Finally, Delaware International Racing Season Has Begun
April 19, 2004
For me, the off season seems to take forever to get here. But Saturday night, April 17 all that yearning for my NEED FOR SPEED could finally be filled, when the Delaware International Speedway opened the track for the season. I was just excited all day; even more than usual if you can imagine. My adrenalin just rushed more as the day went on, until the time neared to see that hot, fast action, on that half-mile clay oval. I was pretty much ecstatic as the trailers were lined up just outside the gate waiting to make their way to the pits. Once in the pits I began to make my way for all the dirt.
The week before, on the test-N-tune night, many cars made their way to the track. The number of cars showing just for that, amounted to a rather large amount of cars, with more than seventy cars or so present. It is a real treat to see how each car has changed their paint schemes for the new season. All the cars looked great in the pits or on the track. So to wait another week to get the season officially started seems to last forever for me. But now one is in the books and only more action is to follow every Saturday night. So for all your updates and action packed racing news, I will try to take you along; just in case you can't be there.
Let's get right into it and tell you who won on opening night. Some drivers picked up right where they left off last year, up front, and others proved that they will be right up there with the leaders too. Each class had a good show of cars. The new AC Delco TSS Modified had the fewest cars, with a dozen of cars on hand. But, there will be more for sure, because a few drivers are still getting their cars ready.
The Modified Lite was won by Bobby Walls III in the twenty-two, Mark Williams, the 2003 DIS Champion, won the Street Modified feature. H. J. Bunting won the Big Block Modified feature while David Hill ran strong in the Late Model to win the first race. Dave Betts Jr., a rookie to DIS, but a micro champion holder, was the first driver to win in the new AC Delco TSS Modified class on opening night.
One of the most dramatic action race features of the night was the Big Block Modified twenty-five lap feature; where H. J. Bunting III, driving for Will Brown Motorsports this season, came from nineteenth to the front to post his first win of the year. H. J. had a rough qualifying heat and round up tenth, giving him a nineteenth place start. I really like a great race, with a challenge like that and the driver just working his butt off each lap to get that nitch and work that track, to get it to the front. After the race H. J. said "I started in the back, and there was only one way to go, and that was to the front." The number ninety-one, red, sponsored Will Brown Truck Repair, Inc., Delmarva Excavations of Harrington, DE, First-State Chevy Olds, and Courtland Manor Inc., had a brand new Taco carburetor. H. J. may have struggled in the heat with his car not feeling right, but his crew chief and father, Harold Bunting, made a few changes during the break. I think it was the right changes at that. H. J. Bunting III had the fastest track lap with a 21.315 second and an 84.448 MPH speed back on lap 18. Bunting commented that the car was just hooked up and the track was good, I went low and high to gain position. Big hoorays for the Will Brown team on a super run and win of the 2004 year.
Just as Dutton and Short finished the first heat, with the one and two positions and wheel to wheel action, their night began the feature just the same. Robert Dutton (888) was on the pole at the drop of the green and Stormin Norman Short (8M) was right on Dutton's fenders at the start. Both cars were strong through out the night, and Short finished the feature second as well, but he made every effort to stay up front, plus the car really looked to handle.
Lap Five Short took the lead on the outside and down the backstretch. By lap eight, H. J. had moved into eighth, while last years, Champion Craig Mullins (2) was sixth, Ricky Johnson (69), H. J., Scott Smith (55), and Cliff Foskey (28) rounding out the tenth spot. On lap eleven, Glen Reed in his new blue number thirty-five, Blue Diamond Trucking sponsored 2004 TEO and Doug Myers engine passes Dutton for second place while Gary Simpson (12), had almost caught Dutton. Dutton moved back to fourth and finished sixth, which was still a great spot to begin the season, I am not quite sure what caused his car to slow some.
At the half way, Dutton and Simpson still were battling side by side until Simpson finally took third in lap thirteen. So Short's leading, Reed's second, Simpson, H. J. and Mullins was now in fifth. H. J. was now right up to Simpson, and on lap sixteen H. J. gets a good run off turn two, passes Simpson on the outside for third while setting his sites on Reed and passes him for second. Its lap eighteen, and Bunting and Short were nip and tuck. Short goes high in turn three, and Bunting goes low to pass and take the lead. Tim Millman (410) rolls to a stop just out of turn two and the caution waves with two to go.
The top five were Bunting, Short, Reed, Simpson, but Ricky Bishop (62) was now in fifth place. The restart doesn't even get started before a few more cars tangle in turn four. This time on the restart, Bunting takes the outside and Short dives to the inside to stay in front, but H. J. held him off. Johnson was running good as he went into turns three but got a little too high on the top side and looses valuable positions and winds up ninth. The top five remained the same to the end as Bunting claims the first win of the year.
The first Modified heat, cars scrambled as they entered into turn three before the first lap was completed as they went over the track and down into the run off. But Robert Dutton was strong the entire heat to win the first heat. The second heat, Reed was on the pole and stayed in front to win the heat. Bishop was strong and running second, but on lap four Bishop got around in turn three to bring out the yellow; Bishop round up sixth after that incident. The battle was on for positions two and three with Foskey and Beau Wilkins (9) in the second heat.
Erik McKinney in the number seventy-six started third in the Modified Lite feature but had the lead from pole sitter Greg Taylor Jr. in the eleven-A before the first last was complete. A caution on lap three for Matt Jester (OJ) of Faison Racing and again for more cars getting together in turn four. At the half way sign the top five were, McKinney, Kevin McKinney (75), Bobby Walls III (22) who started fifteen and now in third, Nick Hendricks (8), and Mick Helgason in the zero-four. There were only five laps to go and the front of the field had caught the end of the pack cars. Jus then a caution waved with a car around in turn four. The restart positions one and two were head to head with Walls and E. McKinney as the cars of K. McKinney and Hendricks were in third and fourth positions battling as well. On lap fourteen, Walls grabbed the lead with Helgason still on the back door. Walls posted the fastest lap of 22.691 sec on lap 15 and a speed of 79.327 MPH. Congrats to Walls and his team to a great start to the season.
The Street Modified feature had the sixty-one of Richard White Jr. on the point to start. Mark Williams in the number twenty-six Atlantic Screening Inc., and Kenny Pettyjohn Consulting sponsored car battle back and fourth for a while. At the halfway, White was leading followed by Williams, Eric Reed (25), Rick Eskridge (56), and the A-one of Vic Thomas in fifth. On lap ten only fourth and fifth places changed with Kelly Putz (59) and the nineteen-C of Jason Cahall now in fifth. With two to go a yellowed waved as the "East Coast Rookie" as he calls himself, of Steve Stamps in the number eighty-three sponsored Century 21 Rehoboth Bay Realty, and Ocean Retreat Day Spa, just to name a couple got over the turn two edge of the track. Steve struggled all night with his car and a bad push. So with two to go, Williams and White gave all they had with wheel to wheel action all the way to the checkered and mere seconds deciding the difference. The cars looked sharp from the start with a nice filed of eighteen cars and new paint schemes. Congratulations to Mark and his crew for the win as Mark posted a 21.775 second and 82.664 MPH on lap 15.
The new class of the AC Delco TSS Modified made a fifteen lap feature look pretty good for the first time running in 2004. The cars drew for position where the first time feature winner of Dave Betts Jr., of Newark, DE, in the twenty-two-B Betts Garage, Hillbilly Services, Nu-Car Chevrolet setting the fastest track speed with a 21.984 second and a speed of 81.878 MPH on lap seven. Betts is a second generation driver, because his father Dave Betts drove in Modifieds back in the early 80's. The younger Betts told me the track was good for him and just worked. Betts looks forward to running in this class, as he is not new to victory circle. Betts was the 2003, 600 cc Micro-sprint Champion at the Airport Speedway in New Castle, DE. Betts also hold two other championships in the 250 cc Micro class.
Doug Beach (82), started fifth, but was right on the heels of Betts until a caution flew for the number forty-five of Landis Musser as he rolled to a stop in turn four. The half way point Betts was still leading with Tom Curtis (57), Dale Hawkins (83), Mark West (91), and Beach in fifth because the lap was not complete. Two laps to go and Beach was closing in on West with them wire to wire to the checkered. I was not sure which one got fourth Beach or West. The track had to review the tape and it was determined that West was fourth. The top five finished Betts, Curtis, Hawkins, West, and Beach.
Almost all the drivers in this new class are new to a Modified style car. Beach is the only driver that has competed in the big block modified with the exception of Morris Tucker (28), and Bobby Comstock (31), who both used to drive in Modified some years ago. Most of the new drivers to this class have upgraded from Micros or Modified Lites or even go-karts. So this class has pretty much put everyone on a level playing field. So it will be fun to see them evolve. Hats off to Dave Betts Jr. and his crew for their first win.
The only feature I have not touched on would be the super Late Model division. David Hill was a force to be reckoned with and no one touching him as he would win the first feature of the season. Hooray for David Hill in his Hertrich Pontiac, Dorchester Lumber Rocket powered machine and the crew. Even though Hill was strong, many of the cars were just as competitive. Hill set the track fast lap with a 20.703 second on lap 6 and 86.944 MPH speed.
Rick Whaley in the number four Richard Whaley Concrete Construction Co. has took on a new team mate this year with that of another experienced late model driver of Mark Byram. The two have matching cars with Rick having the new Rocket, and J. Dickens Motor; while Mark has last years car with the number four-B on his car. Both of them started second and third for the feature, because Mark won the second heat, while Rick finished second in the first heat. Rick said his car was a little loose, but he still had control of each lap. Rick finished very strong in his rookie year last year and wants to get right back where he left off or even better. Rick was proud of his team mates racing with an eight place finish for Mark.
The first few laps the yellow was out for a few cars getting around in turns two. There will be a few new drivers to this class as well this year. Robert Massey (6X) has moved this year from the Street Modified class to the Late Model class and seemed to be struggling all night with a pushing car. Richard Jarvis Jr., a former Modified driver has returned to DIS in a Late Model. Jarvis has been on asphalt the last couple of years and drove a modified before at DIS. After one to many cautions, the field had to be restarted single file.
Rick and Mark were racing neck in neck from the start, and for a good while until Mark slipped up around on lap eight or nine, just as he got into turn three on the high side and got around. A few other cars got around to miss hitting Bryam. I am sure Mark was really mad with himself after that, but what can you say. At the halfway sign, Hill lead, followed by Whaley, David Pettyjohn (RT9), Donnie Lingo (55L), and Ray Davis Jr. in the number eighty-four. All five of them were powerful in the feature. Another new driver of the number eighty-eight would be Rob Howard as he got up and over turn three. The caution was out, and Howard was on the hook. With only five to go, the top five were still the same five and Jarvis was back in sixth after being in a caution early on. With only two to go, the number twelve of Brian Miller slows to a stop on the back stretch as the lead cars fast approached. The final yellow was out making a two lap shoot out. Hill was so strong no one could touch him, but let me tell you, Whaley gave it a really hard try.
The track was a little dry tonight it seemed, which with all the rain early in the week nearly seemed impossible. The speeds were fast, but I have seem them be faster. So look for faster speeds as we get going into the season. A complete run down of results can be seem on my web site www.redbud69racing.com.
The season is off to a great start, and I can't wait for this weekend to do it all over again. This coming Saturday night, April 24, will mark the Wm. J. Cathell Memorial Night and the URC (United Racing Club) Sprint Club will make the first appearance of the year. For a really fast car and a little different action come on out to see them on that half mile clay oval. Also appearing will be Ms. Motorsports 2004, Cara Foss. Cara has a history in racing and has won many titles. Cara also just launched her web site at Ms Motorsports2004.com. The tracks gates open 4:30 PM, and the first heat at 7:00 PM. Any questions call the tracks hot line at 302.846.3968 or the office at 302.875.1911.
The track will be having special nights of racing through out the season such as the Camp Barnes Benefit race in July, and the Stacker II Xtreme Late Models. So look for this season to be just as sizzling as ever. Come on our and support your local drivers and the track. I'll see you at the track!
Bonnie Nibblett