Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 7, 1995                   TAG: 9510070019
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HEAVY-HEARTED MINTER RACING FOR HIS DAD TONIGHT

Kenny Minter didn't want to race tonight at Franklin County Speedway.

His dad, Bernard Minter, died of a heart attack Tuesday at home in Martinsville, and Kenny wanted to take a weekend off from the Southern Modifieds Auto Racing Tour. Not only did he lose his dad, he lost his crew chief of the past seven years.

``I was pretty undecided, because I felt I should mourn his passing, but my brother [Donnie], who builds racing engines, said he would prefer me to race,'' Kenny Minter said. ``So we'll go up there with good spirits and try to win it for him.''

Tonight, Minter will be after his second SMART victory at Franklin County Speedway in Callaway. Qualifying begins at 6 p.m., with racing to start at 7. Besides the 150-lap modified feature, triple points races will be held in all other divisions.

Over the past seven years, Kenny Minter said he and his dad, who was 68 when he died, became very close because of their involvement in racing. One of their greatest achievements came two weeks ago at North Wilkesboro, N.C., Speedway when they won their first SMART race.

``We did it together as a team,'' said Kenny, 39, who operates a dry cleaning business and used car lot in Martinsville. ``That was the joyous part about it. I had had a lot of success in other divisions before my father joined me, but what we did together made it that much sweeter.''

Since Minter considers Franklin County Speedway his home track on the Southern Modified circuit, he said his dad was looking forward to tonight's race.

``He was looking forward to running there at the hometown track and getting us a win,'' Kenny Minter said. ``Obviously our team will be lacking his leadership, but hopefully we can pull together and overcome it. He was one of those people who could do anything [with a car]. He wasn't an expert, but there wasn't anything he couldn't take apart and fix and put it back on there and make it better than it was in the first place.

``Now, we're going to try and go do it for him. It would be like a fairy tale to win the race and dedicate it to him.''

Minter used to be a regular at Franklin County Speedway in the Late Model Stock division, so he has experience there. But he said racing the open-wheel modifieds will be quite different than racing the bump-and-grind Late Models on the 3/8-mile oval.

``I always want to think we can run up front everywhere we go, but if there's any place we should run up front, it should be at Franklin County. I've won Late Model races there, but I've never run modifieds there.

``It ought to be a heck of a show for the fans. There will be some super-fast lap times with cars that can't lean all over each other like the late models. You have to pick your holes. Not to say we don't bang all over each other, though.''

With about 25 cars expected to compete in tonight's SMART race, Minter said qualifying will be very important, because the lead cars likely will lap those in the rear of the field in the first 25-to-30 laps.

``[Qualifying] will be totally make or break [tonight],'' he said.

Minter, whose modified car is sponsored by Camaro Junction in Martinsville, said he plans on racing the Southern Modifieds again next year, but he would like to get into the NASCAR SuperTruck series at some point. Minter has been involved in auto racing for 17 years and is in ninth place in the SMART points standings this year. He was the circuit's rookie of the year in 1992.

``We had a lot of success in the late model stocks, and the modifieds were another step up - the sheer speed and the open wheels,'' Minter said. ``The sheer speed is what it's all about. The modifieds are undoubtedly the most thrilling thing I've ever driven.

``Everyone wants to drive Winston Cup, but I'm 39, and there are too many Jeff Gordon wannabes out there to go Winston Cup for me, but the SuperTrucks would be something nice to think about and pursue. If the financial backing was there, we'd move into trucks, but it will take a deal where someone wants us in there bad enough to where they could afford to spend some money.''

Keywords:
AUTO RACING