Bishop, Whaley, King, Callaway, Curtis
And Wilson All DIS Winners
June 16, 2004
Delmar, DE.....It was another successful night of hot dirt car action last Saturday night at the Delaware International Speedway on that half mile clay oval. I am just loving all the racing action so far for the season. Each week all the drivers have really been hammering it out with some close side by side performances. Some of the teams are just making it a close battle for position or even points this early in the year. They’re a lot of really supreme cars as racers and crews get the job done each week. My much needed feeding for my addiction has been behaving rather content so far.
The rest of this month is really going to be busy and on into July as well; and I'm up to the challenge so far. By now you may have heard that the World of Outlaws Late Model Series will be making their way to DIS on Wednesday, July 21, that will be a great show. But first in July will be the Thirty-second Annual Camp Barnes Benefit Race on Tuesday, July 6, which is also another outstanding feature and for a good cause. My birthday falls in July, although I don’t count them anymore or the number anyway. And last the URC Sprints will be back to DIS on June 26.
Now for some of last week’s highlights of and talented racing of the DIS gang. Rick Bishop in the number sixty-two numbered Matco Tools, Milts Lawn Care, Clearview Farms, Dover Plumbing, Bishop's Backhoe & Plumbing, Clopper Farms, Harbor House Seaford, and Northern Chesapeake Construction big block Modified claimed his first win for the season. Bishop said, "This is my old car tonight, we have had a little problem getting the new one just where we want it. So while we are doing some changes to it, we brought out the backup." Well, it looks like it was a good choice to me. Bishop included that, "The track was slick but it still had bite in it and I liked it tonight. I want to thank all my crew of Kevin, Jason, Andy, Matt, Josh, Christy, Dave, Brain, Judy, and Nathan." Bishop ran a 20.084 second with 89.624 MPH on lap nine. But in the second heat Bishop won with a time of 19.767 seconds and 91.061 MPH.
In the twenty-five lap feature Bishop started fifth while Gary Simpson in the numbered twelve Simpson Construction and Greensboro Homes started on the pole after Norman Short blew another piston rod during heats. Simpson was out front followed by Robert Dutton 888, Bishop, Craig Mullins 2, and Beau Wilkins in the number nine before the first laps complete. The first yellow came out on lap five when Craig Ott T10 came to a stop in turn two.
On the restart Simpson leads but got a little wide in turn two and Bishop was right there to pick up the pace. The battle then was on with Simpson and Bishop and lap seven Bishop goes to the outside and passed Simpson while in turn two. As the two come down the backstretch they ride wheel to wheel until Bishop takes the lead for good. On lap nine Scott Smith 55 has a flat and tapped the wall as he came off turn four and rolled to a stop in turns one and two. Bishop leads on the restart and Mullins moves in second, at the half way it was those two followed by Simpson, Dutton, and H. J. Bunting in the Will Brown Troyer One-W.
Another yellow waved and on the single file restart of lap eighteen, Dutton moved by Simpson on the outside while in turn two. Lap nineteen and twenty-two Chuck Tucker 39W got around in turn two and on the restart the top five were Bishop, Mullins, Bunting, Simpson, and Glen Reed in the number thirty-five. It was a green, white, checkered finish but on the restart Ricky Johnson 69, was running seventh and got too wide on turn two and lost two positions; the top five remained the same to the checkered.
Don Hallowell 5, was visiting DIS for the second time this year with a car he has for sale, although Hallowell had problems in the heats and did not make the feature. Deron Rust made his first appearance for 2004 in what looked to be a brand new car and finished sixteenth in the feature. Gary Simpson sported a new car in the heats to check her out, but loaded her back up when the car wanted to run hot. Simpson stated he did not want to TAKE any chances. The first heat started with Tim Millman 410 on the pole but he got a little wide in turn four and losses position to Dutton who stayed out front for the win. Wilkins and Mullins run side by side for at least two laps with some good clean door to door action. Mullins finished second, Mullins might earn a new nick name of "duce of Mullins" with all the second place finishes he has had. Last week made his fourth straight second place finish in the features alone. Just kidding, I know Craig will be in victory circle soon. The second heat Bishop won but not without some wheel to wheel action with Norman Short.
Short was on the pole but Bishop was right on his heels, Bishop almost gets by Short on the backstretch of lap one but Short holds the lead. On lap five Bishop got a good run off turn four on the outside to pass Short then to the inside line before turn one. Unfortunately on lap six, Stormin Norman number eight-M bright red machine started to smoke. And it was another rod, the same one as the night the eight-M caught fire. Norman was strong, and his bad luck continued to plague him with a Headache award being issued by me. Things will get it together for some of these guys having bad luck or no luck at all it seems to them, I am sure.
In Late Model action Rick Whaley in the number four Rick Whaley Concrete and Construction Company, B & G Drywall, and Delmarva Concrete powered Rocket chassis with an J. Dickens engine would claim his first win of 2004 and second career win in the Late Models class. Whaley said, “The car was perfect all night, best it has felt all year. Thanks to Adam, Kevin, Wesley, Roscoe, Matt and the wives." Whaley started third for the twenty lap feature, right where his teammate Mark Byram in the twin four-B would finish; Byram has had two feature wins so far this year. Those two teams have been putting on some very impressive racing. Whaley had the track fast lap on two with 19.750 second and 91.139 MPH.
Mike Wharton 100 started on the point while David Pettyjohn in the Route Nine, P. & A. Paving, J. W. Scott Construction Shop Rocket struggled on the start and got wide or something and stops just before his nose hit the front wall just outside of turn four. It was an original start for all but Pettyjohn. Whaley took the lead on the restart with Byram following second as they both start to pull away from the field. The rest of the field spreads a out as well until lap seven when Dean Heck of Wyoming, DE, in the number ninety tried to pull to the infield with mechanical problems but the yellow waved before he made it. Top five were Whaley, Byram, Michael Givens 9, Donnie Lingo 55L, and Ray Davis Jr., in the eighty-four. Pettyjohn had made it back to eighth but moved to fifth before the restart lap was completed and on that restart Lingo moved into second.
At the half way it was Whaley, Lingo, Byram, Pettyjohn, and Givens, the top four run end to end with Whaley pulling away. Davis moves by Givens for fifth as Richard Jarvis Jr. in the forty-seven moved to sixth around laps thirteen and fourteen. The field would finish just that way. Both heats were won by Whaley and his teammate Byram. New to the track visiting for the first time this season was Grandview driver Greg Hoffmaster in the number sixty-nine who finished in fifteenth. Also, Jimmy "Jam" Jesmer from Potomac, who runs limited was visiting and finished twelfth, along with Dean Heck making his first visit of 2004. Also Mark Ennis sported a new number on his return to DIS for the first time this season in a number twenty car now. Both Heck and Dale Lingo III did not make the show with mechanical failure.
Jon Callaway picked up his third win of 2004 on Saturday night after a very exciting battle with second place finisher Bobby Walls III. Callaway in the Callaway Furniture, Bennie’s Junction, and Fairview Farms sponsored car started fifth in the feature with rookie Ryan Walls Jr. 14W on the point. A yellowed waved for a car in turn two, and on the restart Bobby Walls III in the number twenty-two takes the lead. By lap five Tim White 16, a rookie to Delmar took on Walls for some fantastic tire to tire action through turns one and two on down the backstretch and into turns three and four and then back down the front stretch still wheel to wheel. As the two still battle it out in laps six and seven Walls takes back the lead. On lap nine another skirmish began with Walls, White, and now Callaway all side by side until lap ten when the caution was out for Danny Martin 3M.
The top five were Walls, Callaway, White, Kevin McKinney V-seventy-four, and Walls. On lap twelve Callaway took the lead on the front stretch after he and Walls were wheel to wheel. McKinney riding in third got around on lap thirteen and the yellow was out. The top five now were Callaway, Walls, White, Walls, and Steve White 21NJ. It would be a green, white, and checkered as Walls and Callaway continued to put on a supreme show with more side by side action. Lap fourteen Callaway takes the lead, but Walls stays right in the fumes of Callaway. The last lap the cars come off turns three and four with Callaway getting just a little too wide. But Callaway stays in the gas and barely keeps the lead.
Callaway said, "That was very fun, racing Bobby like that. I wish we could race like that each week, Bobby raced me real clean. We switched up back and forth, it was fun. We took the car all apart after hot laps and put it all back together for the feature." "Thanks to my Dad, Walt and my girlfriend" Callaway added. I noticed there were a few new cars at the track. Kevin Darling in the number nine and Bunky McKnatt in the number forty-eight both out of Wyoming, DE were the two cars I noticed in the pits. Also, rookie Kirk Miles out of Saxis, VA had a new car tonight.
Kerry King picked up his first career win Saturday in the Street Modified numbered K & B, sponsored K&B Auto Sales, Tomy's Electric, Lingo Marine, and D. A. D. Farms and started on the pole for the feature. But King also was so strong in his heat to win the first heat with a 21.583 second and 83.399 MPH lap. For the feature King ran a 21.573 second and 83.438 MPH in lap fourteen. King said, "We all worked so hard, that week when we changed motors, this makes it all worth it." King added, that he wanted to say thanks for all the help and support to Mom, Pop, Steve, J. P., Matt, Rhonda, Amanda, and the kids each week.
King pulled out front right away, while Kelly Putz 59, and Vic Thomas A-1 battled for third. Lap seven Putz has a big puff of smoke come from behind and a flame under the car as it rolled to a stop in turn two, while riding in third. King still leading at half way followed by Jason Cahall 19C, Thomas, Ripp Johnson 8R and Jeff Patilla in the forty-eight as the yellow was out for Rick Eskridge in the fifty-six stopping just outside of turn two. It was a single file restart with sixth thru tenth of Mark Williams 26, Chris Sockriter 28, David Nailor 9, Mike Wilson 12, and the rookie Steve Stamps in the Century 21 number eighty-three. This restart Williams got a good run and was battling for third with Thomas. Kenny Pearson brought out the yellow in turn two as Thomas has problems while running fourth. With four to go Earl Watson brought out another caution with King, Cahall, Williams, Johnson, and Patilla in the top five.
Now the cars spread out with a lot of air between them. The last lap Cahall was riding in second in turns three and four and gets a little loose in the inside and starts to get slideways; some how he corrects it to finish fifth. It was King, Williams, Johnson, Patilla, and Cahall. The first heat was won by King and the second won by Cahall. Stamps finished his third top ten finish with a seventh place finish. Stamps feels he has finally getting the set up right on his car and working the track better than when the season first started. Stamps have made an adjustment to DIS from other mid western tracks.
Finally, the AC Delco TSS Modified class had its third second repeat winner of Tom Curtis of Hartly, DE in the American Security, Delmarva Cleaning & Maintenance, David Horsey & Sons A & S Contracting and Hawkins Motorsports numbered fifty-seven. Curtis got his first win back on May 1, which was the third race of the season, and Saturday night was the eighth feature of the year. What does that matter you might say? Well each week the TSS Modified has had first time winner for the first five races. The first second time repeat winner was the same winner on the first night of David Betts Jr. 22B, the second winner and second repeat winner was Mark West 91. It just so happens, Curtis was the third winner of the year and the third repeat winner in a row. I just figured that was something neat; will this week be the fourth winner and the fourth repeat winner? We will have to wait and see, I better not say who it would be if history repeats itself. If I say anything it might put to much pressure on the team. But if you're dying to know, look at the 2004 Winners page on my site.
Curtis started tenth at the drop of the green, while Donnie Dutton Jr. 8 was on the pole. Before the end of the first lap as the cars set up for turn three, the one of Jack Mullins gets a little slideways and a chain reaction occurred with Dale Hawkins 83, Jeff Brown 9, and Mullins. All three cars get over the top side of turn three and Hawkins hit the dirt wall embankment hard, but all three were able to refire. The cars had a time getting the feature going with a lot of unusual yellows. But at the half way Dutton lead with Landis Musser 45, Curtis, West, and Morris Tucker in the Scott's Furniture numbered twenty-eight. On lap eight Musser and Curtis ride in door to door action through turn two with Curtis taking second just after turn two.
On lap nine Curtis is right on the back door of Dutton. The action now switched to Musser, Tucker, and Dave Betts Jr., for third as they rode three wide down the backstretch. The three cars of Musser, Tucker, and Betts all try to make it through turns three and four as there was a rub here and rub there. The cars were all squirrelly as they went down the front stretch with Betts getting around and losing fourth place.
On lap twelve Curtis gets by Dutton for the lead followed by West, Tucker, and Musser rounding out the top five. Curtis said, "The track was fast on the bottom." Curtis added that this was his second win after I asked, because the announcer had said it was his first win, so I was confused for a minute. I was pretty sure it was the second win that I remembered.
The Little Lincolns made the show with a field of nineteen cars. Each time this year there seems to be another car added. Those guys put on a good show, where Ron Wilson in the Bill Towers owned car and Bruce Webb took their second win of the year. Ron said, "The track was a little slick on the inside and I had to be careful." "I hope to be back next week in a TSS Modified," he added.
So this weekends racing will be just as full of action with all the classes running. There will be a "Slide for Five" at the end of the night Saturday. Gates open 5:00 PM with cars taking to the track at 7:00 PM. Tickets for the WoOLMS will go on sale next week contact the race office for any details at 302.875.1911. See you at the track!
Bonnie Nibblett