MITCH GIBBS COLLECTS 2ND WIN ON NAPA NIGHT

Afton, NY…7/10/98..... NAPA Auto Stores of Bainbridge, Cooperstown, Greene and Sidney

presented the NASCAR Winston Racing Series action at the Afton Raceway on

Friday July 10th. Mitch Gibbs, Tony Ross, Denny Smith, Scott Brown and Dave

Jaindl collected feature wins on the night.

Mark Gray and Steve Eldred led the field to the start of the 30-lap NASCAR

Winston Racing Series Modified feature event. Gray would take the lead at the

drop of the green from his pole starting position. One lap would be completed

when caution appeared for Jeremy Smith who stopped in turn one. On the

restart Mitch Gibbs who started in position number three would take the lead

when racing resumed.

Gibbs would have company in the form of George Hoffmier Jr., as he was now

challenging Gibbs for the lead and on lap four took over the top spot.

Hoffmier and Gibbs would race side by side over the next few laps before

caution came out on lap nine for Robbie Green, Brian Weaver and Steve Eldred

who all tangled in turn two.

Gibbs would regain the lead on the restart with Hoffmier in second, Tony

Pepicelli, Mike Clapperton and Paul Jensen rounding out the top five. Gibbs

would start to pull away from the pack as now Tony Pepicelli was pressuring

Hoffmier for the second position. Behind them, Mike Clapperton was hanging on

to fourth, but Paul Jensen wanted the position and on lap fourteen took the

spot away.

At the mid-way point, Gibbs leads by six car lengths, Hoffmier second,

Pepicelli, Jensen and Clapperton. Mike Clapperton and Paul Jensen continued

their great race as Clapperton was now looking to take fourth away as they

completed lap twenty. Mitch Gibbs who came into the night looking for a

strong finish, after the past two weeks have not gone his way. Mechanical

problems or racing incidents have kept him out of contention for a good

finish.

That would not be the case on the night as Gibbs hit the right set up. By

lap twenty-five Gibbs was up to a ten-car length advantage and weaving his way

through slower traffic. Tony Pepicelli was still holding off a determined

George Hoffmier as both of these drivers were running their best race at

Afton. Caution appeared on lap twenty-seven for a spin in turn two setting up

a final three-lap shootout.

On the restart Gibbs would power away once again from the pack. Paul Jensen

who restarted in fifth used the caution to his advantage, as he would now

challenge Clapperton once again for third. As the field entered turn three to

get the white flag, both Clapperton in fourth and Jensen were catching the

third place car of Hoffmier. Jensen took to the low side coming out of turn

four and passed both Clapperton and Hoffmier as they raced to turn one taking

over third. Clapperton was able to get by shuffling Hoffmier back to fifth.

At the checkers Mitch Gibbs collected his second win on the season, Tony

Pepicelli was second in his best Afton finish, Paul Jensen, Mike Clapperton

and George Hoffmier completed the top five. Heat wins went to George Hoffmier

Jr., Mitch Gibbs and Chris Bushnell.

In the NASCAR Winston Shortrack Series Sportsman division feature event,

Tony Ross and Craig Pritchard paced the field to the green. Ross would jump

out to the top spot with Pritchard, Aaron Excell, Steve Anderson and the rest

of the pack all taking up the chase. Ross would open up a seven-car length

advantage by lap eight.

Jim Crawn who started in position number fourteen was into the top five by

lap nine holding onto the third spot. At the half way mark, Ross leads with

Craig Pritchard, Jim Crawn, Bill Walters and Aaron Excell completing the top

five. Tony Ross was on rails and pulling away and now had a full straight

away lead on the rest of the field.

At the checkers Tony Ross collected his second win on the season. Jim

Crawn second, Bill Walters, Craig Pritchard and Aaron Excell completed the top

five. Heat wins went to Criag Pritchard and Tony Ross.

Denny Smith picked up his third win of the season in the 20-lap Street Stock

feature event. Smith took the lead on lap three after starting in position

number eight and held off Butch Klinger by four car lengths to record the win.

Smith has now won two in a row at Afton. Butch Klinger was second, followed

by TJ Fitzgibbons, Skip French and Bob Zimmerman. Heat wins went to Butch

Klinger and Skip French.

Scott Brown was victorious in the 15-lap Pure Stock feature, his first win at

Afton Raceway. Following Brown at the finish was Jim Cornell Jr., in second,

Bill Cook, Todd Hurlburt and Chris Stull. Heat wins went to Neil Palladino.

Dave Jaindl collected his fourth win of the season in the 15-lap 4 Cylinder

Stock event. Jaindl held off Gene Brainard, Harold Humphrey, Ralph Jennings

and Jeff Burnett. Heat race wins went to Jeff Burnett and Jamie Banta.

NASCAR Winston Racing Series Modified Feature Finish 30-laps. MITCH

GIBBS, Tony Pepicelli, Paul Jensen, Mike Clapperton, Chris Bushnell, George

Hoffmier Jr., JR Hurlburt, Robbie Green, Brian Weaver, Jerry Northrup, Marty

Bunker, Earl Walrath, Steve Eldred, Mark Schoonover, Andy Ritter, Rich

Tiffany, Mark Gray, Rich Diamond, John Kollar, Mike Baldwin, Mike Jones,

Jeremy Smith.

NASCAR Winston Shortrack Series Sportsman Feature Finish 20-laps. TONY ROSS,

Jim Crawn, Bill Walters, Craig Pritchard, Aaron Excell, Steve Anderson, Wink

Hinkley, Dan Yankowski, Gary Roberts, Tim Ross, Geoff Carner, Tim Mayne, Arnie

Slade, Dave VanBuren, Pete Lyon, Dave Burnett, Dave Crandall, Alan Johnson,

Steve Davis.

Street Stock Feature Finish 20-laps. DENNY SMITH, Butch Klinger, TJ

Fitzgibbons, Skip French, Bob Zimmerman, Bill Harris, Bill Wilsey, Andy

Clement, Jeremy Clark, Joe Rohasavich, Steve Weatherbee, Jeff Witt, Ken Morey,

John Walker, Matt Roberts.

Pure Stock Feature Finish 15-laps. SCOTT BROWN, Jim Cornell Jr., Bill

Cook, Todd Hurlburt, Chris Stull, Neil Palladino, Dan Beach, Rob Facimi, Denny

Decker, Dan Howe, Dennis Valentine, Mike Green.

4 Cylinder Stock Feature Finish 15-laps. DAVE JAINDL, Gene Brainard, Harold

Humphrey, Ralph Jennings Jr. Jeff Burnett, Jamie Hurlburt, Lonnie Barnes, Pete

Christanson, Rob Coulman, Duane Spoor, Jeff Dixon, Bob Dedrick, Dan Davis,

Jamie Banta, Skip Pickwick, Russell Card, Al Barritt, Amos Lancaster, Jim

Potts, Dennis Vroman, Jon Erickson.