ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 24, 1996 TAG: 9608260016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: racing
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
You wouldn't confuse him with a car owner the magnitude of Richard Childress or Rick Hendrick, but Lexington resident and New River Valley Speedway official George Sullivan has found a comfortable niche in the Enduro car enterprise.
Sullivan is the owner of three cars - 1975 and 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlos and a 1973 Ford Torino - that compete in the Radford speedway's Enduro events.
The Enduro class is billed as a return to the grass roots of auto racing and ranks as the most affordable option for aspiring racers with limited financial resources.
"I can put a driver in a car for approximately $600," Sullivan said. "The cars don't cost a lot of money and the only big requirements are that they have a solid roll cage and a good seat and seat belt.
Sullivan performs the bulk of his Enduro car building at Goad's Body Shop in Lexington. Once built, Sullivan has allowed a number of individuals, most recently Shelby Cundiff and Sam Campbell, to pilot his creations in the speedway's three Enduro dates. Sullivan added that he has talked with speedway co-owner and promoter Ronnie Snoddy about staging several new Enduro events in 1997 that would allow fans to get involved with the races.
"I would like to see us put on some events like a powder puff derby or a race where we draw fans names and put them in a car," Sullivan said. "I think it would be a lot of fun and bring in some new fans. Probably 90 percent of the fans have never driven in a race before."
10 TO WIN: The NRV Speedway has announced that the Fall Late Model Stock race scheduled for Oct. 19 will continue as scheduled. A $10,000 purse will be given to the winner of the 250-lap race, the second richest winner's payoff at the speedway in 1996. The July 27 Kroger/WDBJ-7 250 paid $15,000 to race winner Jay Fogleman.
The race will follow a format similar to the July 27 250-lapper. Prize purses will be awarded to the pole-sitter and leader of the race's halfway point. After lap 125, drivers and crews will be given a short break to change two tires and make minor adjustments to the vehicles. A random drawing will occur to determine the number of cars that will be inverted when resuming the race.
"Last year we had 52 cars show up for the Fall race," Snoddy said. "Because it occurs the week after the Martinsville [Taco Bell 300] race, we can draw a lot of the same cars that competed there. Last year we took the top 20 qualifiers then ran heat races to determine the next 12 positions. The final two spots were track provisionals."
In addition to the Late Model race, the speedway will host a Legends race that will award $700 to the winner of the Pro Master division and $300 to the Semi-Pro winner. Gates will open at 9 a.m. with race practice beginning at 11 a.m. Time trials will commence at 1:30 p.m. with the main event kicking off at 3 p.m.
SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS: Sunday's Eagle Country PSK/Skoal 100 is the speedway's second Sunday race of the 1996 race season. In the first Sunday date, the May 19 Rockford 100, Roanoke's Tony McGuire scored the first of his five victories, beginning his assault on Jeff Agnew's seemingly uncatchable points lead. Since that time, McGuire has knocked over 100 points off Agnew's lead, closing to within 42 of the four-time champion.
"Things are getting tight, especially in the Late Model division," Snoddy said. "It could very well come down to the final race of the season."
The last time that happened, Paul Radford held off Ronnie Thomas in the final race of the 1993 season to win the track title by just two points.
The Agnew-McGuire battle is but one of Sunday's subplots. The Mid-Atlantic Modified cars will make their final stop of the season at the track with a $7,000 bonus in tow.
According to Modified division rules, the race pole-sitter may elect to start at the rear of the field in an effort to pick up a bonus purse if that driver should happen to win. If the pole-sitter fails to win, the purse rolls over to the next event. Sponsored by Thurston Spring Service, the bonus has reached $7,000.
AROUND THE TRACK: Johnny Rumley, the 1991 NASCAR Mid-Atlantic Region champion, will be making his first start at the speedway since the Kroger/WDBJ-7 250 Sunday. Rumley will be behind the wheel of the Clarence's Steak House No. 26 Chevrolet Monte Carlo - the same ride Radford drove to the title in 1993...Danny Willis will be behind the wheel of the Eddie Kimbleton- and Larry Bratton-owned No. 9 Monte Carlo...Snoddy said the Late Model Truck division rules for 1997 have been finalized. He added he expects to be running the division on a full-time basis next season and will recognize a points champion...1997-98 is expected to be the final season for the Limited Sportsman class at the track. The truck division will replace the Limited Sportsman division. "My feeling is that five or six of the cars have been running good...the rest just can't afford the engine to run up front. This will allow those drivers not moving up to Late Model to drop down to the cheaper truck class."...Keith Robertson has been hired as the new public relations director at the speedway following the resignation of Eddie Clark.
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: New River Valley Speedway. George Sullivan's 00, a '77by CNBMonte Carlo, driven by Sam Campbell, comes out of turn two at New
River Valley Speedway during July 20th's Enduro Class racing.
color. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING