PHOENIX, AZ, Nov. 3 - The Non-Winged World Championship
(NWWC) tour resumed Friday night at Manzanita Speedway after a three month
sabbatical. For the second week in a row, Rip Williams drove the Sharon
Jory / Weld Wheels No. 3 Stinger to a 20 lap Sprint Car Racing Association
(SCRA) main event win. The victory ended Williams' 54 race winless skid at
Manzy dating back to his last win on April 4, 1994.
"We've missed a few wins here," Williams recalled. "There's
been a few races where we've been leading with a couple laps to go and had a
flat tire, so it's not like we've been out to lunch here. But I wouldn't
come here if I thought I wasn't going to win . Every time we leave the
house and head for Manzanita I say well this is it. But like I said, we've
led a lot of races here we just haven't won them."
Williams started fourth for what would be considered the preliminary feature for
the Non-Winged Western World Championships behind the front row pair of Charles
Davis, Jr. and Rodney Argo. Davis, who earlier won his first career JE
Pistons Dash, put the Joe Morales / O'Rielly Chevrolet No. 94 Buckley into the
lead at the drop of the green flag.
Ostling fell into the second position after the first set of corners, but
skipped over the turn four cushion allowing Argo and Williams to pass as Dave
Darland ran fifth. Three laps into the race, Mike Kirby moved the Brad
& Nancy Geurin / Statewide Towing No. 5 Stinger into the fifth position.
With Williams and Argo locked into a battle over the runner-up spot, Davis was
able to pull away from both of them. One lap shy of the midway point,
Davis bobbled in turn three, but recovered without losing too much of his lead.
Williams was finally able to move ahead of Argo one lap later, but would find
himself well behind Davis.
Davis reached lapped traffic on the 12th circuit. Williams was able to eat
away at Davis' lead over the next few laps thanks in part to lapped traffic.
Kirby also found slower traffic to his liking and took over the third position
on lap 16. Williams had erased the bulk of Davis' lead and was poised for
a last lap charge when the only yellow flag of the race flew for Brad Noffsinger
who shredded a right rear tire two laps from the finish.
Knowing that the cushion was the better line, Williams took a shot down low on
the restart before Davis could build any momentum. Davis withstood the
challenge, but could feel Williams breathing down his neck as he came by to
accept the green flag. Davis was a pair of turns away from seeing the last
lap flag when he bicycled in turn three and touched the wall. Davis
managed to keep running, but not before Williams and three other competitors had
dropped him to fifth.
"He was struggling a little in lapped traffic and I was starting to run him
down," Williams said after getting his first NWWC win. "We were
catching him pretty good and I knew lapped traffic was helping me. Lapped
traffic was difficult, but it was difficult for everyone. We were just
fortunate enough to have a car that was working a little
better in lapped traffic. After the yellow came out, I thought if I could
show him I was fast maybe we could get something to happen. He held off my first
charge and then he went down the back straightaway and jumped the cushion and
the rest is history."
Tracy Hines, who out-timed the 50 car field in Sander Engineering time trials,
started ninth in the BWB Racing / Hanning Construction No. 62 J&J and
finished third behind Kirby. Ostling brought the Bill Pratt / Feese Solid
Surface No. 12 Okie home in fourth ahead of a disappointed Davis. Jay
Drake, Tony Jones and Darland completed the top-eight and also earned automatic
starts in Saturday's Non-Winged Western World
Championships finale.
Even before the first heat race was run, J.J. Yeley and Tim Vesely were involved
in separate flips that resulted in both drivers being transported to local
hospitals. Yeley, who swept this stop on the NWWC tour last year,
sustained a fractured right arm in a spectacular out of the ballpark flip that
saw his car finally come to a rest some sixty yards beyond the turn three catch
fence. Vesely was hospitalized with a neck injury.
###
RACE #40 - MANZANITA SPEEDWAY (WESTERN WORLD/NWWC)
PHOENIX, AZ
Date of Race: 11/03/00
SCRA TIME TRIALS
1. Tracy Hines, New Castle IN, BWB Racing 62 , 19.318 2. Rickie Gaunt,
Torrance CA, Gardner Jr. 96 , 19.347 3. Troy Cline, Santa Clarita CA, Cline 11,
19.393 4. Mike Kirby, Lomita CA, Geurin 5 , 19.406 5. Tony Jones,
Corona CA, Cowherd 48, 19.412 6. Richard Griffin, Silver City NM, Chaffin
50 , 19.435 7. Jay Drake, Val Verde CA., Kunz 67K, 19.459 8. Derek Davidson,
Lafayette IN, G.T. Racing. 76D, 19.467 9. John
Scott, Hesperia CA., Scott Mtrsprts 83 , 19.491 10. Dave Darland, Kokomo IN,
Sertich 92, 19.544 11. Steve Ostling, Corona CA., Pratt 12 , 19.553 12.
Troy Rutherford, Ojai CA, Gardner, Jr 6 , 19.620 13. Jerry
Coons, Jr, Tucson AZ, Coons, Sr. 12A , 19.623 14. Rip Williams,
Yorba Linda CA, Jory 3 , 19.628 15. Charles Davis, Jr, Chandler AZ,
Morales 94 , 19.644 16. Tony Elliott, Kokomo IN, Walker 66X, 19.652
17.
Rodney Argo, Hawthorne CA, Argo 19X, 19.670 18. Cory Kruseman,
Ventura CA, Willis 45 , 19.703 19. Rickey Hood, Phoenix AZ, Herrera 45X ,
19.767 20. Kevin Doty, Milan IL, Lloyd 34 , 19.767 21. Brad
Noffsinger, Concord NC, Gardner Jr., 16 , 19.807 22. Mike English, Norwalk
CA, Priestley 10 , 19.825 23. Bob Ream Jr, Glendale AZ, Brat Racing
87, 19.831 24. Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria CA, Sheridan 18, 19.839
25. J Hicks, Torrance CA, Alexander 89, 19.927 26. Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix
AZ, Lloyd, 41 , 19.965 27. Jordan Hermansader, Long Beach CA, Acosta 77 ,
19.975 28. George Gervais, Mira Loma CA, Gervais 9 , 20.009 29.
Kaylene Verville, Phoenix AZ, Warner 01 , 20.016 30. Bud Kaeding,
Campbell CA, Yeley 2J , 20.022 31. Jarrett Chaney, Clovis CA, Chaney 69 ,
20.068 32. Bobby Marcum, Verde Valley AZ, Carsten 91SM, 20.084 33.
Eric Wilkins, Peoria AZ, Smiley 60A , 20.096 34. Joe Devin, Speedway IN,
Devin 57X , 20.119 35. Bill Rose, Plainfield IN, Gardner Jr 93 , 20.152
36. Casey Shuman, Tempe AZ, Lake Mtrsprts 2, 20.202 37. Terry Pletch,
Frankfort IN, Pletch 29P , 20.291 38. Lance Gremett, San Marcos CA,
Gremett 85, 20.293 39. Bobby Graham, Riverside CA, Silver State 14 ,
20.380 40. Mike Boat, Glendale AZ, Boat 74 , 20.486 41. Rick
Hinrichsen, Lakeside CA, Lake Mtrsprts 22 , 20.546 42. Josh Pelkey,
Peoria AZ, Masseth 17 , 20.724 43. Ricky Johnson, Phoenix AZ, Johnson 5IA
, 20.759 44. Tim Vesely, Phoenix AZ., Vesely 13A , 21.114 45. Tony
Lima, Industry CA, Lima 30 , 22.566 46. Fred Teagarden, Phoenix AZ,
Teagarden 34X , 22.971 47. Travis Cooley, Mesa AZ, Cooley 67A , No Time
48. Ronnie Clark, Tucson AZ, Winter 33, No Time 49. Brandon Lane,
Mesa AZ, Taylor 61, No Time 50. J.J. Yeley, Phoenix AZ, G.T. Racing
76, No Time
HEAT 1
1. J Hicks, 2. Rodney Argo, 3. Brad Noffsinger, 4. Kaylene Verville, 5. Tracy
Hines, 6. John Scott, 7. Jerry Coons, Jr, 8. Tony Jones, 9. Eric Wilkins,
HEAT 2
1. Jeremy Sherman, 2. Bud Kaeding, 3. Dave Darland, 4. Rip Williams, 5. Cory
Kruseman, 6. Mike English, 7. Richard Griffin, 8. Rickie Gaunt, 9. Bill Rose,
HEAT 3
1. Jordan Hermansader, 2. Bob Ream Jr, 3. Steve Ostling, 4. Charles Davis, Jr,
5, Troy Cline, 6. Jay Drake, 7. Jarrett Chaney, 8. Rickey Hood, 9. Lance Gremett,
HEAT 4
1. Bobby Marcum, 2. George Gervais, 3, Kevin Doty, 4. Mike Kirby, 5. Troy
Rutherford, 6. Danny Sheridan, 7. Tony Elliott, 8. Casey Shuman, 9. Derek
Davidson,
DASH
1. Charles Davis, Jr. 2. Rodney Argo. 3. Steve Ostling. 4. Rip Williams. 5. Mike
Kirby. 6. Brad Noffsinger. 7. Dave Darland, 8. Kevin Doty,
C FEATURE
1. Eric Wilkins, 2. Bill Rose. 3. Lance Gremett, 4. Casey Shuman. 5. Joe Devin.
6. Bobby Graham, 7. Josh Pelkey. 8. Terry Pletch. 9. Riciy Johnson, 10, Rick
Hinrichsen, 11. Tony Lima. 12. Fred Teagarden. 13. Tim Vesely.
B FEATURE
1. Tracy Hines. 2. Tony Jones. 3. Jay Drake. 4. Rickie Gaunt. 5. Troy
Rutherford. 6. Richard Griffin. 7. Troy Cline. 8, John Scott. 9. Cory
Kruseman. 10. Danny Sheridan. 11. Tony Elliott, 12, Rickey Hood, 13. Bill
Rose. 14. Eric Wilkins. 15. Mike English. 16. Casey Shuman. 17. Jarrett
Chaney. 18. Jerry Coons, Jr. 19. Lance Gremett.
A FEATURE
1. Rip Williams, 2, Mike Kirby. 3. Tracy Hines. 4. Steve Ostling. 5. Charles
Davis, Jr. 6. Jay Drake. 7. Tony Jones, 8. Dave Darland. 9. Troy Rutherford. 10.
Kevin Doty. 11. Richard Griffin. 12. Jeremy Sherman,
13. Rickie Gaunt. 14. Bud Kaeding. 15. J Hicks, 16. Brad
Noffslnger, 17. Bob Ream Jr. 18. Kaylene Verville. 19. George
Gervais. 20. Rodney Argo, 21. Bobby Marcus. 22. Jordan
Hermansader.
Laps Led: Davis 1-18, Williams 19-20