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2001
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| Wednesday, February 6, 2002 | |
| DON O'NEAL TOPS LATE MODELS AT EAST BAY | 
Tampa,FL 2-5-02)-In the words of former New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, the 2002 edition of the Renegade DirtCar Racing Series sanctioned "26th Annual Winternationals" is "like deja vu all over again", especially for Don O'Neal. The Martinsville,IN driver led all 75 laps of the main event Tuesday night to pocket the $7,000 top prize at East Bay Raceway in Tampa,FL backing up his opening night triumph Monday. O'Neal accomplished the same feat in the 2001 "Winternationals" grabbing victories the first two nights.
Aboard the Petroff Towing/O'Neal Wood Products/B-Auto Parts No. 71o O'Neal Racing/C.J. Rayburn Race Cars/Pro Power Racing Engines Chevrolet Monte Carlo, O'Neal dominated the field throughout the event taking the victory nearly four car lengths in front of eighth starting Steve Francis. The only threat O'Neal faced from Francis happened after a lap 63 caution when Francis was able to pull to the back bumper of O'Neal but could not make his way past O'Neal. Billy Moyer rode home third with Rick Eckert fourth and 20th starting Brian Birkhofer fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Davey Johnson in sixth followed by 15th starting Shannon Babb (the last car on the lead lap) then 25th starting Chub Frank, Dennis Erb Jr. and 19th starting Steve Shaver.
 (Starting from the pole, O'Neal powered into the lead at the drop of the green flag but the caution was quickly out when Roy Deese Jr. smacked the turn three wall dropping him from the action. O'Neal again got the jump at the start leading Eckert, Terry English, Moyer and Francis after one lap. Cautions on lap 3 and lap 7 slowed the pace. By lap 10 O'Neal enjoyed a comfortable margin over Francis, English, Eckert and Moyer. Cautions again on laps 11, 12 and 14 slowed the action but the next 35 laps went caution free.
With 25 laps in the books, O'Neal was simply running away from the field using every groove available on the tacky surface. Moyer now sat second with Babb third, Francis fourth and Eckert fifth followed by Johnson, Birkhofer, Shaver, English and Mike Balzano. O'Neal saw his huge lead dwindle somewhat when he encountered heavy lapped traffic on lap 45 allowing Moyer, Babb and Francis to close on the leader. Caution on lap 49 slowed the torrid pace and gave O'Neal an open track in front of him.
O'Neal again opened up a sizeable advantage on the restart leaving the field behind him to scramble for position. By lap 60 Francis had worked his way into second and a caution on lap 63 closed the field back up. Francis stayed with O'Neal on the restart but with five to go O'Neal had again opened up a healthy which he held through the finish.
 The $34,000 event drew 86 drivers to the semi-banked 1/3rd mile track with Rick Eckert topping the field during CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge the Clock" time trials with a quick lap of 14.376 seconds. Grabbing BRODIX,INC. heat race wins were Marshall Green, Joey Izzo, Francis, Rick Aukland, Johnson and Jimmy Mars. Copping the MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Mains were Shaver, Birkhofer and Delmas Conley with O'Neal earning the feature pole with his triumph in the ISKY RACING CAMS Dash. In the non-sanctioned Morgan Farms "Strawberry Dash" for non-qualifying feature event drivers, Jeff Wildung copped the top prize for the second night in a row.
1. (1) #71o Don O'Neal 75 Running $7,100
2. (8) # 1 Steve Francis 75 Running $4,000
3. (4) #21M Billy Moyer 75 Running $2,550
4. (2) #24 Rick Eckert 75 Running $1,580
5. (20) #15B Brian Birkhofer 75 Running $1,440
6. (10) #19J Davey Johnson 75 Running $1,300
7. (15) #18 Shannon Babb 75 Running $1,200
8. (25) #1* Chub Frank 74 Running $1,140
9. (14) #28E Dennis Erb Jr. 74 Running $1,000
10. (19) #30 Steve Shaver 74 Running $940
11. (26) #71C R.J. Conley 74 Running $840
12. (23) #S9 Dan Schlieper 73 Running $740
13. (17) #1P Earl Pearson Jr. 73 Running $650
14. (13) #0A Bobby Alexander Jr. 72 Running $600
15. (21) #71 Delmas Conley 71 Running $590
16. (6) #E1 Mike Balzano 67 Handling $535
17. (7) #166 Joey Izzo 58 Handling $450
18. (5) #96E Terry English 48 Handling $440
19. (27) #W11 Rob Blair 47 Handling $440
20. (16) #29 Darrell Lanigan 42 Mechanical $400
21. (22) #02 Keith Nosbisch 37 Suspension $440
22. (28) #23J Greg Johnson 18 Suspension $440
23. (24) #99 Donnie Moran 16 Steering $440
24. (9) #12 Rick Aukland 14 Suspension $400
25. (3) #89 Marshall Green 13 Brakes $460
26. (17) #4B Jackie Boggs 11 Steering $400
27. (11) #28M Jimmy Mars 3 Suspension $400
28. (12) #05 Roy Deese Jr. 0 Accident $400
Time Of Race: 53 Mins.
Yellow Flags: Ten-Laps 0,3,7,11,12,14,14(rs),49,58,63
Red Flags: None
Lap Leaders: One-O'Neal 1-75
OUTERWEARS CO. "Hard Charger of the Race": Francis
ROCKET CHASSIS "Rookie of the Race": None
Provisional Starters: Frank,R.J. Conley,Blair,G. Johnson
Car Count: 86
CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge the Clock" Time Trial Award: Eckert 14.376 secs.
BRODIX,INC. Heat Race Winners: Green,Izzo,Francis,Aukland,D. Johnson,Mars
SCOTT PERFORMANCE WIRE Heat Race Bonus Winner: Francis
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main Winners: Shaver,Birkhofer,D. Conley
ISKY RACING CAMS Dash Winner: O'Neal
SUMMARY: CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge the Clock" Time Trials:
1. #24 Rick Eckert York,Pa 14.376
2. #96E Terry English Benton,KY 14.608
3. #E1 Mike Balzano Parkersburg,WV 14.634
4. #71o Don O'Neal Martinsville,IN 14.648
5. #71C R.J. Conley Wheelersburg,OH 14.661
6. #21M Billy Moyer Batesville,AR 14.691
7. #89 Marshall Green White,GA 14.756
8. #99J Johnny Johnson West Burlington,IA 14.768
9. #S9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee,WI 14.780
10. #29 Darrell Lanigan Union,KY 14.813
11. #4B Jackie Boggs Grayson,KY 14.860
12. #28M Jimmy Mars Elk Mound,WI 14.865
13. #02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico,FL 14.868
14. #166 Joey Izzo LaSalle,IL 14.882
15. #28E Dennis Erb Jr. Carpentersville,IL 14.903
16. #12 Rick Aukland Zanesville,OH 14.907
17. #19J Davey Johnson Greensburg,PA 14.940
18. #71 Delmas Conley Wheelersburg,OH 14.974
19. #05 Roy Deese Jr. Odenton,MD 14.978
20. #0A Bobby Alexander Jr. Riverview,FL 15.003
21. # 1 Steve Francis Ashland,KY 15.066
22. #W11 Rob Blair Titusville,PA 15.068
23. #18 Shannon Babb Decatur,IL 15.092
24. #1* Chub Frank Sugar Grove,PA 15.099
25. #23J Greg Johnson Edinburgh,IN 15.132
26. #77 Bill Bartels Marina Del Rey,CA 15.164
27. #1D Billy Drake Bloomington,IL 15.192
28. #17M Dale McDowell Rossville,GA 15.204
29. #32C Vic Coffey Leicester,NY 15.207
30. #1P Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville,FL 15.211
31. #71R Rod Conley Wheelersburg,OH 15.237
32. #19Y Timmy Yeager Harrodsburg,KY 15.264
33. #15B Brian Birkhofer Muscatine,IA 15.286
34. #00K Randy Korte Highland,IL 15.294
35. # 7 Matt Miller Waterville,OH 15.302
36. #72R Steve Russell Pontotoc,MS 15.312
37. #201 Billy Ogle Jr. Knoxville,TN 15.320
38. #T8 Mark Banal St. Clairsville,OH 15.333
39. #12S Jason Setser Columbus,IN 15.335
40. #80 Bryan Durig Warren,OH 15.349
41. #40A Andy Anderson Martinsburg,WV 15.354
42. #70J D.J. Myers Greencastle,PA 15.366
43. #13 Barry Doss Sardinia,OH 15.367
44. # 3 Steve Smith Powell,TN 15.374
45. #00H Chuck Harper Beverly,WV 15.408
46. #71W Jeff Wildung Nassau,MN 15.420
47. #00S Freddy Smith Knoxville,TN 15.422
48. #53 Ray Cook Brasstown,NC 15.434
49. #72 John Mason Millersburg,OH 15.441
50. #32D Scott Douglas Waco,KY 15.450
51. #1K John Anderson Omaha,NE 15.518
52. #64 Ryan Dauber Tonica,IL 15.523
53. #99 Donnie Moran Dresden,OH 15.527
54. #21 Jason Montgomery Jackson,OH 15.539
55. #30 Steve Shaver Vienna,WV 15.594
56. #59 Bill Cunningham Jefferson,OH 15.652
57. #46 Jason Tolliver Proctorville,OH 15.654
58. #45 Russ Frohnapfel Columbus,OH 15.667
59. #25 Jeff Kohn Sheridan,MI 15.715
60. #17 Mike Gault Gaffney,SC 15.744
61. #6M Wendell Wallace Batesville,AR 15.782
62. #42 Marshall Austin Dover,FL 15.848
63. #7J Dave Troutman Hyndman,PA 15.886
64. # 2 Anthony White Clinton,TN 15.931
65. #50 Ed Dixon Washington,MO 15.962
66. #9X Russ Scheffler Waukesha,WI 15.967
67. #18D Jim Bernheisel Lebanon,PA 15.981
68. #21D Dan Stone Thompson,PA 16.008
69. #43 Aaron Bapst Jackson,OH 16.018
70. #T31 Shane Tankersley Morganton,GA 16.028
71. #28 Steve Lucas Charleston,WV 16.050
72. #6H Tom Hall Denton,KY 16.278
73. #6T Tim Dohm Cross Lanes,WV 16.346
74. #12C Cortney Clewell Cambridge,OH 16.401
75. #32S Ronnie Smith Waco,KY 16.432
76. #07 Scott Cross Stevensville,MD 16.532
77. #9Z Jayme Zidar Greenfield,WI 16.721
78. #99H Sherri Heckenast Chicago,IL 16.724
79. #17S Frank Smith Mechanicsville,MD 17.130
80. #7L Randy Lucas Apex,NC 17.403
81. #1A Dan Autullo Worth,IL 17.486
82. #J0 J.O. Nobles Nahunta,GA 17.590
83. #H20 Mark Kraus Stratford,WI 18.775
84. #J8 Billy Jones Gravel Switch,KY 18.947
85. #96 Cory Daugherty Decatur,IL NT
86. #32 Greg Lucas Whitesburg,KY NT
BRODIX,INC. Heat #1 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Green,
Deese Jr.,Eckert,Nosbisch,Shaver,G. Johnson,Dohm,Mason,Ogle Jr.,
Doss,Rd. Conley,Bernheisel,Wallace,Fk. Smith,NS-Daugherty
BRODIX,INC. Heat #2 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Izzo,
Alexander Jr.,English,J. Johnson,Banal,Cunningham,Douglas,Stone,
Clewell,Bartels,Austin,R. Lucas,Yeager,S. Smith,NS-G. Lucas
BRODIX,INC./SCOTT PERFORMANCE WIRE Heat #3 (12 Laps-Top 3
Advance To Feature): Francis,Erb Jr.,Balzano,Schlieper,Birkhofer,Drake,
Setser,Harper,Bapst,Tolliver,Anderson,Troutman,R. Smith,NS-Autullo
BRODIX,INC. Heat #4 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Aukland,
O'Neal,Lanigan,Blair,McDowell,Korte,Dauber,Durig,Frohnapfel,Wildung,
White,Cross,Tankersley,Nobles
BRODIX,INC. Heat #5 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): D. Johnson,
Babb,Boggs,Coffey,R.J. Conley,Dixon,Moran,Kohn,S. Lucas,Fy. Smith,
Zidar,Miller,Kraus,NS-Anderson
BRODIX,INC. Heat #6 (12 Laps-Top 3 Advance To Feature): Mars,Moyer,
Pearson Jr,D. Conley,Frank,Cook,Gault,Heckenast,Myers,Hall,
Montgomery,Scheffler,Russell,Jones
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #1 (15 Laps-Top 2 advance to feature):
Shaver,Nosbisch,Banal,G.Johnson,Doss,Dohm,Douglas,
Bernheisel,Rd. Conley,Yeager,Stone,Fk. Smith,Bartels,Austin,Mason,
Clewell,Wallace,R. Lucas,Ogle Jr.,Cunningham,Daugherty,J. Johnson,NS-
S. Smith,G. Lucas
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #2 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature):
Birkhofer,Schlieper,Blair,Harper,Drake,Cross,Wildung,Bapst,
Dauber,Setser,Anderson,Tolliver,Tankersley,Durig,Autullo,McDowell,R.
Smith,Frohnapfel,Korte,Troutman,Nobles,White
MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main #3 (15 Laps-Top 2 Advance To Feature): D.Conley,Moran,R.J. Conley,Miller,Frank,Anderson,Scheffler,
Myers,Coffey,Cook,Kohn,Heckenast,Zidar,Hall,Kraus,S. Lucas,Gault,
Dixon,NS-Fy. Smith,Montgomery,Russell,Jones
ISKY RACING CAMS Dash (6 Laps-Finish Determines First Three Rows Of
Feature): O'Neal,Eckert,Green,Moyer,English,Balzano
Morgan Farms "Non-Qualifiers Strawberry Dash" (10 Laps): Wildung,Myers,Kohn,Rd.Conley,Bapst,Setser,Gault,Dauber,Anderson,Austin
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