Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503240005
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
That's how Dick Thompson, the vice-president for corporate communications for Martinsville Speedway, assessed the track's first stand-alone Late Model show.
The doubters included the backers of the Busch Grand National and Modified tours. They were among those who did not believe the track could bring fans in just for an all-star gathering of Saturday night drivers.
They were wrong. An estimated 19,000 fans flocked to the speedway to watch the Miller Genuine Draft 300. That's more than ever showed up for any of the legendary Martinsville doubleheaders. And that's 1,000 more than were at the Grand National-Late Model twinbill last fall, the old record for a non-Winston Cup event at the facility.
Martinsville holds another Late Model show after the WInston Racing Series season. The Taco Bell 300 is Oct. 15. The sponsor was at Sunday's race promoting the event. A crowd of over 20,000 is not out of the question.
DREAMS DASHED: When eight of last season's 10 winners at New River Valley Speedway made the MGD 300 in qualifying Saturday, it looked like it would be a good day for local racers.
But Michael Ritch of High Point, N.C., provided the only top 10 finish of the group. He made the field through the qualifying races and ended up eighth.
"I just stayed behind Wayne Patterson and we made our way the front," said Ritch. "We made our way through the field pretty good. We passed a couple of cars and next thing I know its the halfway point. Then some cars wrecked in front of us and that moved up a place or two."
Patterson came in seventh.
Stacy Compton of Hurt was the only other NRVS semi-regular to make the field through the heats. And the track champion from South Boston turned in the next best performance as he came in 11th.
Also on the lead lap were Mike Porter of Princeton, W.Va. (14th) and Ray Young of Bassett (17th). For Young, it was a show of determination and persistance as he pitted virtually every caution period to make adjustments to his ill-handling Pontiac.
"We just missed the set up," said Young. "Usually, when the Busch cars were here, we'd get a late-evening Saturday practice. We had one yesterday [Saturday] but there were so many cars out there you couldn't figure out anything."
The other drivers were not so fortunate. Tony McGuire of Roanoke spun on the last restart and finished two laps down in 20th. Four NRVS winners from last year went one in one accident on lap 141: Tink Reedy of Roanoke (27th), Johnny Rumley of Winston-Salem, N.C. (28th), Tim McGuire of Vinton (29th) and Ronnie Thomas of Christiansburg (31th). Michael Dillon of Clemmons, N.C., the 1993 NRVS Late Model Rookie of the Year, was caught up in that same accident but was able to continue and came in 21st, two laps down. Finally, three-time Late Model track champ Jeff Agnew of Floyd had the rear end go out on his brand new Monte Carlo just past the halfway point and he ended up 32nd.
The bad luck even extended to Barry Beggarly of Pelham, N.C. The 1993 national champion and winner of last October's Southwest Chevy Dealers 250 at New River Valley Speedway broke an axle on lap 198. That brought the final caution period of the race and dropped Beggarly to 23rd.
HEAT RACE HUSTLE: Besides Ritch and Compton, only a few drivers with a NRVS connection finished the 50-lap qualifying races.
Danny Willis of South Boston, the 1989 track champion, was fifth in the first heat race, one position out of a transfer spot. Roanoke's Phillip Van Der Veer did not finish.
Compton earned his main event spot by finishing third in the second heat race. Billy Daniel of Rocky Mount and George Spangler of Floyd were ninth and 10th respectively - the last two cars still running. Roanoke's Kenny Wagner took a DNF.
Ritch came home third in the third qualifier to advance. Darryl Lacks of Goode was seventh while a pair of Rocky Mount racers, Rick Sigmon and Rodney Cundiff, were taken out in accidents.
Almost as large was the list of regional drivers who decided not to try to make the field through the heat races. They included last year's top rookie Chad Harris of Stuarts Draft, late-season race winner Randy Ratliff of Oakwood, Kenny Prillaman of Salem, Dudley Lawhorn of Rustburg, Tracy Owen of Goode and Dicky Wilson of Salem.
SOUTH BOSTON SHUFFLE: The change in ownership at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C., has changed the racing schedule for South Boston Speedway.
South Boston is expected to operate weekly. In the past both tracks were operated by Mason Day and alternated weeks of operation. But Orange County, located in Rougemont, N.C., was sold last week to a group of investors led by Durham insurance broker Dan W. Hill III. Its schedule is uncertain and the new owners will have to seek NASCAR sanctioning before it will be part of the Winston Racing Series again.
Because of the change, Compton will be a rare sight at NRVS.
"Tentatively, we'll be at New River about six times - we'll be there when New River runs on Sunday and some other times," said Compton, who plans to defend his track title at South Boston. "But I don't know if anyone knows exactly what South Boston is going to do yet."
Meanwhile, South Boston's shift in schedule will keep Young at New River full-time
"When South Boston was going to go every other week, we were going to shift back and forth," said Young, whose Bassett home is closer to South Boston than NRVS. "But when it went every week, we decided to [just] run New River. When New River runs on Sunday, we'll go to South Boston."
Also a change in rides will move another driver from South Boston to New River as Willis will be racing for Eddie Kimbleton of Claytor Lake.
"We're going to try to get out there," said Kimbleton. "I don't know if we'll be there every week. We're looking for some sponsorship."
INAUSPICIOUS START: Modified veteran Satch Worley of Rocky Mount never got a chance to qualify for the MGD 300.
The new driver for the Sweeney brothers out of Floyd had his steering wheel come off in his hands in turn 4 during the final practice. Worley hit the wall, doing major damage to the front end of the Pontiac.
NRVS SCHEDULE: The track's annual car show at New River Valley Mall is Saturday.
The pre-season open practice for all divisions is April 1 at noon-5 p.m.
by CNB