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PARTS Pro Trucks: Gafnea Scores Second Win of Season

15 August 1998

ANDERSON, S.C. - After a week delay due to rain, Butch Gafnea of McCalla, Ala. took advantage of starting on the pole to win the Mama Mary's Gourmet Pizza Crust100 Friday night at Anderson Motor Speedway.

Gafnea won the Re/Max Pole Award last week in the GMT Motorsports Chevrolet. Rains postponed the race but the qualifying order remained the same. Jimmy Trawick of Columbus, Ga. started on the outside of the front row for the PARTS Pro Truck Series race and held on for a second-place finish.

Mike Davidson of Lula, Ga. started from the third spot and battled with Gafnea and Traywick in the early stages of the race for the lead. That battle ended when Raymond Lovelady's engine let go spilling oil on the track.

Davidson and Bill Melvin of Birmingham, Ala. hit the oil and then each other, dropping both drivers out of contention.

Jay Dunham of Grovetown, Ga. finished third in the feature after starting fifth in the field. James Glover of Pinellas Park, Fla. Worked his way from a 10th place start to finish fourth and Tim Dobbs of Lithonia, Ga. improved 10 positions finishing fifth after starting 15th.

The best effort of the night was turned in by Randy Gilbert of Dallas, Ga. After starting 25th in the 26-truck starting field, Gilbert drove to the front, finishing 8th in the 100-lap event. The run earned Gilbert the Mama Mary's Gourmet Pizza Crust hard Charger Award.

Gafnea won the Finish Line Racing School Half-Way Leader Award on his way to the win. One driver who qualified for the event not making the return trip was Blake Bainbridge.

Bainbridge qualified 13th for the Mama Mary's Gourmet Pizza Crust 100, but had to

Bainbridge qualified 13th for the Mama Mary's Gourmet Pizza Crust 100, but had to be in Nashville Friday night to qualify for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. He qualified 26th for that event.

Kevin Barrett, current PARTS Pro Truck Series point leader, and winner of four races this season, could only manage a 13th place finish after starting 4th in the field. It is the first time Barrett has finished out of the top five.

The next event on the PARTS Pro Truck Series schedule will be the Primestar 100, scheduled Sept. 5 at Concord Motorsports Park.