Winners Bunting, Hill, Brown, Sockriter, McKinney, and the URC Winner Kevin Welsh All Make A Racing Action Night At The Delaware International Speedway
May 17, 2004
Delmar, DE.....This past Saturday night the Delaware International Speedway hosted the mighty URC Sprints along with a regular night of racing. Mother Nature could have been a factor but action was the only thing Stormin in Delmar. The winners Bunting, Hill, Brown, Sockriter, McKinney, and the URC winner Kevin Welsh, all made racing action tonight at the Delaware International Speedway. Let’s see this will be the rest of the dirt in Delaware to include the Modifieds, Late Models, Street, and Modified Lites.
The super Late Model action was right on when twenty four cars showed to command the twenty spots available in the twenty lap feature. There were more Lates than Modifieds which isn’t that often, although we usually run close to twenty cars each weekend with the super lates. Thus two heats were held and one consi. The first heat had some great door to door action with Ray Davis Jr. and David Pettyjohn.
Dale Lingo III in the ninety-nine-L Lingo Marine sponsored stock car started on the point at the drop of the flag. Right off the bat Lingo and Davis Jr. (84) were side by side with one lap in the book. The yellowed flagged for two cautions right after one another. With the second lap finally in the books Pettyjohn had taken the lead. But another yellow waved and by laps five and six, Davis Jr. and Pettyjohn were door to door action with yet another yellow. On the restart it was Pettyjohn, Davis Jr., Robert Massey (6X), Lou Johnson (96), and Mike Christopher (66.) Then the big one, as they say!
The announcer said it appeared that Davis Jr. got over the front wheel of Massey. The cars were coming off turn four to take off when it looked like all cars went for the same hole. Instead of going two or three wide the cars were five and six wide heading for the front stretch. The heat ended up with Pettyjohn, Davis Jr., Kenny Pettyjohn (38S), Brian Miller (12), and Richard Jarvis Jr. (47) rounding out the top five. The second heat Mike Givens was on the pole, with the Rick Whaley Rocket number four, claiming the lead. But on the second lap Hill took the lead and did not look back.
For the Late Model feature Givens started on the point, with Davis Jr., starting third and going to the outside of Givens. When on lap two, the cars were now three wide with Givens, Davis, and Donnie Lingo in the fifty-five-L taking the lead as they rotate out of turn four. Lingo was gone followed way in the back with Givens, Whaley, Hill, and K. Pettyjohn. Lap seven would still have Givens holding off Hill who was now third as the heat was still on with Whaley, and K. Pettyjohn. Lap eight rolls around as Whaley drops back a little, as on lap nine Hill finally gets by Givens for second in turn four.
The field just gets ready to count it half-way when Mike Wharton (100) slows on the backstretch and pulls it into pit road. At half-way Lingo leads with Hill, Givens, K. Pettyjohn, and Davis just as Mark Bryam (4B) somehow gets himself turned around as he enters turn three. It was a single file restart this time, with yet another yellow on lap twelve. Whaley had the car in front of him looks to check up and as it did Bryam taps the rear of the car and hits the brakes causing him to spin out in front of the field; everyone cleared Bryam. On lap fourteen the motor let go in Givens car as a few cars scramble in turn three and in lap fifteen D. Pettyjohn gets literally over the front wheel of Brian Miller’s (12) car. All the time Lingo still leads, with more yellows that you can shake a stick at getting the cars to keep loosing their momentum before we can get the race complete.
On the final restart, Laps sixteen, Lingo and Hill are neck and neck through lap eighteen, as Hill goes to the inside of turn four to make the pass for the lead to win his second win of the season. Hill said, “I didn’t know if I could get around Donnie, but I finally did. This win goes to two of my crew members Mark and David. They reminded me earlier I had to win for it’s their birthdays.” Hooray for Hill in his Hertrich Pontiac, Dorchester Lumber Rocket powered machine and the crew.
The twenty-five lap Modified feature would have yet another second time winner for 2004 as H. J. Bunting III picked up the win after working hard to get by the 2003 defending Champ of Craig Mullins (2). Mullins would fall short tonight, but he has lead every lap of forty-two out of forty-three laps in the last two features. Tim Millman started on the front line at the green. With one lap in Mullins had the lead after starting second as Bunting and Millman battled on lap two. Bunting grabs the second spot, and on lap five the top five were Mullins, Bunting, Millman, Bishop (who started sixth), and Gary Simpson (12).
The track looked to have dried out quite a bit from the other features, and the cars reminded me of a day race, and seemed slower. At half-way the only change was with Bishop and Millman switching spots. Mullins still leading, Bunting in second and Bishop had been working hard to gain some advantage to get to Bunting. Bunting takes to the outside to try to see if he can get some extra bite while still holding off Bishop and the cars have now caught the lap cars. Lap sixteen Simpson rolls to a stop on the backstretch, gets refired, but pulls into the pits bringing out the first and only caution. It was a single file restart with Mullins still leading followed by Bunting, Bishop, Millman, and Ricky Johnson (69) while the cars all scramble for positions.
Bunting takes to the outside again and is aligned dead eye even with Mullins while on laps eighteen and nineteen Bishop is right up there in the action. Bunting is working that top side but just can’t pull if off yet, until lap twenty-three. Bunting passes Mullins on the outside of turn two and doesn’t look back after that. Bishop tries his luck on the outside to try to get by Mullins on lap twenty four but just can’t complete the task before the checkered flew. All three were close with Bunting taking the win. Bunting has had bad luck the last race or two with wrong place wrong time as in Mullins also. But, Bunting had a new car that had just gotten put together over the week. Congratulations to H. J. and the team. The heats were won by Bunting and Mullins.
Chris Sockriter claimed his second win of the year when he came from eighth to the front for his second victory in the Street Modified feature. Sockriter, in the Rick Whaley’s Concrete Construction Co., Johnson HAVC and Command Services, Bailey’s Property Management, Jamie’s Painting, sponsored bright red and yellow, powered Benson Motor, numbered twenty-eight was just too strong and kept the 2003 Champion off him to take the checkered.
Kenny Pearson was on the point as the green was dropped; when Robert Smith (13S) did not get a good start and the start was called off. On the restart Kelly Putz in the number fifty-nine takes the lead after passing Pearson, and as Mike Wilson (12) duplicated it on the inside. As Williams, and David Nailor (9) both try to get the extra push on the outside line. After a caution, Putz leads, with Wilson, Pearson, Sockriter, and Vic Thomas (A1). Sockriter cuts to the inside to take third and on lap six Sockriter passes Wilson for second. Just as he claims second the yellow flew before the lap was set for some cars getting around in turn four. So Sockriter had to gain second back again on the restart; Putz tried to make it difficult for Sockriter.
Williams is running fourth until laps eight and nine when he and Eric Reed (25) battle side by side for third as Williams takes over third now. Putz is still leading and gets a little wide in turn two on laps eleven as Sockriter is right there to the inside to take the lead. Now Williams slips right into second and set his sites on Sockriter. Williams did not have enough laps to catch Sockriter and Sockriter is too strong. Hats off the Sockriter and the team for the win as he has had a couple bad nights in the last two weeks as well as a few others. I am sure that helped moral too. Rounding out the top five are Sockriter, Williams, Putz, Kerry King (K&B), and Reed. Great job for King this week as he has been struggling some too.
In the Modified Lite feature, Erik McKinney claimed his second back to back win for the year. Joe Warren stated on the point, with Andy Best in the Faison Motorsports Lite taking the lead followed by McKinney who in turn took the lead on lap two after a little side by side action. On laps four Best and Bobby Walls III in the number twenty-two battle for second place, Walls riding on the inside of turns two and Best on the outside down to turns three and four with Walls grabbing second. At the half-way sign McKinney leads, with Walls, Best, Kevin McKinney (V74) and Herb Tunis (85).
A yellow flies on lap eight and for the restart as the cars enter turns three the Zero-four of Nick Helgason gets slide ways in the middle of the pack. Brandon Dennis in the number ten try to avoid Helgason but just clips him enough sending him flipping up and over three or four times, but landing on the wheels. The top five on the restart were McKinney, Walls, Best, Tunis, and Tim White (16). On lap twelve Best and Tunis battle side by side down the backstretch, its lap thirteen and the two still go wheel to wheel until the final lap when Best stakes third.
Erik McKinney in his Durham Racing Motor, North East Lightening Chassis, R & F Auto Sales and Woods Construction numbered seventy-six lite would go on to win. Congrats to McKinney and the crew on a super win.
In the last few weeks several new drivers have started competing in the Modified Lite class. Billy Tapman from Pocomoke, MD in the zero-two, Mike Isles in the number twenty-one from Saxis, VA, Greg Taylor Jr. in eleven-A and Steven Lang in Eleven-L out of Parksley, VA. Matt Jester, Brandon Dennis and Nick Helgason were just a few more that have recently set their sites on racing at the Delaware International Speedway in this class.
Don’t forget Camp Barnes will be on Tuesday, July 6, 2004 with a rain date on Thursday, July, 8. Please note that change, the race had been schedule for Wednesday, July 7. It will not be on Wednesday night this year, but on Tuesday instead. This week there will be more hot action on the oval, so come watch them play in the clay. The 2004 season is off with a bang so far. There will be a Slide for Five feature at the end of this weeks features too. Gates open 5:00PM and racing at 7:00PM. The URC Sprints will return June 5. For all your news on DE dirt visit my web site at www.redbud69racing.com. So see you at the track!
Bonnie Nibblett