Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 31, 1994 TAG: 9409010054
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. Dougherty
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
Many of them go racing - one way or another.
That was the consensus of any informal and unscientific poll of New River Valley Speedway Late Model drivers.
The drivers had the rare night off to avoid competing with the Winston Cup race under the lights at Bristol. NRVS raced Sunday afternoon instead.
That allowed Randy Ratliff of Grundy to go to Bristol International Raceway.
``I sat in the stands and screamed my head off for an ill-handling Dale Earnhardt,'' said Ratliff.
Other drivers became spectators as well. Chad Harris of Stuarts Draft went to the dirt track where he previously raced: Eastside Speedway in Waynesboro.
Salem's Kenny Prillaman and Roanoke's Malcolm Fink watched the show at Franklin County Speedway.
Floyd's Jeff Agnew and Roanoke's Tink Reedy were among those who stayed home and watched the Bristol race on TV.
Meanwhile, several drivers found other places to race. Stacy Compton of Hurt and Ronnie Thomas of Christiansburg were among the 28 cars to take the green flag at South Boston Speedway.
Compton won one of the twin Late Model races, giving him five victories at that track this season. Thomas had a top-10 finish in the first race in the car owned by Eddie Kimbleton of Claytor Lake - the same Pontiac that Thomas drove in the televised race while his own car was being rebuilt.
Rocky Mount's Rick Sigmon, Roanoke's Kenny Wagner and Salem's Dicky Wilson went to Franklin County Speedway, where they were regulars last year. Sigmon stayed out of trouble and ended up second in the 15-car field. Wagner and Wilson were not as fortunate, finishing 12th and 14th.
Tony McGuire of Roanoke used the extra time to get his Chevrolet ready for racing.
``We worked on the car all night,'' said McGuire, who had to repair the wear and tear from his fifth- and third-place finishes at Lonesome Pine International Raceway in Coeburn last Thursday.
(Agnew and Compton were also at Lonesome Pine. Agnew finished second in the opener to former NRVS driver Mike Dillon. Both Agnew and Compton were involved in wrecks in the doubleheader but got their cars ready in time for Agnew to rest and Compton to race Saturday night).
Meanwhile, Tim McGuire, Tony's older brother, relaxed.
``I just lounged around and didn't do anything,'' he said.
Then there was Ray Young of Bassett. He spent the time off with his wife, Lynn.
``We went out and celebrated our one-year anniversary,'' he said.
HOW DO I GET THERE? Three of the six winners in Sunday's Miller Genuine Draft/J-93 Radio 250 had not had a victory this season.
The biggest name making a first appearance in Victory Lane was Thomas in the Late Models.
Junior Leagans of Max Meadows had appeared dominating at times in Limited Sportsman, but until Sunday he had not managed to keep his six-cylinder Pontiac together and in front for an entire race.
Grump Wills of Bozoo, W.Va., got a win in his 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle with the new Minter Racing Engine. Wills had two victories taken away by post-race inspections this month when the first engine put in the car was found to have come from the shop with illegal valves.
Two other drivers made rare appearances in the winner's circle.
Johnny Rumley of Winston-Salem, N.C., won for just the second time in Late Models. Of course, Rumley has made only a few appearances at the track because of his Busch Grand National schedule.
Ray Sowers of Floyd won his third Mini Stock race of the year, but it was his first win in three months.
Only Modified Mini Stock winner Tony Howell had won regularly before Sunday. The Christiansburg driver now has seven victories this season.
Overall this season, 32 drivers have won at the track. Three divisions have had seven winning drivers: Late Models, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks. Limiteds have had six, while Modified Minis have had five.
THEY SAID IT: ``There might be a `New Kid in Town' but there will never be another `Bad to the Bone.''' - Thomas on the public address system after he won the first Late Model race and Tony McGuire came in second.
When WDBJ-TV sponsored Thomas, the theme song for the promotional advertisements was ``Bad to the Bone.'' Now that Channel 7 has switched drivers, the ads featuring McGuire use ``New Kid in Town'' for background music.
A conversation overheard after the second Late Model race, which Rumley won after he nudged his way past McGuire.
Rumley: ``I didn't mean to get into you like that. I even backed off to give you room to race.''
McGuire: ``Hey, that's racing. I know I was holding you up.''
Fink, on finishing 14th in his first race in two months: ``It felt good except for the car being tight, the overheating problem and it not staying in gear.''
FAST NO MATTER WHAT HE DRIVES: Rock Harris' white Pontiac was still being worked on this week.
So the Yadkinsville, N.C., driver piloted the black Ford that is the normal ride of Blacksburg's Robert Fain. Harris qualified second and finished second to pole-sitter Leagans in the Limited Sportsman race.
``These people were nice enough to let me drive their car,'' Harris said of the Fain family, which owns the Thunderbird.
BACK OF THE PACK: Sigmon changed tires after qualifying and had to start in the back of the 20-car Late Model field instead of 14th. He finished 11th in the first 75-lap race.
Charlie Miles of Christiansburg had his qualifying run in Limited Sportsman disallowed because his roof was too low. He started last on the 16-car grid and worked his way back to sixth in the 35-lap event.
THIS WEEK AT THE TRACK: Racing moves back to Saturday with the Huff Petroleum/Chevron 200.
The 100-lap Late Model race is the feature. There also will be a special 50-lap event for the Limited Sportsman division, 15 laps longer that usual. Also on tap are 25-lappers for the Modified Minis, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks.
Gates open at 2 p.m. Practice begins at 4. Qualifying is at 6:15. And the green flag drops at 8.
Tickets are $10 for adults. Children 12 and under are $1.
M.J. Dougherty covers community sports and racing for the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB