|
| Daredevil Adams scores USCS career win #25 at Senoia Speedway | Senoia, Ga. - 2000 USCS National Champion, Kenny Adams of Malabar, Florida, scored his 25th career United Sprint Car Series victory Saturday night at Senoia Speedway. It was also his 10th win in 12 career USCS asphalt starts.
The high speed contest saw Adams chasing the previous night's winner (at Huntsville Speedway), Jim Raptis, of Marietta, Georgia, for the first 14 laps of the 40 lap main event driving his "Got Milk?"/ Putnam County (Fla.) Speedway sponsored Shaw Racing mount) before driving by high in turn three for the lead. On lap 18, Adams' teammate, Red Stauffer, made contact with another car and spun coming off turn four , while running 4th. This brought out the events only caution. Stauffer and David Heno retired and Adams went on to lead the final 22 laps, with Raptis in hot pursuit.
Raptis, who called Senoia his home track, while racing Late Models there for many years, closed on Adams numerous times and made several pass attempts as the two cars streaked thru lapped traffic. Adams made many daring and breathtaking moves while driving his Shaw Racing mount around lapped cars as he worked to keep a persistent Raptis in second. He created a whole new and untested line around the top of the race track, far above any line Senoia Speedway observers had ever seen run by a driver at the high-banked 3/8 mile asphalt track.
" I've been here and raced sprint cars here a number of times myself and we always regard this as a pretty fast race track that is maybe a little tough to pass on, but Kenny Adams just took racing room and race car driving to a whole new level at this Speedway tonight and Jim Raptis wasn't far behind." stated USCS President, Pete Walton. " If you missed this one, you missed seeing the very, very best in action!" finalized Walton.
Raptis, who follows Adams in second place in the USCS "Asphalt Thunder " point standings served notice over the weekend that he will be, just like Adams, a force to be reckoned with in 2001. Seven time National sprint car champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, Tennessee, started seventh and advanced to third place as he lead the balance of the 22 car starting field from seven states to the finish line. Gray stands in 3rd place in the 2001 " Asphalt Thunder " standings just points behind Adams and Raptis. Doug Day finished fourth, Ted Williams fifth, 1999 USCS Champ, Marshall Skinner sixth, Jim MacKenzie in seventh, 8th went to Brian Thomas, 9th was Randy Helton and rounding out the top ten was David Bryant of Florence, Mississippi in his first asphalt start.
Adams had a sweep Saturday night with a near track record fast time of 11.39 seconds. Then he went on to win the 6 lap, Airflow Research "Power Dash" to pocket the $200 Action Vend (Amusement and games ) presented "Power Dash" bonus plus his heat race prior to his well earned feature win. Stauffer and Raptis captured the other heats. Randy Helton garnered the Huggins Cams "Hard Charger" award for passing 9 cars in the main event. The KSE Racing Products "Steering and Stompin" award went to Gray for his nights efforts and Troy Lowery just edged out 18 year old Ben Basinger for the All Star Motorsports / Hart Racing "Top Rookie" award. Other series awards were Sierra Racing Products "Got Brakes" award to Marshall Skinner, C&R Racing Radiators "I'M cool " awards to Jim MacKenzie and rookie Tim Perry. The Kinser Filters "Clean Air Act" award went to Helton as well. A " tire smoking " Brian Thomas recieved the Robison Racing Products awards and Leaf Racewear product awards went to rookie Ben Basinger. David Heno of Salisbury, North Carolina got the races Logo Motion "Hard Luck" award when three wide racing left him no place to go and ended his race crashing him into Red Stauffer's spun mount on lap 18 of the main event.
The series now moves on to dirt ovals for it's next 16 events. The next two races are this Friday , May 11th at Sugar Creek Raceway in Blue Ridge, Ga. and Saturday, May 12th at Silver Eagle Speedway near Augusta, Ga.
A - main finish (40 laps) - Adams, Raptis, Gray, Day, Williams, Skinner, MacKenzie, Thomas, Helton, Bryant, Troy Lowery, Ben Basinger, George Turner, Tim Perry, Red Stauffer, David Heno, Bill Moore, Jerry Jones, Robert Smith, Chris Rogers, Tom Paterson and Link Knauff.
Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board!
or send a letter to the editor!
|
