NTB Trans-Am: Hayner Scores First Career Win at Road America

16 August 1998

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 15, 1998) - Stu Hayner, of Yorba Linda, Calif., led just one lap of the 25-lap, 101.9-mile NTB Trans-Am Series race at Road America-the last lap-to score his first career series victory in just seven starts, topping Bill Saunders by 0.333-second, with Chris Neville, in the No. 40 ARCO Chevrolet Camaro, posting the final podium position.

"We went into the race with the game plan to take care of the car," said Hayner. "We'd been there, done that with running too fast and then have nothing at the end. This time I set the thing in endurance mode and thought at the last five laps I'd just go for it. With seven laps to go I was about 20 seconds behind the leader and thought I might have screwed up, so I picked up the pace quite a bit and all I was trying to do was get by a few cars at the end. I really had no clue at that time I was going to pull this win off--then I saw Saunders and Paul (Gentilozzi) at the same time, and really put the pressure on. By the time I got to Bill (Saunders), I had enough of a run to get by."

From the start of the 1:01:10.507 contest the race looked to belong to pole-qualifier Paul Gentilozzi, who after an early-race duel with outside-pole qualifier Brian Simo held a comfortable margin as he took the white flag to signal his final lap of the 14-turn, 4.048-mile circuit.

The race was not to belong to Gentilozzi, however, as his No. 3 AutoLink Corvette suffered a mechanical failure with just six corners to go and stopped on course, finishing 21st.

"We pitched an oil pump belt," said Gentilozzi. "We were in such a rhythm and just on cruise control. Then I saw a piece of debris in the middle of the track and thought I went over it -- well, I went over it, literally. Another 100 yards and the oil pressure went to zero. I looked in the mirror and saw the belt laying on the track. And that, as they say, was that."

With Gentilozzi out of the race, Saunders, in the No. 8 AutoLink Corvette, inherited the lead but wouldn't hold it for long as Hayner had his No. 58 Westward Ho Camaro moving fast, and as the duo went through turn 10 Hayner captured a lead he would hold to the end, earning the DynoMax Turn On The Power Award for turning in the best drive of the race in the process.

"I gave it away," said Saunders. "I honestly didn't know he (Hayner) was there. I looked in my mirror and saw Stu for the first time^�it was like a sniper. We could have run a bunch harder on that last lap. We made a big mistake, but my hat's off to Stu, he drove a great race."

Hayner's finish also clinched the Manufacturers' Championship for Chevrolet, the auto maker's 15 Trans-Am title and first since 1995.

Lou Gigliotti, in the No. 28 Young Chevrolet/G2 Performance Parts Corvette, finished fourth, and John Miller IV was fifth after starting at the back of 35-car field.

After 11 races, Gentilozzi leads the Drivers' Championship standings with 294, followed by Saunders, 243; Neville, 238; Miller IV, 227; Simo, 226; Bruce Qvale and Ross Thompson, 188; Leighton Reese, 163; Randy Ruhlman, 156; and Michael Lewis, 153.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. - Results from Saturday's 25-lap, 101.2-mile NTB Trans-Am Series race at Road America, with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps and reason out.

  1. (4), Stu Hayner, Yorba Linda, Calif., Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
  2. (3), Bill Saunders, Dallas, Texas, Chevrolet Corvette, 25.
  3. (5), Chris Neville, Scottsdale, Ariz., Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
  4. (10), Lou Gigliotti, Garland, Texas, Chevrolet Corvette, 25.
  5. (35), John W. Miller IV, Johnson City, Tenn., Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
  6. (2), Brian Simo, Carlsbad, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
  7. (9), Randy Ruhlman, Greensboro, N.C., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
  8. (7), Michael Lewis, San Diego, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
  9. (8), Ross Thompson, Phoenix, Ariz., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
 10. (13), Don Sak, West Bloomfield, Mich., Oldsmobile Cutlass, 25.
 11. (12), Steve Hodge, Hillsboro, Ore., Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
 12. (11), Brian DeVries, East Grand Rapids, Mich., Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
 13. (14), Peter Shea, Newport Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
 14. (16), Dino Crescentini, Brentwood, Calif., Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
 15. (15), Leighton Reese, Minnetonka, Minn., Pontiac Grand Prix, 25.
 16. (24), Duane Grahovec, Palos Park, Ill., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
 17. (22), Bob Ruman, Munroe Falls, Ohio, Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
 18. (18), Bruce Barkelew, Columbia, Mo., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
 19. (19), Steve Pelke, Lansing, Ill., Chevrolet Camaro, 25.
 20. (23), Simon Gregg, Jacksonville, Fla., Ford Mustang Cobra, 25.
 21. (1), Paul Gentilozzi, Lansing, Mich., Chevrolet Corvette, 24, Mech.
 22. (30), Ed Hinchcliff, Ypsilanti, Mich., Ford Mustang Cobra, 24.
 23. (6), Max Lagod, Barrington, Ill., Chevrolet Camaro, 24.
 24. (32), Jim Trotnow, Mequon, Wis., Chevrolet Camaro, 23, Mech.
 25. (26), Dick Greer, Columbus, Ohio, Oldsmobile Cutlass, 23.
 26. (31), Jim Moyer, Kokomo, Ind., Chevrolet Corvette, 23.
 27. (28), Frank Cioppettini, Morristown, N.J., Chevrolet Camaro, 19, Mech.
 28. (17), Mark Pielsticker, Oakland, Calif., Chevrolet Camaro, 19, Mech.
 29. (29), James Briody, Cherry Hill, N.J., Chevrolet Camaro, 16, Mech.
 30. (25), Bruce Nesbitt, Chicago, Ill., Ford Mustang Cobra, 15, Mech.
 31. (27), Rob Blair, Calgary Alberta, Oldsmobile Cutlass, 8, Mech.
 32. (20), Rick Dittman, Prairie View, Ill., Chevrolet Camaro, 7, Crash.
 33. (21), Bruce Qvale, San Francisco, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 3, Mech.
 34. (34), G.J. Mennen, Austin, Texas, Chevrolet Camaro, 0, D.N.S.
 35. (33), Tony Paterniti, Big Pine Key, Fla., Chevrolet Camaro, 0, D.N.S.

 Time of race: 1 hour, 1 minute, 10.507 seconds.
 Average speed: 99.256 miles-per-hour
 Margin of victory: 0.333-second
 Fastest race lap: Stu Hayner, 2:12.947 (109.613 mph), lap 24
 Lap leaders: lap 1-2, Gentilozzi; laps 3-5, Simo; laps 6-8, Gentilozzi;
laps 9-10, Simo; laps 11-24, Gentilozzi; lap 25, Hayner.

NTB Trans-Am Series 1998 Drivers' Championship Point Staindings - 11 Race Total

Pos., Driver, Car, Points

1, Paul Gentilozzi, Chevrolet Corvette, 294
2, Bill Saunders, Chevrolet Corvette, 243
3, Chris Neville, Chevrolet Camaro, 238
4, John W. Miller IV, Chevrolet Camaro, 227
5, Brian Simo, Ford Mustang Cobra, 226
6, Bruce Qvale, Ford Mustang Cobra, 188
7, Ross Thompson, Ford Mustang Cobra, 188
8, Leighton Reese, Pontiac Grand Prix, 163
9, Randy Ruhlman, Ford Mustang Cobra, 156
10, Michael Lewis, Ford Mustang Cobra, 153
11, Lou Gigliotti, Chevrolet Corvette, 139
12, Peter Shea, Ford Mustang Cobra, 137
13, Bob Ruman, Chevrolet Camaro, 124
14, Max Lagod, Chevrolet Camaro, 102
15, Brian DeVries, Chevrolet Camaro, 100
16, Bruce Barkelew, Ford Mustang Cobra, 99
17, Stu Hayner, Chevrolet Camaro, 95
18, Frank Cioppettini, Chevrolet Camaro, 72
19, Craig Shafer, Chevrolet Camaro, 70
20, Don Sak, Oldsmobile Cutlass, 67
21, Simon Gregg, Ford Mustang Cobra, 59
22, C. David Seuss, Oldsmobile Cutlass, 55
23, Rick Lee, Ford Mustang Cobra, 54
24, Greg Harrison, Ford Mustang Cobra, 38
25, Jerry Simmons, Chevrolet Camaro, 38
26, Don Meluzio, Chevrolet Camaro, 37
27, Dino Crescentini, Chevrolet Camaro, 34
28, Rick Dittman, Chevrolet Camaro, 29
29, James Briody, Chevrolet Camaro, 28
30, Steve Hodge, Chevrolet Camaro, 28
31, Dick Greer, Oldsmobile Cutlass, 23
32, Jon Leavy, Chevrolet Camaro, 23
33, Ed Hinchcliff, Ford Mustang Cobra, 21
34, Claude Poirier, Chevrolet Camaro, 20
35, Mark Pielsticker, Chevrolet Camaro, 19
36, Ray Genick, Chevrolet Camaro, 18
37, Alessandro Zampedri, Chevrolet Camaro, 18
38, Bill Gray, Chevrolet Camaro, 14
39, Paul Alderman, Ford Mustang Cobra, 11
40, Eric Boisvert, Chevrolet Camaro, 11
41, Glenn'Coach'Andrew, Pontiac Grand Prix, 10
42, Kenny Bupp, Chevrolet Camaro,10
43, Duane Grahovec, Ford Mustang Cobra, 10
44, John Halbing, Oldsmobile Cutlass, 9
45, Ted Sullivan, Chevrolet Camaro, 9
46, John Restemeyer, Chevrolet Camaro, 9
47, Doug Mayr, Chevrolet Camaro, 8
48, Ned Yeaton, Chevrolet Camaro, 7
49, Steve Pelke, Chevrolet Camaro, 7
50, Bruce Nesbitt, Ford Mustang Cobra, 5
51, Joseph Freda, Chevrolet Camaro, 4
52, Albert Ruiz, Ford Mustang Cobra, 3
53, Kerry Alexander, Chevrolet Camaro, 3
54, Jim Todd, Chevrolet Camaro, 3
55, Frank Sanchez, Chevrolet Camaro, 2
56, Jim Trotnow, Chevrolet Camaro, 2


Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings - 11 Race Total
Pos., Manufacturer, Points
1, Chevrolet, 92*
2, Ford, 63
3, Pontiac, 13
4, Oldsmobile, 4

*Clinches Championship