FLORIDA TOUR VICTORY AT VOLUSIA FOR JOHNSON NO 'BIG' DEAL
BARBERVILLE, FL.....The Northeastern big-block Modifieds returned to action at Volusia Speedway Park but it was veteran open-wheel driver Danny Johnson using his trusty small-block Gor-Den powerplant to take advantage of slick track conditions and score the 30-lap victory.
Johnson's first win of Raceweek 2003 on Thursday was his ninth in Florida, with all but one of those February triumphs registered at Dick Murphy's spacious half-mile clay oval in Barberville.
"The car was awesome tonight and we just got hooked up right off the bat," said Johnson, 43, following his 272nd DIRT Modified feature race win. The two-time Florida Tour champion pocketed $2,000 and emerged as the new Winter Tour points leader through two events.
"Sometimes its better to use a big-block and other times a small-block can get the job done. Tonight it was just too hard to hook up on the track with a big-block so we had the right set-up the way it turned out," said Johnson, whose only other win in the Sunshine State outside of Volusia was recorded at St. Augustine Speedway in 1995.
Johnson took the lead on a lap 13 restart as Brett Hearn followed the high lane in an attempt to keep up his momentum and stave off D.J. in his bid to maintain the lead. Hearn had used the same line to overtook pole-sitter Pat Ward on lap three before relinquishing the point for good just shy of the halfway mark.
More than a dozen caution periods slowed the 15-mile main yet it was the three-wide racing and rim-riding techniques demonstrated under green flag conditions that kept the entire grandstand throng on edge until the final circuit.
On the heels of his victory in the first of four qualifying heats, Ward earned a front row starting position and jumped out to an early lead when the first green flag dropped. A turn four scramble forced the first yellow flag to be thrown on the second circuit as the field searched quickly for the fastest way around.
Back underway Ward could not hold back the high-flying Hearn before a second caution period on lap five slowed the action for a turn one miscue by New Jersey star Jimmy Horton. Tim Fuller had also slipped past Ward while Delaware driver Jamie Mills and Sportsman graduate Randy Chrysler maneuvered early into the top-five.
The yellow lights flashed two more times, first for Doug Hoffman, who spun low between the first two turns on lap eight, and Mills, who was pinned on the high side in a three-wide dash down the back cute on the 12th lap around. Coming from his ninth-place starting spot, Danny Johnson had quickly joined the mix and he forged the final lead change exiting turn four on the ensuing restart.
Just past the halfway point, Hoffman again looped, this time on the back straightaway, but the front-five remained intact. Opening day winner Craig VonDohren once again ran the high side to vault from 16th to sixth with 15 laps complete while division rookie Mike Adderley, Pennsylvanian Ray Swinehart, reigning Mr. DIRT points king Alan Johnson and all-time DIRT big-block winner Bob McCreadie settled in among the top-10.
The final slowdown came on lap 16 when Mike Perrotte jumped the groove in turn one and rode the outside retaining wall until his Troyer mount came to an abrupt halt on top of the same wall in turn two.
Back under green flag conditions Johnson continued to lead and the second-generation pilot found the low lane to his liking the rest of the way. Hearn, who had found his own preference on the high side, finally ran out of room, giving up second to Fuller with less than five to go and finally losing the show position to Ward on the 29th circuit.
Runner-up Fuller offered a last bid up high as the leaders dove into turn three the final time around, but when the checkered flag flew it was the familiar orange no. 27J Troyer Race Cars-Randy's Smoke Shop entry making another trip to victory lane. Ward finished third followed by Hearn and upstart Adderley.
Swinehart crossed the line sixth ahead of Tuesday night's winner VonDohren, with Chrysler, Rick Laubach and Tim McCreadie placing among the top-10.
Through two of four races run, Danny Johnson (110) tops the Florida Tour point standings followed by Fuller (108), VonDohren (104), Adderley (92), Alan Johnson (90) and three-time defending champion Hearn (88).
Open-wheel action continues Friday at Volusia with a 30-lap DIRT Modified main headlining round number three in the 32nd Annual Winter Nationals program.