DATE: Monday, April 14, 1997                TAG: 9704140167

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   55 lines

NO FLAG, NO PROBLEM IN KEVIN GRUBB'S WIN THE SOUTHSIDE SPEEDWAY VETERAN CLAIMS HIS FIRST VICTORY AT LANGLEY.

For all the caution flags thrown during Sunday's Late Model Stock race at Langley Speedway, it was the one that didn't fly that made the biggest impact.

And for all the good those cautions did for Kevin Grubb, it was the one never called that gave him the win.

Amid 13 cautions, Kevin Grubb moved ahead of 25 cars before finally passing brother Wayne Grubb on lap 89 to take his first lead of the day. Then, when Joe Gaita spun out on turn 2 of lap 97 without causing a caution, it allowed the Southside Speedway veteran to keep his seven-car-length lead and win his first race at the Hampton track.

``I've never even finished in the top 10 (in his two previous trips to Langley),'' Kevin Grubb said. ``You have to conserve tires around here, especially on the new surface, but I didn't have that luxury starting on the back row.''

Before Kevin Grubb could grab his first Langley win from his first start on the back row, he had to stay clean, something many of the drivers struggled to do in the 100-lap race. But after the 13th caution on lap 86, the race ran clean the rest of the way.

Bugs Hairfield, like the Grubbs a Southside regular, had held the lead to that point but dropped out of sight after Wayne Grubb passed him on the backstretch to assume the lead. The rest of the 10-car lead pack followed suit. Hairfield finished 17th with what appeared to be tire problems.

Three laps later, Wayne Grubb was bumped coming out of turn 2 by brother Kevin, dropping Wayne back to fourth.

``Langley's a flat track with a hard surface and loose turns (while Southside's turns are tighter), so I was happy to finish fourth,'' Wayne Grubb said. ``There was a lot of bumping, which I thought was unnecessary, but I guess that's racing around here.''

At one point in the waning laps, the top three (Hairfield and both Grubbs) were all Southside regulars, which gave them a good read on what the others would do.

``We all run clean, though,'' Wayne Grubb said. ``I didn't expect Kevin to bump me, but I've done it before to him, so that's no big deal.''

``We'll race hard, but we won't wreck each other,'' Kevin Grubb added. ``He might get a bit upset about the bump, but he'll get over it.''

Mark McFarland finished second, followed by Danny Edwards Jr., Wayne Grubb and Charlie Bryant Jr.

In Sunday's other races:

The top two finishers in the 40-lap Grand Stock race were disqualified for illegal parts, making third-place finisher Paul Lubno the official winner.

Mark Bowles used three lengthy caution flags to his advantage, taking the lead after the final caution on lap 17 and winning the 25-lap Mini-Stock feature.

Doug Warren won the 25-lap Mini-Truck feature, followed by Bobby Montgomery.

Dude Gibbs led from the pole to easily win the Pure Stock 25-lapper.

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