Chub Frank of Bear Lake,PA roared from his 15th starting position to the win Wednesday night on the second of three nights of Renegade DirtCar Racing Series action at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa,FL.
The 2000, 2001 and 2002 Renegade champion shot past 20th starting Brian Birkhofer exiting turn four to grab the lead with three circuits to go and held off Birkhofer by less than a second to pocket the $7,000 victory at the "27th Annual Late Model Winternationals".
"Birky and Ray (Cook) were probably the smartest drivers out here tonight", stated the very happy winner. "Both of them went with hard tires while the rest of us went too soft. I knew I was in toruble right off the bat so when that accident happened on lap 4 I had to go to the pits for new tires. The double-file restarts helped us get to the front and then when Ray decided to go to the inside for that last restart we ended up on the outside which worked. I guess that was the way it was supposed to work out because my inside tires are bald!", chuckled Frank.
Don O'Neal rode home third ahead of 19th starting Cook while 25th starting Tim McCreadie wound up fifth in the final rundown. Completing the top ten finishers were Rick Eckert in sixth followed by Earl Pearson Jr., 16th starting Shannon Babb, Randle Chupp and 22nd starting Rod Conley.
Pearson Jr. and Chupp brought the 28 car starting field to the green flag but before the field could get through turn one the caution was out when Frank and Mike Balzano tangled. The second attempt at getting a lap in was thwarted for debris on the track. The third time was the charm with Chupp leading lap one trailed by Pearson Jr., O'Neal, Eckert and Terry English. Steve Francis grabbed fifth from English on lap 2 with Eckert taking third from O'Neal the next lap. Chupp and Pearson Jr. ran side by side for the lead but the yellow waved for a four car pile-up off turn two which involved Tim Dohm, Balzano, Delmas Conley and Donnie Moran. Dohm was the only driver to continue. At this point, it was obvious to many drivers they had the wrong tires on as a mass exodus headed pitside for new rubber.
One lap after going back to green Chupp and Pearson Jr. continued their war for the lead with Francis grabbing fourth. Pearson Jr. inched slightly ahead of Chupp on lap 12 but Chupp regained the lead on lap 13 only to lose it for good to Pearson Jr. on lap 14. O'Neal also passed Chupp at this point while Birkhofer flew from seventh to fourth. It was obvious Birkhofer was the fastest car on the track as the Iowa driver snared second on lap 19. At the halfway point Pearson Jr. enjoyed a slight advantage over Birkhofer with Dale McDowell now third ahead O'Neal and Cook with Eckert sixth then English, Francis, 24th starting Scott Bloomquist and Dan Schlieper.
Two laps later Birkhofer swept past Pearson Jr. to grab the lead but before another lap could be put into the books Eckert suffered a flat tire limping to a stop to bring out the caution. O'Neal suffered the same fate on lap 29. Lap 30 saw Schlieper, Bloomquist and John Mason tangle in turn two to bring out another slowdown. All three drivers headed pitside with Mason the only one to return to the action, though several laps down when he did return.
With 15 laps to go the top 10 running order saw Birkhofer with the lead over Cook, Frank, Pearson Jr. and Eckert with O'Neal back to sixth followed by Babb, McDowell, McCreadie and English. McDowell limped to a stop with 6 laps to go setting up the thrilling finish. One lap after going back to green, Frank used the middle groove to sneak past Birkhofer for the lead which he would never give up. O'Neal snared third from Cook with 4 laps to go and McCreadie blasted into the fifth slot with one lap to go.
The $34,000 purse event drew 87 drivers to the semi-banked 1/3rd mile track with O'Neal earning the CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge the Clock" Time Trial award with his fast lap of 14.296 seconds. Winning the BRODIX,INC. heat race wins were Jackie Boggs, Pearson Jr., Francis, Billy Ogle Jr., McDowell and Eckert. The triple MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Mains fell to Cook, Birkhofer and Schlieper while Pearson Jr. copped the ISKY RACING CAMS dash. In the non-sanctioned Monday postponed "Strawberry Dash" for non-qualified cars, Troy Kuyoth grabbed the win while Mike Collins triumphed in the regular "Strawberry Dash".
Renegade DirtCar Racing Series Race Report For 2-5-03
Race No. 2-2003 Season-"27th Annual Late Model Winternationals"
East Bay Raceway Park-Tampa (Gibsonton),FL-1/3rd Mile Oval
$7,000 To Win-$34,000 Purse-50 Lap Feature
Showing Finish Pos,Start Pos.,Car #,Driver,Laps Completed Reason Out (if any) and Purse Money Won
1. (15) #1* Chub Frank 50 Running $7,000
2. (20) #15B Brian Birkhofer 50 Running $4,050
3. (3) #71 Don O'Neal 50 Running $2,570
4. (19) #53C Ray Cook 50 Running $1,550
5. (25) #39 Tim McCreadie 50 Running $1,250
6. (4) #24 Rick Eckert 50 Running $1,160
7. (1) # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. 50 Running $1,100
8. (16) #18 Shannon Babb 50 Running $900
9. (2) #114 Randle Chupp 50 Running $930
10. (22) #71R Rod Conley 50 Running $850
11. (6) #96 Terry English 50 Running $790
12. (7) #4B Jackie Boggs 50 Running $700
13. (11) #99S Ken Schrader 50 Running $650
14. (12) # 0 Steve Shaver 50 Running $600
15. (18) #6T Tim Dohm 49 Running $550
16. (5) #Won11 Rob Blair 49 Running $550
17. (10) #17M Dale McDowell 44 Tire $500
18. (26) #12 Rick Aukland 43 Handling $550
19. (8) #M15 Steve Francis 35 Accident $500
20. (9) #201 Billy Ogle Jr. 35 Handling $500
21. (27) #72 John Mason 35 Running $550
22. (28) #02 Keith Nosbsich 33 Handling $550
23. (23) #0B Scott Bloomquist 30 Accident $550
24. (21) #S9 Dan Schlieper 30 Accident $550
25. (14) #19J Davey Johnson 4 Handling $500
26. (13) #99 Donnie Moran 4 Accident $500
27. (24) #71D Delmas Conley 4 Accident $550
28. (17) #E1 Mike Balzano 4 Driveshaft $500
Time Of Race: 50 Mins.
Yellow Flags: Nine-Laps 0,0,4,27,29,30,34,35,44
Red Flags: None
Lap Leaders: Four-Chupp 1-13,Pearson Jr. 14-26,Birkhofer 27-46,Frank 47-50
OUTERWEARS CO. "Hard Charger of the Race: Birkhofer
ROCKET CHASSIS "Rookie of the Race": None
Provisional Starters: McCreadie,Aukland,Mason,Nosbisch
Car Count: 87
CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge the Clock" Time Trial Award: O'Neal 14.296 secs.
BRODIX,INC. Heat Race Winners: Boggs,Pearson Jr.,Francis,Ogle Jr.,Chupp,Eckert
SCOTT PERFORMANCE WIRE Heat Race Bonus Winner: Francis
TEAM SMART Heat Race Bonus Winner: None
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main Winners: Cook,Birkhofer,Schlieper
ISKY RACING CAMS Dash Winner: Pearson Jr.
SUMMARY-CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge the Clock" Time Trials:
1. #71 Don O'Neal Martinsville,IN 14.296
2. #Won11 Rob Blair Titusville,PA 14.387
3. #39 Tim McCreadie Watertown,NY 14.598
4. # 7 Dave Troutman Hyndman,PA 14.637
5. # 2 Steve Lucas Charleston,WV 14.652
6. #24 Rick Eckert York,PA 14.655
7. #96 Terry English Benton,KY 14.712
8. # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville,FL 14.720
9. #46 Jason Tolliver Proctorville,OH 14.817
10. #53 Lee Thomason Marion,IL 14.818
11. #114 Randle Chupp Troutman,NC 14.833
12. #99 Donnie Moran Dresden,OH 14.861
13. #4B Jackie Boggs Grayson,KY 14.877
14. #53C Ray Cook Brasstown,NC 14.892
15. #72 John Mason Millersburg,OH 14.909
16. #18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua,IL 14.920
17. #E1 Mike Balzano Parkersburg,WV 14.937
18. #12 Rick Aukland Zanesville,OH 14.982
19. #21D Dan Stone Thompson,PA 14.985
20. #19J Davey Johnson Greensburg,PA 14.987
21. #M15 Steve Francis Ashland,KY 14.987
22. #15B Brian Birkhofer Muscatine,IA 14.998
23. #7S Brian Staton Norfolk,VA 15.003
24. #21 Billy Moyer Batesville,AR 15.009
25. #70 1/2 Anthony Rushing Jr. McCool,MS 15.014
26. #28M Jimmy Mars Elk Mound,WI 15.018
27. #99S Ken Schrader Concord,NC 15.021
28. #201 Billy Ogle Jr. Knoxville,TN 15.054
29. #32C Vic Coffey Leicester,NY 15.064
30. #6T Tim Dohm Cross Lanes,WV 15.065
31. #12S Jason Setzer Columbus,IN 15.065
32. #83S Scott James Bright,IN 15.068
33. #1* Chub Frank Bear Lake,PA 15.112
34. #99B Justin Blackwell Heltonville,IN 15.113
35. #88 Wendell Wallace Batesville,AR 15.118
36. #24M Jeremy Miller Gettysburg,PA 15.132
37. #71R Rod Conley Wheelersburg,OH 15.141
38. #11P Kenny Pettyjohn Milton,DE 15.174
39. #0B Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg,TN 15.180
40. #21M Jason Montgomery Jackson,OH 15.193
41. #17M Dale McDowell Rossville,GA 15.240
42. #9Z Jayme Zidar Greenfield,WI 15.241
43. #02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico,FL 15.248
44. #05 Roy Deese Jr. Odenton,MD 15.261
45. #71C R.J. Conley Wheelersburg,OH 15.267
46. #00K Randy Korte Highland,IL 15.276
47. #71D Delmas Conley Wheelersburg,OH 15.279
48. #28E Dennis Erb Jr. Carpentersville,IL 15.291
49. # 3 Steve Smith Powell,TN 15.326
50. #59 Bill Cunningham Jefferson,OH 15.328
51. #F1 Mike Duvall Cowpens,SC 15.377
52. # 0 Steve Shaver Vienna,WV 15.382
53. #00 Greg Johnson Bedford,IN 15.401
54. #1U Matt Urban North East,PA 15.406
55. #00S Freddy Smith Seymour,TN 15.425
56. #07 Kelly Boen Denver,CO 15.452
57. #P1 Tim Prince Heltonville,IN 15.467
58. #42 Marshall Austin Dover,FL 15.484
59. #S9 Dan Schlieper Sullivan,WI 15.490
60. #JO J.O. Nobles Nahunta,GA 15.501
61. #75 Bart Hartman Zanesville,OH 15.514
62. #1CJ C.J. Rayburn Whiteland,IN 15.587
63. #11 Bobby Wolters Jr. Lexington,KY 15.612
64. #1A Audie Swartz Minford,OH 15.612
65. #28W Thomas Ware Cynthiana,KY 15.613
66. #55 Jeep Van Wormer Pinconning,MI 15.624
67. #7M Matt Miller Waterville,OH 15.663
68. #00H Chuck Harper Beverly,WV 15.699
69. #A1 Dan Autullo Chicago,IL 15.708
70. #19 Mike Hawley Paint Lick,KY 15.715
71. #64 Ryan Dauber Tonica,IL 15.729
72. #70 Jeff Choquette West Palm Beach,FL 15.739
73. #35 Cody Hupp Decatur,IL 15.787
74. #56 Gary Webb Blue Grass,IA 15.838
75. #333 Ty Myers Clark,OH 15.857
76. #80 Troy Kuyoth Startford,WI 15.902
77. #79 Vince Muzzin Jensen Beach,FL 16.086
78. #56M Rohn Moon Greenwood,IN 16.110
79. #32D Scott Douglas Waco,KY 16.191
80. #3C Mike Collins Council Bluffs,IA 16.348
81. #24P Dabs Potts Highlands,NC 16.730
82. #108 Chuck Southard Franklin,NC 17.130
83. #52R Brandon Russell Warsaw,OH 17.489
84. #7L Randy Lucas Apex,NC 17.897
85. #49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville,GA NT
86. #32S Ronnie Smith Waco,KY NT
87. #11o Jimmy Owens Newport,TN NT
BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #1 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Boggs,English,O'Neal,Nosbisch,Setzer,Hartman,Rushing Jr.,
Rd. Conley,M. Miller,S. Smith,Douglas,Hupp,Stone,NS-F. Smith,R. Smith
BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #2 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Pearson Jr.,Blair,D. Johnson,Mars,Cook,Pettyjohn,Boen,James,
Rayburn,Cunningham,Deese Jr.,Webb,Harper,Collins,NS-Davenport
BRODIX,INC./SCOTT PERFORMANCE WIRE Heat Race #3 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Francis,Schrader,Frank,
Bloomquist,R.J. Conley,Mason,Duvall,Prince,McCreadie,Tolliver,Myers,Autullo,Wolters Jr.,Potts,NS-Owens
BRODIX,INC./TEAM SMART Heat Race #4 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Ogle Jr.,Shaver,Babb,Troutman,Birkhofer,
Montgomery,Kuyoth,Swartz,Austin,Hawley,Thomason,Blackwell,Southard,NS-Korte
BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #5 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): McDowell,Chupp,Balzano,D. Conley,Schlieper,Wallace,Muzzin,
Coffey,Russell,Ware,G. Johnson,Dauber,Staton,S. Lucas
BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #6 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Eckert,Moran,Dohm,Moyer,Aukland,J. Miller,Erb Jr.,Choquette,
Zidar,Urban,Moon,Van Wormer,R. Lucas,Nobles
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #1 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): Cook,Rd. Conley,Nosbisch,Pettyjohn,Hartman,
Webb,M. Miller,Harper,Douglas,F. Smith,Cunningham,Collins,Rushing Jr.,Hupp,S.. Smith,James,Rayburn,Mars,Deese Jr.,Setzer,
Boen,NS-Stone,R. Smith,Davenport
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #2 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): Birkhofer,Bloomquist,Hawley,McCreadie,
Montgomery,Kuyoth,R.J. Conley,Swartz,Myers,Blackwell,Mason,Thomason,Wolters Jr.,Autullo,Austin,Tolliver,Potts,Troutman,
Southard,Prince,Duvall,NS-Korte,Owens
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #3 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): Schlieper,D. Conley,Aukland,Moyer,G. Johnson,
Ware,J. Miller,S. Lucas,Urban,Zidar,Coffey,Muzzin,Choquette,Moon,Russell,Dauber,Van Wormer,Wallace,Erb Jr.,Staton,NS-R.
Lucas,Nobles
ISKY RACING CAMS Dash (6 Laps-Finish Determines First Three Rows Of Feature): Pearson Jr.,Chupp,O'Neal,Eckert,Blair,
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