DATE: Monday, September 8, 1997             TAG: 9709080164

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   47 lines

G. EDWARDS STEERS CLEAR OF TROUBLE FOR 6TH LMS WIN

It seems that Greg Edwards' run of bad karma at Langley Speedway earlier this season is in full-throttle reverse.

Edwards, two days after coming up short in qualifying for the Busch Grand National race in Richmond, did what few drivers could Sunday afternoon - stay out of trouble.

So while the likes of Phil Warren and Mike Buffkin were slipping and spinning all day, Edwards avoided the frequent messes to win his sixth Late Model Stock race of the season.

That's a far cry from earlier in the season, when Edwards had pole-winning cars quit and had every break go against him in going winless for three months.

``This is truly a credit to my team,'' Edwards said. ``They've done a great job for me, giving me a top-three car every time out.''

Warren and Buffkin, the top two drivers in the Late Model Stock points race, had no such luck. Both spun out on turn 3 in the race's third lap, sending them to the back of the field.

Warren had clawed his way back to within three car lengths of the leader when he spun out in the same spot on the track on lap 66. Once again he was forced to the back, and once again he scraped his way back into the top five.

``The first time, I thought I still had enough car to win, but the second time, I knew I wasn't going to win, and so I had to drive hard to improve position,'' Warren said.

Buffkin's car was towed off the track after a lap 16 incident involving Danny Ray Baker. He returned to finish 17th.

Joe Gaita passed Danny Fair with six laps left to finish second. Roger Sawyer was fourth and Warren fifth.

The race's first 19 laps were marred by six cautions. Five drivers were forced from the field in that part of the race.

In Sunday's other races:

Mini Stock driver Mike Gordan was disqualified and suspended for the rest of the season when he spun out Jeff Dodson and put him into the turn 4 wall during the resulting caution. Points leader Denny Hamlin won from the pole to pad his series lead.

Dale Lemonds went to the inside on turn 2 to take the lead from Roger Sawyer with two laps left and then held off Sawyer for the win in the 25-lap Legends race.

Beau Broyles and Robbie Paul led wire-to-wire in winning the Grad Stock and Pure Stock races, respectively.

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