ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, August 26, 1996 TAG: 9608270042
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
Some things never change at the New River Valley Speedway. The races are still run in a counter-clockwise direction, wrecks are always the other driver's fault and you can never count out a Clarence Pickeral-owned race car.
Late Model Stock driver Johnny Rumley (Winston-Salem, N.C.) scored his first victory of the season in Sunday's Eagle Country PSK/Skoal 100 driving Pickeral's No.26 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Rumley's ride is the same one used by Paul Radford in 1993, when he edged out Ronnie Thomas for the Late Model points title, and the one Michael Ritch used to win two WDBJ-7 250 televised races.
``A lot of great drivers have driven for Clarence over the years,'' Rumley said. ``I remember watching his cars at Martinsville when I was a kid. I'm really happy that I'm able to add my name to the list of drivers who have won for him.''
Tony McGuire grabbed his fourth consecutive pole with a 16.52-second (90.65 mph) lap. Rumley started from the outside of row 2, .17 seconds slower than McGuire.
McGuire set the pace early with David Hyder, Philip Morris and Rumley running two-three-four the first 64 laps. A caution flag on lap 65 created the first lead change of the afternoon when Hyder failed to slow under the yellow and rammed McGuire from behind. McGuire spun out and Hyder was given a black flag penalty.
From that point on, Rumley simply ran his inside line and held off two Morris pass attempts to the high side on lap 92 for the win.
``I thought I had the best car again today,'' Morris said. ``I just couldn't get around [Rumley] to the outside. Normally this car does well in that groove, but I just burned up do much trying to get around him.''
Rumley conceded that Morris was in the afternoon's fastest car, but added ``sometimes the best car doesn't always win.''
For Rumley, the victory was his first since a Busch Grand National tour victory last season at Dover (Del.) Downs International. Rodney Cundiff placed third, Randy Ratliff fourth and Ray Young came in fifth. Division points leader Jeff Agnew placed 12th, but maintained a 42-point lead over Chad Harris (sixth place) and a 50-point cushion on McGuire (16th) with three races remaining.
In the Limited Sportsman division, Tam Topham picked up his ninth victory of the season and extended his division points lead to 38 over Jay McCray. Topham led all 35 laps after qualifying third and dodging an opening lap skirmish that collected 11 of the 15 cars in the field. McCray finished second and Hank Turman came in third.
Madison's Randy Taylor collected his second victory of the season in the 25-lap Pure Stock event, halting Tommie Allie's track-high 14-race win streak. Taylor led every lap and dominated the final 10 laps of the event after Allie, running second at the time, was assessed a stop and go penalty on lap 15. Ronnie Hall placed second with John McMahon taking third.
Robert Cox (Roanoke) led flag to flag in taking his second consecutive Mini Stock checkered flag. The win was also Cox's second of the season. Jeff Bowden turned in his best performance of 1996, placing second. Kevin Snyder took home third-place honors.
In a special 100-lap running of the Mid-Atlantic Modified division, Danny Wyatt outlasted Brett Hamilton for the win. Wyatt held off a late charge from Hamilton and third-place finisher Jeff Callihan in the division's second and final appearance of 1996 at the Radford speedway.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB