THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 20, 1995 TAG: 9503200136
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
The first word Shayne Lockhart heard on the radio Sunday was ``Clear.''
Lockhart, who started on the outside pole, moved his Pontiac into the lead and had clear sailing for 205 laps en route a $25,500 payday in the Miller Geniune Draft 200 Late Model Stock Car feature at Martinsville Speedway.
Nathan Buttke was second, followed Langley Speedway regular Danny Edwards Jr., Mike Buffkin of York County and David Blankenship of Moseley, Va. A crowd of 19,000 - the most ever at the track for a non-Winston Cup event - saw the richest Late Model Race in history.
``I had no idea I was going to lead the race,'' Lockhart said. ``(Pole-sitter Ronnie Thomas) didn't drive near as deep as we did. Next thing I know, they are on the radio saying `Clear.' I moved down and tried not to look back.''
He never had any reason to until the final laps of the race.
Barry Beggarly broke an axle on lap 199 and stalled on the backstretch, bringing out the eighth caution. That necessitated the extra laps so the field could run two final laps under green.
The payout for second place was $5,000, so with Buttke hot on his bumper, Lockhart was far from counting his money when the green flag fell.
``It worked on me,'' said Lockhart, who will be gunning for his third consecutive track championship at Southside Speedway in Richmond this season. ``I don't know if it took years off my life . . .''
Buttke hit the gas a little too hard and had to do everything he could just to maintain second place. ``I just drove it too hard and I kind of messed up,'' he said.
Edwards said the last caution hurt him.
``It just took me a little while to get back up to speed all day,'' he explained.
It didn't take Buffkin or Blankenship long, however. Buffkin started in the 20th spot and by lap 80 had worked his way up to sixth, behind Bugs Hairfield of Chesterfield, Va. Thomas blistered a right rear tire and fell of the pace from the fourth spot to bump everyone up a position.
Following a 10-minute break at the 100-lap mark to allow the drivers to change two tires and make adjustments, Buffkin was glued to Hairfield's bumper until he finally made it door-to-door on lap 169 and completed the pass on lap 170.
Blankenship earned the 21st starting spot by winning the first of three qualifing races Sunday and quietly powered his way to sixth and into position to move past Hairfield for fifth on the final two-lap dash. The duo raced door-to-door for the last laps, and Blankenship just edged him at the finish.
``We were better on the long run,'' Blankenship said. ``The farther we ran with the car, the better it would run.''
While the top 20 qualifiers waited patiently for the start of the main event, two Langley regulars put in a full day's work just to make the show in the qualifing races.
Eddie Johnson of Ashland, Va., hit the wall twice and had to pit after each incident for new tires and still managed to finish fourth in the third qualifing race. The top four from each race made it in, with the final four spots going to provisionals based on last season's Mid-Atlantic and Eastern Seaboard Region points standings.
Defending Langley champion Phil Warren of Norfolk spun early in the second qualifier but stayed clear of the wall and negotiated his way from the rear of the 17-car field to fourth.
Warren finished 19th in the feature while Johnson twice worked his way from the rear for a ninth-place finish.
NICE PAINT JOB: Edwards earned an extra $100 from Duragloss when his yellow and red Pontiac was voted the best-appearing car.
READY TO ROLL? They haven't broken ground yet, but Suffolk International Raceway already has a pace car. The car was on hand for prerace activities Sunday. by CNB