Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 12, 1993 TAG: 9308120045
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
And it probably won't be the end of all racing for the year at the speedway.
The Sept. 12 season-finale will feature twin Late Model Stock Car races, track promoter and co-owner Ronnie Snoddy said last week.
The pair of races will bring to 22 the number of Late Model events on the schedule. Both will carry Mid-Atlantic Championship points races as well as track points races. And since the race schedule called for a double-points race on that last week, both races will carry the higher points values.
A few details are still to be worked out: The length of the races has not been set; it will be somewhere between 50 and 100 laps. And the make-up of the sponsorship could change if weather affects any race dates between now and the end of the season.
An even bigger race will be held after the regular season ends - a 250-lap Late Model Stock Car feature with an estimated purse of more than $25,000.
"We hope to draw cars from all over Virginia and North Carolina," said Snoddy.
"We're having it after all the other tracks are pretty much done with their points championships so we can have cars from all over."
Snoddy added he hoped the event would draw 75 to 80 cars to the speedway.
The field would be narrowed through qualifying and heat races and about 30 cars would start the main race.
The regular purses at New River are $7,750 for a 100-lap Late Model race and $11,800 for a 200-lapper. The 200-lap races this season have drawn 23 to 34 cars.
\ RONNIE TO REFOCUS: Ronnie Thomas may be contending for the points championship at NRVS this year. But the Christiansburg driver and 1977 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year is looking beyond NRVS.
He plans to run a limited schedule at the track next year to make an effort to enter some Winston Cup and Busch Grand National races in 1994.
Thomas, the 1990 Late Model champion, acknowledges that his success at New River will help him as he pursues other goals.
"I've got a reputation here as a front-runner that I couldn't get when I ran Winston Cup," said Thomas, who has won nine races and led more than 55 percent of the laps at the speedway this season (1160 of 2108).
"But now, no matter where I go, I know I've been a winner and that's important."
Part of that future may come as early as the Food City 250 at Bristol on Aug. 27.
Thomas is in negotiations to drive a car in that Grand National race.
In 1994, Thomas hopes to run about half a dozen races on the Grand National and Winston Cup circuits.
He thinks the major obstacle will be financial:
"People just don't want to take a chance on the little guy," said Thomas. He added he thought he could be competitive at a considerably lower cost than other racing operations.
Thomas attempted to form a Winston Cup team last year but discontinued the effort because of a lack of funds.
\ CHALLENGE UPDATE: When Johnny Rumley won instead of Thomas in the Taco Bell-Virginia's 13 300 last week, it tightened up the standings in the Camaro Junction-Doughton's Racing Parts Challenge.
Thomas leads Rumley 94-90 at the end of the four-race segment of the challenge at New River. Each has won two of the races at NRVS.
The challenge moves to Martinsville for a 150-lap race Sept. 25 and a 200-lapper Oct. 17.
Paul Radford, who leads the Late Model standings at New River, is third in the challenge with 84 points. No one else is close to the leaders.
The rest of the top 10 is Tink Reedy, fourth, 54 points; Frankie Pennington, fifth, 46; Jeff Agnew and Stacy Compton, tied for sixth, 38; Kenny Prillaman, eighth, 36; Chris Diamond, ninth, 30; and Michael Ritch and David Browning Jr., tied for 10th, 28.
\ PURE (STOCK) EXCITEMENT: On July 31, Brian Chinault of Draper was being cut out of his Chevrolet Camaro with the jaws of life.
Last week, he drove the same car - with the roof repaired - in the Pure Stock race and finished ninth in the 12-car field.
Garry Davis was suspended from racing at the track for two weeks for chasing and trying to fight with Aaron Deplazes after the two had spun July 31.
Lynn Carroll, the chief track steward, said no fine was assessed because Davis' car was totaled in the accident.
The sale of Grump Wills' car (and his subsequent move into the Limited Division) is finally having an impact in the standings.
It took three weeks, but Mike Marion claimed the division lead from Wills. Marion has 306 points, Tommy Allie 292 and Wills 290. And there have been three new winners since Wills took his leave - Marion, Davis "Ducky" Phillips and Allie.
\ SPEED TO BURN: Rock Harris turned the fastest qualifying lap of the year in the Limited Sportsman Division.
He motored around the 0.416-mile oval in 17 seconds flat - which is just over 88 mph. That was two-tenths of a second faster than the No. 2 qualifier and faster than half of the field for the Late Model race.
Meanwhile, the fastest Modified Mini is for sale. BCH racing is selling the No. 9 car driven by Scott Brawley.
The team plans to build a car to enter the Goody's Dash series next season. Brawley has won eight races and 12 poles this season.
\ THIS WEEK: It's a full slate of racing this Saturday night for the Miller Genuine Draft-J93.5 200.
That means a 100-lap Late Model feature, a 35-lap Limited race, and 25-lappers in the Modified Mini, Mini Stock and Pure Stock divisions.
Gates open at 2 p.m. Practice begins at 4. Qualifying starts at 6:15. And the green flag drops at 8 p.m.
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