TEGG SCORES FIRST BLACK ROCK TRIUMPH
By Chris Marquart
DUNDEE-- In the early stages of 2003, yellow has reigned supreme, but it was a less-desirable version of the shade that made an appearance Friday night at Black Rock Speedway.
For the first four weeks of the 358-Modified season and the first three weeks of the Bandit class, Steve Paine and Jon Wallenbeck and their yellow hot rods have been the class of each field; they’ve won each feature held for their division.
Wallenbeck continued his streak, but a loose spark plug wire sapped power from Paine’s Finger Lakes Machine power plant and Gil Tegg ran off with his first win of the season.
Yellow still ran rampant. Caution flags took over the National Bank of Geneva-Arnot Mall racing card Friday, flying 18 times though five features. Five accidents occurred before a single lap was completed in the 358-Modified main. The Mods were taken to the pits under a red flag - no teams could work on their cars - for cool-down period after only 11 cars were rolling on the track.
While the moody Modifieds chilled out, the 4-Cylinders completed their feature; Alfred Clark scored his second win of the year.
"That was one of the hardest races I think I've ever drove," said Tegg after the race. "We were out for a half hour and didn't get a lap in, then we got pulled off and I was even more frustrated because we had to sit and wait another half hour."
Tegg’s car looked good, but was collected in three first-lap altercations, each with Ron White. Once the red-flag situation was lifted, the car tightened up.
"The front bumpers got tangled, then it ripped the bumper off again," Tegg said. "I was up on him and couldn't see in front of him. We got together two or three times and it was really me getting into him. I feel real bad about it."
The car freed up as the race wore on. Only 12 cars were able to answer the second call to action. Paine started the second attept at the feature twelfth. Previously, he piled into a wreck on the backstretch with Aaron Jacobus and Alex Hoag. Hoag threw a spring at Jacobus and was disqualified from the main. Paine's car needed a new shock tower and upon his return, a slower car turned in front of the no. 7X, flattening a tire. Paine again went pitside, but was unable to fix the tire until after the red flag. The team fixed the car and began chasing Tegg.
There was a question in both the Hoag and Paine pits about pulling out a backup car. Since no laps were completed and they would be at the back anyways, each faction considered using a replacement. Hoag even tried to hop in his team car, the no. 17H. His spring-throwing incident eliminated any hope of returning to action. Paine opted to fix his TEO Pro car.
Tegg quickly worked towards the front, needing only five laps to crack the top three. Tegg worked past Bryon Turner, who’s looks like he’s figured out his new Bicknell over the past few weeks and wrestled the lead from Aaron Jacobus with 15 laps to go.
"It wasn't as good as the initial start of the race, but any time you get a win, the car's got to be good," Tegg said. "I knew, stay smooth. I thought the 11 would be a tough car to get by and I think he was a little tight at the beginning and we got by."
Turner stayed close in his no. 11, not letting Tegg get too far ahead. Tegg encountered a knot of traffic that slowed progress with three laps to go and Turner and Paine each closed right on top of Tegg.
"I could hear a car behind me the whole race," Tegg said. "I figured, ‘stay about the middle and no one's going to get by us, whether it's the 7 or the 11.’ That worked. Everything was going well until I got that group of three or four cars. One car was about to spin out for the last three or four laps. It had me nervous. I didn't know whether to go by him high or to stay down and block the bottom.
"It worked out, but it was close. I don't want to have them that close."
Tegg opted correctly. Turner had a super drive over the final two laps and would have likely taken the lead had Tegg drifted high around the lapped cars ahead of him.
Tegg’s win snaps Paine’s strangle hold on victory lane. Paine won the first four events contested at Black Rock.
"I count wins," Paine said with a smile, "But I don't care if they're in a row I guess."
"It was good until I knocked the plug wires off about lap 8 or 10, then it was all done. The same thing happened in the small block race at Charlotte. The mud gets in there and pulls them off. Something got in there just right."
The Street Stocks made a special visit for their second of four Street Stock opens. A total of 27 cars packed the pits, coming from as far away as Fulton, NY. Dan Mathews drove a hard line around the extreme inside of the speedway, passing three cars entering turn one on the final lap. Exiting turn four with the checkers in sight, Mathews just cleared Geoff McNally to win his second Open in a row.
Serenity Sutherland was in position to win her first Truck main of ‘03, but Larry Knowles pushed his red Dodge to the front and survived four yellows in the final four laps to win over point leader Bob Buono and Brian Doolittle.
Dave Fultz scored his third win in the Super Stock series, leading the final 10 laps with little challenge. Carl Cleveland copped second place ahead of Bill Miller.
Alfred Clark had the 4-Cylinder race in hand. Clark worked to the point five laps into the main and drove off from Joe Povoski and Karl Weichenthal.
--Pit Notes---
A Steve Paine win would be his 60th at Black Rock. He is the winningest 358 driver at the speedway... Paine now has 59 wins at both Canandiagua Speedway and Black Rock Speedway... Bill Miller’s granddaughter celebrated her fifth birthday Friday night. Miller almost rewarded young Katelynn Miller with a win in the super stocks... Jeff Smith won the Street Stock dash... Cheryl Smith drove her son’s no. 96X Super Stock after he was severely injured in an accident last weekend. The drive train exploded into the car and struck his right hand... Adam Austin drove Ray Hyer’s 4-Cylinder in the Bandit main...
Arnot Mall-National Bank of Geneva Feature Results
DIRT 358-Modifieds (25 laps): Gil Tegg Jr., Bryon Turner, Steve Paine, Ron White, Aaron Jacobus, Derrick Podsiadlo, Dave DuBois, Mike Jackson, Donnie Lawson, Mike Payne, Kenny Johnson, Allen Willoughby, Brian Swarthout, Mike Schultz, Tim Sebring, Chuck Graham, Alex Hoag.
Lap leaders: D.Lawson 1-2; A.Jacobus 3-9; G.Tegg 10-25.
Heat winners: D.Podsiadlo, B.Deming.
Super Stocks (20 laps): Dave Fultz, Carl Cleveland, Bill Miller, Joe Povoski, Stevie Brace, Jeff Baroody, Nathan Daggett, Ed Mills, Quinn Sutherland, Fred Buckley, John Sutryk, Cheryl Smith, Andy Krull, Rob Conklin, Steve Brace.
Lap leaders: B.Miller 1-9; D.Fultz 10-20.
Heat winners: S.Brace, R.Conklin.
Pro Trucks (20 laps): Larry Knowles, Bob Buono, Brian Doolittle, Jeff Barner, Don Divens, Les Irwin, Keith Lane, Ron Perry, Brian Metcalf, Doug Buckley, Serenity Sutherland, Ron Divens, Henry Taylor, Keith Austin, Jim Schuyler, Tom Austin.
Lap leaders: S.Sutherland 1-10; L.Knowles 11-20.
Heat winners: L.Knowles, S.Sutherland.
Street stocks (20 laps): Dan Mathews, Geoff McNally, John Layfield, Jeff Smith, Kenny Peoples Jr., Joe Nobrica, Jason Schoonmaker, Ken Thomas, Rich Talada, Cliff Moss, Adam DePuy, Henry Maricle, Bob Clark, Tim Burnell, Nathan Peckham, Daryl Barrett, Gene Galligan, Mike Holford, Dave Moiter, Don Jones, Rich Sharpsteen, Blane Smith, Dave Mannise, Jeff Freeland, George Parker. DNS: Nick Dandino, Chuck Pruden.
Lap leaders: J.Schoonmaker 1-7; G.McNally 8-11; J.Layfield 12-16; G.McNally 17-19; D.Mathews 20.
Dash winner: Jeff Smith.
Heat winners: M.Holford, G.McNally, D.Mathews.
4-Cylinders (20 laps): Alfred Clark, Terry Povoski, Karl Weichenthal, Josh Mills, Steven Ovens, Phil Yaw, Ryan Davenport, Willy Grant Jr., Kevin Young, Mike Hughey, Jared Hill, Mike Smith, George Park Sr., Joe Slavin, Ray Speicher, Chad Ayers, Tom Postalwait, Ray Hyer, Ray Cornish, Rich Andrews, Brooks Leach, Jack Ayers. DNS: Brian Crawford.
Lap leaders: B.Leach 1-2; S.Ovens 3-4; A.Clark 5-20.
Heat winners: S.Ovens, J.Ayers, A.Clark.
Bandits (10 laps): Jon Wallenbeck, Brent Ayers, Brady Fultz, LaVerne Knickerbocker III, Brad Ovens, Jamie Schuyler, Adam Austin, Rich Kelly, Jeremy Abbey, George Park Jr., C.J. Winslow, Justin Longacre, Derek Mills, Anthony Teed, Brian Butler, Brett Crawford.