THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507230174
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Charlie Bryant Jr. lived up to Phil Warren's expectations in the second of a pair of 75-lap Late Model Stock features Saturday night at Langley Speedway.
Warren led all 75 laps to record his 14th win at the track in the opener. In Victory Lane, he predicted that Bryant, a first-year driver in the elite Late Model division, would soon claim his first win.
``I was really impressed with Bryant, and he's going to win his first race before the season is over,'' Warren said of the youngster from Portsmouth, who had finished second to him.
Needless to say, Warren was more impressed after the second feature.
After Warren had regained the lead from Eddie Johnson on the 34th lap, he immediately faced a tense challenge from Bryant. They raced side-by-side for a couple of laps before Bryant, hugging the bottom of the track, took a clear lead and held firm.
``This has got to be greatest night in my life,'' a tearful Bryant said in Victory Lane. ``I have won in other divisions; they were nothing like this. I just want to thank the Lord for helping me to keep my cool. I am tickled to death.''
It was not a good evening for Johnson, a three-time winner this season at Langley.
In the opening feature, he was passed by Bryant for second place on the 58th lap and then spun when the two tangled in the first turn on the next lap. Johnson pitted under the caution and came back to finish fourth. He was third in the second feature after a strong start.
Johnson immediately moved up to challenge pole-sitter Warren at the beginning of the second race and took the lead on the fifth lap. Johnson led until Warren drove under him on the 32nd lap.
In other divisions:
Jim Kenney took advantage of a lucky break to win his first Grand Stock feature in two months. Rick Hester had just passed Kenney for the lead on the 28th lap when Kenney bumped Hester in the second turn. The collision knocked a piece of sheet metal loose from Hester's car, which required Hester to pit. Kenney regained the lead, while Hester finished fifth.
Tod Carson's hot roll in Limited Stock came to a heartbreaking halt as he was forced to sit out the 25-lap feature because of a mechanical problem. Carson won the pole but couldn't get the engine to crank for the feature. The problem was blamed on a broken rocker-arm stud. Carson had won the last five races. In his absence, Kevin Adams led all 25 laps for his fifth victory.
Jimmy Adkins greatly improved his championship chances in Mini-Stock as he won the 25-lap feature while Kevin Harrison wrecked. Harrison, who entered the race 20 points behind Adkins, was in hot pursuit of Adkins when he crashed in a knot of slower traffic on lap 13. He finished 15th to end a three-race winning streak.
In Pure Stock, Kevin Wagner started on the pole and led all the way to win the 25-lap feature. by CNB