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

DATE: SATURDAY, September 17, 1994                   TAG: 9410240005
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

POINTS RACES ON THE LINE AT NRVS

A double-points victory is worth 52 points instead of 26 and with only one points-race event remaining, on Oct. 1, three drivers could take a major step toward winning the title this weekend.

Jeff Agnew of Floyd holds a 44-point edge over Roanoke's Tony McGuire in the Late Model Stock Car division. No other driver is in the hunt.

Christiansburg's Charlie Miles is 46 points in front of Rock Harris of Yadkinville, N.C., in the Limited Sportsman class. The two are alone atop the standings.

Radford's Gene Duncan is 42 ahead of Randy Bell of Galax in the Mini Stock competition. Rookie Ray Sowers of Floyd is 68 behind Duncan.

Davis Phillips of Plum Creek has all but locked up the Pure Stock title. He is 94 points ahead of Floyd's Barry Nolen. However the Pure Stock division drivers have one extra race remaining as they compete Sunday, Oct. 2 as part of the Enduro special event.

Tony Howell of Christiansburg has won the Modified Mini Stock championship as he holds a 106-point advantage over Indian Valley's Wayne Lawson.

Gates open at 2 p.m., with practice at 4. Time trials start at 6:15 with the first green flag at 8 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under.

In other sports in the region:

Seven Saturdays remain on the 34-race calendar at Franklin County Speedway this season. Next up is the Baker Brothers 300, which begins at 8 p.m. tonight.

``Twenty-seven races without rain is a record here,'' said promoter Whitey Taylor, who has operated FCS for 16 of its 25 seasons.

Five of the six points races appear to be settled. The closest contest is in the rookie division, where James Hunt trails leader Mike Roberts by 40 points.

Gates open at noon, and qualifying begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, with no charge for children 10 and under.

Approximately 250 tickets for today's football game between Virginia and Clemson will go on sale at 8 a.m. at the West entrance to UVa's University Hall. Any tickets not sold by 9 a.m. will go on sale at the East entrance to Scott Stadium at 10 a.m. The tickets, returned by Clemson, are $22 each.

Partner/Fleenor of Johnson City, Tenn., was a 32-31 winner over one of the pre-tournament favorites, Tri-Gems of Cedar Brook, N.J., in the first round of the National Softball Association men's Class A World Series on Friday night at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem.

In other high-scoring games, Midas Touch/ACR of Fairfield, Conn., beart County Sports of Richmond, 32-27, and Dock e Dudley of Hammonton, N.J.., beat Boyd Chiropractic of Cincinnati, 33-21. Play continues today at Moyer Complex and Burton Park in Roanoke County.

There will be a home-run hitting contest at 6 p.m. today at the Moyer Complex. The championship game is slated for Sunday at 3:30 p.m., also at the Salem facility.