More Action In Delaware, Side By Side Racin
All Night, Part II
May 4, 2004
Delmar, DE…..…. With having so many classes now, and all of them having hot action in all the features I felt compelled to only divide all the dirt in two parts. I just did not want to leave any of that thrilling racing out. The action once again this past Saturday night was fast, hot, and sticky on that half mile clay oval. The cars engaged in battle all night with some really supreme side by side, wheel to wheel and fender to fender racing in all the features.
All that close competition for position makes a good night of racing for the fans. What an exciting night of action it was; my NEED FOR SPEED addiction was very thrilled and content, until next week, that is. The track was a little more heavy this week and the drivers really like that tacky surface, and bites in the track.
In part I, I covered the new AC Delco TSS Modified first time winner of Tom Curtis and the Modified winner of Ricky Johnson. In part II I will go over the remaining classes and winners of David Pettyjohn, Jon Callaway, and Mark Williams plus the visiting division Little Lincoln winner of Ron Wilson.
The Late Model twenty lap feature had its third different winner of the season, when David Pettyjohn claimed his first win for 2004. Pettyjohn in the P. & A. Paving, J. W. Scott Construction Shop, Heck Masonry, Snookies Vent, Hershey’s Race Engine and Midway Speedway numbered Route-nine had the track fast lap back on lap fifteen with he ran a 19.899 second and speeds of 90.457MPH. The entire feature ran caution free and record time. But in the first heat Pettyjohn climbed to speeds of 93.516MPH and a 19.248 second lap claiming the fastest speeds of the night.
The veteran Hal Browning in the number forty-six was on the point, but as soon as the green was out Ray Davis Jr. in the number eighty-four took to the front right away with Pettyjohn in second. With only one lap in, the yellow waved as the number eighty-eight of Rob Howard gets around in turns three and four. The restart had Davis leading, with Pettyjohn, Browning, Rick Whaley (4), and Richard Jarvis Jr. (47) rounding out the top five.
Jarvis is moving right up when he gets a little wide in turns three giving up third to Whaley, Mark Byram (4B) fourth, and Browning in fifth. The battle soars with Whaley on a mission to catch Pettyjohn, who had the fastest lap of the night remember. On lap seven Pettyjohn has gained a good lead in front of Whaley, as Davis still had a good lead over Pettyjohn. At the halfway leads Davis, Pettyjohn, Whaley, now in the top five moves Donald Lingo in the fifty-five-L and Byram in fifth.
At the same point, lap ten, in turns three and four Pettyjohn is right on the back door of Davis as they both wheel by on three wheels. Its lap twelve and the slower cars are now in the way giving Pettyjohn the edge to catch Davis and move into the lead. Five laps to go and Whaley has some smoke coming from that rocket as Lingo switches to take his place on lap sixteen. On lap nineteen Lingo is almost caught up with Davis for second, but Davis holds him off to take second, with Lingo, Eddy Pettyjohn (8ball), and Jarvis in fifth. The winner, David Pettyjohn said “The track was good. I want to thank my sponsors and my crew of Brent, John, Wayne, Troy, Paul, and Corey.” Congratulations to the team on a great show.
Eddy Pettyjohn made his first appearance for the year, and quickly decided to not to run the feature after running in the heats and finished eighth along with some other problems. Eddy had loaded up the car, but as soon as the intermission was over and the Streets hit the track he decided he had to get his car off the trailer and run anyway. Eddy finished fourth tonight, what a great run for him after starting fifteen.
The first heat had Browning on the pole with Davis in the lead before the first lap was in. Pettyjohn and Davis then became a force with side by side action and Pettyjohn taking the lead. A caution flies for a car around in turns three and four right after the lap was complete. When the race resumed Pettyjohn took the lead right away and did not look back. The second heat was with some hot performances when Michael McGivens (9) starts on the pole, and as the cars go in turns two, Jarvis in third goes to the outside to pass Mike Wharton (100) and McGivens for the lead. Byram was along with Jarvis for the ride until Byram got a little wide in turn three and slips back some. Only one lap in as Bob Geiger (38) has something break on his car and comes to a stop in turns three.
On the restart, Jarvis quickly takes the helm. But, Byram and Wharton are wheel to wheel as they come off turn two as Byram goes to the inside to take second, with little action in first and second positions now. All eyes were now on the for third position between Wharton and Lingo with fender to fender conflict until Lingo claims third just under the wire. Jarvis had the track fast lap in the heat with a 20.384 second and speeds of 88.305 MPH lap.
The Little Lincoln feature pole sitter Bobby Williamson (41) was passed quickly when some great three wide acts with the nine of Duke Watson, Tony Daisey (7), and Randy Clark in the number thirty. Ron Wilson in the number fifteen took the lead while the others continued to be three wide. On lap four there’s more three wide actions going on with Watson, Tim Chambers (22) and the fifty-five of Hank Thompson for third position. Laps six Watson and Chambers were wheel to wheel, and on lap seven Chambers was on the move. Chambers played a little more fender to fender action, this time with Clark for third as the sixty-four of Donald Robinson maneuvered for a side by side rubbing for fourth. Ron Wilson remained the leader to take the feature win without any struggle followed by Chambers, Robinson, Clark, and Watson rounding out the top five spot. The guys really put on some great side by side action. Way to go guys!
Both the Street Modified and Modified Lite class had the first repeat winners in any features for the season. Then again it is only the third race, but the action each week has been very fulfilling for my addiction.
In the Street Modified race, Mark Williams, last years defending champion in the twenty-six Atlantic Screening Inc., and Kenny Pettyjohn Consulting race car won his second feature of the year. Williams had to do some hustling to get from eighth to the front and some of the guys in front of Williams gave him a little run for his money. Jeff Patilla in the Coastal Carpet numbered forty-eight began the night on the pole as second through fifth place starters of Vic Thomas (A-1), Kelly Putz (59), and David Nailor were three wide as they went into turns two. By lap two, Williams had already moved into that second slot. Its lap three and Williams puts the move on Patilla to take the lead as Richard White Jr. (61), spins around sending the yellow out, so the pass did not count.
The restart Patilla gets a good run and holds off Williams, laps five Thomas gets around in turn four just as Williams and Patilla are door to door causing another restart. This time on the restart the top five are Patilla, Williams, Nailor, Eric Reed (25), who had started sixth and working his way up as well as Putz in fifth. On the start Williams nails the gas pedal to take the lead. Yet another caution came out and on this restart Nailor stole second from Patilla as he did not get as good of a restart this time.
By the time the cars came out of turn two, Patilla steals second back from Nailor until lap nine when the caution was once again waved. It would be a single file restart with Williams leading, Patilla, Nailor, and Reed and now Jason Cahall (19C) was in the hunt to take fifth. Its lap ten and five to go as the third place position was being battled with three and four wide action as the cars came out of turn four. Only now, the cars were all together pushin, and shoving for position and Cahall feels the brunt as he spun around, collecting Steve Stamps (83), Reed, and White. Reed was able to keep moving and remain in the top five.
Once the cars restarted, on lap twelve a battle was on for third with Nailor and Putz fender to fender. Another caution flies with two to go for a green, white, and checkered finished. Williams leading, Patilla riding in second enters turn two and looked to back down just a tad and enough for Nailor to grab second. But Patilla comes right back up to Nailor as they come down the backstretch door to door all the way to turns three. The cars stayed in the gas for beatin and bangin action all the way to the checkered. What a close race for all the top five spots. Williams, Nailor, Patilla, Reed, and rookie Buddy Shockley slipped into the fifth spot. Williams had the track fast lap in lap seven with a 21.573 second and 83.438MPH. Hats off to all of you for an exciting race feature.
There were a few good cars that were put out of some of the running, so I felt that the Headache Award needed to be pulled out of the closet to be awarded to Chris Sockriter in the number twenty-eight and last weeks winner in the Street Modified. Sockriter won the second heat with a 22.340 second lap and an 80.573MPH speed. Sockriter gained the lead by lap two and closed the door and said, See Ya Later Guys! Thomas, Cahall, Shockley, and Putz qualified fifth.
The first Street heat was won by Williams with his fast lap of a 22.133 second and 81.327MPH. Patilla was on the pole at the drop of the green; as Williams started in sixth but was already playing tootsie with the K & B of Kerry King in fourth place on lap two. The two still fought for position in laps three and on lap four King pulls it into the infield. Patilla still has the point, with two to go, as Williams now has his fender up to Patilla as they come into turns three; Williams passes Patilla to gain the win, with Patilla remaining in second along with Reed, White, and Nailor in fifth place.
The Modified Lite class had a field of twenty-four car to begin the fifteen lap feature. Jon Callaway in the number ninety-five Callaway Furniture, Bennie’s Junction, and Fairview Farms sponsored car picked up a back to back win this week. Only one laps in, and Callaway takes the lead. But on lap two the seventy-six of Erik McKinney took the lead over. After a caution or two McKinney still has the lead, and Callaway is second as Bobby Walls III rides beside Callaway until Walls gets a little too wide in turn two and looses valuable positions.
The halfway sign signals with McKinney leading, Callaway, Ryan Walls (14W), Tim White (16), and Herb Tunis in the yellow eighty-five. Laps eight and ten the yellow was thrown for cars getting around but, lap ten Randy Hill Jr. (42) some how gets upside down as he came off turn two. The restart would encounter McKinney and Callaway with some hot wheel to wheel, door to door finish to the checkered. The win was for Callaway but it was a while before the winner was announced as it was such a close call. The two had less that a half second from being tied. Rounding out the top five were Callaway, McKinney, White, Tunis and Ryan Walls.
It was another great race of the night, with such close battling among so many cars in all positions and all features pretty much. Sometimes it’s hard to watch all the cars with so much attention up front, plus to remember to take in a breath. So I hope you can see why it was hard to leave any one of the races, of the night, out of the loop of dirt. If the action stays so competitive in each feature, I am going to get writers cramp. Just kidding! See you at the track!
Bonnie Nibblett