NASCAR-FMT: Kerry Malone Makes Road Course Debut
2 June 1998
(Watkins Glen NY) As Kerry Malone continues his first full season on the Featherlite Modified Series, the Needham (MA) resident made his first appreacnce on a road course with a visit to Watkins Glen International for the running of the Bully Hill 150. During Friday's practice sessions, Malone showed improvement in adapting to making right hand turns. In afternoon qualifying, Malone piloted the Bobby Fuller owned Modified to the 27th fastest time of the 39 entries on hand. At the drop of the green flag, Malone made the gradual move to the front of the pack. By lap eight, the #18 was up to 21st, and advanced two more positions by lap 14. As the race progressed, Malone grew more comfortable with road course competition, and was in 13th place in the closing laps. With just two laps left in the event, a spin in the track's Inner Loop left the Independent Truck Service/Murphy General Contracting Chevrolet stalled in the loop's infield. Malone lost ten positions with the spin and was credited with a 23rd place finish in the event won by Tim Connolly. Following the race Malone said, "I gained a lot of knowledge this weekend with my first visit here. I thought I had a pretty good run going in qualifying and tried just a little too hard and spun it around in the loop...and that's about the same thing that happened in the race. We were going pretty good, and trying to get in the top ten. I got a little over anxious trying to get around a couple of cars at the end, and spun in the loop. I couldn't get it started, and we found ourselves out of a top ten finish. All in all, I feel good about the weekend. The car was super, and the guys did a great job. I learned a lot, and I'm happy with everything except the last lap." Car owner Bobby Fuller looked back on the race and said, "It's kind of depressing. We should have finished tenth, but we finished 23rd. But the car is in one piece, and was good mechanically, and now we're looking forward to a good run at Thompson." The Bully Hill 150 will be nationally televised on a tape delayed basis on espn 2 on June 3 at 3:00pm.Up Next: The Featherlite Modified Series will be in action at the New Thompson Speedway on June 7 for the Shaw's 250. For more information on the action at the 5/8 mile facility, contact the track at (860) 923-2280.
