ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607290016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: racing
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
Will Philip Morris continue his recent hot streak and win his third race in a row? Can Tony McGuire stay out of Jeff Agnew's rear bumper? Can the winningest driver in New River Valley Speedway Late Model Stock history, Ronnie Thomas, finally win the big one?
They were three of the more intriguing questions asked around the Radford track this past week as drivers made final preparations to dash for the cash in today's Kroger/WDBJ-7 250. With a possible $16,500 payday on the line to the driver that picks up the Saturday night triple crown - race winner ($15,000), halfway leader ($1,000) and pole-sitter ($500) - one thing is for certain: Someone's going to be laughing all the way to the bank.
Three 200-lap races at the NRV Speedway have resulted in three different winners in 1996. Agnew captured the May 4 Wilco 200, his fourth consecutive victory to open the season. Rodney "Six Pack" Cundiff claimed a May 25 victory in the Budweiser 200, a race marred by a late-race incident that marked the beginnings of the Agnew-McGuire feud. Two weeks ago, McGuire took home the hardware in the Pennzoil/Basham Oil 200, his fourth win of the season.
The format of the Kroger/WDBJ-7 250 differs slightly from the 200-lap affairs in that a stoppage will occur after lap 125, giving pit crews a chance to change two tires, gas up the vehicles and make minor car adjustments. On the restart, a yet unspecified number of cars at the head of the field will be inverted.
"The key to winning this race is who can come in at the halfway point and make the best adjustments," 1988 NRV Speedway Late Model champion Tim McGuire said. "I don't really see any crew that has an advantage over the rest of the field because there are only a certain number of things you're allowed to do."
Tim McGuire's thoughts on the inversion rule?
"If this race is anything like the previous 250s, the leader at the halfway point probably won't be the leader at the end of the race," McGuire said.
ONES TO WATCH: Local favorites include Late Model points leader and previous WDBJ-7 250 winner Agnew, as well as Morris and the McGuire brothers. Morris' last three outings have been his best of the season, translating into two victories and a second-place finish.
The Agnew-McGuire pressure cooker reached a new level last week with yet another restart tangle between the division front runners, prompting Agnew to declare "Tony has something in for us ... the track ought to do something about it. If they don't, I'll take care of it."
Agnew's request for intervention was handled this week when Jerry Cook, competition administrator for NASCAR, reviewed tapes of the three Agnew-McGuire mix-ups and placed McGuire on probation for the remainder of the '96 season.
Thomas enters the Kroger/WDBJ-7 250 with 58 career victories at the speedway, but has had a Dale Earnhardt Daytona 500-like jinx in the live television races. Thomas has run just two races in '96, both in the Eddie Kimbleton and Larry Bratton-owned No.9 Chevrolet. Today however, Thomas will be driving the more familiar No.12 RGM Erectors Dodge Daytona that he piloted to 10 victories in '95.
THE OUTSIDERS: The list of non-NRV Speedway regulars competing in today's race has grown to include Stephen Grimes (sixth, Blue Ridge Region standings), Andy and Marty Houston, Bobby Radford, two-time WDBJ-7 250 winner Michael Ritch, Busch series driver Chris Diamond, Chris Hatchett, Jay Fogelman, Richard Landreth, Greg Marlowe, Johnny Rumley, Stacy Puryear, Tommy Spangler and last year's third-place finisher in the NRV Speedway points race, Ray Young.
ELK CREEK DRAGWAY: Randy Barrett captured Saturday's Quick 16 race at the Elk Creek Dragway. Barrett's S&W dragster beat Rusty Jackson's 1995 Pontiac Firebird by .001 seconds in the final round. The race was won at the light, where Barrett gained a .026 advantage on Jackson. The next Quick 16 event will be held Aug. 10.
Of the 16 cars that made the competition field, five drove in the 5.0-range. The slowest qualifying time in the field was 5.4, making last week's field the fastest ever at Elk Creek. Harry Hicks set a new track record, going from 0-127 mph in just 5.015. Hicks' record-setting run came in the Mearl Townsend 1967 Chevrolet Camaro.
In the Super-Pro class, Fred Ramsey took the win with a time of 5.02, cutting a .039 light and reaching a speed of 126 mph. Roger Austin placed second and the only female driver in the field, Brenda Wingate, reached the semifinal round. Jimbo Sells took the win in the Footbrake class, edging out Robbie Copenhaver.
AROUND THE TRACK: Agnew has slipped to fourth place this week's Blue Ridge Region standings of the NASCAR Winston Racing Series. His .706 CPI trails Steven Howard (.815), Mike Reynolds (.771) and Scott Kilby (.760) ... Seven NRV Speedway drivers are ranked in the region's top 50. Agnew (4), Chad Harris (34), Clay Highberger (40), Tony McGuire (42), Morris (45), Scott Millington (47) and Jerry Godbey (50) round out the list ... Godbey reached the list, which has a minimum races run requirement, with only one top-10 finish in 18 starts. Cundiff failed to make the list despite ranking seventh on the NRV Speedway points list, ahead of both Morris and Godbey ... Morris' sweep of last week's twin-50s in his No.01 Chevrolet makes the 12th time in 15 races a car with a zero-numbering has taken the checkered flag. Morris was running the No.81 until three weeks ago ... Tommy Allie brings a 10-race win streak into today's 25-lap Pure Stock event. Allie picked up his 12th win of the season last week when apparent winner Randy Taylor was disqualified. It was Taylor's second DQ in the last three races ... J.D. Gibbs will not be making his NRV Speedway debut today as expected. Gibbs will instead be in Canton, Ohio, attending the induction ceremony at the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Joe Gibbs, former coach of the Washington Redskins and father of J.D. Gibbs, is a first-ballot inductee.
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON/Staff. Floyd County driver Jeff Agnew headsby CNBdown the straightaway at New River Valley Speedway Thursday as he
and other drivers showed up to practice for this Saturday night's
televised race, the Kroger/WDBJ 250. color. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING