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Kyle Weiss Wins Five Mile Sportsman 100; Brad Alger Champ |
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10/27/08 -
By JR KENNERUP
KIRKWOOD, NY - The opening night of the National Quarter Mile Dirt Track Championship weekend at the Five Mile Point Speedway featured some very hotly contested racing which warmed the crowd on this chilly October evening.
In the Race of Champions Dart Dirt Sportsman Tour 100 lap feature Kyle Weiss passed Shaun Walker on lap 93 and then held off the last ditch effort by Johnny Scarborough to claim the $2,000 first place prize. Walker slipped back to third with James Cornell in the Scott Brady entry finishing fourth and Bobby Puckett in fifth.
After the feature in post race tech inspection the Cornell car was found illegal and was disqualified. This moved Puckett into fourth and Nick Rochinski into fifth at the payoff window.
With an eighth place finish in the Sportsman Brad Alger captured the Race of Champions Dart Sportsman Tour championship.
In the 40 lap Race of Champions Dart Pure Stock Tour event Butch Green saved his car until the end and it paid off with a win. Green took the lead on lap 33 from Buck Mills and went on to the $600 victory.
Green trailed Charlie Gilbert by five points going into the race for the Race of Champions Dart Pure Stock Tour championship. With the feature win and a mechanical breakdown by Gilbert while in fourth with only three laps to go. Butch Green claimed the first ever Dart Series championship.
Mills hung on for second over Mike Wilbur, Sr., Earl Zimmer, and Gene Sharpsteen.
Darrell Ford and John Stangle brought the 27 car Sportsman field to green to start the century grind feature. Ford would bolt out to the lead over Stangle, Five Mile track champ Shaun Walker, Bobby Yeager, and Jeff Crambo.
Yeager and Walker would exchange third place a couple of laps until Walker took control of third on lap five. After a lap ten restart Walker moved into second and started applying heavy pressure on Ford for the lead.
Penn-Can track champion Grant Hilfinger started to make some noise as he moved into fifth on lap 11 and into fourth on lap 14. Hilfinger continued his charge to the front by moving into third on a lap 18 restart.
With the race near the quarter mark the "Jalapa Jet" otherwise known as Kyle Weiss started to make some noise as he entered fifth. Weiss who has won a RoC Sportsman event at Five Mile Point two years ago was using his patented bottom groove.
The ever tightening race got even tighter on a lap 33 restart as Walker after trying for many laps finally got past Ford for the lead. Weiss who started 11th vaulted from fifth to third with a strong inside move moving Hilfinger back to fourth and 21st place starter Brian Puckett moved into fifth.
Puckett rim rode into third on a lap 38 restart as a bobble by Weiss dropped him back to fifth and Weiss dropped back even further as he was passed by Kevin Jordan for fifth at the halfway point. Jordan’s great run ended two laps later with a left rear wheel assembly coming off the car.
Now with 40 laps to go the race got even more intriguing as Walker still led Ford, Hilfinger, Puckett, and Weiss. Hilfinger made a strong bid for second and finally got it on lap 74 but during a yellow on this same lap his right rear tire went flat.
On the lap 75 restart Weiss made quick work of everyone in front of him to move into second behind Walker with Ford in third and Puckett in fourth.
Meanwhile James Cornell moved the Brady Racing entry into fifth by using the low groove and this happened after pitting for a flat tire on lap 49.
On a lap 77 restart Weiss made a turn one Sprint Car type slide job work to grab the lead from Walker. However the yellow lights flashed on once again and the pass by Weiss was nullified. On the second try at the restart Walker didn’t give Weiss the opportunity to make the same move again and opened up a bigger lead.
Nick Rochinski who started 23rd and made a couple of pit stops earlier in the race now moved into fourth.
The great run of Darrell Ford ended while in third on lap 88 as a mechanical problem halted his car in turn four to bring out the yellow.
An 11 lap shootout was set to conclude this 100 lap feature and plenty of twists and turns were still left. On the restart Walker dropped to the bottom groove in an attempt to block Weiss and also save his tires. Weiss meanwhile jumped to the high groove to find some bite in an attempt to get the lead. Cornell made a pass of Rochinski for third on the restart and Puckett was doing his best to hold off 24th place starter Johnny Scarborough for fifth. Just before a yellow would come out on lap 92 Scarborough vaulted from sixth to fourth.
On the restart Walker moved back up top and that was all Weiss needed as he moved under Walker in turn one to try the slide job move once again. This time they were even in turn two but as the lead duo exited turn two Walker jumped the cushion and that was the advantage Weiss needed to grab the lead going into turn three. The exciting lap 93 wasn’t over with as coming out of turn four Weiss jumped the cushion and this allowed Cornell, Walker, and Scarborough to go four wide for the lead ! Weiss somehow managed to recover from jumping the cushion to hold on to the lead over Cornell, Walker, and Scarborough before a yellow would come out to slow down everyone’s heart rate for a few seconds.
Now a six lap shootout was set to determine who was going home with two grand in their pocket. Weiss now in front made sure he was going to ride the cushion as he set his RAACE sponsored car up against it when the race resumed. Cornell bobbled in turn one going for the lead and that cost him three spots as he dropped back to fourth.
Scarborough who had never seen the track before tonight was getting accustomed to it and powered into second with four laps to go. Scarborough wasn’t satisfied with second as he set sail after Weiss for the lead with the two laps to go signal being given.
On the final lap Scarborough made a sweeping outside to inside move in turns three and four only to come up less than a car length short at the line. Walker, Cornell, and Puckett completed the top five.
"The car was good and I didn’t think the car was going to come in at the end especially with a softer tire (48) on," said race winner Weiss. "I think most guys probably had a 50 on but it held up good, my crew did a great job tonight. I was a little rusty tonight as I haven’t raced in a month.
"On the restarts I knew Walker was better than me for a few laps and after I got heat into my tires my car was much better," said Kyle. "I got a little lucky on that restart (lap 93) and I was able to push him up a little bit and he got into the cushion over in turn two. It was a great race tonight; I hope all the fans enjoyed it. I have to thank Andy for giving us a great track and all my sponsors and crew for helping me get to victory lane."
Second place finisher Johnny Scarborough made the long trip from Vermont worthwhile. "This finish is summed up by one word, team," said the well spoken driver.
"That is one thing I focused on was having a good team and that was proven here tonight. As we had never seen the place until we got here, I didn’t even know how to get here. But this finish shows we can travel and finish right up front with the best in the business."
Tire wear problems hampered the effort of Walker who ended up third.
"I was trying to take easy for most of the race to save my tires," said the Masonville, NY driver. "I was trying to keep the car straight but about lap 80 I knew I needed to start searching around for some grip and it wasn’t there."
Qualifying for the 46 car Sportsman field saw heat wins won by Hilfinger, Walker, Nick Petrilak, Jordan, and Stangle with B Mains wins going to Puckett and Harold Humphrey.
RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART DIRT SPORTSMAN TOUR TRUX OUTFITTERS FINISH; Kyle Weiss, Johnny Scarborough, Shaun Walker, Brian Puckett, Nick Rochinski, Justin Holland, Jeff Crambo, Brad Alger, Jeff Leslie, Ray Woodall, Jr., Mike Loney, Jamie Batzel, Nick Petrilak, Brad Grim, Grant Hilfinger, Eric Palmer, Mike Nagel, Jr., Darrell Ford, Charlie Hendrickson, Jr., Bobby Yeager, Harold Humphrey, Matt Janczuk, Kevin Jordan, John Stangle, Ryan Jordan, Shawn Mills.
DQ; James Cornell.
DNQ’S; Steve Davis, Rich Post, Harry Cook, Jr., Randy Brokaw, Mike Taylor, Greg McClosky, Scott Rothwell, Ray Taylor, Jarred Miller, Randy Shantel, Craig Pope, Paul Rooney, Marc Herman, Chris Hile, Mike Austin, Frank Doty, Anthony Perrego, Damien Reynolds, Brett Barrett.
RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART DIRT PURE STOCK TOUR TRUX OUTFITTERS FINISH; Butch Green, Buck Mills, Mike Wilbur, Sr., Earl Zimmer, Gene Sharpsteen, Gil Sharpsteen, Jason Butler, Tyler Yeagle, Chuck Culbertson, Mark Shipman, Herbert Penney, Tommy Garren, Shane Wolf, Dave Mutz, Steve Woodworth, Charlie Gilbert, Jon Carnrike, Derrick Tarbox, Jerry Lobdell, Ray Smith, Rich Green, Beezer Gulley, Norm Whittemore, Rob Warner, Doug Polhamus.
DNS; Mike Wilbur, Jr.
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