ROANOKE TIMES 

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

DATE: SUNDAY, September 26, 1993                   TAG: 9309260136
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: E3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

JOHNSON GETS GOODY'S 150 LMSC VICTORY ASHLAND DRIVER HOLDS OFF FIELD BY BOB

Eddie Johnson, the 1993 track champion at Langley Raceway in Hampton, muscled past Floyd's Jeff Agnew with 35 laps to go and then held off a trio of determined challengers Saturday to win the Goody's 150 Late Model Stock Car race at Martinsville Speedway.

"I knew it would be a tough one there at the end," the 32-year-old Ashland driver said. "We had it wishy-washy several times, but I just put the foot in it and went on. I knew I had to cover the bottom [groove]."

Joe Gaita of Yorktown, one of Johnson's regular Langley opponents, finished second, a car length back. Mike Skinner of Randleman, N.C., was third. Ageless Paul Radford of Ferrum finished fourth after clawing his way back through the field after a spin early in the race. Jay Fogleman of Durham, N.C., was fifth.

Johnson started seventh and had moved up to fourth after 75 laps.

"Mike Buffkin [of Yorktown] got in front of me and I just let him open the door for me," Johnson said.

Buffkin, however, was tapped by pole-sitter Tim McGuire of Roanoke in turn 2 of lap 76 and spun, starting a four-car crash.

"I was able to get through that and I think that was the key," Johnson said.

The victory, which is something of a North Carolina-Virginia Late Model Stock Car all-star championship, was Johnson's 21st of the season. It was his second Finish in Scoreboard. E2 LMSC win at Martinsville. He won a 100-lap race here in 1986.

Although Johnson has had what he called a "superb" year, it did not start smoothly. He flipped a car three times at the Langley Raceway start-finish line in an early-season mishap.

Agnew led seven laps, but dropped back at the end to finish sixth. McGuire, who won the pole by default after 14 cars were disqualified for rules violations, led the first two laps but faded to seventh.

Johnny Rumley of Winston-Salem, N.C., dominated the race and led 106 laps. After a late-race pit stop dropped him to the back of the field, he was able to move back only to eighth.

Norfolk's Ashton Lewis Jr. drove a consistent race to finish ninth, and Rodney Cundiff of Boones Mill was 10th.

Keywords:
AUTO RACING 


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