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

DATE: FRIDAY, June 4, 1993                   TAG: 9306030321
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-11   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Long

YOU CAN WIN RACES AND STILL TRAIL IN POINTS STANDINGS

\ MOST WINS DOES NOT EQUAL A POINTS LEAD: Only Limited Sportsman driver Kenny Montgomery leads his division in wins and points. He captured the first three races in the division - including the season-opening double-points race - and has a 10-point lead in the standings.

Despite having won four of the last five Late Model Stock races - and leading 455 of 804 laps run in the division - Ronnie Thomas trails Paul Radford in the points battle, 180-144. A 21st-place finish in the second race of the year and a 23rd - last - two weeks ago have slowed Thomas' points charge.

Johnny Rumley has made only four starts, but is in third place. His standing shows the value of winning the double-points race.

Grump Wills and Scott Brawley have been unbeatable lately in their divisions. But early-season problems have kept them out of points leads.

Wills had reached second in the Pure Stock standings before the West Virginia trucker got stranded driving from Ohio and missed last week's race. It broke a five-race winning streak that began after Wills had tire problems in the double-points race. Two nonwinners - Mike Marion and Garry Davis - now lead Wills.

Brawley didn't have his car ready for the double-points race, but the only thing that has stopped him since then has been an accident and a flat tire. Dale Sutphin, who has won three times to Brawley's four victories, leads the Modified Mini division; Brawley is fourth behind Jimmy Hinkley and Charlie Smith.

In Mini Stock, Randy Bell won the first race and has held the points lead ever since, even though he hasn't won again. Three-time winners Jay McCray and Tony Howell are second and third in points, respectively.

\ CHAMPIONS DON'T ALWAYS REPEAT: Just ask Jeff Agnew and Frankie Pennington. These two drivers won almost half of the Late Model Stock races last year. And Agnew took the points championship because he had won more races than Pennington - 6-3.

But this year, the highest either of them has finished is second. Each has three finishes in the top five.

But Agnew has had to leave races early because of a broken spindle and an oil leak. "You can't work on the chassis if you have to work on the [engine] missing," said Agnew, who sits fourth in the points, 70 behind Radford.

And Pennington has had engine problems. Twice he has not been able to even start the race in his own car, and another two times he has had to retire early. "It'll get better. It has to," said Pennington, who drove the No. 5 usually run by Orvil Reedy last week, allowing him to move into sixth place in points.

Defending Mid-Atlantic Points Champ Michael Ritch and last year's track Rookie of the Year Mike Dillon have fallen on hard times. Ritch became the first LMSC driver to be disqualified from a race Saturday, negating what would have been a fourth-place finish; He has slipped to seventh in the track points.

Things have been worse for Dillon: He has only one top-10 finish and is tied for 16th in the points.

In Mini Stock, driver Bell is the only defending champion in front. Smith, the only other driver defending his crown, is third in Modified Mini.

Charles Miles has made transition from Pure Stock to Limited Sportsman smoothly. He has won two of the last three races and trails only Montgomery.

Ray Young, who was Limited Sportsman champ last year and the Street Stock (Limited's predecessor) in '91, has been less successful in his LMSC transition and is not in the top 20 in the division in points.

\ A DIFFERENCE THAT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE: Ford Thunderbirds have more wins than Chevys in LMSC - 4-3. But all four of those wins have been by Ronnie Thomas in a car he says has been rebuilt five times as several different makes over the last few months.

Radford leads points standings in a Chevy Lumina. Three other top-10 drivers in points also drive Chevys - Rumley, Agnew and Tony McGuire. Three top-10 drivers are in Fords - Thomas, Pennington and Ritch.

And three others drive different makes - Tink Reedy runs an Olds, Stacy Compton a Dodge and Chris Diamond a Chrysler.

\ NEW RULES ARE MADE: After six weeks, the draw for the top six positions in Modified Mini, Mini Stock and Pure Stock is a thing of the past. Last week those divisions went back to a regular lineup.

Another new rule involves Late Model race restarts: Once lapping has begun, the track will use double-file restarts common to Winston Cup races. The only exception is in the last 10 laps; those restarts will be single-file with all cars in the lead lap in front of all lapped traffic.

\ THIS WEEK: The first race of June is Saturday's New River Pontiac-GMC Truck-Nissan 200 with a regular slate of a 100-lap LMSC race, a 35-lap Limited Sportsman and 25-lappers for Modified Minis, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks. Gates open at 2 p.m.; practice begins at 4. Qualifying starts at 6:15; the green flag drops at 8. Admission is $8 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under.

Keywords:
AUTO RACING