TEGG MAKES IT TOUGH; PAINE TAKES FOURTH AT BLACK ROCK SPEEDWAY
By Chris Marquart
DUNDEE, NY -- The shining king in yellow proudly returned with yet another trophy Friday night after a 25-lap quest to again conquer the 4/10-mile bullring in Yates County, NY.
His armor chinked and stained; his steed weathered and beaten, Steve Paine fought to his fourth straight feature win on the shoulders of his Terrell's Potato Chips -Tallamadge Tire-Advanced Lubrication Specialists-Pabst Blue Ribbon-Geneva Homes-The Wall 99.3-Cayuga Auto Parts TEO Pro Car at Black Rock Speedway.
This was Paine’s 58th career win and a huge step in his bid for a sixth-straight track title. The close run was the first time Paine has been seriously challenged in a main this season. The first two wins at Black Rock were walk-a ways where he emerged victorious and relatively unscathed.
Gil Tegg, Jr. ran second for the third week in a row and was vital in making the King of The Rock look mortal. Black Rock racing lore claims Paine has never been passed in a feature there... This has not been proven as fact and Tegg was just short of proving it utterly false.
"I think we're getting a little closer," Tegg said. "It was tricky on the restarts. We were trying a couple different things and I guessed wrong on the second to last restart and tore the front bumper off. I'd rather try and say I tried than not try and say it might have worked."
After a series of restarts with less than five laps to go, Tegg was able to do something no driver has in the last three weeks of racing: hang with Paine. Tegg was able to run in the middle of the speedway as Paine pushed up the track in turns three and four, but competitive and spirited driving cramped Tegg’s chances with a flurry of yellow flags.
"I think (the cautions) helped me," Paine said. "It was slick and I had to go to the outside in turn three and it made the car tight. On a restart, we're going slower I was not as tight, but after we got rolling, if he could have put two or three (good laps) together in a row? I don't know."
On lap 21, Donnie Lawson and Rich Swarthout came together and brought out a yellow. On the ensuing restart, Lawson stalled in turn three. With two to go, Lawson brought out a third yellow when he spun on the inside of the first turn. On the white flag lap, Aaron Jacobus and Brian Swarthout tangled and brought out the yellow.
On each restart, Tegg could draw even with Paine, but ran out of real estate to complete the pass and eventually, flat ran out of time.
"In my younger years, I would have been nervous and uptight and settled for second. Tonight, we were searching for a way to get around him," Tegg said. "I think if I got about another four feet under him, maybe we would have had something. We needed to beat him to the front. The first one to the front tonight had the advantage.
"If I had been up front, I don't know that he could have got by me."
Paine wasted little time in getting to the point, taking damage to the quarter panel and door of the Finger Lakes Machine-powered no. 7X as he and his trusty steed broke into the top five with just five laps in the books. He started 18th. Mike Jackson took the top spot from the pole and proceeded to lead the opening 13 tours, but Paine was soon on his trail. Paine, his shining armor dented, wrestled the lead away on lap 14 and led the final 11 laps.
A nasty pile up severely damaged Ron White’s Mountain Dew no. 5W Bicknell and collected Bryon Turner and Tim Sebring. The Mountain Dew car had to be hooked to the pits. Later in the night, Turner drove through the field and back into the top five. On the second to last restart, Turner drove around three cars on the high side of turn 1.
"My motto was not to follow. Where ever they were, I wasn't going to be," Turner said.
The battle cry earned him a podium finish, a solid reward after a rocky and embattled start to 2003.
Defending class champion Dave Fultz was back on top of the Super Stock heap Friday night, taking the 20-lap main over Rob Conklin and Quinn Sutherland. The feature had 5 yellows in the first 10 laps, then went caution free for the second half of the event. Three different drivers made four lead changes before Fultz drove away in the final seven laps. Carl Cleveland and Bobby Teed rounded out the top five.
Brian Doolittle outmatched veteran Doug Buckley for his first career truck triumph. Doolittle worked to the front and led the final 13 laps of the 20-lap show with a solid performance. Don Divens, Bob Buono and Keith Lane filled out the top five.
Ray Hyer had all he could handle in the Four-Cylinder main. Hyer jumped to an early lead, but consistent lap times by a fast Josh Mills reeled Hyer in through the closing laps. After a late restart following Mike Hughey’s turn four spin, Mills drove deep into turn three and drew even with Hyer. With the checkers waving, Hyer took a high line and in turn, kept higher RPM’s, propelling him to the win. Mills bonsai dive pinched the car off and stunted his momentum.
Jon Wallenbeck skipped off to his third-straight 10-lap Bandit main of the year.
--Pit Notes---
NASCAR Winston Cup driver Brett Bodine, of Chemung, NY, was a special guest of Chuck Graham Friday night... Bandit runner up LaVerne Knickerbocker blew up a brand-new motor before any racing was completed and drove former Bandit rival Ray Speicher’s car in the main... Tommy Austin looked to be the truck to beat before fluid began leaking from the no. 88A, forcing him pitside... Hyer’s win in the 4-Cylinder main bagged him the back-to-back bonus offered for drivers who win features at Woodhull Speedway and Black Rock Speedway. BRS was rained out last Friday but Woodhull ran.
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Signs Plus of Kanona Results
DIRT 358-Modifieds (25 laps): 7x-Steve Paine, 22-Gil Tegg, 11-Bryon Turner, 88A-Mike Jackson, 66-Stacy Jackson, 34G-Chuck Graham, 5-Bill Deming, 21-Derrick Podsiadlo, 6x-Dave DuBois, 45-Tim Sebring, 14-Brian Swarthout, 2-Aaron Jacobus, 6J-Kenny Johnson, 18-Donnie Lawson, 19-Dave Yehl, 1KRS-Rich Swarthout, 7HX-Dylan DeWert, 62-Walt Chyrywatz, 7H-Alex Hoag, 5W-Ron White, 17H-Mike Schultz.
Heat winners (8 laps): 5-Bill Deming, 66-Stacy Jackson, 22-Gil Tegg Jr.
PPG Super Stocks (20 laps): 70-Dave Fultz, 75X-Rob Conklin, 36-Quinn Sutherland, 22-Carl Cleveland, 14-Bobby Teed, 57J-Joe Povoski, 96-Ed Mills, 96X-Brandon Smith, 364-Fred Buckley, 15-John Sutryk, 45-Sparky Hill, 55X-Rich Karlnoski, 4JM-Steve Brace, 37-Stevie Brace, 82-Bill Miller, 07-Randy Eggleston, 18-Andy Krall, 3D-Nate Daggett.
Heat winners (8 laps): 37-Stevie Brace, 55X-Rich Karlnoski, 70-Dave Fultz.
Regional Pro Trucks (15 laps): 7-Brian Doolittle, 2-Doug Buckley, 28-Don Divens, 64-Bob Buono, 51-Keith Lane, 5-Jeff Barner, 1-Les Irwin, 35-Keith Austin, 17-Henry Taylor, 34-Ron Perry, 88A-Tommy Austin, 18-Ron Divens, 57J-Jim Schuyler, 4-Larry Knowles, 37-Serenity Sutherland.
Heat winners (8 laps): 4-Larry Knowles, 2-Doug Buckley.
4-Cylinder Stocks (20 laps): 80-Ray Hyers, 84-Josh Mills, 57J-Terry Povoski, 29-Jack Ayers, 20-Alfy Clark, 36-Willy Grant Jr., 01-Karl Weichenthal, 98-Phil Yaw, 86-Kevin Young, 14-Ray Speicher, 27-Ryan Davenport, 8-Brian Crawford, 11-Chad Ayers, 15-Mike Hughey, 15X-Mike Smith, 21-Tom Postalwait, 77-Joe Slaven, 93-Jared Hill, 61-Rich Andrews, 1X-Steven Ovens, 72-Ray Cornish, 75-Brooks Leach, 5-Tyler Ayers, 23-George Park Sr.
Heat winners (8 laps): 80-Ray Hyers, 14-Ray Speicher, 36-Willy Grant Jr.
Black Rock Bandits (10 laps): 24-Jon Wallenbeck, 14-Laverne Knickerbocker III, 1X-Brad Ovens, 86-Derek Mills, 93-Brady Fultz, 11-Brent Ayers, 8-Brett Crawford, 15-Brian Butler, 57J-Jamie Schuyler, 61-Rich Kelly, 98A-Adam Austin, 89-Justin Longacre, 6-Anthony Teed, 07JR-Matt Eggleston, 23-George Park Jr., 3-Jeremy Abbey, 07-Andrew Jackson.