Texas Sponsored car wins Leak Sealer 150 @ HMP

[rebelracewriter]

Here's the rough copy, so don't mind the typo's, it's late(early) LOL

 

Leak Sealer 150 NASCAR Autozone Elite Division, SouthEast Series @ Houston Motorsports Park 5/8/04

By J M Hallas

Texas Sponsored Car Scores Victory

Ahhh But not so fast, it's not one of the five Texas racers that took part in first ever series event. The NASCAR SouthEast series(old All-Pro Series) made thier inaugural visit to 3/8 mile semi-banked Houston Motorsports Park, the first time NASCAR has appeared in the area for the past 35 years.

 

In qualifying 22 cars took times with Kevin Prince in the Land O' Frost Chevrolet Monte Carlo setting the standard posting a time of 13.921 @ 96.976mph. While Texas racers posted the fifth, eighth, ninth and seventeenth best runs, with one not taking a time after backing into the wall during his attempt. A six was drawn to set the invert of the field putting Dusty Williams and 2003 ROMCO Series Champion, Brandon Bendele on the front row.

 

As the green waved Williams and Bendele stayed side by side into turn 1, with Williams getting the edge out of turn 2. Bendele squeezed into second ahead of Justin Wakefield, series points leader Jason Hogan and AJ Frank filling out the top five. On lap 2 Bendele took his first look inside Williams, while a Texas duo, 2002 ROMCO Champion Chris Davidson and former Longhorn Speedway and Thunder Hill Raceway track champion, Doug Hooks battled door to door for eighth.

 

Williams got loose coming out turn 4 on lap 5 giving Bendele a chance to show the front bumper, but Williams held off the challenge. Eddie Stivers brought out the yellow on lap 7 when he looped his ride in turn 2. Shortly back under green Bendele was able to move along side Williams to grab the top spot on lap 15, with Wakefield following him through. Hogan then got inside Williams, running side by side until Hogan took the spot a lap later.

 

Bendele was just starting to ease away when, rookie points leader, JR Norris slowed causing a chain reaction back-up. Prince got turned around and clipped Davidson on the way by. Both were forced to pit for repairs along with AJ Frank and Allen Karnes. Bendele got a good jump on green leaving Wakefield and Hogan to battle for second.

 

Stivers brought out the yellow hanky again on lap 36 with another spin, that cusaed Williams to spin as the lead pack came up on him. Bendele would jump out on the restart as the top four separated themselves from the field. Frank and Davidson teamed up and were working their way back up after restarting at the tail.

 

By lap 50 Bendele was threatening to stink up the show as he had run off to a 1/2 straightaway lead,with Wakefield, Hogan and Norris running nose to tail in his wake. Hogan began to pressure Wakefield for second on lap 60 as Bendele built his advantage to nearly a full straight. The Wakefield, Hogan, Norris battle was forced to run three wide as they split the middle of two lap cars.

 

Randy Pedley spun on lap 69 to bring out a caution, erasing Bendeles huge lead. On the restart Bendele got a good break when the lap car of Karnes hung up the field on the outside. Wakefield gave Karnes the chrome horn to move him out of the way, but caused Karnes to spin in front of nearly the entire field. Somehow everyone avoided major contact, with heads-up driving and probably a little luck.

 

As the race restarted the crossed flags were shown with Bendele, Wakefield, Hogan, Norris and Williams rounding out the front five. Bendele increased his lead again by lap 80, while Hogan turned up the heat on Wakefield. Hogan got around Wakefield on lap 83 and went in search of Bendele. Hogan got a break on lap 85 when Norris and Wakefield made contact while running side by side causing them to spin.

 

On green Hogan stayed glued on Bendeles bumper, while Jeff Fultz continued his march to the front after starting fourteenth, when he got by Hooks for fourth. Fultz picked off another spot when made the pass on Williams to snag third on lap 94. Hogan was still hanging on to Bendele, while Hooks was getting frieght trained by Steven Howard, Wilkinson and Frank shuffling him back to eighth.

 

With 50 to go, Hogan decided it was time to make his move as he dove inside Bendele in turn 1 with the two making slight contact coming out of turn 2. Hogan grabbed the point, while Bendele got straightened out and held on to second, just as JC Umschied spun to slow the action on lap 101. When the green flew again, Fultz was looking inside Bendele for second, while Davidson was making a high side pass on Hooks for eighth.

 

Fultz passed Bendele for second lap 107, but was a ways behind Hogan. Hogan saw his lead evaporate on lap 110, when Richardson got tapped by Norris and spun in turn 4. Norris got tagged by Wayne Bowen as the pack slowed in turn 1, with Norris spinning. Frank started trailing sparks on the restart and fell back moving Davidson into seventh, while Hogan was inching ahead of Fultz.

 

Hogan built a 10 car length lead by lap 120 over Fultz and Bendele, who had a bigger gap over Williams, Howard, Wilkinson and Davidson. Stivers brought out his third personal caution on lap 123 with another spin. Hogan and Fultz got out on the restart, while Bendele got hung out by a lap car. Davidson took another spot when he got around Wilkinson for sixth on lap 131. Hogan again motored away from Fultz who was getting reeled in by Bendele by lap 135.

 

Davidson got into the top five on lap 136 as he passed Howard. With ten to go, Hogan was a 1/2 staightaway ahead of the Fultz, Bendele fight for second. The final yellow flew on lap 141 when Pedley and Karnes got together and spun directly in front of the leader, who snuck by cleanly.

 

The race resumed with three to go and Fultz taking a peek inside as green flew. Fultz got sideways as the white flag flew losing ground toHogan, but still being able to hold Bendele at bay. As the checkers waved it was Hogan in the Circle Bar Motel and RV Park(Ozona, Tx.)/Universal Chevrolet/Penske Shocks/Automotive Specialist Engines/5 Star Bodies/ Port City Chassis taking the $7,000 pay day as well as increasing his points lead.

 

 

92 Jason Hogan Sponsored by Circle Bar RV Park and Motel--Ozona Texas

54 Jeff Fultz

08 Brandon Bendele

40 Dusty Williams

41 Chris Davidson

59 John Wilkinson

7 Erik Darnell

19 Steven Howard

99 Doug Hooks

98 Justin Wakefield

5 JR Norris

23 Wayne Bowen

63 Greg Pope

29 Allen Karnes

7 AJ Frank

90 Michael Britt

83 Randy Pedley

66 Eddie Stivers

52 JC Umschied

33 Robert Richardson

00 Michael Faulk

1 Kevin Prince

[racerjim2]

Wow way to go Brandon and Crew a third is grea start in a new series