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| Danny Martin, Jr. Outruns the Veterans in Putnam Sprints | by Jon Harney
Young Danny Martin Jr.
Sprint cars headlined the 5-division night at Putnam County Speedway. This week the track preparation crew was given a break by the weather and they responded by preparing the track into top-notch condition.
Danny Martin Jr. wrestled the lead from polesitter Roland Johnson, then withstood 25 laps of heat from fast qualifier Johnny Gilbertson to capture his first win of 2003 in the Sprints. Johnny’s best chance for victory was negated on lap 12 when a caution flag eradicated his pass on the front stretch.
The 17-year-old Martin took the measure of the more experienced Gilbertson and wore him down en route to the checkers. Martin and Gilbertson were followed by Frankie Carlson, Johnson, and Robbie Hager.
Pure Stocks drew such a healthy number of competitors that a consolation race was needed. Steven Key took the consolation race honors. In the main event 24 cars took the green. Once again, the Pures ran a relatively smooth race considering the size of the field, and once again Mike Tripp was the class of the class. Second through eighth positions were contested in pier-six brawl fashion as would-be challengers dropped one after another. Tripp won easily and was trailed by Bubba Watson, Dean Woodward, Scott Booth, and Pete Parkes.
In Street Stocks Ronnie Soltis assumed the lead on lap 4 when polesitter Mitch Wise drifted high in the second turn. Soltis never looked back and was never seriously challenged in earning his first win of the season. Soltis gave credit to car owner George Flanders, his crew, and the fans in making the win possible. Mike Lowe brought his Dodge Truck bodied entry home second, Martin Johnson was third, Floyd Martin Sr. was fourth, and Frank Cone was fifth.
Jason Lowe bested Marion Sizemore in their Modified heat race, but Sizemore was still the odds-on favorite for the feature as many times he has proven his prowess on the dry, slick conditions that usually come later in the evening. The modus operandi for Sizemore in previous battles was to stalk Lowe, wait for a mistake, and then make his move. Tonight Sizemore went from hunter to hunted as Lowe did the stalking for twenty laps before making a race-winning pass courtesy of a rare Sizemore error. While Lowe took the win, Sizemore’s second place effort was good enough to earn the lead in overall points. Robby Barris, Morgan Bass, and Matt Hartley completed the first quintet.
The Limited Late Model feature was more a test of survival than of speed. Repeated cautions plagued the event and made many fans wish for a way to, in computer parlance, reboot the entire field and start fresh. Eventually enough green flag laps were run where a winner could be declared and Tony Lewis Sr. was the benefactor. Lewis Sr. was also one of the few cars in the event not involved in any of the cautions. Rick Singler, Rich Pratt, Jeff Terrell, and Bug Rose bore plenty of battle scars as they trailed the winner in that order.
Super Late Models return to Putnam next Saturday with support from Limited Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Pure Stocks. Grandstands open at 5 PM with the first green flag dropping at 7 PM.
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