Texas Pro Sedan Houston results, 6/21/03

[NickHolt]

Randy Lee Scores Clean Sweep at Houston Motor Speedway

 

Defending Texas Pro Sedan champion Randy Lee of Corpus Christi set a new TPS track record in time trials, won his heat race and galloped off to a convincing win in the 25-lap feature Saturday night at Houston Motor Speedway.

 

Lee, driving his potent Ford Mustang, broke the existing track record of 16.421 seconds, held by Bill LaBarge of Bryan, with a blistering 16.017 second lap on the 3/8-mile paved oval. Two other drivers, Donnie Moore of Hutto in a VW Scirocco (16.322 seconds) and LaBarge in a BMW (16.334 seconds) also topped the old record. Lee’s record time was not his fastest lap of the evening, however, as he was able to click of a 15.961 second lap during the main event.

 

Lee and LaBarge started on front row for the feature by winning their respective heat races, but it was LaBarge who got to turn one first. For the next 12 laps LaBarge was able to hold Lee at bay, but he was under intense pressure from Lee who seemed to have more power on the straights. Finally, on the thirteenth circuit, Lee squeezed under LaBarge going into the first turn and made a clean pass for the lead.

 

In the meantime, Moore and San Antonio’s Jamie Garner in a Scirocco were having their own tight battle a few car lengths back while Scirocco drivers Sergio Hexsel of San Antonio and Mike Knotts of Universal City were mixing it up with Jesse Sandoval of Corpus Christi in a skirmish for fourth through sixth.

 

At the finish Lee took the checkered by about four seconds over Moore, Garner and LaBarge, who finished nearly side-by-side with only three- tenths of a second separating the second-, third- and fourth-place cars.

 

The only caution of the race came on lap 16 when LaBarge spun in turn one in some oil left by Randy Larsen’s blown engine. Larsen had pulled his air-cooled VW Karmann Ghia into the infield with the rear of the car in flames a lap earlier. LaBarge had to restart from the rear, but worked his way through traffic to finish fourth, two-tenths of a second behind third-place finisher Jamie Garner.

 

Results of the 20-lap Texas Pro Sedan Feature Race at Houston Motor Speedway , showing finishing position, car number, driver’s name, hometown, car, and laps completed:

 

1. (30) Randy Lee, Corpus Christi, Ford Mustang, 25 laps

2. (70) Donnie Moore, Hutto, VW Scirocco, 25

3. (33) Jamie Garner, San Antonio, VW Scirocco, 25

4. (27) Bill LaBarge, Bryan, BMW, 25 laps

5. (48) Mike Knotts, Universal City, VW Scirocco, 25

6. (7) Jesse Sandoval, Corpus Christi, Ford Mustang, 25

7. (20) Sergio Hexsel, San Antonio, VW Scirocco, 25

8. (72) Candy Hogan, Cedar Park, VW Sedan, 24

9. (38) Dave Parks, San Antonio, VW Rabbit, 22

10. (78) Dennis Taylor, Live Oak, VW Sedan, 21

11. (50) Randy Larsen, Wimberley, VW Karmann Ghia, 15

12. (12) Gordon Wittison, Bryan, Honda CRX, 0

 

Margin of Victory 4.413 seconds

LaBarge led laps 1-12

Lee Led laps 13-25