Clark Midget Series Report and Results from IRP
24 July 1997
Tracy Hines Makes Easy Work of Clark Midget Series Competitors at IRP Tracy Hines had the dominate car tonight in Clark Midget Series action at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Hines, of New Castle, Ind., led from green flag to checkered and was never really challenged by second place finisher Ryan Newman. The greatest racing action in the cautionless feature occured between Newman, who moved to the second spot from a sixth place starting position, and third, fourth and fifth place finishers Jason Leffler, Andy Michner and Jay Drake, who traded positions several times. The USAC semi-feature race was cancelled before any laps were completed due a spin and crash which knocked out four cars and sent Brian Bormet over the Turn 2 wall and through the Simpson Race Products billboard. (This was the second billboard to be destroyed by an over-the-wall wreck at IRP this year. Rick Beaver was slightly injured in a similar wreck in a USAC Sprint car on May 10.) Other casualties of the wreck were Robbie Parish, Scott Hansen and David Bridges. Dan Drinan's pavement midget chassis proved themselves in qualifying tonight, as the top three positions were occupied by Drinan-built cars. Ryan Newman sat on the pole in the LCI Telecommunications car, while Chris Shultz qualified second and Drinan was third. Drinan met misfortune in the third heat race, however, as he hit the wall after running through oil dumped by Robbie Parish's car. Shultz finished seventh in the feature. Tim Taylor won his second IRP race this year in I-CAR Jasper Modified feature racing action. The next event at IRP is the July 30 - August 1 Kroger Speedfest, featuring the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the USAC Silver Crown Series. Good seats are still available by calling IRP at (317) 291-4090. Results from Indianapolis Raceway Park "Clark Midget Series," July 23, 1997, featuring the USAC National Midget Series and the I-CAR Jasper Modified Series: USAC National Midget Qualifying: 1. Ryan Newman, 20.862, 118.378 mph; 2. Chris Shultz; 3. Dan Drinan; 4. Jason Leffler; 5. Andy Michner; 6. Tracy Hines; 7. Jay Drake; 8. Kenneth Nichols; 9. Doug Kalitta; 10. Dave Steele; 11. Jimmy McCune; 12. Chuck Leary; 13. Steve Barth; 14. Ted Hines; 15. Robbie Parish; 16. Clay Klepper; 17. Pat Bliss; 18. Robby Flock; 19. Jeff Sands; 20. Todd Domark; 21. Ronnie Johncox; 22. Larry Gibson; 23. Nick Lundgreen; 24. Scott Hansen; 25. David Bridges; 26. Roger Corrigan; 27. Ron Sallman; 28. Mark Boice; 29. Brian Bormet Heat #1: 1. Johncox; 2. Michner; 3. Bliss; 4. Barth; 5. Kalitta; 6. Newman; 7. Bridges; 8. Bormet Heat #2: 1. Tracy Hines; 2. Ted Hines; 3. Steele; 4. Corrigan; 5. Gibson; 6. Flock; 7. Shultz Heat #3: 1. Drake; 2. Sands; 3. Lundgreen; 4. Sallman; 5. McCune; 6. Drinan; 7. Parish Heat #4: 1. Leffler; 2. Nichols; 3. Leary; 4. Boice; 5. Hansen; 6. Domark; 7. Klepper Semi-Feature: 1. Newman; 2. Shultz; 3. Kalitta; 4. McCune; 5. Klepper; 6. Flock; 7. Gibson; 8. Parish; 9. Hansen; 10. Bridges; 11. Bormet **Cut short with no laps completed due to wreck in Turn 2; Bormet over wall. Midget Feature: (30 Laps) 1. Tracy Hines; 2. Newman; 3. Leffler; 4. Michner; 5. Drake; 6. Nichols; 7. Shultz; 8. Barth; 9. Bliss; 10. Leary; 11. Ted Hines; 12. McCune; 13. Lundgreen; 14. Klepper; 15. Gibson; 16. Sands; 17. Johncox; 18. Boice; 19. Corrigan; 20. Kalitta; 21. Steele; 22. Sallman; 23. Flock; Time: 11:07.59 I-CAR Jasper Modified Qualifying: 1. Tim Taylor, 23.184 secs.; 2. Chad Bland; 3. Tony Leuck; 4. Chuck Olson; 5. Frank Evans Jr.; 6. Darrin Bowman; 7. J.R. Coyner; 8. Gerald Hinshaw; 9. Steve Christman; 10. Herb Johnson; 11. Gary Hall; 12. Tony Ade; 13. Rick Rhonemus; 14. Aaron Hough; 15. Jeff Lane; 16. David Crabtree; 17. Dave Duncan; 18. Ryan Cawley; 19. Rusty Rhonemus; 20.Gary Fowler; 21. L.J. Lines; 22. Tracy Wolf; 23. Mike Stewart; 24. Don Skaggs; 25. George Perkins; 26. Jim Davis; 27. Joe Beaver; 28. Mike Rush; 29. Jason White; 30. Bob Bauer; 31. Brian Orphey; 32. John Heck; 33. James Dean; 34. Herb Johnson, Jr.; 35. Duane Bilby; 36. Tim Piotrzkowski; 37. Travis Davis; 38. Dan Blacklidge; 39. Scott Issacs; 40. Johnny Miller Heat #1: 1. Lane; 2. Orphey; 3. Stewart; 4. Hall; 5. Coyner; 6. Rusty Rhonemus; 7. Bilby; 8. Issacs; 9. Beaver Heat #2: 1. Hinshaw; 2. Ade; 3. Heck; 4. Skaggs; 5. Crabtree; 6. Fowler; 7. Rush; 8. Piotrzkowski Heat #3: 1. Rick Rhonemus; 2. White; 3. Lines; 4. Christman; 5. Dean; 6. Duncan; 7. Davis Heat #4: 1. Cawley; 2. Herb Johnson; 3. Herb Johnson, Jr.; 4. Hopkins 5. Wolf; 6. Hough; 7. Bauer; 8. Blacklidge Dash for Cash: 1. Leuck; 2. Olson; 3. Taylor; 4. Bland; 5. Frank Evans, Jr.; 6. Bowman Last Chance Race: 1. Duncan; 2. Rusty Rhonemus; 3. Fowler; 4. Stewart; 5. Lines; 6. Skaggs; 7. White; 8. Heck; 9. Davis; 10. Johnson, Jr.; 11. Bilby; 12. Dean; 13. Miller; 14. Issacs; 15. Piotrzkowski; 16. Blacklidge; 17. Cawley; 18. Bauer; 19. Wolf; 20. Orphey; 21. Beaver; 22. Rush; 23. Davis I-CAR Jasper Feature: 1. Taylor; 2. Hinshaw; 3. Leuck; 4. Olson; 5. Johnson; 6. Lane; 7. Hough; 8. Rick Rhonemus; 9. Lines; 10. Coyner; 11. Ade; 12. Stewart; 13. Hall; 14. Skaggs; 15. Fowler; 16. Rusty Rhonemus; 17. Crabtree; 18. Evans; 19. Bland; 20. Duncan; 21. Christman; 22. Beaver Next event at IRP: The Kroger Speedfest, featuring the DuPont 100 presented by Automotive Color & Supply Wednesday, July 30, the Cummins 200 presented by the Indiana Dodge Dealers Thursday, July 31 and the Kroger NASCAR 200 presented by Ziploc Friday, August 1.
