IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

April 23, 2005 FSCR George, Schmauss and Peacock Claim East Bay Wins By Larry Jewett The Friday night racing action of a two-night weekend at East Bay was filled with exciting racing. East Bay’s Open Wheel Modifieds, Outlaw 4s and Limited Sprints were joined by the annual appearance of the Corteco National Late Model Series. More than 70 cars hit the track for close racing action. Tim George ended his victory drought by claiming the win in the Limited Sprint 15-lapper with a wire-to-wire effort. George who had been in the top five in every racing event this season had a strong challenger at the end. Frank Beck had stepped up to challenge, but George was able to power away for the win. Joe Wengerd took third with Mike Smith in fourth. Previous winner Andy Kelley laid claim to fifth. Smith and Donnie Maxwell were heat race winners. David Schmauss made it back-to-back in the Open Wheel Modified class, snatching the lead from the outside pole in the 15-lap main. Schmauss was threatened by Trevor Merrill in the early stages. As Schmauss pulled away, Merrill and Jeff Mathews were caught up in some wheel-to-wheel racing. Rusty Dixon tried the high line, but the steady race of Bobby Dixon proved to be one of the best strategies. Bobby Dixon vaulted past his competitors to take second near the halfway mark. He began to reel in Schmauss, who nipped Dixon at the checkers in heavy traffic. Schmauss’ trip to victory almost wasn’t as the car had problems at the end of the heat. The necessary part was elusive and a fellow competitor went home to bring one back. The car was finished less than five minutes before the call to the main event. Rusty Dixon crossed the line third, followed by Merrill and Jamie Burrows. A field of 26 cars started the A main. Bill Howard and Buddy Wisham took the wins in the preliminaries. Wallace Peacock paced the 11-car Outlaw 4 Cylinder field to the green and made it look easy. Jeff Conyers was moving through the field, but his smoking race car was sent to the pit area. The crew made hurried repairs to allow Conyers back in the chase, but at the end of the field. When the green flag returned, Wallace Peacock had last week’s winner Steve Miller breathing down his back. Miller faded, allowing Josh Peacock, Eddie Mercer, and Ryan Mitchell to slip past. Point leader Chad Rose started picking off positions, gaining three spots in two laps, to charge into the top three. Conyers came from 11th to move into fourth. The finishing order found Wallace Peacock cruising ahead of Josh Peacock, Rose, Conyers, and Mitchell. The win for Wallace Peacock made it a clean sweep as he topped the heat. A field of 22 Corteco National Late Model Series cars went through qualifying and preliminary events in the Friday program. Dewayne Johnson became the sole driver to break through the 17-second barrier, setting the mark for qualifying with a 16.932-second run. The fast time put Johnson on the pole for the first heat. At the drop of the green, Johnson, the most recent winner in the series who won at East Alabama Speedway two weeks earlier, faced a challenge from three-time series champion Ivodent Lloyd Jr. Lloyd, the current point leader, pulled alongside on several occasions early in the chase, but could not make the pass. Johnson won, earning the pole start for the field. 2004 series rookie of the year Chesley Dixon went wire to wire to pick up the win in the second heat and earn the feature starting spot on the outside of the front row. In the third heat, front row starters Darrell Padgett and Mike Parkerson collided, sending Padgett rolling. The incident, which also caught up Henry Carter, turned more frightening when the cars ignited during the clean-up. No one was injured in the mishap. When the race resumed, Lonnie Roberts utilized his new starting spot to set the pace for the 10-lap distance. Carter worked to third after getting the car back on track. The Saturday racing program at East Bay will feature the 75-lap main event for the Corteco National Late Model Series. The scheduled local divisions of Street Stocks, 4-Cylinder Bombers, Trucks, and Lawn Mowers will be joined by the Open Wheel Modifieds for a repeat appearance. Activity is underway at 6:30 p.m. Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! news@karnac.org or send a letter to the editor!