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| Davey Johnson Wednesday's Winner At East Bay | by Roby Helm
Feb. 7, 2001 - Fans at the United Dirt Track Racing Association Pro DirtCar Series event at on Wednesday night saw a rocket at the beginning and end of the program. They saw Space Shuttle lift off just before hot laps, and they saw Davey Johnson of Greensburg, PA drive the Rocket Chassis house car Monte Carlo into the winners circle after the 50-lap main event.
Johnson rode the high line around the 1/3-mile clay oval to pass Steve Lucas of Charleston, WV for the lead on lap 20, and then hold off the low groove running Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, IL in the C.J. Rayburn Monte Carlo to take the $5,000 victory.
Steve Francis of Ashland, KY followed the route of Johnson to finish third in the Valvoline Oil/Mopar Performance Rocket/Stanton Dodge RT. Rick Aukland of Zanesville, OH finished fourth in the Ostrom Painting and Sandblasting MasterSbilt Grand Prix, and Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR rounded out the top five in the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel Rayburn/Clements Grand Prix.
Rick Eckert of York, PA was the JE Pistons Hard Charger of the Race after starting his Raye Vest Rocket/Cornett Mustang 20th and finishing sixth. Scott James of Lawrenceburg, IN took the seventh spot in the Sheppard Excavating Rocket/AMS Monte Carlo, and eighth went to Terry English of Benton, KY in the Car City Rayburn/Dickens Monte Carlo.
Mike Balzano was ninth in the Eddie Auto Parts Rocket/Russell Baker Monte Carlo, and 1999 UDTRA Champion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA rounded out the top ten in the Larry Shaw Race Cars Rocket/Hatfield Grand Prix.
Erb grabbed the point from the polo position with Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI and Ray Tucker of Greensboro, NC close behind as they came off the second turn. Behind the leaders, Steve Boley of West Liberty, IA got sideways after making contact with another car causing a chain reaction down the backstretch that collected 15 cars and brought out a red flag.
Boley, R.J. Conley of Wheelersburg, OH, Chub Frank of Sugar Grove, PA and Todd Andrews of Eldred, PA were done for the evening. On the restart, Tucker took the lead, but Erb passed him coming off the fourth turn to lead lap one. A lap two caution for the stalled car of Joe Izzo of LaSalle, IL found Erb leading Tucker, Schlieper, and Lucas for the restart.
Lucas put the move on Schlieper and Tucker to take over second spot on the restart, and then began to put the pressure on Erb for the lead. On lap six, Lucas shot under Erb to take the lead coming off the second turn. By the time a caution flag was unfurled on lap 18 for Tucker's stalled car, Johnson had worked himself from the tenth starting spot into third behind Lucas and Erb.
Johnson stepped out to the cushion on the restart, and passed Erb for second. By the next lap, Johnson was battling side-by-side with Lucas for the lead. Johnson took over the point on lap 20, and by lap 35 had a full straightaway lead. The caution came out on lap 37 for debris, and again on lap 40 when Schlieper suffered a cut tire.
On the restart, Lucas and Erb got together in turn three, with Lucas ending up on top of the inside wall, while Erb continued. In the closing laps, Erb worked the inside groove to pressure Johnson for the lead, while Francis also worked the outside following Johnson's tire tracks.
"After working the inside for the last two nights, we decided to give the outside a try and try to stay out of the bumps in the track," Johnson said. "It seemed like everyone else wanted to run the inside, so it was easier to get through traffic on the top."
"This track had been good to me in the past, and we just keep getting better every time we run here," Erb said. "I've learned a few things from Don O' Neal, who won here the two previous nights, so maybe we can do one spot better tomorrow night."
"I talked to Davey and Mark Richards of Rocket Chassis before the race, and we decided to change the set up about seven minutes before the race," Francis said. "It seemed to help our car late in the race, so maybe we'll be right where we want to be for the races during the rest of the week."
Francis took over the UDTRA point lead with his third place finish. Moyer moved up to second, 27 points behind, with Eckert in third, Freddy Smith of Knoxville, TN in fourth, and Balzano in fifth.
Tucker won the Scott Performance Wires $50 Bonus Award with a second heat race win, and Francis won the JE Pistons $100 Bonus Award for his fifth heat race victory. Other heat race wins were taken by Erb, Lucas, Schlieper, and Boley.
Timmy Yeager of Harrodsburg, KY won the Renegade Transporters 1st Consolation Race, Eckert won the Polaris ATVs 2nd Consolation Race, and the 3rd Consolation Race was won by Randy Korte of Highland, IL. Balzano was the fast qualifier among the 88 entrants with a lap in 14.469 seconds for an average speed of 82.936 miles per hour.
The UDTRA Pro DirtCars return to East Bay Raceway Thursday night for a 50-lap $7,000-to-win main event. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. with hot laps scheduled for 6 p.m. East Bay Raceway is located six miles south of I-4 off U.S. Highway 41. For ticket information call 1-877-457-5611.
RESULTS
FEATURE (50 lasp):
Pos. Start Car# Driver Hometown Car Laps Earnings
1. 10 1j Davey Johnson Greensburg, PA Chev 50 $5,000
2. 1 28 Dennis Erb Jr. Carpentersville, IL Chev 50 $3,000
3. 5 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Dodge 50 $2,600
4. 8 12 Rick Aukland Fargo, ND Pont 50 $1,750
5. 9 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Pont 50 $2,100
6. 20 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Ford 50 $1,250
7. 17 83 Scott James Lawrenceburg, IN Chev 50 $1,000
8. 15 96 Terry English Benton, KY Chev 50 $900
9. 7 E1 Mike Balzano Parkersburg, WV Chev 50 $800
10. 23 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Pont, 50 $700
11. 4 s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Chev 50 $600
12. 25 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Ford 50 $925
13. 12 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Chev 50 $550
14. 24 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA Pont 49 $525
15. 26 6m Wendell Wallace Batesville, AR Pont 49 $500
16. 14 4b Jackie Boggs Grayson, KY Chev 44 $475
17. 3 5 Steve Lucas Charleston, WV Pont 41 $450
18. 22 66 Joe Izzo LaSalle, IL Chev 37 $425
19. 2 27t Ray Tucker Greensboro, NC Pont 16 $450
20. 18 30 Steve Shaver Parkersburg, WV Chev 6 $1,000
21. 21 00k Randy Korte Highland, IL Chev 1 $400
22. 19 19y Timmy Yeager Harrodsburg, KY Chev 1 $400
23. 6 26 Steve Boley West Liberty, IA Ford 0 $400
24. 11 1* Chub Frank Sugar Grove, PA Chev 0 $400
25. 13 71c R.J. Conley Wheelersburg, OH Chev 0 $400
26. 16 42 Todd Andrews Eldred, PA Ford 0 $400
ENTRIES: 88.
LEAD CHANGES: 2 among 3 drivers.
LAP LEADERS: Erb 1-6, Lucas 7-19, Johnson 20-50.
JE PISTONS HARD CHARGER: Eckert (started 20th, finished 6th).
CAUTIONS: 7.
PROVISIONALS: Bloomquist, Wallace.
UDTRA SHOOTOUT INVITEES: Johnson, Erb, Aukland, Eckert, James, promoter's choice TBA.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Pos. Car# Driver Hometown Chassis Car Time Speed
1. E1 Mike Balzano Parkersburg, WV Rocket Monte Carlo 14.469 82.936
2. 12 Rick Aukland Zanesville, OH Mastersbilt Grand Prix 14.561 82.412
3. 5 Steve Lucas Charleston, WV Rocket Grand Prix 14.672 81.788
4. 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Rocket Mustang 14.709 81.583
5. 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Rocket Dodge 14.711 81.572
6. 30 Steve Shaver Parkersburg, WV Rocket Monte Carlo 14.713 81.561
7. 28 Dennis Erb Jr. Carpentersville, ILL Rayburn Monte Carlo 14.741 81.406
8. 27 Ray Tucker Greensboro, NC Rocket Monte Carlo 14.751 81.350
9. 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Rayburn Grand Prix 14.789 81.141
10. 1j Davey Johnson Greensburg, PA Rocket Monte Carlo 14.812 81.015
11. 19 Jeremy Miller Littletown, PA Rocket Grand Prix 14.822 80.961
12. 26 Steve Boley West Liberty, IA Mastersbilt Mustang 14.823 80.955
13. 71c R.J. Conley Wheelersburg, OH Rocket Grand Prix 14.844 80.841
14. 19y Timmy Yeager Harrodsburg, KY Rayburn Monte Carlo 14.878 80.656
15. 96 Terry English Benton, KY Rayburn Monte Carlo 14.935 80.348
16. s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Rayburn Monte Carlo 14.940 80.321
17. 83 Scott James Lawrenceburg, IN Rocket Monte Carlo 14.941 80.316
18. 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Rayburn Monte Carlo 14.959 80.219
19. 75 John Gill Mitchell, IN Rocket Grand Prix 14.978 80.118
20. 4b Jackie Boggs Grayson, KY Swartz Monte Carlo 14.988 80.064
21. 02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico, FL Rocket Grand Prix 14.989 80.059
22. 99 Donnie Moran Dresden, OH Boss Monte Carlo 15.003 79.984
23. 1* Chub Frank Sugar Grove, PA Rocket Monte Carlo 15.027 79.856
24. 32 Greg Lucas Whitesburg, KY Rocket Monte Carlo 15.029 79.846
25. 66 Joe Izzo LaSalle, IL GRT Monte Carlo 15.044 79.766
26. 1 Sammie Halcomb Bluffton, OH Rocket Monte Carlo 15.059 79.687
27. 10r Russ Scheffler Waukesha, WI GRT Monte Carlo 15.061 79.676
28. 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Warrior Mustang 15.081 79.570
29. 00k Randy Korte Highland, IL Larry Shaw Monte Carlo 15.097 79.486
30. 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC GRT Mustang 15.100 79.470
31. 71m Lance Mathees Winona, MN Fegers Monte Carlo 15.100 79.470
32. 0b Booper Bare Rockridge Baths, VA Rocket Monte Carlo 15.133 79.297
33. w7 Thomas Ware Cynthianna, KY Rocket Monte Carlo 15.135 79.286
34. 66f Bill Frye Greenbrier, AR GRT Mustang 15.139 79.265
35. 2j Mike Johnson Imperial, PA Rocket Grand Prix 15.140 79.260
36. 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA Rocket Grand Prix 15.150 79.208
37. 71o Don O'Neal Martinville, IN Rayburn Monte Carlo 15.162 79.145
38. 77b Barry Bragdon Wheelersburg, OH Rocket Monte Carlo 15.179 79.057
39. 19m Mark Mears Decatur, AL Rayburn Monte Carlo 15.198 78.958
40. 71 Delmas Conley Wheelersburg, OH Rocket Monte Carlo 15.207 78.911
41. 89 Marshall Green Dalton, GA Warrior Monte Carlo 15.218 78.854
42. 00 Freddy Smith Knoxville, TN GRT Monte Carlo 15.221 78.838
43. 77s Dick Sheppard Bakersfield, CA Rayburn Monte Carlo 15.253 78.673
44. 71r Rod Conley Wheelersburg, OH Rocket Monte Carlo 15.257 78.652
45. 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Rocket Grand Prix 15.298 78.442
46. 1c Eddie Carrier Jr. Leburn, KY Rocket Monte Carlo 15.304 78.411
47. 11 Ace Ihm Hazel Green, WI Warrior Grand Prix 15.311 78.375
48. 3 Steve Smith Powell, TN Rayburn Monte Carlo 15.350 78.176
49. 28b Dick Barton Ashville, NY GRT Mustang 15.357 78.140
50. 1cj Rodney Franklin White Post, VA Rayburn Monte Carlo 15.360 78.125
51. 31t Bobby Turner Cumming, GA Rocket Monte Carlo 15.369 78.079
52. 20 Tombo Callahan Weir, MS GRT Grand Prix 15.403 77.907
53. 6m Wendell Wallace Batesville, AR GRT Grand Prix 15.414 77.851
54. 33 Al Purkey Coffeyville, KS American Grand Prix 15.414 77.851
55. 2 Anthony White Clinton, TN Warrior Grand Prix 15.463 77.605
56. 28m Jimmy Mars Elk Mound, WI Mastersbilt Monte Carlo 15.490 77.469
57. 7n Bill Pearson Portola, CA Rocket Monte Carlo 15.495 77.444
58. 42 Todd Andrews Eldred, PA GRT Mustang 15.499 77.424
59. 55v Jeep Van Wormer Pinconning, MI Warrior Mustang 15.530 77.270
60. 6t Tim Dohm Charleston, WV Rocket Monte Carlo 15.535 77.245
61. 82 Andy Fries Mercersburg, PA Warrior Monte Carlo 15.591 76.967
62. 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville, FL Rocket Mustang 15.617 76.839
63. 28g Davey Sanders Ironton, OH Rocket Mustang 15.623 76.810
64. 69 Terry Eaglin Dillsboro, IN Rocket Grand Prix 15.647 76.692
65. 02m Jody Moore Red House, WV Rocket Grand Prix 15.666 76.599
66. 98 Pete Broughton Wimamma, FL Stinger Monte Carlo 15.674 76.560
67. 27j Danny Johnson Phelps, NY Rocket Monte Carlo 15.676 76.550
68. 32c Vic Coffey Leicester, NY Rocket Monte Carlo 15.693 76.467
69. 24b Roy Deece Jr. Odenton, MD Rocket Grand Prix 15.712 76.375
70. 21d Dan Stone Thompson, PA Burnhizel Monte Carlo 15.752 76.181
71. 50 Ed Dixon Washington, MO Rayburn Grand Prix 15.803 75.935
72. 64 Ryan Dauber Tonica, IL GRT Monte Carlo 15.829 75.810
73. 00h Chuck Harper Beverly, WV Rayburn Monte Carlo 15.845 75.734
74. 12c Courtney Clewell Cambridge, OH Mastersbilt Monte Carlo 15.918 75.386
75. B12 Kevin Weaver Gibson City, IL Rayburn Monte Carlo 15.956 75.207
76. 31 Skip Arp Georgetown, TN GRT Mustang 16.091 74.576
77. 007 Jeff Weber Clayton, GA Rayburn Monte Carlo 16.107 74.502
78. 21m Jason Montgomery Jackson, OH Rocket Grand Prix 16.110 74.488
79. 45k John Kresser Jr. Bridgeview, IL GRT Monte Carlo 16.116 74.460
80. 9z Jayme Zidar Greenfield, WI GRT Monte Carlo 16.277 73.724
81. 1k John Anderson Omaha, NE GRT Grand Prix 16.675 71.964
82. 56 Gary Webb Bluegrass, IA GRT Monte Carlo, no time - DQ
83. 17r Steve Radich College Park, MD Bullitt Monte Carlo, no time - DQ
84. 32s Ronnie Smith Waco, KY Swartz Monte Carlo, no time - DQ
85. 10 Dennis Lamb Front Royal, VA Rocket Monte Carlo, no time - DQ
86. 35p Wayne Parson Quincy, KY Rocket Grand Prix, no time - DQ
87. J0 J.O. Nobles Nahunta, GA Warrior Monte Carlo, no time - DQ
88. 97 Greg Walters Portland, OR Rayburn Monte Carlo, no time
1ST HEAT (12 laps): 1. Erb; 2. Balzano; 3. R.J. Conley; 4. O'Neal; 5. Izzo; 6. Mathees; 7. Dny. Johnson; 8. Gill; 9. Barton; 10. Sheppard; 11. Fries; 12. Harper; 13. Kresser; 14. White; 15. Radich. (top three advanced to the feature)
2ND HEAT (12 laps): 1. Tucker (Scott Performance Wire $50 Bonus Award Winner); 2. Aukland; 3. Boggs; 4. Franklin; 5. Yeager; 6. Bragdon; 7. Bare; 8. Coffey; 9. Halcomb; 10. Clewell; 11. Zidar; 12. R. Smith; 13. R. Conley; 14. Mars; 15. E. Pearson. (top three advanced to the feature)
3RD HEAT (12 laps): 1. S. Lucas; 2. Moyer; 3. English; 4. Ware; 5. McDowell; 6. Weaver; 7. Mears; 8. Scheffler; 9. Turner; 10. Sanders; 11. Anderson; 12. Nosbicsh; 13. Deese; 14. B. Pearson. (top three advanced to the feature)
4TH HEAT (12 laps): 1. Schlieper; 2. Dvy. Johnson; 3. Andrews; 4. Eckert; 5. Bloomquist; 6. Frye; 7. Moran; 8. Arp; 9. Stone; 10. Callahan; 11. Eaglin; 12. Carrier; 13. Lamb; 14. D. Conley. (top three advanced to the feature)
5TH HEAT (12 laps): 1. Francis (JE Pistons $100 Award Winner); 2. Frank; 3. James; 4. Korte; 5. Miller; 6. Green; 7. M. Johnson; 8. Van Wormer; 9. Dixon; 10. Ihm; 11. Wallace; 12. Moore; 13. Weber. (top three advanced to the feature)
6TH HEAT (12 laps): 1. Boley; 2. Babb; 3. Shaver; 4. Birkhofer; 5. Cook; 6. Broughton; 7. Dohm; 8. Dauber; 9. S. Smith; 10. Purkey; 11. Webb; 12. G. Lucas; 13. F. Smith; 14. Montgomery. (top three advanced to the feature)
RENEGADE TRANSPORTERS 1ST CONSY (12 laps): 1. Yeager; 2. Izzo; 3. Gill; 4. Mathees; 5. E. Pearson; 6. Dny. Johnson; 7. Coffey; 8. Fries; 9. Barton; 10. Harper; 11. Clewell; 12. Kresser; 13. R. Smith; 14. Bragdon; 15. Zidar; 16. Bare; 17. Sheppard; 18. Halcomb; 19. Franklin. (top two advanced to the feature)
POLARIS ATVs 2ND CONSY (12 laps): 1. Eckert; 2. McDowell; 3. Bloomquist; 4. Frye; 5. Ware; 6. Weaver; 7. Moran; 8. Mears; 9. Arp; 10. Stone; 11. Scheffler; 12. Sanders; 13. Eaglin; 14. Anderson; 15. Turner; 16. Deese; 17. Callahan. (top two advanced to the feature)
3RD CONSY (12 laps): 1. Korte; 2. Birkhofer; 3. Cook; 4. M. Johnson; 5. Dixon; 6. Broughton; 7. Dohm; 8. F. Smith; 9. Webb; 10. Ihm; 11. G. Lucas; 12. Montgomery; 13. Dauber; 14. S. Smith; 15. Wallace; 16. Moore; 17. Weber; 18. Nobles; 19. Van Wormer; 20. Green; 21. Purkey; 22. J. Miller. (top two advanced to the feature)
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