IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

April 17, 2005 FSCR Repeat Winners Take Center Stage at East Bay By Larry Jewett After a couple of weeks with new names in Victory Lane, some familiar faces stood before the crowd Saturday night at East Bay Raceway Park. More than 100 cars were on hand in the five-division program. The 15-lap Street Stock main led the feature parade with 23 cars prepared for the green. Former winner Tim Spencer took his turn at the point at the drop of the green. He held that position until Paul Gibbs grabbed the lead on the fourth lap. Gibbs had company as two-time feature winner Steven Johnson moved behind to challenge. Johnson also had company in his position battle. Steve Burch, who started deep in the field, worked to third before the halfway mark. Gibbs and Johnson ran a clean race, setting the stages for a late race drama. The drama came with one lap remaining when the red flag flew for a fire in Joel Goldfrank’s car. The driver was not injured, but the incident set up a one-lap shootout. Gibbs kept the car on its marks and grabbed the second win of the season. In Victory Lane, Gibbs praised his opponents for the clean racing and remarked how good it feels to race with people who respect each other. Johnson claimed second with Austin Sanders moving to third late in the race. Burch held on for fourth in his 2005 debut at East Bay while Eric Johnson brought home a solid fifth. Heats were won by Matthew Grissom and Mac Kersey. Point leader David Simpson had earned his position at the top of the Limited Late Model heap by accumulating consistent finishes. Simpson was kept from the feature win column until Saturday night when he powered to victory. The race got off to a rocky start and once the green flag was waving, the action was non-stop. Timmy Bronson snatched the lead on lap four, only to lose it a lap later to Simpson. Bronson and Simpson were among a handful of cars that avoided a 10-car pileup in the second corner. The wreck sent seven cars pitside while three were able to move on. Bronson spun on lap 10, handing second to Bruce Harvey. Forest Gough, one of the three cars that continued after the major melee, grabbed a couple of spots in a chase for a top-five run. Gough passed John Burger, who held fifth until the last lap when the car’s engine expired. Simpson parked in Victory Lane, securing his point lead with Harvey having his best feature finish of the season with a second. Robert Douglas ran a determined third with Gough fourth. Dale Pope, hampered by the big incident, soldiered in for fifth after Burger’s engine troubles. Gough had a heat win while Ricky Land gained his first preliminary victory of the season. The 15-car feature field was missing a heat race winner when Roger Crouse did not answer the call for the start. Ed Hill jumped out to the lead from a front row position and tried to distance himself from the rest of the field. Jack Nosbisch Jr. closed to threaten Hill and take the lead on lap 7. Hill started slipping back, yielding spots to David Schmauss, Keith Nosbsich, and J.R. Garcia in short order. Keith Nosbisch made his move on Schmauss in lapped traffic to snare second. Shortly after a lap 14 restart, Keith Nosbisch used the low line to wrestle the lead from Jack Nosbisch Jr. Schmauss gained a spot and chased Keith Nosbisch. On the white flag lap, Keith Nosbisch slipped a bit in the second turn, but was able to prevail for his second feature of 2005. Schmauss, Jack Nosbisch Jr., K.D. Kelley, and Garcia completed the top five. Keith Nosbisch joined Crouse as preliminary winners in the class. Schmauss would jump into his Open Wheel Modified and compete in the 15-lap main that saw 26 cars take the green. The event saw plenty of contact between competitors as evidenced by the flying metal and dangling parts. Devin Dixon took the lead early, but a three-car battle between Buzzie Reutimann, John Bradley, and Jamie Burrows had fans on their feet. Bradley was hung out and spun in turn while Burrows ducked into the infield with mechanical issues. Reutimann lined up behind Dixon with Schmauss, Bobby Dixon and Brian Hollifield in the early stages. Reutimann swept into the lead, but Devin Dixon rallied back for the point a couple laps later. As this duo was doing battle, Schmauss seized an opportunity to pass both and take the lead with five laps remaining. No one could catch Schmauss who tallied his first open Wheel Modified feature of 2005 to join the two Late Model victories already in the books. Reutimann held off Devin Dixon to take second while Bobby Dixon ran a steady fourth. Bobby Alexander Jr. clawed to a top five finish. Bobby Dixon and Burrows claimed heat wins. The Outlaw 4 class came into the event with a dead heat for the top of the point standings between Chad Rose and Ryan Mitchell. Neither driver gained much in the heats, won by Brad Boerner and Jimmy Waldrop, so the real battle would take shape in the feature. Waldrop held the lead at the start of the 15-lap race that showcased 14 cars. Eddie Mercer worked to second and set the stage for a scenario similar to Mercer’s first win a few weeks earlier when he passed Waldrop late in the race. It wouldn’t work that way as Waldrop faltered and fell from contention. Meanwhile, Jeff Conyers came tearing up through the field, but officials determined Conyers jumped on a restart. Had there been a caution, Conyers would have been moved back, but the race stayed green and Conyers took the lead for an apparent win. As he approached Victory Lane, he was told of the situation and Mercer came to Victory Lane. However, Mercer was light at the scales and the win was awarded to Steve Miller. Conyers, who had been moved from first to third with the two position penalty, ended up second. Third went to Josh Peacock with Boerner and Rose rounding out the top five. The next action at East Bay Raceway Park is a doubleheader with the 2005 appearance of the National Late Model Series set for Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23. Local divisions will join the touring Late Models each night. Open Wheel Modifieds, Outlaw 4, and Limited Sprints will race on Friday. Saturday’s classes include Street Stocks, 4 Cylinder Bombers, Trucks and Lawn Mowers. Action starts at 7 on Friday with activity underway at 6:30 on Saturday. EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK APRIL 16, 2005 Agate Report Street Stocks 1. Paul Gibbs 2. Steven Johnson 3. Austin Sanders 4. Steve Burch 5. Eric Johnson Limited Late Models 1. David Simpson 2. Bruce Harvey 3. Robert Douglas 4. Forest Gough 5. Dale Pope Late Models 1. Keith Nosbisch 2. David Schmauss 3, Jack Nosbisch Jr. 4. K.D. Kelley 5. J.R. Garcia Open Wheel Modifieds 1. David Schmauss 2. Buzzie Reutimann 3. Devin Dixon 4. Bobby Dixon 5. Bobby Alexander Jr. Outlaw 4 1. Steve Miller 2. Jeff Conyers 3. Josh Peacock 4. Brad Boerner 5. Chad Rose Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! news@karnac.org or send a letter to the editor!