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KIRBY FLAWLESS IN 67 RACEWAY PARK RUN |
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GODFREY, IL, AUGUST 14, 2002 - California's Mike Kirby became the sixth different winner in as many races to score a main event win during the eastern portion of the Non-Winged World Championship (NWWC) tour. Kirby's 30-lap win Wednesday at 67 Raceway Park was also his third NAPA Auto Parts / Auto Trader Magazines SCRA victory of the year. Making his first ever visit to this racy little quarter-mile track, Kirby's outside front row starting spot made him one of the pre-race favorites since the track is similar to a track in California where he has been extremely successful through the years. "The top kept getting faster and faster, and this was my kind of track. It's small, and we can run right along the fence, just like Ventura (Raceway), and that's one of my favorite places to go," said Kirby, who is the all-time SCRA main event winner at Ventura. For Kirby, the most difficult part of the race was just waiting for it to get started. On each of the first three attempts at a side-by-side start, Kirby took the lead from pole-sitter Mike English only to have caution flags negate his lead. Kirby easily took the on the initial start as Richard Griffin quickly darted into the second spot. Unaware that the yellow light was on for a five-car pile-up in turn four, English inadvertently drove over Griffin's left front tire on the backstraight. Bouncing and bicycling his way into turn three, English somehow kept his car on all four tires and was able to re-assume the point for the restart. Griffin, on the other hand, was not as fortunate and was forced into the work area to replace the tire English climbed. Restarting at the rear of the field, Griffin returned to eventually finish seventh. Bud Kaeding spun on the second try at a start, again erasing Kirby's opening lap lead. Kirby's hole-shot was annulled for a third time after Granitize Products Rookie of the Year point leader, Bobby Cody, flipped in front of the main grandstands. Cody was not hurt. "I didn't think we were ever going to get it started," Kirby recalled. "They just kept wrecking cars and I started to get a little impatient out there, but I think that one red flag (for Cody) helped us a little bit because we needed some fine tuning." By rule, SCRA officials exercised their option for a single-file start. JE Pistons Dash winner, English, assumed the lead with Kirby, Troy Rutherford, Cory Kruseman, Tony Jones and J.J. Yeley lined-up behind him. English maintained the lead on the bottom under green flag conditions until Kirby drove the Brad & Nancy Geurin / Statewide Towing No. 5 Stinger around him on lap three using the turn four cushion. Yeley moved his ABC Sand & Rock No. 76 Twister into the third position on the fourth lap and proceeded to pass English for second three laps later. English ran into problems on the tenth lap and spun to a stop in turn three. Rutherford put car owner Cory Witherill's WSA Health Care No. 61 TCR into third on the restart, as Kirby instantly pulled away from Yeley. Kirby went on to reach lapped traffic ten laps from the finish. Flawlessly working his way past slower cars, Kirby went on to complete the distance without contest from Yeley or third place Rutherford. Local favorite Joey Montgomery had the partisan crowd cheering as he drove from the 21st starting spot to come across the finish line in fourth. Montgomery's car, unfortunately, failed a post-race weight inspection moving the Jeff Walker / Hoosier Tire No. 39 Stealth driven by Tony Elliott up to fourth. NWWC point leader, Kruseman, also benefited from Montgomery's disqualification and his WorldGate Networks No. 1 TCR was credited with a fifth place finish. ### SCRA RACE #27 - 67 RACEWAY PARK, GODFREY, IL Date of Race: 8/14/02 SANDER ENGINEERING FAST TIME AWARD 1. Damion Gardner, Gardner 20, 13.042 2. Cory Kruseman, Willis 1, 13.047 3. Rickie Gaunt, Alexander 4, 13.057 4. Richard Griffin, Chaffin 50, 13.206 5. Troy Rutherford, Witherill 61, 13.259 6. Mike Kirby, Guerin 5, 13.293 7. Tony Jones, Vermeer/Jones 87, 13.304 8. Mike English, Jory 6, 13.324 9. J.J. Yeley, GT Racing 76, 13.382 10. Tony Elliott, Walker 39, 13.394 11. John Scott, Scott 83, 13.395 12. Rip Williams, Jory 3, 13.496 13. Bud Kaeding, BK Mtrsprts, 13.524 14. Charlie Davis Jr., Davis 94, 13.585 15. Bobby Graham, Crossno 38, 13.623 16. Mike Spencer, Engstrom 44, 13.650 17. Kenny Carmichael, Williams 92, 13.659 18. Rodney Argo, Argo 19, 13.677 19. Randy Bateman, Bateman 51, 13.682 20. Levi Jones, Crossno 138, 13.700 21. Bobby Cody, Cody 41, 13.753 22. Lance Gremett, Gremett 85, 13.784 23. Brian Tyler, K&D Mtrsprts 6X, 13.852 24. Brian Venard, Venard 47, 13.882 25. Joey Montgomery, Montgomery 21C, 14.059 26. Jack DeArmond Jr., DeArmond 24, 14.065 27. Adam Mitchell, Mitchell 99, 14.065 28. Kenny Carmichael, Jr., Carmichael 92C, 14.204 29. Terry Thorson, Thorson 9, 14.426 30. Patrick Budde, Budde 90, 14.473 31. J.C. Freeman, Freeman 77F, No Time HEDMAN HEDDERS HEAT 1 1. Yeley, 2. Kaeding, 3. Rutherford, 4. Cody, 5. Carmichael, 6. Montgomery, 7. Thorson, 8. Gardner. SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2 1. Kruseman, 2. Elliott, 3. Kirby, 4. Davis, 5. Gremett, 6. DeArmond, 7. Budde. SPIN TECH MUFFLERS HEAT 3 1. Graham, 2. Scott, 3. T. Jones, 4. Tyler, 5. Gaunt, 6. Mitchell, 7. Bateman. STINGER CHASSIS HEAT 4 1. Griffin, 2. L. Jones, 3. Williams, 4. English, 5. Spencer, 6. Venard, 7. Carmichael, Jr. JE PISTONS DASH 1. English, 2. Kirby, 3. Rutherford, 4. Griffin, 5. Kruseman, 6. T. Jones, 7. Yeley, 8. Elliott. B FEATURE 1. Gaunt, 2. Gardner, 3. Carmichael, 4. Argo, 5. Spencer, 6. Montgomery, 7. Mitchell, 8. Budde, 9. Thorson, 10. Bateman, 11. Gremett, 12. Freeman, 13. Venard, 14. DeArmond, 15. Carmichael, Jr. A FEATURE (30 Laps) 1. Kirby, 2. Yeley, 3. Rutherford, 4. Elliott, 5. Kruseman, 6. Gaunt, 7. Griffin, 8. Gardner, 9. Argo, 10. T. Jones, 11. Scott, 12. Tyler, 13. English, 14. Carmichael, 15. L. Jones, 16. Davis, 17. Williams, 18. Kaeding, 19. Graham, 20. Spencer, 21. Cody. Laps Led: English 1-2, Kirby 3-30 |
