PHOENIX, AZ, October 26 -- Jeremy Sherman
took a relatively unfamiliar car onto a familiar track and left Manzanita
Speedway Friday with a 20 lap NAPA Auto Parts / Budweiser Western World
Championships preliminary win.
Making only his second start in the Mark Priestley / Roy Miller Frieghtlines No.
7 Stealth, Sherman took the lead five laps from the finish and went on to score
his first career Non-Winged World Championship (NWWC) tour victory.
Normally a regular on the Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) circuit,
Sherman's fourth lifetime win with the SCRA comes in only his 14th SCRA start of
the year. Concentrating mainly on races run at Manzanita Speedway, Sherman
has had an extremely successful year.
"I think this is my eleventh win here this year. It's way better than
the seasons we've had before and to pull off that many wins at this place is
pretty cool, " Sherman said just before announcing that he will likely be
joining Priestley on the SCRA trail. "We've worked it out to run the
rest of the year and to start together out next year. Hopefully, this
we'll put the icing on the cake."
Rip Williams and Steve Ostling shared the front row for the main event. Williams
got a big jump exiting turn four at the drop of the green flag, but apparently
not big enough since Ostling was able to put the Fischer Motorsports / Watt
Enterprises No. 29 Okie into the lead in turn one.
Indiana's Ed Carpenter, Jr. ran third ahead Sherman and NWWC point leader
Richard Griffin at the end of lap one. Carpenter's race would end in a
spectacular way two laps later after a front suspension problem caused him to
skate wide and hit the turn three wall. Carpenter flipped violently, but
emerged without injury vowing to return on Saturday. Unfortunatly,
Carpenter learned that his weekend would be done after a further evaluation of
his car.
Williams barely edged Ostling back to the line after the restart and was
officially scored as the leader of the third lap. Ostling battled back to
retake the lead only to have Williams slide the Sharon Jory / Vista Paint No.
3 Gambler securely ahead of him exiting turn four. Sander
Engineering Fast Time Award winner J.J. Yeley was on the move after the restart,
but engine concerns forced the Phoenix native to coast to a stop bringing out a
lap four caution flag.
Williams and Ostling switched to the low line shortly after the restart as
Griffin stayed high. Using the cushion Griffin swapped positions with
Ostling on more than one occasion. Perhaps catching Griffin by surprise,
Sherman moved ahead of the Ron Chaffin / Arizona Race Mart No. 50 Jon Boy on lap
12. Two laps later, Sherman passed Ostling for the second position.
Powering his way along the cushion, Sherman immediately closed on Williams. Working
lap 15, Sherman, who won SCRA Rookie of the Year honors in 1996, took the lead
in turn two. Once out front, Sherman made it look easy as he smoothly
drove to victory without having to lap a single car.
Williams finished second ahead of Ostling. Returning to the seat of the
Wall Trucking No. 37 Avenger, Tony Jones passed Griffin on the next to last lap
for fourth. Rodney Argo nipped Tony Elliott at the finish line for the
eighth and final direct transfer spot. Levi Jones (6th) and Adam Mitchell
(7th) also advanced to the finale. Last night's winner, Bud Kaeding, won
the coin toss and elected to start Thurday's group on the inside row for the 40
lap finale on Saturday.
###
SCRA RACE #38 / NWWC #8 - MANZANITA SPEEDWAY, PHOENIX, AZ
10/26/01
1. J.J. Yeley, G.T. Racing #76, 19.444
2. Tony Jones, Wall #37, 19.693
3. Tony Elliott, Gardner #2, 19.717
4. Brad Noffsinger, Gaunt #40, 19.877
5. Jon Stanbrough, Yeley #2J, 19.892
6. Richard Griffin, Chaffin #50, 19.901
7. Jeremy Sherman, Priestley #7, 19.949
8. Levi Jones, Crossno #38, 20.047
9. Ed Carpenter, Jr., K&D Motorsports #6, 20.083
10. Steve Ostling, Fischer Motorsports #29, 20.086
11. Peter Murphy, Williams #0, 20.107
12. Michael Hinrichsen, Lake Motorsports #16, 20.113
13. Rip Williams, Jory #3, 20.126
14. Jack DeArmond, Jr., DeArmond, Sr. #24, 20.346
15. Adam Mitchell, Mitchell #99, 20.382
16. Brian Venard, Venard #47, 20.419
17. Rodney Argo, Argo #19, 20.432
18. Mike Spencer, Engstrom #44, 20.452
19. Andy Forsberg, Forsberg #192, 20.662
20. Keith Williamson, Williamson #95, 20.876
21. Tom Downing, Downing #90, 20.891
22. Bobby Graham, Lancaster #14, 20.905
23. Steve Venard, Glover #49, 20.922
24. Eric Rossi, Sanchez #5E, 21.635
25. Paul Beregszaszy, Bereg Racing #5A, No Time
HEDMAN HEDDERS HEAT 1
1. Williams, 2. Yeley, 3. Ostling, 4. Sherman, 5. B. Venard, 6. Noffsinger, 7.
Graham, 8. Forsberg
SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2
1. Argo, 2. L. Jones, 3. T. Jones, 4. DeArmond, 5. Williamson, 6. S. Venard, 7.
Stanbrough, 8. Murphy
KSE PRODUCTS / SIMPSON RACING HEAT 3
1. Mitchell, 2. Griffin, 3. Spencer, 4. Carpenter, 5. Downing, 6. Hinrichsen, 7.
Elliott, 8. Rossi
JB ENTERPRISE B MAIN
1. Elliott, 2. Noffsinger, 3. Murphy, 4. B. Venard, 5. S. Venard, 6. Forsberg,
7. Rossi, 8. Downing, 9. Graham, 10. Williamson, 11. Hinrichsen,
A-MAIN (20 Laps)
1. Sherman, 2. Williams, 3. Ostling, 4. T. Jones, 5. Griffin, 6. L. Jones, 7.
Mitchell, 8. Argo, 9. Elliott, 10. DeArmond, 11. Murphy, 12. B.Venard, 13. S.
Venard, 14. Spencer, 15. Williamson, 16. Forsberg, 17. Rossi, 18. Downing, 19.
Graham, 20. Yeley, 21. Carpenter, 22. Noffsinger,
Laps Led: Ostling 1-3, Williams 4-14, Sherman 15-20
