ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 20, 1996 TAG: 9605200148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
THE ROANOKE DRIVER captures the Late Model race at NRVS less than 24 hours after winning at FCS.
Roanoke's Tony McGuire hadn't taken the checkered flag all season. In just two days' time his luck seems to have changed.
McGuire won Sunday's Rockford Sales/Q-99 WSLC 100 Late Model race at the New River Valley Speedway less than 24 hours after capturing a win at the Franklin County Speedway.
"We've been waiting all year for the first win," McGuire said. "I told my crew not to get down, sometimes you get on a bad roll and can't get out of it and sometimes you get on a good roll and it seems like you can't lose. Maybe we're finally rolling here to some more wins."
Division points leader Jeff Agnew took the pole and led comfortably through the first 40 laps before the 80-plus degree temperatures started taking their toll.
"Our car had been tight all day long but we decided to chance it and we didn't change anything," Agnew said. "I think we have a good car for night but in this heat and temperature it just went stiff."
Running second, Phillip Morris tried to take advantage of Agnew's slower pace in turn 4 of lap 46, but when the two got tangled up it was McGuire who took the inside track to move into second place.
From there McGuire battled back-and-forth with Agnew, passing him in turn 4 of lap 63, then moving in front for good in turn 2 of the following lap.
"I was just slower than him," Agnew said. "He should have gotten by me."
Agnew continued to fall, with Morris taking possession of second place on lap 88. Agnew finished the race in third, with Chad Harris fourth and Rodney Cundiff rounding out the top five. Despite his second-place showing, Morris felt he could have performed better in the cockpit.
"The car was definitely better than the driver today,'' Morris said. "The top three cars were all pretty even. I'm a lit Allie (Christiansburg) took the checkered flag in the 25-lap Pure Stock class, leading the final 22 laps, passing Ronnie Hall on a restart. Hall continued to fall, and was overtaken by Anthony Hall for second, but held on to capture third.
In its first of two showings at the speedway this year, it was Powhatan's Bret Hamilton winning the 50 lap Mid-Atlantic Modified Tour division.
Ronnie Davis set a track record during qualifying, taking the pole in a time of 16.51 seconds (90.71 mph). Davis led laps 25 through 45, but a loose tire dropped him to the back of the pack with five laps remaining, opening the door for Hamilton. Jeff Callihan finished second and David Stokes was third.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB