THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 8, 1995 TAG: 9504080348
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Nobody is quite sure if new Langley Speedway promoter Wayne Wyatt has returned to earth since the highly successful start of the '95 season last Saturday night.
More than 6,000 people were on hand for the opener, billed as the Julie 100 to benefit Julie Silver, who is fighting leukemia.
The speedway donated $5,000 to the cause, which was impressive enough to the Silvers. But the outpouring of support only grew stronger as the night wore on.
As Silver spoke to the crowd about her battle and proclaimed her determination to win, pit-crew members and fans handed Wyatt checks and $50 bills and issued challenges to everyone on hand.
As of Thursday morning, Wyatt still didn't have a count on the money raised from donations and a silent auction. Gifts arestill rolling in, she said.
Sheet metal from Davy Jones' and John Andretti's cars, as well as tires autographed by Winston Cup drivers, were part of the silent auction. A Darrell Waltrip-autographed Western Auto jacket and a Coors Light team jacket signed by Kyle Petty were up for bids.
As the evening progressed, bids on a poster signed by Mark Martin had topped $100, while Dale Earnhardt's was hovering around $70.
LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE: The Legends were on hand for a 25-lap feature at East Carolina Motor Speedway in Robersonville, N.C., last weekend.
Jim Ubanks of Garner, N.C., held off Brian Sockwell of Greensboro and Steve Mendenhall of Raleigh to take a flag-to-flag victory in the Legends race, which features 5/8-scale replicas of the coupes that ran in the 1940s and '50s. The replicas reached speeds of 100 mph on the 3/8-mile oval.
Tommy Cherry of South Mills, N.C., is off to a powerful start in the Late Model Division at East Carolina. He won the inaugural race of the Super 7 series, a series of seven 200-lap races throughout the season, and followed with a win in last weekend's 75-lap Late Model Stock feature.
ON A ROLL: Richard Holmes of Smithfield will be going for his fifth consecutive victory in Saturday night's 25-lap Limited Stock feature at Southampton Speedway.
Holmes won the final race of the 1994 season and has taken the checkered flag three times this year, including two nonpoints races. Franklin's Tony Edwards set the Limited Stock record for consecutive wins in '93 with six straight trips to Victory Lane.
Chuck Perry and Irvin Stephens Jr. will be looking to maintain their dominance in the Hobby Stock division - one or the other has won the last eight 20-lap features.
Saturday night is Fire and Rescue night at Southampton Speedway. Each fire department and rescue squad member will receive $2 off the regular adult admission price of $9 by showing an ID card.
CATCH THE SILVER BULLET: Kyle Petty, driver of the Coors Light Pontiac, will be on hand to sign autographs at Hall Auto Mall, 3152 Virginia Beach Blvd., from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. by CNB