Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 2, 1993 TAG: 9309010158
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
Paul Radford, the 61-year-old Ferrum Flash, leads his nearest competitor 446-422.
If Radford finishes fourth or better in each of the last three races, the title is his. Only three times in 19 previous races has he not finished that high.
The driver who is 24 points behind is Christiansburg's Ronnie Thomas, the 1978 Rookie of the Year and an 11-time winner at NRVS this season.
Radford led Thomas by as many as 60 points less than two months ago. Since then, Thomas has won six of seven races.
Meanwhile, Radford experienced problems in qualifying for several weeks, often starting in the middle of the field. And he had two of his worst finishes of the year - a sixth and a seventh - in the twin 100-lappers.
But Radford has been stronger lately. He finished ahead of Thomas the only time Thomas didn't win. He led a race for the first time in about two months. And his car has been starting - and more importantly staying - in front.
"We're using a little bit different set up," explained Radford, who is trying to avoid losing the points lead in the final weeks for the second time in three years.
"We've picked up 10, 15, 20 hundredths [of a second] and that's really made a difference. It's not as hard when there aren't as many cars in front of you. Still, you have to outrun those same cars."
Cutting two-10ths of a second off a lap time around the 0.416-mile oval means picking up about 1 mph. That not only makes Radford more difficult to be caught on the track but in the points battle as well.
However, Thomas has the number on his car - 12 - on his mind more than points.
"The main thing is winning 12 times," said Thomas. "That's really what we came up here to do. . . . And we've got three more races to do it in."
Thomas equalled his own track record of 11 Late Model victories in the Pontiac Excitement 250. Thomas set the mark in 1990, the year he won the points championship.
Johnny Rumley of Winston-Salem, N.C., is third in the points with 354 points.
Whether Rumley, who has decided to concentrate on his Busch Grand National effort the rest of the season, finishes there will depend on how well Floyd's Jeff Agnew fares. Agnew, the 1991 and 1992 track champion, is fourth with 296.
Tink Reedy of Roanoke is fifth with 258. Reedy could finish fourth with some good runs and bad luck for Agnew.
\ TIGHT RACING, TIGHT RACES: The double points races on Sept. 12 could impact who wins the titles in the other four divisions. The tightest race is in the Pure Stocks where Tommy Allie of Christiansburg leads Fairlawn's Mike Marion 342-340.
In the Mini Stocks, Tony Howell of Christiansburg has a 404-374 lead over Salem's Jay McCray.
In the Modified Minis, defending champion Charlie Smith of Dublin holds the largest advantage of any driver - 46 points. He is in front of Max Meadows' Dale Sutphin 408-362.
And in the Limited Sportsmen, Kenny Montgomery of Parrott leads Charles Miles and Bo Howell, both of Christiansburg, 432-394-374.
\ COEBURN & CALLAWAY CALLING: With NRVS taking the week off, several drivers raced elsewhere with mixed results.
Frankie Pennington and Agnew were both at Lonesome Pine International Raceway last Thursday and Franklin County Speedway on Saturday.
Pennington, who had raced at Lonesome Pine the week before, said he wasn't sure if he was going to be back at New River this season because he hadn't had any luck there.
His luck last week was also bad. He was running fourth at Lonesome Pine before dropping a spark plug wire and finishing 16th. He dropped a valve in practice Friday.
Then Saturday, he tangled with another NRVS regular, Rodney "Six Pack" Cundiff of Boones Mill at the start at Franklin County. Pennington severely damaged his right rear quarter panel and did not complete a lap.
Agnew meanwhile had two good finishes. He finished fourth at LPIR. "We got ourselves in a bad position [early] and couldn't make it up," Agnew said. "If we had started on the front row, we could have won."
He did make up some time at Franklin County, finishing 5th after starting 10th in the 14-car field.
At Lonesome Pine, Junior Leagans was 10th, Brad Teague 17th, and Tim Comer was 18th.
Tommy Spangler won the race and ended Agnew's two-year reign as points champion.
At Franklin County, Cundiff worked his way up to sixth after the accident and a spin on lap 10.
Tony McGuire won his sixth race of the year. He hopes to have the car he wrecked in May repaired in time to return to NRVS for the Sept. 12 season-finale.
\ THIS WEEKEND: Saturday night racing resumes and ends this week with the Dooley Printing 200. It's a regular schedule of a 100-lap Late Model feature, a 35-lap Limited Sportsman race, and 25-lappers for the Modified Minis, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks.
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.
by CNB