Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 12, 1994 TAG: 9405120143
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: m.j. dougherty
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
After struggling through the early weeks of the racing season, the Christiansburg Late Model driver has decided enough is enough.
Thus when Thomas next races at New River Valley Speedway, his car will be a Buick.
"The main reason I'm switching is NASCAR," says Thomas. "It looks like we're going to be forced to run a NASCAR-mandated Chevrolet motor. ... We wanted to stay with the Chrysler but we can't afford to do it."
The mandate to which Thomas is referring is the current NASCAR rules governing carburetors. As it stands right now, Ford and Chrysler products must use the same size carburetor as the General Motors cars and can be 50 pounds lighter. Or at a few tracks, including NRVS, the Fords and Chryslers can use the larger-on-top carburetor used in past years but have to weigh 100 pounds more.
In part because of the various rules changes, Thomas has had trouble competing. He has led only one race and has only one top-10 finish after winning a dozen races a year ago.
That means a financial burden for Thomas. One of the new Late Model drivers who makes his living from racing, Thomas estimates that he has spent about $3,000 this year on racing and earned only about $400 in purses.
"Even with sponsorship, that just doesn't cut it that way," said Thomas.
Thomas cited two main reasons for his switch. One is the post-season big-money races will be at tracks that permit only the small carburetor on non-GM cars. The other is the prospect of additional restrictions from NASCAR on Fords and Chryslers if he started winning.
And while Thomas will stay on the track no matter how well he is doing as long as his car is running, he doesn't like running in the middle to back of the pack.
"We ran that way in Winston Cup in the '70s and '80s," said Thomas, who drove for his father Jabe Thomas and was the circuit's Rookie of the Year in 1978. "I've struggled like that. And I'm not going to struggle like that anymore."
Thomas hopes to have the conversion of his car finished before the end of the month. To turn it into a Buick, he has to change the nose, hood, quarter windows and engine.
"They need someone to get the crowd riled up," said Thomas. "They need someone else to run up front. And I'm the one to do that."
Thomas' worst fear is that after he spends $12,000 to $14,000 to make the change to a GM, NASCAR will relax the rules for the Fords and Chryslers. The chances of that are minimal but one never knows.
Thomas may not be alone in switching to a GM product.
Frankie Pennington had planned to drive the Chevrolet Lumina he runs at Southside Speedway outside of Richmond on Friday nights.
"I thought we would try something different," said Pennington.
Pennington was unsure how long he would run the Chevy in which he said he has done "terrible" so far this year. He said it depended on the decision of the car owner.
Meanwhile, Tink Reedy was still in Chubby Arrington's Dodge Avenger.
"They didn't change anything this week, so we should be the same as last week - about two-tenths slow," said Reedy.
But how long Reedy's car would be a Dodge was up in the air. Reedy said Arrington was building two engines, a new Dodge and a Chevrolet, and the team probably would use whichever one tested better.
RAIN, RAIN AND DRIVERS GO AWAY: Rain washed out the regular weekly races in the Wade's Campbell Soup 200 Saturday night.
But a few drivers still found places to race after the postponement was announced at 5:15p.m.
Dicky Wilson, Rick Sigmon and Tink Reedy went down to Franklin County Speedway in Callaway. Wilson and Sigmon, who were regulars at FCS last year, showed their knowledge of the track with fifth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively. Meanwhile Reedy wrecked at the track where his father Orvil is competing this season.
Mike Dillon decided to drive to South Boston a few minutes before the races were called, getting him both experience and Mid-Atlantic points. But the story there was Stacy Compton. The part-time NRVS racer won the 150-lap Late Model race, his second straight victory at South Boston.
RUMLEY JUICES IT: Johnny Rumley finally qualified the White House Apple Juice Ford for a Busch Grand National race.
The car had failed to make the field for the first nine races of the season - eight times by Johnny "Juice" Smith and once by Rumley.
Rumley started 24th in the 44-car field at the New England Chevy Dealers 250 in London, N.H. He worked his way up to fourth after a restart on lap 81 but soon fell out of the top 10 after getting caught on the outside.
By lap 168, Rumley was back up to fifth place. However, Rumley was involved in an accident in the later stages of the race and finished 18th, eight laps down.
RADIO RACING: For talk about racing, there are two weekly 30-minute call-in shows about NRVS.
Kool Country - that's WBNK 100.7 FM and WNRV 990 AM - have "New River Valley Race Weekly" on Tuesday nights at 6:30, just before NASCAR Live, with M.J. Dougherty as the host. The number to call in with questions is 382-1887. The show also airs on WFNR 710 AM.
CD Country - that's WRIQ 101.7 FM - has "New River Valley Speedway Report" on Thursdays at 5:45p.m. The host is Brian O'Donnell. The number to call in with questions in 639-2461. The show is also on WRAD 1460 AM.
THIS WEEK AT THE TRACK: There will be twice as much fun at New River Valley Speedway with the Valley Rich/X-Press Markets 300.
The Late Models will run their first 200-lap feature of the year. Also, there will be a 35-lap Limited Sportsman race and 25-lappers for Pure Stock and Modified Mini Stock.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under.
Gates open at 2p.m. Practice starts at 4. Qualifying gets under way at 6:15. And the green flag drops at 8.
Also, the monthly open practice for May is today at 4-8 p.m. Gates open at 3. And there is no charge for spectators.
by CNB