DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709140234

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   54 lines

GAITA GETS THE VICTORY IN LANGLEY CRASH-FEST

Joe Gaita won his third Late Model Stock race of the season Saturday night, but once again a spinout involving Mike Buffkin and Charlie Bryant Jr. stole the show.

The two drivers, who have been involved in accidents in two of the past three weeks at Langley Speedway, spun out after Buffkin passed Bryant on the backstretch on lap 67.

``I got him (Bryant) on the outside, which ticked him off,'' Buffkin said. ``That's when he decided to turn left on me. There's too many idiots out here and not enough good drivers.''

Bryant was unavailable for comment.

It was one of 12 cautions called during the course of the 100-lap race, which started with a multiple-car wreck on turn 3 before an official lap was recorded and ended when Danny Edwards Jr. and Billy Morris spun between turns 3 and 4 after Gaita had taken the checkered flag.

After the last caution, on lap 81, Phil Warren and Greg Edwards closed on Gaita. Warren went to the outside groove in the last five laps in attempting to pass Gaita but could not.

``Phil had an awfully good car out there,'' Gaita said. ``He had a stronger car out there, so I figured my best chance at winning was to stay on the inside groove and hope I could hold on.''

Warren finished second to build his lead on Edwards, who finished third, and Buffkin, who placed fifth despite spinning twice.

In Saturday's other races:

Paul Lubno cliched the Grand Stock points title, taking the lead from Trevor Falls on the sixth lap en route to victory in the 40-lap race. It was his seventh win of the season.

Joe Lupton became Langley's first 10-race winner, taking the lead on the first lap in the 25-lap feature.

Anthony Warren won the Mini Trucks race for the third time this year.

Robbie Paul won the 25-lap Pure Stock race. Points leader Jimmy Adkins ran head-first into Bernie Lincoln on lap 23.

LATE MODEL STOCK: 1. Joe Gaita, 2. Phil Warren, 3. Greg Edwards, 4. Craig Eastep, 5. Mike Buffkin, 6. Mike Conner, 7. Terry Harris, 8. John Staton, 9. Billy Morris, 10. Danny Baker, 11. Danny Edwards Jr. 12, Shawn Balluzzo, 13. David Boyd, 14. Rick Hester, 15. Al Falk, 16. Mike Queen, 17. Charlie Bryant Jr., 18. Roger Sawyer, 19. Earl Sawyer, 20. Jason Rudd,21. Kevin Adams, 22. Bob Shreeves, 23. Richard Jarvis, 24. John Hicks, 25. Jody McCormick, 26. Bubba Adams.

GRAND STOCK: 1. Paul Lubno, 2. Beau Broyles, 3. Trevor Falls, 4. Jerry Scott, 5. Rhett Bussler.

MINI STOCK: 1. Joe Lupton, 2. Ron Blackburn, 3. Mark Bowles, 4. Denny Hamlin, 5. Troy Hutcheson.

MINI TRUCKS: 1. Anthony Warren, 2. Doug Warren, 3. Randy Ross, 4. Bobby Montgomery, 5. Ricky Derrick.

PURE STOCK: 1. Robbie Paul, 2. Jimmy Overton, 3. Ginger Freeman, 4. Tom Cohick, 5. Shawn Gervais.

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