Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 20, 1995 TAG: 9503220006
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
``I wondered if anybody would trade places with me,'' Lockhart said Sunday. ``I thought third place might be the place to be. I thought the person there might end up winning this thing.''
But Lockhart's fears were unfounded. The Chester driver led all 205 laps of the Late Model Stock race at Martinsville Speedway.
Lockhart earned a Late Model-record $25,500 for his first Martinsville victory. He won with a race-record average speed of 70.85 mph before an estimated crowd of 19,000, a record for a non-Winston Cup event at Martinsville.
During the last 155 laps, Lockhart was pursued by Nathan Buttke of Randleman, N.C. But Buttke never was able to mount a serious challenge. Even when Barry Beggarly's car broke an axle on lap 198, setting up a two-lap dash for the checkered flag, Buttke couldn't catch Lockhart.
``On the last restart, I went into the first turn too hard,'' said Buttke, who plans to run for the Mid-Atlantic Late Model title this season after trying the Busch Grand National series last year. ``The car started to push a bit. Then, we just had to hold off everyone else'' for second.
Part of the reason Lockhart was able to stay in front of Buttke was his strategy on the restarts.
``Nathan was better on the restart than I was,'' Lockhart said. ``But I used the lapped cars. I wanted to get a lapped car between us. I was faster than the lapped cars. I would get by them and get down [into the low groove on the track]. That left Nathan to have to get by the lapped cars.''
During long stretches of green-flag racing, Buttke could close. But only so close.
``After a restart, the car would push a bit,'' Buttke said. ``After awhile, it would get better, though. We could stay with him. But he was strong through the corners. He had a tough race car.''
Danny Edwards of Poquoson finished third, and Mike Buffkin of Yorktown was fourth. David Blackenship of Mosely completed the top five after qualifying for the main event by winning one of three 50-lap heat races.
Michael Ritch of High Point, N.C., led the New River Valley Speedway contingent by finishing eighth.
Lockhart started on the outside of the front row and was in front of pole-sitter Ronnie Thomas of Christiansburg before the pair came out of turn 2.
Thomas held second until Buttke passed him on lap 51. That set up the Lockhart-Buttke game of follow the leader for the last three-quarters of the race.
Four New River drivers finished on the lead lap. In addition to Ritch, Stacy Compton of Hurt was 11th, Mike Porter of Princeton, W.Va., was 14th and Ray Young of Bassett was 17th.
Jeff Agnew of Floyd, the track champion at New River last season, went out of the race when his car's rear end broke on lap 113. He finished 32nd.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB