Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 28, 1990 TAG: 9004280228
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: BEDFORD/ FRANKLIN
SOURCE: JEFF MOTLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
Don Schilling, the circuit's defending national champion, won his second race in as many tries this season by running away with the WPSK Loctite Midget race at Pulaski County Speedway on Friday night.
Schilling, of Ypsilanti, Mich., started near the back after an inverted restart in the 40-lap feature. Schilling blazed his way, weaving in and out of cars until he was in second place just eight laps into the race.
The last driver to pass proved the toughest. NASCAR Winston Cup star Ken Schrader held that position, but two laps later, Schilling took the lead and seemed to be in complete control.
Then Schilling relaxed and went a little high on the track coming out of the turn and Schrader regained the lead on lap 17.
"Once I took the lead, I thought I could cruise to the win," Schilling said. "But Ken was a lot stronger than I thought he was and he came back. It scared me, because I thought I had the race locked up."
Schrader, though, didn't have nearly enough to keep up with Schilling's four-cylinder Pontiac. Schilling roared back into the lead five laps later, and Schrader never got close.
"He just had too much horsepower," Schrader said. "I just couldn't keep up with him."
Schilling said he knew there wouldn't be a contest.
"I have a better car," Schilling said. "This car I built myself and it isn't like the others. Everything from the chassis to the set-up is different. We have won seven of the eight races we have run in this car dating back to last year."
Schrader was the only driver to finish on the lead lap with Schilling in the caution-free race. Jim Hettinger of Lansing, Mich., was third.
In Friday night's other race, Roanoke's Tink Reedy won his first Late Model Stock car race of the year.
Reedy was the leader of a four-car pack that included Salem's Clay Highberger, Stacy Compton and Joe Lucas. Highberger stayed behind Reedy until the last lap, when Compton slipped by him for second.
"I tried to get around Tink and Stacy did a good job and ran a smooth lap to get around me," Highberger said.
The sailing wasn't as smooth as it looked for Reedy.
"On the first lap, the car started pushing and I knew we were in trouble," Reedy said. "I decided to keep the car down to the inside and make them pass me high. Clay is a smart driver and he kept moving around. I never could locate him in my rear-view mirror."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB