Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505250045
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After all, there is something about television that brings out the drivers. Why else would 43 of them show up for the weekly Late Model show at New River Valley Speedway last Sunday.
Many Saturday night tracks took the weekend off so as not to go head-to-head (and lose) against the Winston Select - the all-star race for Winston Cup drivers.
But one of the scheduling moves made by NRVS promotor and co-owner Ronnie Snoddy last year was to run on Sunday when there were Saturday night Winston Cup races. And with WDBJ TV-7 looking for local sports programming, that move translated into one of the televised races this season.
The only time more cars have shown up at NRVS was when 49 tried to make the field for last year's end-of-season shootout.
Not only was the field large - it was fast. For the first time in years, a lap of 17 seconds (just above 88 mph) only got you a spot in the consolation race. A total of 30 spots were settled by time trials and 31 drivers turned in lap times in the 16-second range.
In contrast, only 26 cars broke the 17-second barrier in last year's shootout, 20 in last year's first TV race and just 10 at the October 1993 shootout.
Among the drivers were 14 who had not started a Late Model race at NRVS so far this season - although some of them have raced at the track previously. Richard Landreth, Stacy Compton, Mike Dillon, Tracy Owen, Robbie Ferguson, Stacy Puryear, Mike Porter and Limited regulars Bruce Brown and Terry Lawson all made the field. Carl Daidan, Scott Riggs, Wes Adair, Karen Shultz and Wayne Patterson (who had his qualifying run disallowed when track officials found his car was too low) were not as fortunate.
Of course, there were more than just Late Models at NRVS for the Wilco/Winston 300. Even with just four divisions running, there were more cars than parking spaces. Of course, that's what happens when the track draws 113 cars. A total of 21 Limiteds, 26 Pure Stocks and 23 Mid-Atlantic Modifieds showed up Sunday.
MAM TOUR NOTES: The new Mid-Atlantic Modified Tour opened its inaugural season with back-to-back races at Lonesome Pine (last Saturday) and New River.
That didn't bother Bret Hamilton. After all, the Powhatan driver won both races and had better luck than another time he ran consecutive races.
"We went to Florida last year and ran six nights in a row," said Hamilton, who won regional modified titles the last three years. "We broke the first night - blew a motor - and that put us behind."
Ronnie Davis of Ashland had the fastest modified at the track - until it came time to race. He won the pole with a lap of 17.04 seconds (87.89 mph). But then his car would not start at race time because of ignition problems. It fired briefly after being pushed out of the pits. Davis came back in after a couple of parade laps and never started the race.
Both races had 23 cars qualify. While most of the competitors came from the Richmond area, there were also drivers from North Carolina, West Virginia and Kentucky. And there was Nancy Shelswell, the tour's Canadian driver.
The next stop on the tour is June 3 at Ona (W.Va.) Speedway. The tour returns to NRVS Aug. 19.
WOMEN'S DAY: After going a couple of years without a woman driver at NRVS, there were three of them at the track Sunday.
In the Late Models, Shultz of Statesville, N.C., tried to make the field. However, her qualifying did not put her in the race and she elected not to run in the consolation race.
In the MAM race, Shelswell started 23rd but was still running at the end and came in 16th.
And in the Pure Stock race, Jennifer Fry, the 17-year-old high school junior from Honaker, made her delayed debut at NRVS. She started in the back of the field because the line-up was determined by track points and ended up 19th after hitting the outside wall on the backstretch.
Only the Limited Sportsman division did not have a woman behind the wheel.
Prior to Sunday, Mini Stock driver Shelby Cundiff of Vinton was the last woman competitor at the track.
THIS WEEK AT NRVS: Things return to normal at the track this week - or as near to normal as they ever get.
Saturday will be the Budweiser 200. The feature is a 100-lap Late Model race. The Limiteds run a 35-lapper while the Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks and Modified Minis each run 25 laps.
Gates open at 1:30 p.m. Practice starts at 3:38. Qualifying gets under way at 6. And the green flag drops at 8.
Then on Sunday, the Go Karts take over the track. There is a WKA Divisional race at noon. Admission to the grandstand is free.
M.J. Dougherty covers community sports and racing for the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB