Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 1, 1993 TAG: 9304300253
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-7 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Last Saturday, melees on the track brought out half a dozen yellow flags.
The most damaged car was Tink Reedy's Oldsmobile. Reedy lost the front end of the car he has driven for three years in a six-car spin on lap 17.
"It's just sheet-metal damage," said Reedy. "I don't think it got the clip [the front of the frame.] I'm not sure really what happened."
The accident appeared to start when Malcom Fink slid into Hank Turman in turn 4. That caused a chain reaction that ended up involving about seven cars.
"I don't think we can catch a break; I was in a position where they was no way to avoid things," said Turman, who started the race minus his driver's-side door after he and pole-sitter Paul Radford tangled as they approached the green flag. "We've got a strong car if we ever get a chance to race it."
Both drivers also clearly stated that more conservative driving was needed to avoid the early race spills that have thinned the fields the past two weeks.
\ THE NUMBERS GAME: No, WSET has not changed to Channel 43. And Stacy Compton didn't switch numbers because he wanted to honor Richard Petty.
Compton raced as No. 43 because Fink continues to run as No. 13. Fink had the number last season and exercised his option to retain for this year.
Ironically, to keep the number, Fink has had to use tape to convert the a "7" into a "3" on the car he has driven the first two weeks of the season.
\ GOOD COMBINATION: Dale Sutphin inherited his Modified Mini ride when Wayne Cassavaugh decided to move up to the Late Models this year.
Sutphin has made the most of getting the car that finished third last year in the points race - two starts, two victories.
"It's a real good car," the Max Meadows driver told the crowd after winning opening night. "I feel truly lucky to have gotten this ride."
Meanwhile, Radford has teamed-up once again with Clarence Pickeral of Ridgeway, owner of Clarence's Steak House.
The restaurant sponsored Radford when he drove modified cars in the 1970s.
So far, they've been successful in the Late Models, finishing fourth and third and winning one pole.
\ VISITORS FEEL WELCOME: It is about 500 miles from Jacksonville, Fla., to Radford. But after a fifth-place finish, David Browning Jr. was glad he made the trip.
"It's good racing," said Browning. "We're going to be here in two weeks [for the 200-lap race]. So we wanted to get some practice before we came up. We planned on coming here to see what the competition was like and see what we wanted to do."
The Valley Rich/X-Press Markets 300 on May 15 is the first race in the Camaro Junction/Doughton's Racing Parts Martinsville Speedway/New River Valley Speedway Challenge series. The series winner gets a $5,000 bonus - or $50,000 if he wins all six races.
\ IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD LUCK: Frankie Pennington's night was over before it began. During practice last week, something broke in his engine and he didn't want to take a chance of racing and doing further damage.
It was the second straight week that engine trouble felled Pennington. Two laps after taking the lead on opening night, carburetor problems sent him out of the race.
Pennington said he planned to change the motor for tonight's race.
\ TONIGHT'S RACE: The Tombstone Pizza/Q-99 200 will be the usual schedule of a 100-lap Late Model Stock feature; a 35-lap Limited Sportsman race; and 25-lap races in the Modified Mini, Mini Stock and Pure Stock divisions.
M.J. Dougherty cover sports for the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB