BENNETT, HENDRICKSON, & MICHAEL SCORE WINS - OCTOBER 5, 2002

By Charlie Brown, Delmar, DE (10/5/02) – A packed house was on hand at the Delaware International Speedway for Saturday night’s :”Delaware Thunder” program which produced two first-time winners at the track. Former World of Outlaws Gumout Series competitor, Bob Bennett of Lewisberry, Pa. captured the 30-lap $4000 to win 410 sprint main while invader Wade Hendrickson of Lawrenceville, N.J. piloted the Rio Bros. Big Block Modified to the $3000 win in the companion 30-lapper. Curt Michael of Ocean View, Del. put in an inspired performance to win his second straight United Racing Club feature at the track and Donald Robinson, Jr. of Georgetown, Del. held off Randy Clark by half a car length to win the 10-lap Little Lincoln feature.

Cliff Brian jumped out to the early lead in the 410 feature with “Lightning” Len Thompson running in second. Coming off the fourth turn on lap three, Brian got sideways and Thompson started to spin to miss him. Thompson’s car got so much traction that it flipped over backwards. Thompson was not injured in the crash. Niki Young was the new leader with Bob Bennett running in second and Kevin Frey in third.

Curt Michael was on the climb driving the Reclamation No. 55 normally driven by Billy Pauch. Michael was about to move into the top five when he got into the first turn too hard and went off collecting the wall. Michael was not injured but the car was done for the night. At the halfway sign the top five were Young, Bennett, Frey, Trevor Lewis., and Kevin Welsh.

Bennett started to pressure Young at this point as both Frey and Lewis closed in to make it a four car battle. As the quartet snaked through traffic Bennett timed his pass and took the lead with four laps to go. Frey got by for second with two laps to go but it was Bennett in the Acme Trailer Works/Insinger Performance Racing Fuels No. 3 taking his first win ever at DIS and the third feature win of his career. Frey, Young, Lewis, and Welsh rounded out the top five. Sixth through tenth were Rick Lafferty, Judi Bates, Greg Coverdale, Brian, and Jeff Busby. Heats were won by Brian and Thompson.

H.J. Bunting started on the pole of the open competition Modified main with Kenny Pettyjohn in his highly altered late model running in second and Cliff Foskey in third. Bunting had opened a five car length lead when a scary moment occurred on lap seven. Steve Downs got into the back straight wall just as the leaders were coming off the second turn. Downs slowed dramatically as Bunting slipped by on the inside. Pettyjohn was riding in a higher line and swerved to miss Downs but made hard contact with the right side of the car doing heavy damage to the late model. No on e was injured in the hard crash..

Foskey was now riding in second but was feeling the pressure of Hendrickson. Hendrickson took the second spot on lap nine just as the second yellow flew for a tangle involving John Willman and Hal Browning. Kevin Hirthler got by Foskey for third on the restart. At the halfway sign the top five were Bunting, Hendrickson, Hirthler, Foskey and Norman Short.

By lap twenty, lapped traffic became a factor. Hendrickson erased the lead that Bunting had built and made his move going into the first turn on lap 23. The two touched but never broke stride with Hendrickson taking the lead. The caution was out with two laps left to go as Gary Simpson spun and Willman made contact ending up on his side. On the restart, the “Flying Farmer” in the Rio Bros. Auto Body/Jerry Simmons Builder/Teo/Feil held off Bunting to the checkered with Hirthler posting a career best at the speedway in third. Foskey and Deron Rust rounded out the top five. Sixth through tenth were David Hill, Ricky Johnson, Short, Robert Dutton, and Tim Millman. Bunting, Kenny Pettyjohn, and Foskey won the heats with Hill taking the consolation.

Scott Pursell took command of the 25-lap URC feature from his pole starting position with “Tastycake” Tim Hogue in second and Chris Coyle in third. Curt Michael had dropped from second to fourth on the start but charged back into the runner-up spot by lap three. The yellow was out on lap four when Trevor Lewis took a hard flip on the back straight. He was not injured in the crash. On the restart Michael shot under Pursell for the lead. Hogue spun to bring out the second yellow on lap six. On the restart, Coyle got by Pursell for second.

Greg Coverdale was on a mission to the front and was running in fourth. Coming off the fourth turn on lap 10 Coverdale shot from the high groove as Dave Ely powered off the bottom. The two collided at mid track with Coverdale flipping end over end down the front straight. Coverdale was not injured in the crash. At the halfway sign the top five were Michael, Coyle, Pursell, Dave Ely and Glen Clarke. Ely began to pick off positions in the top five and Kramer Williamson was on the move from 18th. Ely caught the leader with two laps to go. With one lap to go, Coyle spun to bring out the final yellow and to set up a one lap shootout. Michael was up for the challenge as he drove the Pat Palladino car to his second consecutive checkered. Ely settled for second with Williams coming home third. Pursell and Clarke rounded out the top five. Sixth through tenth were Jeremy Trout, Doug Emory, Garry Gollub, Danny Massey, and Judi Bates.

In the nightcap 10-lap Little Lincoln Vintage feature, two multi-car crashes shuffled the starting field before the first lap was complete. When the first lap was finally in the books Tony Daisey was in the lead. Donald Robinson, Jr. moved on top on lap two. Richard White, Jr. was on the move taking third from Randy Clark on lap four. At the halfway sign the top five were Robinson, Daisey, White, Jim Miller and Clark.

White came to a stop on lap eight putting Daisey and Clark back in the challenge for the lead. The battle heated up in the final turn with Clark making his move in the low groove and Robinson in the high groove. Robinson took the win by half a car length over Clark with Daisey, Jim Miller, and Mark Williams rounding out the top five.

RESULTS: 30-Lap 410 Feature: 1. BOB BENNETT; 2. Kevin Frey; 3. Niki Young; 4. Trevor Lewis; 5. Kevin Welsh; 6. Rick Lafferty; 7. Judi Bates; 8. Greg Coverdale; 9. Cliff Brian; 10. Jeff Busby; 11. Randy Baughman; 12. Jay Reichard; 13. Randy Schmoyer; 14. Shane Smith; 15. Larry Kellehar; 16. Doug Emory; 17. Curt Michael; 18. Al DeAngelis, Jr.; 19. James Campbell, Jr.; 20. Len Thompson.

30-Lap Open Competition Modified – 1. WADE HENDRICKSON; 2. H.J. Bunting; 3. Kevin Hirthler; 4. Cliff Foskey; 5. Deron Rust; 6. David Hill; 7. Ricky Johnson; 8. Norman Short; 9. Robert Dutton; 10. Tim Millman; 11. Bobby Watkins; 12. Beau Wilkins; 13. Adam Jarrell; 14. Darren Wroten; 15. Hal Browning; 16. Scott Smith; 17. Gary Simpson; 18. John Willman; 19. Eddie Pettyjohn; 20. Glenn Reed; 21. Bobby Walls, III; 22. Ellsey Conover; 23. Kenny Pettyjohn; 24. Steve Downs.

25-Lap URC Sprint feature: 1. CURT MICHAEL; 2. Dave Ely; 3. Kramer Williamson; 4. Scott Pursell; 5. Glen Clarke; 6. Jeremy Trout; 7. Doug Emory; 8. Gary Gollub; 9. Danny Massey; 10. Judi Bates; 11. Bill Brian, Jr.; 12. Kevin Welsh; 13. Jason Clauss; 14. Ed Aiken; 15. Matt Gerber; 16. Midge Miller; 17. Justin Collett; 18. Jon Eldreth; 19. Chris Coyle; 20. Tim Hogue; 21. Ashley Parlett; 22. Becca Anderson; 23. Greg Coverdale; 24. Trevor Lewis; 25. Dave McGough.

10-Lap Little Lincoln Feature: 1. DONALD ROBINSON, JR.; 2. Randy Clark; 3. Tony Daisey; 4. Jim Miller; 5. Mark Williams; 6. Pat McNeil; 7. Bill Brittingham; 8. Richard White, Jr.; 9. Matt Tipton; 10. Albert Mitchell; 11. Ron Wilson; 12. Bobby Watkins; 13. Dominic Mallory; 14. Duke Walsen; 15. Herman Powell; 16. Virgil Davis; 17. Hank Thompson.