Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 8, 1995 TAG: 9504110015
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
The speedway opens for its 22-week season tonight with the first races beginning at 8, after qualifying runs at 6:15. Tickets are $10 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under.
McGuire, who hails from Roanoke, had his car in the front of the line last Saturday when the track held its first open practice for the season.
But while McGuire is eager for 1995 to begin - he broke in a new Chevrolet in the MGD 300 at Martinsville Speedway - the championship chase is not foremost on his mind.
``I don't know if I'm running for that, I'm just going to run awhile and see what's up,'' he said. ``I'm not really worried about the championship. If it happens, fine. If it doesn't, fine. I just want to go out and win races. And if you win races, the championship usually takes care of itself. But winning races - that's the real goal.''
Last year, McGuire and Michael Ritch of High Point, N.C., tied for the second-highest win total in the Late Models: five. That was good enough to put him second in the points standings. The driver in front of McGuire in the points was the driver who has made a career out of winning track championships: Floyd's Jeff Agnew.
Agnew won his third track title in four years last season. This year, he is the proud owner of a new Chevy Monte Carlo. And he plans to take that car to other tracks, possibly eliminating himself from defending his title.
``We're just going to race what we can race,'' said Agnew, who won 11 races last year. ``That's really all we've done the last couple of years.''
Among the tracks Agnew wants to visit are Lonesome Pine International Raceway in Coeburn, where he won track titles in 1991 and 1992 when it raced on Fridays, and South Boston Speedway, which has been holding a lot of big-purse races since its renovation before last season.
Also, Agnew plans to race in the Lowes 150 Saturday afternoon at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and then make the more-than-two-hour drive to NRVS. Problems in that race could cause Agnew to miss the double-points race in the season opener and virtually eliminate him from championship competition.
Besides Agnew and McGuire, there are plenty of other drivers capable of winning the track title. One of them is Ritch. He finished sixth in the points last season despite not making all the races. But since he is without a Busch Grand National ride, Ritch plans to run every week at NRVS. He has the same ride that Paul Radford did when the ``Ferrum Flash'' won the track title in 1993. And a car has been built just for NRVS.
Another driver to watch out for is Ray Young. The winner of the Curtis Turner Hard Charger Award for the season in 1994, Young may be ready to add a Late Model title to his resume. The Bassett driver captured the Limited Sportsman crown in 1992 and the Street Stock championship in 1991.
``The main thing, if you're running for the title, is you've got to finish,'' Young said. ``You've got to be able to mix it up but you also have to drive smart. Late Model is a lot tougher. You can't take any DNFs [did not finishes]. You've got to finish. If the car is handling badly, [drive smart and] work on it during the week. You can't expect to improve if you're always having to put the car back together."
Then, of course, there two other former track champions. Tim McGuire of Vinton, Tony's older brother and the 1988 champ, has rebuilt his Chevrolet. Last season, McGuire won for the first time at NRVS since his championship season.
Meanwhile, Christiansburg's Ronnie Thomas, the 1990 champ and the winningest driver in track history, has a new Chrysler that won the pole at Martinsville. However, like Agnew, Thomas also is going to North Wilkesboro and trouble there could knock him out of the championship battle.
``If we could have 25 different winners, it would be ideal, but that's not going to happen,'' said Ronnie Snoddy, co-owner and promoter of NRVS. ``But if someone wins 10 or 11 races, it will surprise me with the competition we have here.''
While Agnew doubts he will defend his title, he still has the best chance of repeating. None of the other division winners are in the same class they were in 1994.
In Limiteds, both the champion, Charlie Miles of Christiansburg, and the winningest driver, Rock Harris of Yadkinville, N.C., are expected to move up to Late Model.
That makes Bo Howell of Christiansburg one of the favorites in the division. Last year, he was battling for the points lead before he wrecked his car in late May.
Others who could contend include Tam Tophan of Wytheville, the division's top rookie last year, Eddie Walls of Hillsville and Rob Fain of Blacksburg.
The Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks are wide open with a lot of new entries.
Mini Stock champ Gene Duncan has moved up to Modified Mini Stock. Top drivers expected back include Ken Moxley of Rural Retreat, Kevin Light of Pilot and Randy Bell of Galax.
Pure Stock champ Davis ``Ducky'' Phillips of Plum Creek sold his car at the end of last season and appears to have retired. But looking to fill the void will be Grump Wills of Bozoo, W.Va., Mike ``Monk'' Marion of Fairlawn, Robbie Cundiff of Vinton, Ronnie Vaught of Pearisburg and Tony Rogers of Cloverdale.
The Modified Minis go from weekly to about every other week. And champ Tony Howell is expected to go to Limited. But there is still two-time titleist Charlie Smith of Dublin, Haven Lawson of Indian Valley and K.J. Bishop of Christiansburg.
The other two points classes at the track, the Legends and the Enduros, are too new to have any early-season favorites.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB