JACK JOHNSON WINS 1980 NORTHEAST 150 - 2ND IN A ROW!
A borrowed motor, the will to win, and the ability to do it, helped "Jumpin" Jack Johnson of Schenectady to victory in the annual Northeast 150, the 1980 season drivers cham-pionship at Weedsport Speedway and one step closer to winning the overall "Mr. DIRT" title for the year Sunday after-noon.
It was the last race of the year at the high banked Weed-sport oval and were double DIRT points on the line as well as $2,000 for the winners share but late last night it looked pret-ty bleek for Jack Johnson as he blew the engine while leading at Fonda. Long time friend Jim Beechy, owner of the New Hartford Wood Stove Co. and his driver came running up with the answer. They offered Jack the engine from their P13 and a long night of work lay ahead changing engines but it was all well worth it as Jack lead virtually from start to finish in the 150 lap feature.
Chuck Akulis of Windsor won the pole by virtue of his win in the first heat. Six time winner Will Cagle took the outside pole by winning the second heat and Jack started inside in the second row after a third heat win. Jack grabbed the lead early and then traded it with Akulis through the early stages of the race but late in the first 30 laps went in front and was never headed. Akulis drove a great race to notch second place while Mike "Magic Shoes" McLaughlin took third. They were the only other cars in the same lap with leader and winner Johnson, Alan Johnson and Cagle had duled back and forth through the second half of the race and were finally lap-veteran in traffic on the last lap and used a lapped car to nab ped in the late stages and then Alan caught the "Wiley" fourth spot while Cagle was fifth.
Brian Stevens parlayed a consolation win to an eighth place finish in the 150 lap grind. Upwards of 38 cars were on hand attempting to qualify for the 30 starting spots in the long race, the final of the 1980 season on the highbanked oval.
Still on the DIRT schedule here in Central New York is the second annual National Modified 200 at Rolling Wheels Raceway next Sunday afternoon.
SUMMARY
Ht. 1-Chuck Akulis, Carl Nagel, Jack Emerson, Don Slack, Rick Hoctor,
Pete Cordes.
Ht. 2-Mike McLaughlin, Jeff Kappesser, Roger Phelps, Alan Johnson, Mike Colsten, Dick Sundgren.
Ht. 3-Jack Johnson, Will Cagle, Don Turner, Bill Anderson, Pat Ward,
George Ely.
Consi-Brian Stevens, Ron Duplantis, Paul Cunningham, Russ Blake, Ron Narducci, Harry Elkema.
FEATURE: Jack Johnson, Chuck Akulis, Mike McLaughlin, Alan John
son, Will Cagle, Carl Nagel, Jeff Kappesser, Brian Stevens, Harry Sit tler, Roger Phelps, Mike Colsten, Don Slack, Pat Ward, Roger Bacon, Dick Sundgren, Paul Cunningham, Jack Emerson, Don Wetmore, Ron Duplantis, Don Turner, Charlie Castle, Russ Blake, John Barker, Bill Anderson, Bill Sitterly, Jr., Rick Hoctor, Harry Elkema, George Ely, Pete Cordes, Dave Lape.