Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 2, 1993 TAG: 9307010242
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
A big race had to be stopped to clear a multiple car accident from the .416-mile oval.
The 200-lap Late Model Stock Car feature of the Shelor Chevrolet 300 had barely begun when racers started bumping one another in an effort to get the jump at the start.
And by the time the front of the field had made its way around the track, seven cars were strewn between the finish line and the entrance to turn 1.
"At the start, we got off, then it looked like we slowed down again," said Chris Diamond, who qualified his Chrysler LeBaron on the inside of the second row. "Then we took off again. But it got the field scrunched up. And it was worse back in the pack."
The first five rows of cars made it through the rough beginning without any major problem. Some were bumped, but that was about it.
Drivers farther back in the starting grid fared less well. Several cars in the middle of the pack were damaged but able to continue. And most of the cars that started in the rear never made it through the first lap.
"You have to be patient at the start of the race," said Ronnie Thomas, who was bumped in his fifth starting position. "A 100-lap race is a long time. And you can be real patient in a 200-lap race."
Rodney "Six Pack" Cundiff was the highest finisher of those drivers who were more than just tapped in the first-lap fracas. He placed 14th.
After the rough start, the race went fairly smoothly. The only other time the field slowed down was when Steve Collins and Kevin Simmons tangled on lap 72.
\ RUMLEY'S RUN AND OTHER RAMBLINGS: If the Late Model race had lasted another few laps, Johnny Rumley would have been the only driver on the lead lap. He all but caught the second-, third- and fourth-place cars of Diamond, Thomas and Kelly Denton with about a dozen laps to go. Then he seemed to take it easy and left the drivers who were so far behind him they appeared in front of him to fight for position.
"You've heard of getting your doors blown off," was the way Thomas described it. Denton's fourth-place finish was even more remarkable considering he suffered cramps in his right hand during the race and had to pry it from the steering wheel afterwards. "It didn't want to let go," said the 20-year-old driver.
The top four finishers in the race were four different cars - Chevrolet Lumina, Chrysler LeBaron, Ford Thunderbird and Pontiac Grand Prix.
Thomas said the bump he took from Michael Ritch at the start of the race did not affect his performance. "I'd like to say it did but it didn't." With his third-place finish, Thomas maintained his lead in the Doughton's Racing Parts-Camaro Junction Challenge.
The Christiansburg driver may have lost his chance at $50,000. But his 48 points are eight more than Rumley and Paul Radford, who are tied for second in the quest for shares of the $5,000 bonus pool. David Browning Jr., of Jacksonville, Fla., is fourth with 28 points.
\ IF IT WEREN'T FOR BAD LUCK: Ritch was disqualified last week when post-race inspection showed his car to be 10 pounds under the 3,100 weight limit.
A rule change for this year did in Ritch. Last year, cars were allowed a 1 percent wear-and-tear factor - that's 31 pounds on a Late Model Stock Car. But at the meeting at the end of last season, racings officials decided the variance wasn't needed and the cars should weigh their proper weight - after all fluids are refilled - in the post-race inspections.
"I guess I just drive harder and wore it down," said Ritch. "It was five pounds heavy after practice this afternoon. Now it's light."
Ritch will try his luck at a different track this weekend. He is racing in the Milwaukee Mile, a Busch Grand National race, Sunday in Wisconsin.
\ GOOD TIMING: Charlie Smith picked a good week to win his first Modified Mini race of the season. The sponsor of his car also sponsored the race. And the victory boosted him to the top of the division's points standings. And Smith, who won because the two cars in front of him spun on the last lap, seemed surprised to drive his Toyota Celica to victory lane.
"We were a little bit off because we had new tires on and we didn't get a chance to break them in," said Smith, who won the Mini Stock division last year. "And the new motor was giving us a little bit of a vibration."
\ RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: Prerace precipitation visited New River Valley Speedway for the third straight week. Because of the rain, only the Late Model Stock Cars qualified. The other divisions had their starting grids set by the points standings.
By race time, though, the skies had cleared enough for skydivers to appear as scheduled.
\ THIS WEEK: All five divisions will be back in action this week for the Marathon Oil-Jordan Oil 200 - the second double points race of the season.
So Saturday night, there will be a 100-lap Late Model feature, a 35-lap Limited Sportsman event and 25-lap races in the Modified Minis, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks.
Also, the Shriner's Clowns will entertain and pass out flags in honor of Independence Day.
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.
M.J. Dougherty cover sports for the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB