TAMPA, Fla. - Don O'Neal of Martinsville,IN bagged the $12,000 to win top prize Friday on the final night of Renegade DirtCar Racing Series sanctioned "27th Annual Late Model Winternationals" at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa,FL. O'Neal, who started 14th aboard the Petroff Towing/O'Neal Wood Products/B-Auto Parts/Fast Graphix/ C.J. Rayburn Race Cars/Pro Power Engines No. 71 Don O'Neal Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo, grabbed the top spot from Earl Pearson Jr. on lap 48 and then held off Steve Francis by less than three car lengths for the victory.
"Man, that was a workout", stated the very happy winner. "The high groove is where this car wanted to work and it about wore me out! We've been in the hunt all week but just hadn't been able to get to the front like we like. But, the guy's on the crew got her dialed in tonight and here we are".
Francis, who started 21st, was all over O'Neal with 15 laps to go but a bobble in turn two allowed O'Neal to extend his lead. Francis fought back catching O'Neal with 5 laps to go and was able to pull even with O'Neal in the closing laps but couldn't find the traction necessary to challenge O'Neal on the final lap.
Jackie Boggs rode home third after starting 22nd with Kelly Boen fourth and Pearson Jr. fifth. Rounding out the top ten finishers were Terry english in sixth followed by Shannon Babb, Jimmy Mars, 27th starting Steve Shaver and Mike Balzano.
R.J. Conley and Dale McDowell brought the 28 car starting field to the green flag but before lap one could be completed Rick Eckert spun in turn four collecting several other drivers. Randle Chupp got the worst of it as damaged suspension pieces kept him from continuing.
Conley led the first lap once the race went green but four cautions in the first nine laps slowed the pace. With 10 laps in the books Conley held the lead over Pearson Jr. with McDowell third, Boen fourth and Francis now fifth. Pearson Jr. used the low groove to grab the lead from Conley on lap 18.
Caution on laps 19 and 20 slowed the pace again but after that a long green flag period allowed for some excellent side by side action. At the halfway point of the 75 lapper, Pearson Jr. still held the lead with Boen now second ahead of Brian Birkhofer, O'Neal and Francis with McDowell sixth ahead of Conley, Boggs, Mars and Dan Schlieper.
Four laps later, Birkhofer's bid for the lead fell by the wayside when he limped to a stop with a broken shock mount. O'Neal now sat second for the restart and pressured Pearson Jr. for the lead until taking the top spot on lap 48.O'Neal began to pull away from the field once he took the lead. Francis moved into second with 20 laps to go but fell back to sixth one lap later when he nearly spun in turn two. Francis came roaring right back moving back into second with ten circuits to go and pressured O'Neal for the lead. O'Neal was up to the challenge taking the checkered flag with a less than three car margin.
The $54,000 event attracted 79 drivers to the semi-banked 1/3rd mile with Tim McCreadie earning the CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge The Clock" time trial award with his fast lap of 14.246 seconds. BRODIX,INC. heat race wins fell to Chupp, Mars, Conley, Boen, Eckert and Birkhofer while the MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Mains went to Jeremy Miller, Troy Kuyoth and Francis. Conley copped the ISKY RACING CAMS dash while the non-sanctioned "Strawberry Dash" fell to Billy Ogle Jr.
Renegade DirtCar Racing Series Race Report For 2-7-03 Race No. 3-2003 Season-"27th Annual Late Model Winternationals East Bay Raceway Park-Tampa(Gibsonton),FL-1/3rd Mile Oval $54,000 Purse-$12,000 To Win-75 Lap Feature
Showing Finish Pos.,Start Pos.,Car #,Driver,Laps Completed,Reason Out (if any) and Purse Money Won
1. (14) #71 Don O'Neal 75 Running $12,000 2. (21) #M15 Steve Francis 75 Running $8,050 3. (22) #4B Jackie Boggs 75 Running $5,050 4. (3) #07 Kelly Boen 75 Running $3,070 5. (4) # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. 75 Running $2,060 6. (10) #96 Terry English 75 Running $1,600 7. (6) #18 Shannon Babb 75 Running $1,540 8. (8) #28M Jimmy Mars 75 Running $1,400 9. (27) # 0 Steve Shaver 75 Running $1,300 10. (17) #E1 Mike Balzano 75 Running $1,200 11. (13) #S9 Dan Schlieper 74 Running $1,100 12. (23) #Won11 Rob Blair 74 Running $1,050 13. (1) #71C R.J. Conley 74 Running $1,000 14. (28) #99 Donnie Moran 74 Running $900 15. (11) #70 1/2 Anthony Rushing Jr. 74 Running $800 16. (26) #1* Chub Frank 72 Running $800 17. (16) #28E Dennis Erb Jr. 70 Running $700 18. (2) #17M Dale McDowell 68 Vibration $780 19. (9) #15B Brian Birkhofer 57 Header $700 20. (18) #19J Davey Johnson 42 Handling $700 21. (25) #39 Tim McCreadie 42 Handling $750 22. (24) #88 Wendell Wallace 41 Handling $750 23. (12) #70 Jeff Choquette 41 Spindle $700 24. (20) #80 Troy Kuyoth 41 Handling $750 25. (19) #24M Jeremy Miller 28 Rear-End $750 26. (15) #05 Roy Deese Jr. 19 Handling $700 27. (5) #24 Rick Eckert 9 Axle $750 28. (7) #114 Randle Chupp 0 Accident $700
Time Of Race: 57 Mins. Yellow Flags: Nine-Laps 0,4,5,7,9,19,20,42,57 Red Flags: None Lap Leaders: Three-Conley 1-17,Pearson Jr. 18-47,O'Neal 48-75 OUTERWEARS CO. "Hard Charger of the Race": Francis ROCKET CHASSIS "Rookie of the Race": None Provisional Starters: McCreadie,Frank,Shaver,Moran Car Count: 79 CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge The Clock" Time Trial Award: McCreadie 14.246 secs. BRODIX,INC. Heat Race Winners: Chupp,Mars,Conley, Boen,Eckert,Birkhofer SCOTT PERFORMANCE WIRE Heat Race Bonus Winner:None TEAM SMART Heat Race Bonus Winner: Eckert MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main Winners: Miller, Kuyoth,Francis ISKY RACING CAMS Dash Winner: Conley
SUMMARY - CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge The Clock" Time Trials:
1. #39 Tim McCreadie Watertown,NY 14.246 2. #4B Jackie Boggs Grayson,KY 14.272 3. #Won11 Rob Blair Titusville,PA 14.300 4. # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville,FL 14.347 5. #24 Rick Eckert York,PA 14.356 6. #71D Delmas Conley Wheelersburg,OH 14.494 7. #18 Shannon Babb Mowequa,IL 14.496 8. #17M Dale McDowell Rossville,GA 14.513 9. #71C R.J. Conley Wheelersburg,OH 14.525 10. #07 Kelly Boen Denver,CO 14.527 11. #E1 Mike Balzano Parkersburg,WV 14.538 12. #19J Davey Johnson Greensburg,PA 14.540 13. #114 Randle Chupp Troutman,NC 14.544 14. #24M Jeremy Miller Gettysburg,PA 14.548 15. #71R Rod Conley Wheelersburg,OH 14.563 16. #80 Troy Kuyoth Stratford,WI 14.584 17. #S9 Dan Schlieper Sullivan,WI 14.589 18. #15B Brian Birkhofer Muscatine,IA 14.609 19. #05 Roy Deese Jr. Laurel,MD 14.618 20. #28M Jimmy Mars Elk Mound,WI 14.636 21. #70 1/2 Anthony Rushing Jr. McCool,MS 14.642 22. #70 Jeff Choquette West Palm Beach,FL 14.648 23. #88 Wendell Wallace Batesville,AR 14.670 24. #00K Randy Korte Highland,IL 14.672 25. #59 Bill Cunningham Jefferson,OH 14.674 26. #12 Rick Aukland Zanesville,OH 14.680 27. #28E Dennis Erb Jr. Carpentersville,IL 14.694 28. #6T Tim Dohm Cross Lanes,WV 14.714 29. #32C Vic Coffey Leicester,NY 14.723 30. #21 Billy Moyer Batesville,AR 14.724 31. #99 Donnie Moran Dresden,OH 14.748 32. #72 John Mason Millersburg,OH 14.760 33. #11o Jimmy Owens Newport,TN 14.762 34. # 2 Steve Lucas Charleston,WV 14.779 35. # 0 Steve Shaver Vienna,WV 14.784 36. #M15 Steve Francis Ashland,KY 14.802 37. #19 Mike Hawley Paint Lick,KY 14.815 38. #96 Terry English Benton,KY 14.820 39. #1U Matt Urban North East,PA 14.835 40. #02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico,FL 14.855 41. #75 Bart Hartman Zanesville,OH 14.903 42. #71 Don O'Neal Martinsville,IN 14.927 43. #201 Billy Ogle Jr. Knoxville,TN 14.935 44. #11Z Bryan Collins Ellsberry,MO 14.943 45. #21M Jason Montgomery Jackson,OH 14.955 46. #D65 Dwight Falcon Baton Rouge,LA 14.976 47. #35 Cody Hupp Decatur,IL 15.002 48. #1* Chub Frank Sugar Grove,PA 15.009 49. #21D Dan Stone Thompson,PA 15.025 50. #32 Roger Crouse Plant City,FL 15.031 51. #1A Audie Swartz Minford,OH 15.037 52. #28W Thomas Ware Cynthiana,KY 15.084 53. #53C Ray Cook Brasstown,NC 15.099 54. #7M Matt Miller Waterville,OH 15.111 55. #9Z Jayme Zidar Greenfield,WI 15.129 56. #83S Scott James Bright,IN 15.140 57. #00S Freddy Smith Seymour,TN 15.141 58. #JO J.O. Nobles Nahunta,GA 15.213 59. #7S Brain Staton Norfolk,VA 15.303 60. #0B Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg,TN 15.340 61. #11P Kenny Pettyjohn Milton,DE 15.366 62. #00H Chuck Harper Beverly,WV 15.382 63. #F1 Mike Duvall Cowpens,SC 15.517 64. #79 Vince Muzzin Jensen Beach,FL 15.532 65. # 3 Steve Smith Powell,TN 15.579 66. #32S Ronnie Smith Waco,KY 15.582 67. #42 Marsahll Austin Dover,FL 15.592 68. #55 Jeep Van Wormer Pinconning,MI 15.629 69. # 7 Dave Troutman Hyndman,PA 15.678 70. #56M Rohn Moon Greenwood,IN 15.734 71. #24P Dabs Potts Highlands,NC 15.806 72. #64 Ryan Dauber Tonica,IL 15.827 73. #11 Bobby Wolters Jr. Lexington,KY 15.848 74. #1x1 Sonny Conley New Martinsville,WV 15.904 75. #52 Bryan Lillibridge Coshocton,OH 15.947 76. #32D Scott Douglas Waco,KY 16.307 77. #1L Victor Lee Stafford,KY 16.511 78. #92 Jeremy Morgan Okeechobee,FL NT 79. #12S Jason Setser Columbus,IN NT
BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #1 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature):Chupp,Babb,Deese Jr.,Hawley,Ogle Jr.,Moran, Cunningham,Pettyjohn,Austin,Wolters Jr.,McCreadie,Zidar, Stone,NS-Setser BRODIX,INC./SCOTT PERFORMANCE WIRE Heat Race #2 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Mars,English, McDowell,J. Miller,Boggs,Mason,Aukland,James,Van Wormer,Harper,S. Conley,Collins,Crouse BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #3 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): R.J. Conley,Rushing Jr.,Erb Jr.,Blair,Owens, Swartz,Rd. Conley,F. Smith,Duvall,Montgomery, Troutman,Urban,Lillibridge BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #4 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Boen,Choquette,Pearson Jr.,Lucas,Nosbisch, Douglas,Nobles,Ware,Muzzin,Falcon,Moon,Kuyoth,Dohm BRODIX,INC./TEAM SMART Heat Race #5 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Eckert,Schlieper,Balzano,Wallace, Shaver,Coffey,Hartman,Cook,Lee,Hupp,Potts,S. Smith,NS- Staton BRODIX,INC. Heat Race #6 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Birkhofer,O'Neal,Johnson,Francis,M. Miller, Bloomquist,Moyer,D. Conley,Frank,Dauber,R. Smith, Korte,NS-Morgan MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #1 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): J. Miller,Boggs,Moran,Aukland,Ogle Jr.,Hawley,James,Cunningham,Harper,Collins,McCreadie, S. Conley,Wolters Jr.,Austin,Zidar,Pettyjohn,Stone, Mason,Van Wormer,NS-Crouse,Setser MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #2 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): Kuyoth,Blair,Lucas,Rd. Conley, Ware,Nobles,Montgomery,Nosbisch,Urban,Muzzin,Moon, Lillibridge,Troutman,Falcon,Swartz,Douglas,F. Smith, Duvall,DQ-Owens (Light At Scales),NS-Dohm MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #3 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): Francis,Wallace,Hartman,Moyer, Korte,Coffey,Cook,M. Miller,Frank,Lee,S. Smith,Dauber, D. Conley,Potts,Bloomquist,Hupp,NS-Shaver,R. Smith, Staton,Morgan ISKY RACING CAMS Dash (6 Laps-Finish Determines First Three Rows Of Feature): R.J. Conley,McDowell,Boen, Pearson Jr.,Eckert,Babb
2003 Renegade DirtCar Racing Series Point Standings (after 2-7-03)
1. #71 Don O'Neal Martinsville,IN 770 2. #M15 Steve Francis Ashland,KY 690 3. #4B Jackie Boggs Grayson,KY 670 4. #15B Brian Birkhofer Muscatine,IA 650 5. #24 Rick Eckert York,PA 620 6. #1* Chub Frank Bear Lake,PA 610 7. # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville,FL 530 8. #E1 Mike Balzano Parkersburg,WV 510 9. # 0 Steve Shaver Vienna,WV 510 10. #19J Davey Johnson Greensburg,PA 440 11. #71C R.J. Conley Wheelersburg,OH 410 12. #114 Randle Chupp Troutman,NC 410 13. #Won11 Rob Blair Titusville,PA 370 14. #99 Donnie Moran Dresden,OH 360 15. #53 Ray Cook Brasstown,NC 360 16. #21 Billy Moyer Batesville,AR 330 17. #12 Rick Aukland Zanesville,OH 320 18. #71R Rod Conley Wheelersburg,OH 300 19. #S9 Dan Schlieper Sullivan,WI 290 20. # 7 Matt Miller Waterville,OH 280
2003 ROCKET CHASSIS "Rookie of the Year" Point Standings (after 2-7-03)
1. # 7 Dave Troutman Hyndman,PA 150
2003 CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge The Clock" Time Trial Point Standings (after 2-7-03)
1. #24 Rick Eckert York,PA 291 2. #4B Jackie Boggs Grayson,KY 277 3. #114 Randle Chupp Troutman,NC 257 4. #12 Rick Aukland Zanesville,OH 256 5. #E1 Mike Balzano Parkersburg,WV 251
2003 WRISCO INDUSTRIES/HOOSIER TIRE-OHIO VALLEY "Dash King" Point Standings (after 2-7-03)
1. # 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville,FL 9 2. #24 Rick Eckert York,PA 7 3. #71C R.J. Conley Wheelersburg,OH 6 4. #M15 Steve Francis Ashland,KY 6 5. #114 Randle Chupp Troutman,NC 5
2003 MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main Point Standings (after 2-7-03)
1. #75 Bart Hartman Zanesville,OH 380 2. #00H Chuck Harper Beverly,WV 340 3. # 2 Steve Lucas Charleston,WV 310 4. #21 Billy Moyer Batesville,AR 290 5. #19 Mike Hawley Paint Lick,KY 290
2003 OUTERWEARS CO. "Hard Charger" Point Standings (after 2-7-03)
1. #1* Chub Frank Bear Lake,PA 37 2. # 0 Steve Shaver Vienna,WV 29 3. #4B Jackie Boggs Grayson,KY 28 4. #15B Brian Birkhofer Muscatine,IA 21 5. #M15 Steve Francis Ashland,KY 19
2003 Renegade DirtCar Racing Series Feature Event Winners (after 2-7-03)
1. #M15 Steve Francis Ashland,KY 1 2. #71 Don O'Neal Martinsville,IN 1 3. #1* Chub Frank Bear Lake,PA 1
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