THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608180187
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 43 lines
Will Hobgood was awarded an oversized box of headache powders for winning the Goody's Dash 100-lap feature Saturday night at Langley Speedway. But he didn't need it. His only headache of the night had been cured long before.
Despite losing his brakes 30 laps into the race, Hobgood found a good rhythm and pulled away in the late stages fro his third series win.
``I though I could still finish in the top five'' after the brake failure, Hobgood said, ``but I didn't think I could win.''
And though he lost the lead for 10 laps, Hobgood regained it for good on lap 44 and pulled away for a three-second win over Jimmy Foster.
``Will really had a good car tonight,'' Foster said.
Foster made up a 2.5-second deficit in the early laps to overtake Hobgood, but lost the advantage he had on the corners when he overcorrected on the straightaway.
It also didn't help that the turns were getting slick with oil.
``I got a push in the middle, and when I tried to adjust to the push, I lost the corners,'' Foster said.
``This is a unique course,'' Hobgood said. ``The corners are really tight out here, and if you don't have your car together, then you're out to lunch.''
Series leader Lyndon Amick finished third and Danny Bagwell ended up in fourth, but both were pushing Foster on the last laps.
With five races remaining (Friday night's race at Richmond's Southside Speedway was postponed), the top five are still within 100 points of one another.
There were no changes in the top four positions for the first 35 laps, and no caution flags until lap 44. There were four cautions for the race.
In other races Saturday.
Kevin Adams won his first Grand Stock race, taking the lead from Rhett Bussler on lap 6 of the 40-lap race and never looking back. Adams moved to Grand Stock from Limited Stock, where he won last year's points race.
The race was stopped for 15 minutes due to a spectacular fire on Kevin Wagner's car. Wagner was unhurt.
Sean Hess won his seventh straight Super Mini Truck race in as many attempts, working up through the field and taking the lead with five laps remaining to take the 20-lapper.
NOTE: The Late Model Stock race was still under way at press time. by CNB