Chad Kemenah from Findlay, Ohio won Wednesday night's 30 lap United Sprint Car Series (www.uscsracing.com) Thunder Thaw 2004 finale at Dick Murphy's Volusia Speedway Park over a talent laden 35 car field from 12 states and Canada.
Kemenah raced by early race leader and 2003 Southern Ontario Sprints champion Glenn Styres into the lead on lap seven and then held on the final twenty three laps first challenged first by night one winner, Joey Saldana, from Brownsburg, Indiana, who started sixth and then by 2002 USCS Florida State champion Jason Sides from Bartlett, Tennessee' who started eighth.
Saldana who passed Kemenah just prior to a lap seven red, but, would have been back in second place on the restart, looked to have the setup to repeat on night two. But, Saldana unfortunately went to the rear of the field though after a red flag for Jim Raptis' scary crash in turn one.
Saldana's crew was penalized and Saldana sent to the rear of the field for working on the car on the track, while delaying the restart. This placed Sides behind Kemenah for the chase followed by Styres in third, then followed by Bixby Oklahoma's Shane Stewart who started seventh in fourth followed by 2002 Winston Cup champion, Tony Stewart from Rushville, Indiana.
After a lap twelve restart for Greg Wilson's problems, Lance Dewease from Fayetteville, Pennsylvania charged past Tony Stewart and Styres into fourth on lap fourteen. On lap sixteen Tony Stewart got by Stres for the fifth spot. On lap nineteen Zach Chappel from Tallalah, Oklahoma, raced past Tony Stewart into the top five . On lap twenty Saldana moved into the top six and appeared to be coming back hard using the cautions to his advantage.
Kemenah continued to lead the last ten laps comfortably and rolled into victory lane ahead of Sides, Shane Stewart, DeWease and Zach Chappell completing the top five. The hard charging Saldana lead the second five in sixth over Tony Stewart in seventh, Largo, Florida's Sport Allen, in eighth Minnesotan, Brad Pake in ninth and Danny Martin, Jr. rallied from eighteenth to complete the top ten.
Tony Stewart won the 5 lap Airflow Research Power Dash. Jason Sides, Zach Chappell and defending USCS Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee won their heat races. Jim Raptis from Marietta, Georgia won the 10 lap B main event.
Shane Stewart set fast time around the half mile oval turning a best lap of 14.804. Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida who started eighteenth and passed eight cars in the tough A main field to garner the his second Huggins Cams "Hardcharger" award in two nights.
Volusia - 2/4/04 USCS B - Main - Jim Raptis, Brice Wrenn, Marshall Skinner, Red Stauffer, Tom Winegardner, Jr., Frank Carlsson, Tony Bruce, Tom Winegardner, Sr. R.J. Johnson.
Volusia Speedway Park 2/4/04 USCS A main event (30 laps)
Winner = Chad Kemenah, Jason Sides, Shane Stewart, Lance Dewease, Zach Chappell, Joey Saldana , Tony Stewart, Sport Allen, Brad Pake, Danny Martin, Jr., Curt Michael, Terry Gray, Roger Rager, Kenny Adams, Marshall Skinner, Glenn Styres, Mike Chadd, Frank Carlsson, Red Stauffer, Cody Geldart,Greg Wilson, Jim Raptis, Tom Winegardner, Jr., Brice Wrenn.
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