Abilene Speedway 4/24/04

[rebelracewriter]

With rain covering a large portion of the state and tracks cancelling shows, drivers scrambled for a track that was still racing. At one point I had a half dozen teams hanging on a phone line as I searched the state for a place still running. Abilene Speedway was of the few, if not the only dirt track open. National points chasers in all three of Texas’ IMCA classes converged on the track to battle with the regulars.

 

PJ Scores Payday in Modified Main

In the 20 lap, 20 car IMCA Modified A-Main, Shawn Gootee and Jim Thorp led the field to green. Going into turn 1 the field stacked up causing a chain reaction that had Dennis Sartain driving up the rear of Henry Witt. At the other end of the track, Scotty Cook, Tommy Fain and Josh McGaha all got tangled at the bottom of turn 3. Cook, Witt and Fain were forced to the pits. Witt and Fain returned but Cook was done for the night.

 

Thorp got the advantage on the second start to lead lap 1, while Bo Briley brought out the caution stopping on track with a flat. On the restart Thorp led the way as Witt moved from 18th to 12th. Vince Ogle and Danny Hogue ran side by side for fourth on lap 2. Gootee lost third when he got out of shape on lap 3 and fell back.

 

By lap 5, Thorp had built a good lead as Mark Patterson and Ogle battled for second with the duo running wheel to wheel on lap 6. PJ Egbert, who started 16th, charged his way up to 4th, while National points leader, Witt made his way back to 9th. The yellow flew on lap 6 when William Gould and Joe Colyer made contact, sending J Colyer over the front end of Gould.

 

Thorp jumped ahead on the restart, while Ogle slid high causing a three wide scrap for second. Egbert grabbed second as Josh McGaha moved into third. McGaha got around Egbert on lap 8 as David Smith and Ogle fought it out for fourth with Witt and Allen Colyer door to door for sixth. McGaha wasted little time as he grabbed the top spot at the halfway point followed by Thorp, Egbert, Smith and Ogle.

 

Egbert then shot by both Thorp and McGaha to get the lead on lap 11, with caution flying on lap 12 for debris. Egbert led McGaha, Smith, Thorp, Ogle, Witt, A Colyer, Hogue, Fain and Hayes to green on the restart, with Egbert and McGaha inching away. The top eight then separated out into four groups of two. Thorp's good run came to an end on lap 14 when he broke and rolled to a stop.

 

As green flew, Egbert got three cars on McGaha. McGaha closed back in on Egbert with five to go, leaving Ogle and Smith to fight for third. Egbert then started edging away, while Ogle began to fall back. At the checkers it was Egbert, from Copperas Cove, taking the hard earned victory after starting near the rear of the field piloting the Phils Paint & Body/Cooper & Bright Plumbing/Big Tex Autoplex/Texas Towing/Zip Car Wash/Snyders Salvage/Signs by Nate/Excaliber Chassis.

 

Pos/Car#/Driver/Start

1 707 PJ Egbert (16)

2 911 Josh McGaha (10)

3 703 David Smith (14)

4 701 Henry Witt (11)

5 69 Danny Hogue (3)

6 49 Vince Ogle (9)

7 7 Steve Hayes (18)

8 13 Jim Thorp (2)

9 2 Allen Colyer (6)

10 16 Dennis Sartain (13)

11 90.5 Tommy Fain (5)

12 73 Shawn Gootee (1)

13 99 Gary Underwood (15)

14 39 Mark Patterson (4)

15 21 Joe Colyer (20)

16 19 William Gould (12)

17 35 Tony Wink (19)

18 0 Bo Briley (8)

19 3 Charles Brewer (17)

20 18 Scotty Cook (7)

 

 

National Points Leader Charges To I-Stock Win

In the IMCA Stock Car feature, 20 car took the track, but Wade Daniell had trouble stalling on track. As 19 cars took the green, Bradley Poor was first into turn 1, with a three wide battle for sixth. Debris on the track brought out the caution before a lap was completed. On the complete restart, Poor was first out again, but it was outside polesitter Earl Johnson leading lap 1 after Poor slid high with a flat right side tire.

 

The yellow was out again quickly after Charles Brewer lost the front bumper cover. As the green flew, Dustin McGaha got inside E. Johnson to get the top spot, while National points leader, Duain Pritchett moved up to fourth. On lap 3 Brewer was looking inside McGaha for the lead while E. Johnson took a trip through the infield falling from the top five.

 

Pritchett and Kevin Sustaire moved in on Brewer to fight for second, with Pritchett and K. Sustaire side by side on lap 6. A lap later the top four were running nose to tail, with Pritchett getting around Brewer on lap 8 for second. Pritchett got sideways and stacked up the pack on lap 9, as well as losing ground to the leader, McGaha. During the back up, Thomas Earl got by Brewer for fourth.

 

Coming to halfway the top five were McGaha, Pritchett, K. Sustaire, Earl and Jeff Sustaire as Brewer fell out the pack. Pritchett began reeling McGaha in on lap 13, while K. Sustaire and Earl swapped third. J. Sustaire’s chance of a top five finish ended on lap 14 when he went up in smoke to bring out the caution.

 

Pritchett moved along side McGaha on the restart, as the duo ran door to door for the lead on lap 15, with Pritchett getting the ‘Advantage’ on lap 16. Pritchett and Mcgaha started to ease ahead leaving K. Sustaire, Earl and Joe Colyer to fight it out for third. With two to go, Pritchett began to put some distance on McGaha.

 

The defending IMCA National Champion, Pritchett was able to grab the checkers once again this year in his Jeffs Performance Automotive/Midwest Motorsports/TMM Fabrication/Wise County Detailing/CA’s Auto Supply/Arty & Sons Paint & Body/Tom’s Auto Glass/Murty Farms/Parsons Roofing/Metro Colors/Brads Transmissions/Bilstien Shocks/Rickys Welding/Aero Race Wheels/Hobby Horse Custom Embroidery/We got Your Number Graphics & Lettering/Advantage Race Car.

 

Pos/Car#/Driver/Start

IMCA Stock

1 122 Duain Pritchett (8)

2 01 Dustin McGaha (5)

3 87 Kevin Sustaire (10)

4 47 Thomas Earl (12)

5 2 Joe Colyer (13)

6 7 JW Johnson (3)

7 22 Billy Wade (14)

8 25 Toby Miller (11)

9 48 Bradley Poor (1)

10 56 Tony Marcum (19)

11 55 Charlie Wilson (15)

12 26 Kevin Watson (17)

13 07 Earl Johnson (2)

14 11 Dan Johnson (7)

15 66 Lance Shaw (18)

16 872 Jeff Sustaire (9)

17 70 Steve Pippin (4)

18 72 Charles Brewer (6)

19 13 Chris Ochoa (20)

20 113 Wade Daniell (16)

 

West Wins, Loses Motor

The IMCA Hobby Stock Main was a rock ‘em-sock ‘em affair from the start as 19 cars took the green flag. At the start, National points leader and Rookie contender, Dillon Smith got sidways causing the field to back up. Pole sitter Kelly Brown beat fellow front row driver, Joshua Hewitt back to lead lap 1. On lap 2 Hewitt lost second to Richard Collins, then fell from third on lap 3 when Jerry West got by.

 

 

The yellow came out on lap 3 for an infield tire kicked up on the track. Collins got by Brown for the lead on the restart while Smith was making his way back up to tenth. Matt Drottz got by both Brown and Hewitt to move up third on lap 6, as West ran down Collins for the lead. Lap 7 saw Collins and West side by side, but Collins held West off.

 

West got a little loose on lap 8, losing some ground to Collins, as Drottz closed on the top two. Coming to halfway it was Collins, West, Drottz, Brown and Hewitt in the top five spots. Drottz got sideways on lap 11 taking a side trip through the infield and losing some positions. West moved along side Collins for the lead again on lap 12 and this time was able to make the pass grabbing the point on lap 13, while Hewitt erupted in smoke.

 

The top two had nearly a half track lead as Smith moved into the top five and Mitch Calvert into seventh from his ninth row start. West had started to put a gap on Collins by lap 15, while Brown, Todd Bartlett and Smith scrapped it out for third. Again an infield tire got knocked on the track to bunch the field on lap 15.

 

West got a good jump on green, while Calvert’s chance of a top finish ended as he broke and headed towards the back pit exit. As Calvert drove across the track he was T-boned by Buddy Baker, nearly turning Calvert over. Fortunately Calvert stayed on all fours, and neither driver was injured.

 

As green came back out, Collins got tapped by Brown sending him sideways through the infield. As Collins re-entered the track it was four, and nearly five wide for second coming across the starting line. Collins took out his frustrations on Drottz on lap 17 as he drove Drottz into the infield while trying to pass. As Drottz came back on track he was drilling by Larry Abels to bring out yellow again. Collins was given the black flag.

 

West got out to a three car lead as the green flew for the final laps. West was able to put some distance on Bartlett as the white flag was shown. Coming to the checkers it was West in his Ace Tire Service/Performance Motors/QSD Graphics car. Paul Martin pulled to the claim area and would claim the motor of West.

 

Pos/Car#/Driver/Start

IMCA Hobby Stock

1 9 Jerry West (11)

2 22 Todd Bartlett (3)

3 03 Dillon Smith (8)

4 18 Steven Yuen (4)

5 4 Kelly Brown (1)

6 23 Paul Martin (14)

7 38 Allen Montgomery (10)

8 199 Jason Bell (16)

9 86 Everett Keel (19)

10 99 Larry Abel (7)

11 690 Richard Collins (6)

12 87 Matt Drottz (9)

13 Buddy Baker (12)

14 3 Paul Norman (15)

15 26 Mitch Calvert (18)

16 43 Joshua Hewitt (2)

17 8 Dave Armstrong (17)

18 811 Rodney Sparks (13)

19 60 Keith Buford (5)