Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 22, 1995 TAG: 9505230065
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Michael Ritch won the 250-lap Late Model Stock Car feature of the Wilco/Winston 300. For his triumph, the High Point, N.C., driver earned $4,000 and extended his lead in the track points.
It was the second straight win for Ritch and his eighth career victory at the track, tying him with Paul Radford for fifth on the all-time victory list.
"It was awesome today," Ritch said about his 1992 Chevrolet Camaro. "I don't know what's come over it. I don't know if it is the time of the year or what. We haven't done that much to it."
Ritch started third but by the third lap, he had moved into second, behind pole sitter Jeff Agnew. Then Ritch waited. Finally on lap 79, he got his chance and passed Agnew coming out of turn 4.
At the mandatory pit stop at the halfway point of the race, Agnew tried to make his Chevy Monte Carlo more competitive but ended up with another problem instead.
"We were real loose in the first part of the race," said Agnew. "We came in and changed some tires and that tightened it up a little bit. And we tightened it up with some wedge. We made it a little bit tighter than we wanted it."
Still, Agnew stayed in second, the best finish of 1995 for last season's track champion.
The race was slowed by 10 cautions for 49 laps. The worst accident came on lap 194 when Christiansburg's Ronnie Thomas and Rocky Mount's Rodney Cundiff spun together in turn 4 while racing for seventh place. Philip Morris of Ruckersville was sent to the back of the field for causing the spin. It was the second straight race in which Thomas and Cundiff wrecked in turn 4.
The McGuire brothers of Roanoke finished 3-4 in Chevrolets but had vastly different races. Tim McGuire fell to third place when Ritch passed him on the third lap and stayed there the rest of the race. Meanwhile, Tony McGuire started fifth, moved into fourth on the first lap, fell back as far as seventh then moved his way back to fourth in the closing laps. He began his charge by passing Thomas just before the wreck on lap 194.
In other races Sunday:
Wes Adair of Roderfield, W.Va., won the 25-lap Late Model consolation race. Only four of the nine cars that did not make the field for the main event ran in the event.
Bret Hamilton of Midlothian led from start to finish in the 50-lap Mid-Atlantic Modified Tour race. It was Hamilton's second win in less than 24 hours. He won Saturday night's tour-opening race at Lonesome Pine International Raceway in Coeburn as well.
Rusty Murphy of Centerville was second, Danny Wyatt of Emporia third and Mark Schools of Richmond fourth.
Junior Leagans of Max Meadows worked his way through the field and took the lead three laps from the end as he won the 35-lap Limited Sportsman race. It was Leagans' second win of the season.
Points leader Bo Howell of Christiansburg was second, followed by Hank Turman of Indian Valley and Tam Tophan of Wytheville.
Tony Rogers of Cloverdale held off David Peeples of Marion to win the 25-lap Pure Stock race. It was the first win of the year for Rogers, who became the fifth different winner in six races in the division. Sam Sayers of Roanoke was third.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB