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Jan 8, 1999 -John Kaiser
Hangover 100
Valdosta, Ga. - The wait is over! This coming Saturday night, January 16,
it will be 100 laps of fender banging, tire rubbing and door to door
racing action as the National Late Model Sportsman Series returns to
Thunderbowl Speedway to complete the rain delayed Hangover 100. The Late
Models of the Southern Dirt Tour have been been cooped up since the
Thanksgiving weekend and now they will be set loose for 100 green flag
laps of racing excitement with $5,000 going to the driver who has the
skill, the nerve and the luck to finish in first place. “THE BOYS ARE
BACK IN TOWN!”
Before the rains came and delayed the running of the Hangover 100, 1995
NLMS Series Champion Skip Pannell, of Albany, Ga. in the Southway
Industrial Services Chevrolet set fast time in qualifying and won his
heat race to earn the pole for the coming event. Pannell will need all
his experience from NASCAR All-PRO and the Hav-A-Tampa wars to hold off
the charge of outside pole sitter and 1997 Series Champion Gene Maine of
nearby Quitman, Ga.. Maine and the JS&D Trucking Chevrolet have visited
Victory Lane at Thunderbowl many times, the most recent being in the
Turkey Shootout last November. If either of these experienced driver
falter at any time two young lions of the tour, Wesley Hood from Cowpens,
SC, and Tracy Mimbs of Dublin, Ga. make up the second row of the 16 cars
that have already been locked into the field for this Saturday’s race.
With 20 cars within one second of the fast time in qualifying, the race
promises to be an exciting event, especially when drivers like 1996
Series Champion Ivedent Lloyd of Ocala, Fl. is starting outside row 5 and
current points leader David Browning from Jacksonville, Fl. will start in
15th position after having problems with the setup on this tricky half-
mile oval. The final starting position in the top 16 went to Steve Jones
of Milan, Ga. who made a super last corner pass of veteran Wayne Shugart
in the final heat race to lock himself into the field.
While there are 16 drivers who are sitting pretty with starting positions
already guaranteed, there are 24 more who have yet to make the highly
competitive field including 1998 and defending Series Champion Cecil
Eunice of Blackshear, Ga. who tagged the turn one wall in an incident
with Chris Newsome in practice and now has had the chance to make repairs
and try and make the field through the Consolation Races. 1998
Thunderbowl Track Champion Randy Ellenberg is another top-notch driver
who will be forced to make the field through the Consi’s as will 1998
Showdown in the Swamp winner Michael Lloyd of Jacksonville, Fl.. Lark
Haskins of Macon, Ga. in the Israel Farm Supply Ford had a top five
qualifying run, but a slight bobble in his heat race means that he will
have to also run the Consolation Race to grab a spot in the Hangover 100.
With only 8 starting positions up for grabs from the two Consolation
Races, the action will be hot and heavy when these events lead of the
program. Other top drivers forced to run the Consi’s are Gene Ross of
Lake Park, Ga. who has set fast time and won a number of Southern Dirt
Tour events, Billy Godowns Jr. of Louisville, Ga. who missed the first
attempt to run the race due to family business and leading Rookie of the
Year contender Anthony Meadows of Lanett, Ala..
The gates at Thunderbowl Speedway will open at 2:00 PM Saturday afternoon
with practice getting underway at 5:00PM and racing beginning at 6:00PM.
There will also be action in Hobby Stock where David Hodges Jr., Track
Champion at Cordele Speedway as well as Thunderbowl has the pole for the
feature event. There will also be feature races for the Pure Stock and
Mini Stock cars as a full evening of thunderous entertainment is in store
at Thunderbowl Speedway Saturday Night, January 16.
HANGOVER 100
STARTING LINEUP
Skip Pannell Gene Maine
Wesley Hood Tracy Mimbs
Johnny Collins Mike Carter
Henry Carter Lee Jackson
Robbie Metts Chuck Chitty
Everett Phillips Ivedent Lloyd
Lee Newsome Charles Sealy
David Browning Steve Jones
Consi # 1(4 transfer) Consi #2 (4 Transfer)
Lineup Lineup
Terry Lumley Michael Lloyd Randy Ellenberg Wayne Shugart
Bobby Padgett Anthony Meadows Carl Black Vel Lowdenslager
Lark Haskins Jeff Gordon Dusty Cone Jason Hylton
Tony Bullard Earl Boyett Gene Ross Allan Barrett
Toby Justice Mark Davis Cecil Eunice Steve Lashley
Chris Newsome Wayne Bradley Kit Chappell Billy Godowns Jr.
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