Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507130011
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Just ask Ronnie Thomas. Just ask Michael Ritch. Both have had big leads in the late Model standings at various times during the season and both have seen those advantages slip away quickly.
Saturday night, it was Ritch. A good qualifying run resulted in starts from the outside pole in both of the 50-lap races for the High Point, N.C., driver. But handling problems doomed Ritch to 14th and 15th finishes.
Meanwhile, Roanoke's McGuire came in sixth and fifth. The result: what was a 30-point deficit entering the twin 50s became a six-point McGuire advantage by the end of Saturday evening (636-630).
Likewise, it took Christiansburg's Thomas just two races to lose his points lead to Ritch earlier in the season.
At the end of April, Thomas was one second-place finish to McGuire away from a perfect 4-for-4 start. He had a 40-point points lead.
Then the track and fate intervened. The track experimental rule - the one that has Thomas running the small (350 CFM) carburetor on his Dodge - was easily overcome. Thomas put the car on the pole his first race out with it.
But some handling problems that led to a couple wrecks and back-to-back finishes outside the top 20 not only dropped Thomas from the lead but outside of the top five as well.
Lately, Thomas' luck as been a little better. He is up to seven wins in 13 Late Model races. And he has two seconds and a seventh-place finish. But with three DNFs (did not finishes), he is stuck in fifth in the points battle, 36 behind McGuire (600).
Also in the top five are two drivers looking for their first win of the year: Ray Young (622) of Bassett and three-time former champ Jeff Agnew (614) of Floyd.
NRVS ON THE ROAD: The top four Saturday night at South Boston Speedway had a familiar ring to it.
Elliott Sadler, who raced at NRVS a couple of weeks ago when SBS was rained out, won his seventh race. Sadler held off Mike Dillon, the 1992 Late Model Rookie of the Year at New River.
Danny Willis, the 1989 track champ at NRVS, was third and Stacy Compton, who has raced at New River off and on since it opened as Pulaski County Speedway in 1988, was fourth.
TIM'S TRIALS: Tim McGuire of Roanoke didn't have much to say about himself Monday on his weekly "Race Reports" on WSLS (Channel 10). Not that a third and fourth place finish in the twin 50s were bad. But compared to what has been happening to McGuire, the recent races were uneventful.
On June 3, McGuire won the pole, only to have the races rained out. On June 10, he came in sixth despite a late-race spin. On June 17, McGuire's crew changed a tire under caution without losing a lap and finished eighth.
On June 24, the double points race, McGuire blew an engine and ended up last in the 24-car field. He went from battling for the points lead to outside the top five as a result. And on July 1, McGuire won the pole for the first twin 50 and lead the first portion of the race until spinning in oil in turns 3 and 4 and ending up 17th. He came back to finish third in the second race.
CORRECTION: The Late Model that put oil on the first race track July 1 was misidentified in previous reports on that race.
Track officials reported this week that it appeared the slick stuff came from Blacksburg's Jerry Godbey's Pontiac when the rear end went on the car.
It was incorrectly stated here last week - as well as in the race story - that the Chevrolet Monte Carlo of Bob Komisarski of Athens, W.Va., had put oil on the track. However a post-race check by his crew showed the car had no oil leak - or any type of fluid leak.
THIS WEEK AT NRVS: Saturday is the Basham Oil/F&L Oil/Pennzoil 300. After two weeks of twin 50s, the Late Models will have a long run - 200 laps.
The rest of the racing card includes a 35-lapper for the Limiteds and 25-lap races for the Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks.
And before the race, sky divers will start from nearly a mile high to see if they can land on the start/finish line.
Gates open at 1:30 p.m. Practice begins at 3:30. Qualifying gets underway at 6 and the green flag drops at 8.
Today is an open practice at the track. Gates open at 3 p.m. with practice at 4-8 p.m. Admission to the grandstand is free.
M.J. Dougherty covers racing and community sports for The Roanoke Times' New River Valley bureau.
by CNB