THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504230195
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Mike Buffkin found his instructions for the evening written on the front hood of his race car Saturday when he arrived at Langley Speedway for a pair of 75-lap Late Model Stock features.
``Catch the 47 Car,'' said the message put there by his crewmen.
Buffkin couldn't fulfill his mission in the opening race as Warren cruised to his fourth straight victory at the track, but he made the most of a second opportunity.
Buffkin ended Warren's season-opening streak in the second part of the doubleheader, but he still wasn't sure he had solved the dominance of Warren's new Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Warren finished third, behind second-place Buddy Dozier, in the second 75-lapper.
``I have to think something happened to (Warren's) car,'' Buffkin said. ``I know he can run better than what he did.''
Warren admitted the car seemed to give up in the second half of the race. He said either the tires or the chassis may have been at fault.
Drivers had to use the same set of tires in both events.
``I had to drive my car awfully hard to beat Mike in the first race,'' Warren said. ``Then I got caught in traffic in the second race and had to run hard to catch up.''
Warren started eighth and Buffkin seventh in the second feature by virtue of their 1-2 finish in the opener.
Buffkin got a break on the inside and moved quickly to the front while Warren got jammed up in traffic on the high side.
Warren had a much easier time in the first race as more than half the cars in the field were banged up in the opening moments.
The race was only two laps old when a series of wrecks exploded in the fourth turn behind the leaders.
Someone apparently tagged Chesapeake's John Staton from behind to trigger the demolition.
After a 25-minute delay, Warren passed Buffkin for the lead on the 30th lap and led the rest of the way.
``I won the race I wanted,'' said Warren.
The first 75-lapper paid NASCAR points in the Mid-Atlantic Series standings.
In other divisions:
GRAND STOCK: Jimmy Kenney ended Roger Bress's three-race Grand Stock winning streak in a 40-lap feature.
Kenney inherited the lead from John Hicks, who spun on the 22nd lap. Bubby Johnston was second and Bress third.
Limited Stock points leader Tod Carson withstood a determined effort by Kevin Adams on the final lap to win his 25-lap feature.
Adams, second in the points, pressured Carson out of the bottom groove in the third turn to slid under him.
Carson drifted high on the track but roared off the fourth turn to take the checkered flag by a half-car length.
Carson took the lead from pole-sitter Bobby Spivey on the third lap and led the rest of the way.
MINI-STOCK: Jimmy Adkins took the lead on the fifth lap and stayed in front to win his 25-lap feature. It was the second win for Adkins, who also won the season-opener.
Chris Weatherford was flagged second but later disqualified because of an illegal part.
Vince Pope won for the second time this season in the 25-lap Pure Stock feature. by CNB