IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

April 5, 2005 FSCR Parity Rules in East Bay Features By Larry Jewett Drivers looking for a repeat win in 2005 will have to try again next week as six new names found Victory Lane Saturday night at East Bay Raceway Park. An even 100 cars were on hand for the six-division program The Limited Late Models started the night’s action with a field of 21 cars contesting the 15-lap distance. Tim Gay jumped into the early race lead from the pole with Dale Pope and Bruce Harvey waging a strong battle to decide second. Pope and Harvey would take turns with the spot after the early race restarts. Jeff Mathews entered the fray on lap five by moving to third before passing Harvey for second. Forest Gough and David Simpson worked into the top five while Mathews went to work on Gay. The pair made contact as the yellow flag flew for a separate incident on lap 14. Gay went to the pits for repairs, handing Mathews the lead for the last lap shootout. On the restart, Gough shot to the outside, but could not reel in Mathews, who scored his first Limited Late Model win of the season. Mathews has already notched a win in the Open Wheel Modified class. Gough hung on for second with Simpson taking third. Pope rebounded for fourth and Harvey rounded out the top five. Heat winners were Mathews and Timmy Bronson. The Outlaw 4 feature saw numerous lead changes in the 15-lap event. Jeff Conyers took the lead from Jimmy Waldrop on lap 3, but could only keep it for a few laps. Engine problems sent Conyers to the infield, giving Waldrop another shot at the top. Eddie Mercer, who slipped back earlier, got in the groove and hunted down the race leader. When Waldrop went high in the corner with two laps to go, Mercer seized the opportunity for a clean pass. Waldrop tried in vain to catch Mercer who scored his first feature win and backed up his heat win earlier in the evening. In Victory Lane, Mercer thanked many, including Waldrop who has helped his effort. He also acknowledged the families of those serving in the military who were in attendance. Waldrop settled for second with point leader Ryan Mitchell coming home third. Chad Rose added another top-five run while Rich Livernois grabbed fifth. Brad Boerner joined Mercer as heat race winners. Jamie Burrows eased out to the lead at the start of the Open Wheel Modified main, which saw 27 cars come down for the green. Early race incidents kept the race from gaining much momentum, but Rusty Dixon and Devin Dixon held a spirited battle for second. Devin prevailed, but dropped into the infield with mechanical issues as the field prepared for a lap five restart. Rusty Dixon moved inside Burrows for a couple of laps, finally making the move that proved to be the winner. Dixon held the lead at lap 7 and never gave it back, but the racing was far from over. Burrows and Bill Howard made contact on the last lap, which resulted in both being sent back. Buzzie Reutimann closed to Dixon’s back bumper, but had to settle for the runner-up position with Bobby Dixon coming home third. Trevor Merrill and 2004 Mini Stock champion Scotty Williams scored fourth and fifth respectively. David Schmauss took one heat while defending division champion John Bradley claimed the other. The 25-lap Late Model main saw a strong lineup in the front half of the field, despite the inversion draw that sent the heat race winners to the fourth row. Jack Nosbisch Jr. snared the lead on the fourth lap with K.D. Kelley and Roger Crouse in pursuit. Crouse’s car turned into the wall as the field was slowing for a caution, ending his hopes. Two-time feature winner David Schmauss had made his move to second and Donnie Tanner, making his first start of 2005, came charging to third. Tanner and Keith Nosbisch hooked up in a position battle that saw the spot traded back and forth. Nosbisch grabbed third on lap 21 and moved to second, using the high groove to pass Schmauss. Keith would have nothing for Jack Jr. who brought J.R. Prather’s 007 to the line. In Victory Lane, Jack Nosbisch Jr. thanked his car owner for the opportunity to drive this car while his own is being built. Heat winner Keith Nosbisch took second with Schmauss third, Tanner fourth, and J.R. Garcia fifth. In Street Stock action, Paul Gibbs saw his misfortune take an immediate turnaround by prevailing over 20 others in the main event. Gibbs ran the table on the class, going wire to wire for the victory. He had a strong run in his heat, leading until last lap, but that disappointment was wiped out by the main event win. Donnie Reed put on a clinic in passing cars, moving into the top five from deep in the field. It was a good indication of the position swapping action that the class is capable of producing. Wayne Hayes pestered Gibbs, but could only muster a second place run. Tony Traina added another top five with a third. Austin Sanders steady run gave him fourth with Reed taking fifth in his first East Bay start of 2005. Hayes and Traina were heat race winners. The 4-Cylinder Bomber class was won by second generation racer Brenton Gardner. D.B. Hogwaller won the heat event. Racing action revs up at East Bay Raceway Park on Saturday April 9 with an open wheel Saturday night. Sprints, Limited Sprints, and Mini Sprints will be joined by Street Stocks, Outlaw 4s, and Trucks. It will also be Tampa Auto Sales/ Bargo Sales Fan Participation Night. First race hits the track at 6:30. Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! news@karnac.org or send a letter to the editor!