ROMCO @ THR 7/10/o4--Recap Added below

[rebelracewriter]

click here for link

 

You can thank Chuckie and Ric for this!

[Racerpix]

I tried to look at the article but the link took me to Texas Gardener. Is that where your article is because I couldn't find it. I wanted to see Romco and Tams but get the same thing for both.

[champ1796]

same here, texas gardener?

[NickHolt]

Unofficial results of the ROMCO SLM 125-lap event at Thunder Hill Raceway, 7/10/04

 

1 15 Colt James

2 99 Doug Hooks

3 19 Kent Baltzell

4 04 Cory Roper

5 49 Bradley Riethmeyer

6 11 Tom Grothues

7 55 Eddy Wallace

8 57 John Kelly

9 22 Tommy Grimes

10 7 Tuffy Hudson

11 51 Michael Crofford

12 29 Thad Felton

13 66 Raymond Pattison

14 32 Heath Stewart

15 61 Cory Lovell

16 96 Greg Davidson

17 64 David Lehnert

18 39 Mark Chrudimsky

19 8 Brandon Bendele---involved in crash while leading

20 07 James Southerland

21 33 Robert Richardson

22 16 Danny Pike

23 77 Jason Ray

[sword56]

[rebelracewriter]

First, I want to apologize to all my LOYAL, REBELRACEWRITER fans, ROMCO, TAMS and THR. This was dig at Chuckie and Ric for the insipid nickname they seem to think is so funny. Ya it was for a while, but now it's getting old! I've worked hard for little or no pay to get where I'm at and think I've earned my title as rebelracewriter. So please, next time you see /talk to Chuckie or Ric give them the word to drop the gardener crap!

 

Nick, you obviously have no sense of humor this morning.

 

Hopefully I'll have the stories up soon, depending on what time I get back from I-37 Speedway tonight. Since I stayed in Austin with friends, I wasn't able to get much done last night/ today. Thanx for your patience!

[rebelracewriter]

ROMCO @ Thunder Hill Raceway 7/10/04

By J M Hallas

Young Gun Strikes Again in Wild Finish

The ROMCO Super Late Model Series Finally completed its show that was postponed due to rain on 6/24/04. A couple drivers failed to return, including the Missouri duo of Tony Jackson and Scott Atkinson as well as Kirby Honeycutt and Shannon Parsons who found metal shaving in the oil while repairing a front seal leak. Robert Richardson was able to tag the tail, after a Wednesday NASCAR Elite Series race, left him with the weekend off.

 

With the customary four car invert, Colt James and Brandon Bendele paced the 23 car field for the 125 lap main event. As the green flag waved action started early, with Tommy Grimes spinning and Tuffy Hudson taking a side trip through the infield. On the second try Bendele grabbed the point, while Hudson’s trouble continued as he spun but kept moving. Bendele quickly began to put a little distance on the field with the lap car of Hudson in between.

 

Veteran TIDA/ROMCO driver, John Kelly looped his ride on lap 10, but was able to continue without caution. As Bendele caught lap traffic on lap 14, James was able to close in, but Bendele regained his advantage over James, who had 10 car lengths back to Mark Chrudimsky, Bradley Reithmeyer and fast qualifier, Greg Davidson.

 

The yellow flew on lap 26 when Grimes, Eddy Wallace and James Southerland got tangled in turn 1, with Richardson getting collected. Danny Pike spun behind to miss the melee, with Bendele clipping him as the leaders ran up on the pile-up. Bendele immediately pitted and was done for the night, along with Southerland, Richardson and Pike. James inherited the top spot as the race went back to green on lap 31. Davidson slipped high from fourth allowing Thad Felton, Heath Stewart and Michael Crofford to get by.

 

Davidson would pit two laps later along with Chrudimsky, who gave up second spot. Riethmeyer ran down James on lap 40 as the two young guns put some space on Felton, Stewart, Crofford, Doug Hooks and Tom Grothues. Riethmeyer began pressuring James for the lead on lap 42 in turn 3. Grimes, with body parts flapping got the black flag on lap 44 and after slowing, in true Dale Earnhardt jr “I need a caution” style, spun himself out on lap 47.

 

The top three got a good jump on the restart with a lap car separating the top contenders. Riethmeyer began his challenge again looking inside James in turn 3 on lap 57 and turn 1 on lap 58. Stewart and Crofford were able to close in on the top three once clearing traffic on lap 60. As the race came to halfway it was James, Riethmeyer, Felton, Stewart and Crofford, with the top eight running nose to tail.

 

On lap 65 Riethmeyer nudged James, who got loose allowing Riethmeyer to get the lead. Crofford began fading from fifth as his brakes began to give up, while Hooks and Grothues battled for the vacated spot. Riethmeyer either slid high or pulled up on lap 71 to give James the top spot back. By lap 75 James had a car length on Riethmeyer who had and car length on Felton, with Stewart, Grothues and Hooks eight cars back.

 

Riethmeyer closed back in when James got slowed by a slower car on lap 81. Felton’s chance at a top finish ended when he spun on lap 83. On the restart, Raymond Pattison and Stewart made contact with both sliding off turn 1, costing Stewart his third position. Once back to green the top four of James, Riethmeyer, Grothues and Hooks stayed glued together as the race reached 25 to go.

 

On lap 111 James got loose, but Riethmeyer was unable to capitalize as the leaders once again ran up on traffic. Riethmeyer tried to dive low in turn 1 on lap 118 and bumped James coming out of turn 4. Riethmeyer got by, but in the stack up Hudson got into Grothues with both spinning to the infield and Hudson stopping to bring out a caution with seven to go.

 

Going back to last completed lap, James retook the point and Grothues was placed into third. James and Riethmeyer made contact on the restart, with Riethmeyer trying the high side, but falling back in line. The top three were still stuck together with five to go setting up an exciting finish. Coming out of turn 4 to take the white flag, Riethmeyer rooted James again. Riethmeyer went high, while Grothues dove low coming across the line three wide.

 

They were still three wide going into turn 1, with Riethmeyer being the odd man out getting run up and off the turn 1 hill. Grothues got the lead out of turn 2, but James ran him down on the backstretch. James made a bonzai dive low in turn 3, Making contact and getting Grothues loose. As Grothues slid up to catch the car, James got along side. With the crowd on its feet, yelling, the two beat and banged with sparks flying through turns 3-4. Grothues spun coming out of the corner, with James grabbing the checkers and big melee in the pack coming across the line.

 

This was the second Thunder Hill Raceway win in a row for the North Carolina youngster who flew back in for the race. James is a NASCAR Tech student working for Robert Yates, in the engine shop and pilots a 2003 Monte Carlo on a Left-hander chassis sponsored by Meredith Racing Engines/TRC Race Cars with support from his mom, dad and crew.