Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 21, 1995 TAG: 9510230007
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The largest purse of the year will be at stake Saturday and 32 drivers will be battling for it in the third annual New River Valley Chevy Dealers 300. The winner of the 250-lap race earns $10,000.
In addition to the winner's share, a $1,000 prize will be awarded by Basham Oil and Penzoil to the driver who leads at the halfway point of Saturday's race. Other contingency monies will be given to the pole sitter, the driver who leads the most laps and to the driver who improves the most positions from the beginning to end of the race.
The 250-lap Late Model race will be televised live locally at 3 p.m. on WDBJ.
``We expect a large fan turnout and a lot of exciting racing,`` Morris Stephenson, the director of marketing and publicity for the speedway, said. ``I expect a lot of people in particular because the [Virginia Tech] football team is out of town this weekend.``
Saturday's action will also feature a 25-lap Pure Stock and a 25-lap Legends Class race immediately following the Late Model race. Speedway gates will open at 9 a.m., practice will begin at 10:30 a.m. and qualifying will take place at 1 p.m. Admission will be $12 for adults and $1 for children 12 years old and under.
The top 20 qualifiers will automatically make the 32 car field. The remaining 12 spots will be filled later, based on two heat races and two provisional placements.
The heat race format will divide the odd numbered qualifiers below the No. 20 position in one race and the even numbered qualifiers in the other. The top five finishers in each race will advance to the final field.
Track owners will then take a look at the remaining field and select two drivers to fill the provisional spots at No. 31 and 32.
The LMSC race will be run according to standard NASCAR Late Model Stock rules, Stephenson said.
``The only thing that we are saying the drivers have to do is they have to buy their tires at the racetrack,`` Stephenson said. ``The tires will all be the same number in order to keep everyone even. The only differences will be in the car setup and the driver.``
There will be a 10-minute break after the 125th lap, allowing teams to change two tires and make the normal pit adjustments.
Stephenson said that he expects as many as 75 drivers to attempt to qualify for the 32-car field. Current track champion Jeff Agnew, 1995 runner-up Tony McGuire and Ronnie Thomas, the career win leader at the NRV Speedway, are expected to attend. Barry Beggarly and Ernie Sadler, last year's 1-2 finishers in the season ending race, have also committed. Nathan Buttke, a regular on the Busch Grand National circuit, will also be at the Radford speedway.
``We sent race entries to every Late Model driver in the Mid-Atlantic region,`` Stephenson said. ``That area includes 12 or 13 other tracks.
``The race is important because the purse is big and the race is on television, so it's a good chance to get your sponsor's name out there,`` Agnew said. ``The competition is going to be strong with names like Beggarly and Buttke. Drivers that are looking to move see this race as a big opportunity, to race against guys like that."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB