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By Bret Emrick
Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound,WI captured the final race of the Northern Xtreme DirtCar Series sanctioned portion of the "YJ Stinger 28th Annual Winternationals" Friday at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa (Gibsonton),FL pocketing over $12,000.
Driving the Stacker2/Heeg Well Drilling/Deppe Enterprises No. 28M Jimmy Mars Racing MasterSbilt Race Cars/Pro Power/Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Mars inherited the lead on lap 24 when Donnie Moran tangled with the lapped car of Jeff Choquette.
The fifth starting Mars then had his hands full with both Shane Clanton and Earl Pearson Jr. late in the race before pulling away to a nearly 2 second margin of victory.
Clanton, who started 9th, rode home in second with Pearson Jr. third ahead of Dennis "Rambo" Franklin and 12th starting John Mason. Rounding out the top 10 finishers were 19th starting John Anderson in sixth followed by 21st starting Brian Birkhofer in seventh, 18th starting Don O'Neal eighth 23rd starting Davey Johnson ninth and Kelly Boen tenth.
"I sure hope the fans feel they got their money's worth with that one", said a very worn out Mars. "I really had to work my butt off in this race. I'm whipped. It was unfortunate that Donnie tangled with that lapped car. I hated to see that for him. He was really strong. Then those laps with Shane on one side and Earl on the other racing through traffic. Man, we had to physically work tonight. I just need to thank my crew chief, my brother Chris, and the rest of the crew, MasterSbilt, Pro Power and of course, Stacker2, Heeg and Deppe. The series sponsors too. They've created a great opportunity for all of us."
When asked how the Goodyear Eagles performed in the 60 lap contest Mars related, "Those Eagles gave me so much traction tonight. That's why I'm tired. The track was just hooked up. And, it did it's usual. The groove changed all night long and you had to chase it. Everyone had traction tonight. Goodyear has developed a great tire and will continue to work to improve them. It's a great program. We've all seen how competitive it has been this week."
At the drop of the green flag pole sitter Moran jumped out to the lead with Pearson Jr., Franklin, Eddie Carrier Jr. and Mars in tow at the end of the first lap. Franklin powered by Pearson Jr. for second whne the field completed lap 2 and set his sites on Moran. Franklin powered by Moran using the top groove exiting turn four to lead lap 3 while Mars used the bottom to pass Carrier Jr. The fast paced action was slowed before lap 4 could be recorded when Birkhofer spun in turn 2 and Mark Voigt rolled to a stop in turn 4.
Moran easily powered away from the field on the double-file restart to complete one more lap before the caution waved again when Sean Cosgrove spun in turn 4. Mars worked his way past Pearson Jr. for third once the race resumed. Moran felt heavy pressure from the high-groove running Franklin in turn one while Mars stayed glued to the bottom beating Franklin back to the stripe to grab second. Moran, running the middle groove, powered through one and two to put some distance on Mars. Before lap 8 could be put in the books the red flag flew after Matt Miller slammed the turn three wall going airborne but luckily landing and not flipping. Miller climbed from his car uninjured but was done for the race.
Once the green flag replaced the red flag Moran simply shot away from the field by lap 10. Mars ran second with Franklin third , Carrier Jr. fourth and Pearson Jr. fifth with Mason now up to sixth trailed by Clanton, Boean,Anderson and O'Neal. Mason, using the high groove, shot past Pearson Jr. in turn four to grab fifth at lap 12 notching Carrier Jr. for fourth one lap later.
Moran enjoyed a nearly 3 second lead on Mars when he encountered lapped traffic on lap 16. Moran expertly weaved his way through the traffic keeping Mars at bay. Clanton worked his way to fifth on lap 18. Moran continued his assault but that all changed at lap 25.
Moran entered turn one with the slower car of Jeff Choquette directly ahead. Choquette lost the handle midway between turn 1 and turn 2 sliding sideways and with no place to go Moran jumped on the brakes, clipped Choquette and rolled to a stop. Moran was able to continue but restarted at the back behind the lead lap cars.
Mars, now the leader, had Franklin, Mason, Clanton and Pearson Jr. behind him for the restart with Carrier Jr. Boen, Anderson, Johnson and O'Neal trailing. Cosgrove lost the handle on the restart exiting turn 2 to bring the caution right back out. The second restart brought about another caution when Choquette, Moran, Cosgrove and Mike Mataragas tangled in turn 4. From the point forward the race went green.
Shane Clanton with fans after a great 2nd place finish!
Clanton used the outside groove to get past Franklin as the field completed lap 26. Mars began to chase the East Bay "fast lane" as the race remained green opening up a 1.5 second lead on Clanton. By lap 40 Clanton and the other lead lap cars had caught Mars as he lost ground working traffic. From lap 42 to lap 47 Mars had Clanton to the outside of him and Pearson Jr. to the inside of him racing three-wide. Mars was able to fend off the challenges by lap 48 and with 10 to go had pulled out to a nearly 1 second lead. Pearson Jr. and Clanton went after each other for a few laps with Pearson Jr. grabbing second on lap 57 only to have Clanton take the spot back for good with two laps to go.
The $43,000 purse saw 61 drivers sign-in for the event with Carrier Jr. taking the fast time award in time trials with a fast lap of 15.275 seconds around the semi-banked 1/3rd mile oval.
Carrier Jr. won his heat race as did Pearson Jr., Mars, Franklin, Moran and Duke Whiseant. The "B" Main events fell to Anderson and Dan Stone with Moran winning the YJ STINGER EXTREME ENERGY DRINKS dash. Taking the Donn Goodson Farms Memorial Strawberry dash was Shane Tankersley.
Northern Xtreme DirtCar Series Race Report For 2-6-04
Race No. 3-2004 Season-"YJ STINGER 28th Annual Winternationals"
East Bay Raceway Park-Tampa (Gibsonton),FL-1/3rd Mile Oval
$43,000 Purse-$12,000 To Win-60 Lap Feature
Showing Finish Pos.,Start Pos.,Car #, Driver, Laps Completed, Reason Out (if any) and Purse Money Won
1. (4) #28M Jimmy Mars 60 Running $12,100
2. (9) #25 Shane Clanton 60 Running $6,500
3. (2) # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. 60 Running $4,500
4. (3) #2F Dennis Franklin 60 Running $3,000
5. (12) #72 John Mason 60 Running $2,000
6. (19) #1K John Anderson 60 Running $1,500
7. (21) #15B Brian Birkhofer 60 Running $1,200
8. (18) #71 Don O'Neal 60 Running $1,100
9. (23) #19J Davey Johnson 60 Running $1,000
10. (7) #07 Kelly Boen 60 Running $900
11. (10) #32D Darren Miller 60 Running $850
12. (20) #21D Dan Stone 60 Running $800
13. (14) #59 Bill Cunningham 59 Running $750
14. (22) #32 Roger Crouse 57 Running $700
15. (11) #1M Mike Mataragas 57 Running $650
16. (4) #28 Eddie Carrier Jr. 52 Mechanical $700
17. (1) #99 Donnie Moran 25 Accident $650
18. (15) #70C Jeff Choquette 25 Accident $500
19. (6) #A1 Duke Whiseant 25 Mechanical $600
20. (17) #64 Sean Cosgrove (R) 24 Accident $500
21. (24) #7T Dave Troutman 18 Mechanical $500
22. (8) # 7 Matt Miller 7 Accident $500
23. (23) #30 Mark Voigt 5 Mechanical $500
24. (13) #70 Jeff Smith 2 Mechanical $500
Time Of Race: 43 mins. 10 secs.
Yellow Flags: Five: Laps 3,4,25,25(rs),25(rrs)
Red Flags: One: Lap 7
Lap Leaders: Three: Moran 1-2,Franklin 3-5,Moran 6-24,Mars 25-60
GEMINI AUTO CARE CENTERS "Hard Charger of the Race": Birkhofer,Johnson (advanced 14 positions)
"Rookie of the Race": Cosgrove
Provisional Starters: Johnson,Troutman
Car Count: 61
Time Trials Fast Qualifier: Carrier Jr. 15.275 secs.
Heat Race Winners: Carrier Jr.,Pearson Jr.,Mars,Franklin,Moran,Whiseant
"B" Main Winners: Anderson,Stone
YJ STINGER EXTREME ENERGY DRINKS Dash Winner: Moran
Donn Goodson Farms Memorial Strawberry Dash Winner: Shane Tankersley
SUMMARY - Time Trials:
Showing Pos.,Car #,Driver,Residence,Sponsor,Chassis/Engine/Body Style, First Lap, Second Lap, Fast Lap
1. #28 Eddie Carrier Jr. Ona,WV Grover Motorsports-Engines,Inc. Rocket/Grover/Taurus 15.508 15.275 15.275
2. # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville,FL Lucas Oil-Dunn Benson Ford Rocket/Larry Wallace/Taurus 15.491 15.283 15.283
3. #28M Jimmy Mars Elk Mound.WI Stacker2-Heeg Well Drilling MasterSbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo 15.605 15.301 15.301
4. #1x1 Sonny Conley New Martinsville,WV Conley Enterprises LazerG2/Emery/Monte Carlo 16.411 15.359
5. #99 Donnie Moran Dresden,OH QPI Tools Dirt Ripper MasterSbilt/SMS/Monte Carlo 15.427 15.590 15.427
6. #A1 Duke Whiseant Texarkana,AR A1 Auto Salvage Rayburn/ProPower/Monte Carlo 15.535 15.500
7. #79 Vince Muzzin Jensen Beach,FL Muzzin Brothers Rocket/RaceTek/Grand Prix 15.555 15.672 15.555
8. # 7 Matt Miller Waterville,OH McCullough Motorsports-Lo Temp Brazing Rocket/Russell Baker/Grand Prix 15.565 15.700 15.565
9. #25 Shane Clanton Locust Grove,GA RSD Enterprises/SAE Parts Rocket/Custom/Monte Carlo 15.783 15.580 15.580
10. #2F Dennis Franklin Gaffney,SC Hamricks of Gaffney Rayburn/Cornett/Taurus 15.995 15.582 15.582
11. #1M Mike Mataragas Dekalb,IL Peterson Aluminum Rayburn/ProPOwer/Grand Prix 15.808 15.620 15.620
12. #72 John Mason Millersburg,OH Bert Transmission Rayburn/Malcuit/Monte Carlo 15.831 15.632 15.632
13. #1X Scott Pounds Seymour,TN Milodon Warrior/Watkins/Monte Carlo 15.907 15.641 15.641
14. #15B Brian Birkhofer Muscatine,IA Double Eagle Racing Apparel MasterSbilt/Pro Power/Monte Carlo 15.714 15.657 15.657
15. #1K John Anderson Omaha,NE THT Designs Rocket/Hatfield/Grand Prix 16.499 15.683 15.683
16. #32D Darren Miller Chadwick,IL Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket/Pro Power/Taurus 16.146 15.709 15.709
17. #83 Joe Morris Galatia,IL Morris Excavating Rocket/Runyon/Grand Prix 17.329 15.711 15.711
18. #99B Justin Balckwell Norman,IN Blacwell Trucking & Limestone Rayburn/Pro Power/Monte Carlo 15.725 16.112 15.725
19. #70 Jeff Smith Dallas,NC Die Cast Digest-West Haven Speed Rocket/Gaerte/Monte Carlo 15.734 15.743 15.734
20. #59 Bill Cunningham Jefferson,OH JBR Graphics MasterSbilt/Craiger/Grand Prix 16.212 15.779 15.779
21. # 0 Steve Shaver Vienna,WV Richard Construction-Bill Bland Rocket/Malcuit/Monte Carlo 15.790 15.861 15.790
22. #9X Jayme Zidar Greenfield,WI American Foundation Rayburn/Pro Power/Monte Carlo 15.799 16.035 15.799
23. #21D Dan Stone Thompson,PA NEP Telephone LazerG2/Rhodes/Monte Carlo 15.812 16.221 15.812
24. #71 Don O'Neal Martinsville,IN A1 Auto Salvage/Living Room Center Rayburn/Pro Power/Monte Carlo 15.870 15.902 15.870
25. #07 Kelly Boen Henderson,CO Road Runner Fabrication Rocket/Dickens/Grand Prix 15.893 15.975 15.893
26. #19J Davey Johnson Greensburg,PA Reliable Painting MasterSbilt/Malcuit/Grand Prix 15.978 15.902 15.902
27. #70C Jeff Choquette West Palm Beach,FL Ron Arrowood Rocket/Progressive/Grand Prix 15.965 15.913 15.913
28. # 5 Michael England Glasgow,KY Youngs-Hiseville Feed MasterSbilt/Pro Power/Monte Carlo 17.385 15.933 15.933
29. #64 Sean Cosgrove (R) Catharpin,VA Drywall Systems Rocket/Hershey/Grand Prix 15.940 16.699 15.940
30. # 2 Anthony White Clinton,TN Stone Plus GRT/Vic Hill/Monte Carlo 16.488 15.972 15.972
31. #C9 Steve Casebolt Richmond,IN Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket/Pro Craft/Monte Carlo 15.972 16.236 15.972
32. #56 Rohn Moon Greenwood,IN Creonix Rayburn/Moon Power/Monte Carlo 16.465 15.984 15.984
33. #33P Al Purkey Coffeyville,KS Larry Shaw Race Cars Shaw/Hatfield/Grand Prix 16.347 16.024 16.024
34. #30 Mark Voigt Marine,IL Bilstein Shocks Rocket/Rhyne/Taurus 16.928 16.030 16.030
35. # 9 Billy Drake Bloomington,IL MasterSbilt Race Cars MasterSbilt/Gaerte/Grand Prix 16.090 16.197 16.090
36. #7M Bryan Millican Cleveland,TX Star Homes-Lonestar Furniture Rocket/Russell Baker/Monte Carlo 16.906 16.091 16.091
37. #10 Pete Parker Kaukauna,WI Potowatomi Bingo Casino Lodge Reliable/Travis Kern/Grand Prix 16.187 16.098 16.098
38. #33 Chris Hackett Erie,PA Speciality Products/SECO Carboloy Rocket/Tony Barker/Monte Carlo 16.109 16.393 16.109
39. #14 Kyle Berck Marquette,NE Dorothy Lynch Homestyle Dressing Rocket/Wegner/Taurus 16.142 16.653 16.142
40. #34J John Whitney (R) Cincinnati,OH Estes Leasing-B&M Farms Swartz/Estes/Monte Carlo 20.463 16.184 16.184
41. #55 Jeep Van Wormer Pinconning,MI Bayline Fire Protection Warrior/Cornett/Taurus 16.375 16.185 16.185 16.185
42. #69 Terry Eaglin Versailles,IN Helena Chemicals Co. Rocket/Draime/Intrepid R/T 16.235 16.396 16.235
43. #5C Johnny Collins Jacksonville,FL Sheltra & Sons Construction Rayburn/Clements/Grand Prix 16.723 16.397 16.397
44. #58 Garrett Durrett Simsboro,LA Garrett Racing/Pro Power Racing Warrior/Pro Power/Taurus 17.053 16.429 16.429
45. #7C Jim Curry Norman,IN Blackwell Trucking & Conveying Rayburn/Pro Power/Monte Carlo 16.511 16.665 16.511
46. #2* D.J. Troutman (R) Hyndman,PA Stacker2 YJ Stinger Rocket/Russell Baker/Grand Prix 17.384 16.527 16.527
47. #T31 Shane Tankersley Morgonton,GA Hicks Speciality Welding Rocket/Gaerte/Grand Prix 16.887 16.559 16.559
48. #92 Jeremy Morgan Okeechobee,FL Morgan's Lawn Mower-Morgan Furniture Rocket/Wilt/Grand Prix 17.171 16.593 16.593
49. #18 Steve Harvey Jacksonville,FL Harvey Motorsports GRT/Fox/Grand Prix 17.406 16.610 16.610
50. #53 Ray Cook Brasstown,NC Dodge-Bill Elliott Racing MasterSbilt/Gaerte/Interpid R/T 16.639 17.359 16.639
51. #H7 Phil Hall Mt. Airy,NC Mountain River Trucking-LC Transportion Rocket/Custom/Monte Carlo 16.848 16.689 16.689
52. #32 Roger Crouse Plant City,FL Coastal Trucking Rocket/RaceTek/Grand Prix 16.772 16.703 16.703
53. # 3 Mike Collins Council Bluffs,IA D&D Construction MasterSbilt/Charlie's/Grand Prix 16.817 16.709 16.709
54. #1N Casey Noonan Sylvania,OH Noonan's Performance Maching Rocket/Performance/Grand Prix 16.717 16.990 16.717
55. #00 Richard Smith (R) Science Hill,KY Donnie Smith Auto Sales Swartz/Cropper/Grand Prix 16.826 16.739 16.739
56. #17 Steve Radich Tunnleton,WV Dirttracks.com Lazer/Campbell/Monte Carlo 17.520 16.877 16.877
57. #7T Dave Troutman Hyndman,PA Budweiser-TC Race Cars Parts Rocket/Russell Baker/Grand Prix 18.843 17.291 17.291
58. #63 Rod Patterson Lansing,MI Herman's Direct-Reflexite Rocket/Dowker/Monte Carlo 18.749 17.630 17.630
59. #JO J.O. Nobles Nahunta,GA K&N Filters Warrior/Joel Nobles/Monte Carlo 17.866 18.214 17.866
60. #81 Scott Riggs Harrisburg,IL Morris Excavting Rocket/Runyon/Grand Prix 18.715 18.518 18.518
61. #23 Patrick Sheltra Indiantown,FL Sheltra & Sons Construction Rayburn/Clements/Monte Carlo NT NT NT
Heat # 1 (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Carrier Jr.,Boen,J. Smith,Parker,Muzzin,Casebolt,J. Collins,Harvey,Pounds,R. Smith,Sheltra-NS
Heat # 2 (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Pearson Jr.,M. Miller,Cunningham,Johnson,Birkhofer,
Hackett,Moon,Cook,Durrett,Radich
Heat # 3 (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Mars,Clanton,Choquette,Anderson,Purkey,Shaver,Curr y,
Berck,Hall,D. Troutman
Heat # 4 (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Franklin,D. Miller,Voigt,Conley,Whitney,Crouse,England,
Zidar,D.J. Troutman,Patterson-NS
Heat # 5 (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Moran,Mataragas,Cosgrove,Drake,Stone,Morris,
Van Wormer,M. Collins,Tankersley,Nobles
Heat # 6 (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Whiseant,Mason,O'Neal,Eaglin,Blackwell,Riggs,Milli can,
Noonan,White,Morgan
"B" Main # 1 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): Anderson,Birkhofer,Cook,Hackett,Shaver,Moon,Berck,
Radich,J. Collins,Muzzin,Casebolt,Harvey,Sheltra,Purkey,Park er,Curry,Johnson,Hall,Pounds-NS,Durrett-
NS,R. Smith-NS,D. Troutman-NS
"B" Main # 2 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): Stone,Crouse,Eaglin,Morris,Morgan,Tankersley,
Whitney,Van Wormer,Zidar,Drake,Nobles,D.J. Troutman,Conley,Blackwell,M. Collins,White,Riggs-NS,
England-NS,Millican-NS,Noonan-NS,Patterson-NS
YJ STINGER EXTREME ENERGY DRINKS Heat Race Winners Dash (6 Laps-Finish Determines First Three Of Feature): Moran,Pearson Jr.,Franklin,Carrier Jr.,Mars,Whiseant
Donn Goodson Farms Memorial Strawberry Dash (6 Laps-Random Draw Of DNQ Drivers): Tankersley,
J. Collins,Eaglin,Hall,Parker,Morgan
2004 Northern Xtreme DirtCar Series Point Standings (after 2-6-04)
1. #28M Jimmy Mars Elk Mound,WI 526
2. #19J Davey Johnson Greensburg,PA 468
3. # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jackosnville,FL 460
4. #25 Shane Clanton Locust Grove,GA 456
5. #15B Brian Birkhofer Muscatine,IA 426
6. #99 Donnie Moran Dresden,OH 422
7. #71 Don O'Neal Martinsville,IN 416
8. #72 John Mason Millersburg,OH 406
9. # 2 Dennis Franklin Gaffney,SC 402
10. #1K John Anderson Omaha,NE 398
11. # 9 Bill Drake Bloomington,IL 370
12. # 7 Matt Miller Waterville,OH 366
13. #70 Jeff Smith Dallas,NC 347
14. #14 Kyle Berck Marquette,NE 346
15. #32D Darren Miller Chadwick,IL 344
16. #07 Kelly Boen Henderson,CO 332
17. #59 Bill Cunningham Jefferson,OH 328
18. # 7 Dave Troutman Hyndman,PA 325
19. # 0 Steve Shaver Vienna,WV 315
20. #53 Ray Cook Brasstown,NC 310
21. #70 Jeff Choquette West Palm Beach,FL 302
22. #28 Eddie Carrier Jr. Ona,WV 301
#C9 Steve Casebolt Richmond,IN 301
24. #A1 Duke Whiseant Texarkana,AR 299
25. #21D Dan Stone Thompson,PA 287
2004 Northern Xtreme DirtCar Series "Rookie of the Year" Point Standings after 2-6-04
1. #34J John Whitney (R) Cincinnati,OH 273
#2* D.J. Troutman (R) Hyndman,PA 273
3. #64 Sean Cosgrove (R) Catharpin,VA 267
4. #00 Richard Smith (R) Science Hill,KY 240
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