Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 28, 1994 TAG: 9412280051
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M. J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
There are just the few months between the last race of one year and the first race of the next year. And those months can keep a driver busier than racing every weekend.
Take for example the three winningest Late Model drivers in New River Valley Speedway history: Ronnie Thomas of Christiansburg; Johnny Rumley of Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Jeff Agnew of Floyd. All three are building new cars for the racing wars of 1995.
Thomas is reported to be building a Pontiac Firebird. Meanwhile, Rumley and Agnew are expected to be behind the wheels of Hedgecock Racing-prepared Chevrolet Monte Carlos.
Rumley also has participated in another of racing's rituals this time of year - he sold the Chevy Lumina he drove last season to Phillip Morris of Manassas.
Several other Late Model cars will have different drivers as well. Scott Hill and his father, Sonny, of Radford and Boyd Sult of Wytheville also have Late Model cars for sale - either complete or without engines or transmissions. Also for sale is the No. 88 Late Model car driven last season by Rick Sigmon of Rocky Mount
For his part, Agnew is selling a pair of LMSC engines.
Late Models are not the only drivers who have their cars on the block. Christiansburg's Wilton Cromer is selling his six-cylinder racer that he drove to a third-place finish in the Coca-Cola race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. Others cars available for purchase include the No. 3 Modified Mini driven last season by Ricky Jefferson of Max Meadows and the Pure Stock of Tim Wimmer of Christiansburg.
For more information about cars and car parts for sale, call the track at 639-1700.
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG BROADCASTS: WDBJ (Channel 7) will take to the track three times in 1995. All three races will be 250-lappers for the Late Models, with a 10-minute pit stop at the halfway point.
The TV races will be May 21 - the Sunday afternoon following The Winston - and July 29 and Oct. 21.
MORE SCHEDULING NEWS: The new season will bring new touring divisions, new highlights on Saturday nights and a new inner track to New River Valley Speedway.
The Modifieds and the Legends cars will be making at least a couple of stops each at NRVS. The Modifieds will make their first appearance May 21.
Enduro races will be moved to the end of the regular racing program instead of being held Sunday afternoons. Three open Enduros will be held throughout the season, plus a Women's Only Enduro on Aug. 27.
In addition, work is under way on a one-eighth mile track for Legends cars and Go Karts inside the 0.416-mile NRVS oval. The track uses the pit lane roads and the existing turns inside of turns 3 and 4. A new turn is being built inside turns 1 and 2 where the Dumpster sat last season.
With all of these additions, there are some subtractions. The Modified Minis will run only every other week. The cost of racing and repairs made a twice-monthly schedule more feasible for racers in that division.
And for the first time in several seasons, the Goody's Dash cars will not visit NRVS. The 19-race schedule was announced in early December. It begins Feb. 17 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and ends Nov. 4 at Homestead (Fla.) Motorsports Complex. The nearest the series comes to the region are races at Bristol (Tenn.) International Raceway on June 23 and at North Wilkesboro on Sept. 17. The circuit's only visit to Virginia is June 16, when it races at Richmond International Raceway.
TRACK ACTION: These months without races are also a good time for drivers to test their rides for next year. One "rookie" who has done some of that at NRVS is Steve Kinser.
The 14-time World of Outlaws champion is making the transition to NASCAR Winston Cup. He takes over the ride in Kenny Bernstein's team based in Huntersville, N.C. - the Quaker State Ford driven last year by Brett Bodine.
In two days on the track this month, Kinser logged 450 laps and went through seven sets of tires. During the testing, his lap times were between 16.0 and 16.2 seconds (93.6 to 92.4 mph).
The team, which has Richard Boone as chief operating officer and Rick Ren as crew chief, also tested in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The objective was to get Kinser experience driving on short tracks and on asphalt.
Kinser is expected back at New River for more testing in January. And he may not be alone: Either Ken Schrader or Ward Burton may be on hand to help teach Kinser what it is like running side-by-side.
TRUCKIN' IT: North Carolina driver Mike Skinner won't be around the Late Model wars this season. He won't even be in a race car. Instead, Skinner will be driving a truck for Richard Childress.
A Chevy race truck that is. Black, with No. 3.
In the first two preseason events, Skinner has been in front both times. In the first race, Skinner sat on the pole but soon faded. He fared better the second time around, staying in the lead for most of the race, until the handling on the truck started going away. He had to settle for third.
Skinner is a former Late Model winner at Martinsville Speedway, and he finished in the top five in the inaugural Southwest Virginia in 1993.
GET YOUR TICKETS: It is not too late to purchase a ticket to the NRVS Banquet or for the 1995 racing season.
The banquet is Jan. 20 at the Salem Civic Center. The social starts at 6 p.m., dinner is at 7, and the award presentation gets under way at 8. The cost is $20 per person. The deadline for buying tickets is Jan. 10.
Season tickets are available as well. The cost is $200 for the grandstand and $240 for the infield.
For more information on either of these, call the track at 639-1700.
M.J. Dougherty covers racing and community sports for the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB