seem to notice. Terry Pratt got a GREAT jump on the restart, opened up another nice lead for himself, and took his #18 Pro Street to the winner's circle. The #81K of Mark Ross finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #27 of Greg Arnett in 3rd place.
Caution Came out early in Late Model Heat #1, and several cars got together in turns #1 & #2, obviously not seeing the yellow flag come out. The #B12 of Roger Nelson, who started on the pole, was in front of the chaos, but the #29J of Lindell Jewel, the #25K of Bill Kettering, and the #30 of Rob Bauman were not as lucky. Fortunately, most of the cars suffered minor damage and were able to continue. The #B12 of Roger Nelson scored the Late Model Heat race win, followed by the #29J of Lindell Jewel in 2nd, and the #45 of Dwayne Walters in 3rd. The #M40 of Scott "Scooter" May scored the win in Late Model Heat #2, followed by Mark Anderson in 2nd place, and the #4C of Rob Colson in 3rd place.Tonight's Hobo Trophy Dash went to the #43 of John Heitzman. The #4, being driven by Steve Bucco, finished the Dash in 2nd place, followed by the #77 of Jo Ann King in 3rd place. Hobo Heat #2 checkered flag was taken home by the #11 of Scott Denney, with the #42 of Tim Bishop finishing the race in 2nd place, followed by the #35 of Josh Smith in 3rd. Greg Sullivan scored the Hobo Heat #3 win for the #02 racing team, followed by the #00 of Steve Harper in 2nd, and the #68 of Lance Alcorn in 3rd.
The #M17 of Brent Munson started on the pole in tonight's E-Mod Feature. Munson has been strong all year, usually coming from deep in the field, so it was a pretty safe bet that if the #M17 started up front, it would probably finish up front. A couple of other cars that have been strong all season were starting deeper in the field, but they weren't wasting any time making their way towards the front. The #4 of John Winters, who lined up in 5th to start the race, and the #96 of Kirk Anderson, who originally lined up back in 8th, were making their way through traffic in a hurry, moving up into 2nd and 3rd positions by lap #3. The #27W of Greg Ward, who started in 6th, and the #21J of Joe Wagner were right behind them by lap #4, both moving up into the top 5 spots. Another car on the move was the #M3 of Chuck McDonald. McDonald, who started back in 9th spot, was ALL OVER Wagner's back bumper by lap #7, making his bid for a top 5 position also. The top five opened things up a bit, putting some room between themselves and the rest of the field, but their lead came to an end when the caution came out on lap #9 for contact between the #18K of James Kennedy and the #8 of Lonnie Edmunson. Munson didn't seem to mind the yellow, as he quickly jumped out front again on the restart, and opened up another nice lead for himself. Ward got loose in turns #3 & #4 and lost a couple of spots, allowing Wagner and the #5 of Jake Helfers to both get around him and move up a spot. Up front, the top three had once again put some breathing room between themselves and the rest of the field, and it was pretty much single file the rest of the way to the checkered flag. Brent Munson led every lap to score another Feature win for the #M17 racing team, and also gained some valuable points in the very close E-Mod points race. The #4 of John Winters finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #96 of Kirk Anderson in 3rd place, the #M3 of Chuck McDonald in 4th, and the #21J of Joe Wagner in 5th.The #30 of Gerald Carter lined up in 2nd to start tonight's Thunder truck Feature event, but before they scored a single lap, Carter was around the pole sitter, the #8 of Dave Collins, and into the lead. The #87 of Rick Huffman got around the #31 of Harry Fourdyce on the first lap, and took over the 3rd spot behind Collins, but the real race for position was going on behind Fourdyce. The #26 of Ryan Wilson and the #29 of David Boyer were racing each other side-by-side, all the way around the racetrack, in a very close battle for the 5th spot. They were racing each other a little too close, as Boyer spun on lap #2, bringing out the caution, and bunching the field back up again for the restart. Collins and Huffman both got a good jump on the restart, and the two were racing each other hard for the 2nd position, allowing Carter to open up a pretty big lead for himself. Wilson got a GREAT run out of turn #4, and somehow managed to drive right in between Collins and Huffman, and took over the 3rd spot at the start/finish line to score lap #6. Caution came out again on lap #5 for the #1 of Doug Pratt getting turned around on the track, and this time, Fourdyce was able to take advantage of the restart. Wilson got a little loose on the start and had to get out of the gas, allowing Fourdyce to close in and make a serious challenge for the 3rd spot. Boyer, Huffman, and the #88 of Collins all got together in turn #4, bringing the caution out again on lap #7. Yellow was definitely the dominant color in tonight's Thunder Truck Feature, as there were several more cautions before we saw the checkered flag. The checkered flag finally did come out, however, and once again, it was the #30 of Gerald Carter out front to claim it. The #8 of Dave Collins finished the race in 2nd place, and the #31 of Harry Fourdyce crossed the start/finish line in 3rd. Wilson came out of turn #4 and was headed for the checkered flag in 4th, but he spun out on the front stretch, and couldn't get it turned back around quick enough. The #1 of Doug Pratt made his way around Wilson and finished in 4th place, followed by the #29 of David Boyer in 5th place.
Tonight's Modified Feature looked like one HUGE traffic jam for the first few laps! Twenty-three cars started the main event, and all 23 were heading for turn #1 at full throttle behind the pole sitter, the #420 of John Eppers. It looked like an early caution was inevitable, and it was! Many, many cars at the front of the field got together at the end of the backstretch on lap #2, but fortunately, most of the cars only suffered minor damage and were ale to continue. The #17 of Rick Scott had gotten around Eppers, and was leading the field out of turn #4 for the restart. Lap after lap, traffic was all bottled up from 1st place all the way back to 20th, which meant there were several more cautions before the field got sorted out. Several cars were making progress throughout all the yellow flags. The #31 of Mark Anderson, who started in 6th, was up to 4th by lap #5, and the #C40 of Mike Chasteen, who lined up back in 9th, had made his way all the way up to 3rd behind the #P1 of Tim Hancock. Chasteen got around Hancock to take over the 2nd spot on lap #6, and he quickly set his sights on Scott, the race leader. Chasteen pulled alongside Scott on lap #8, and at the start/finish line to score lap #9, Chasteen was out front, literally by a nose. Chasteen was able to open up a nice lead by lap #12, with Scott behind him running all alone in 2nd, and Anderson all by himself in 3rd. There was a great battle heating up for the 4th spot though, between Hancock, and the #26 of JD Beal. Beal, who started the race way back in the 12th spot, had carefully made his way through the field, and was ALL OVER Hancock's back bumper. Caution came out again on lap #14, and Beal got a REGAT jump on the restart, quickly making his way around Hancock and Anderson, and into the 3rd spot. Caution after caution didn't seem to bother the race leader, Mike Chasteen, as he continued to open up a big lead for himself on restart after restart. Once again, Mike Chasteen kept his #C40 Modified out front all the way to the checkered flag, he scored another Modified Feature win for the #C40 team. The #17 of Rick Scott, Jr. finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #26 of JD Beal in 3rd, the #31 of Mark Anderson in 4th, and the #7 of Floyd Jordan in 5th.The #27 of Greg Arnett lined up 2nd to start the Pro Street Feature, but he got a GREAT jump on the start, and was around the #79 of Al Farris and into the lead before he reached turn #1. Also making his way around Farris in a hurry was the #18 of Terry Pratt. Pratt, who lined up in 4th, was up to 2nd coming out of turn #2. The #4S of Justin Smith and the #81K of Mark Ross were also on the move, taking over the 3rd and 4th spots on the very first lap also. Caution came out midway through lap #1, when Pratt, who was running in 2nd, spun in turn #2, sending him to the back of the pack for the restart. Ross got a good jump around Smith on the restart, and took over the 2nd spot on lap #2, setting his sights on Arnett, the race leader. Pratt, who restarted from the rear on lap #1, wasn't staying in the back for very long. Pratt got a GREAT run out of turn #4, and easily got around Smith and back into 3rd by the time he scored lap #3. As I mentioned earlier, it was much cooler tonight, but along with the cooler temperatures came the chance of rain …….. and it was getting more serious about the "rain thing" half way through the Pro Street Feature. It wasn't raining hard enough to stop the races, but it was raining hard enough to keep the track slick, so the guys certainly had their hands just keeping their cars straight. On lap #8, something obviously went away on Ross's car, as he was out of the gas and heading for the pits, handing the 2nd spot over to Pratt. Greg Arnett led all 15 circuits, and cruised into victory lane with his #27 Pro Street to claim tonight's Feature win. The #18 of Terry Pratt finished the race in 2nd place, followed by the #4S of Justin Smith in 3rd, and the #79 of Farris in 4th. The #6 of Scott Wallace he had a tire completely disintegrate down the backstretch, causing LOTS of damage to the rear end, but he still scored a 5th place finish in tonight's Pro Street Feature event.
The #M40 of Scott "Scooter" May lined up in 5th to start tonight's Late Model Feature event, but before they reached the first turn, he was under the #11 of Brad Denney, and the two were racing side-by-side behind the race leader, the #4C of Rob Colson. Denney, who has been a dominant force all season long, was obviously having some major problems with his #11 car tonight. By the time they scored lap #1, the #B12 of RogerNelson, the #29J of Lindell Jewel, and the #45 of Dwayne Walters had all gotten around Denney, and there were still more cars coming behind him. Moving backwards is not something we've seen from the #11 team this year, and by lap #2, the problems with the car were so severe that Denney was out of the gas and heading towards the pits. Up front, Colson and May weren't having any trouble getting around the racetrack. Colson and May were nose to nose at the start/finish line, trying to sort out who the race leader was going to be. A just one lap later, May decided to move out front and take the lead over for himself. Once out front, May had very little difficulty putting some breathing room between himself and the rest of the field, and the top four ran several laps single file, until caution came out on lap #10, bunching the field back up again for the restart. The #30 of Rob Bauman, who had started way back in the 10th spot, had been patiently picking off the spots lap after lap, and by lap #11, Bauman was around Jewell, and was alongside Colson in a battle for the 3rd position. Colson, trying to hold onto 3rd spot, came into turn #1 way too hot, and looped it on lap #12, bringing the yellow flag out again. We had several more cautions come out before we got back to some serious green flag racing, but once we went green to stay, May once again "checked out" on the rest of the competition. The race for 2nd wasn't decided yet, though. Bauman and Nelson were racing each other hard for several laps, allowing Jewel to close in on their back bumpers. The #M40 could have coasted into the winner's circle, as Scott "Scooter" May scored the Late Model Feature win with a very convincing lead. The #B12 of Roger Nelson held off the competition to finish in 2nd place, followed by the #30 of Rob Bauman in 3rd, the #29J of Lindell Jewel in 4th, and the #4C of Rob Colson in 5th.There was definitely a lot of shuffling of positions early in the Hobo Feature. The #35 of Josh Smith started on the pole, and by the time they scored lap #1, he was the ONLY car in the same spot that he started in! In just one lap, the #42 of Tim Bishop had come from 4th up to 2nd, the #11 of Scott Denney had come from a 6th place start up to 3rd, but the real "mover" was the #68 of Lance Alcorn. Alcorn, who lined up to start the race way back into the 8th spot, was all the way up to 4th by the time he completed his first lap, and he wasn't done moving up yet! Bishop got underneath Smith coming out of turn #4, and Bishop moved into the lead at the start/finish line to score lap #5. Denney was also wanting to improve his position, quickly moving up to challenge Smith for the 2nd spot. By lap #12, Denney was finally able to complete the pass on Smith to take over the 2nd spot, but the race leader, Bishop, was WAY out front and running all alone. Alcorn also had a good run going, picking off a few more spots in the closing laps of the race, and getting under Smith for the 3rd position on the very last lap. Up front and enjoying a BIG lead, the #42 of Tim Bishop had no problem crossing the start/finish line in 1st place to score tonight's Hobo Feature win. The #11 of Scott Denney finished the race in 2nd place, with Smith and Alcorn nose-to-nose behind him still battling for 3rd. The #68 of Lance Alcorn got the better run out of the last corner, and Alcorn took home 3rd place honors, followed by the #35 of Josh Smith in 4th place, and the #02 of Greg Sullivan in 5th place.
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