WOO: Tiner Wins Gold Cup Opener as Walker Crashes

20 September 1998

By Richard Day

CHICO, CA - Randy Tiner added his name to the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' list of first-time winners Thursday when the 45th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions opened at Silver Dollar Speedway.

Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series Rookie of the Year candidate Tyler Walker led the first 18 1/4 laps of the Preliminary Feature from the outside pole. Tiner was battling him for the lead when Walker allowed the #35 Air Sep Eagle to hit a retaining tire deep in the first corner and stopped. Tiner restarted at the front of the field and held off Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series point standings leader Steve Kinser for the $4,500 victory.

Other drivers who have won Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series feature races for the first time this season are Fred Rahmer, Donny Schatz, Kevin Gobrecht and Tim Shaffer.

"This is really unbelievable," Tiner said through interpreter John Steck. (Tiner is hearing and speech impaired) "We have home-made cars and we put them up front sometimes. We have some great sponsors, and (Silver Dollar Speedway promoter) John Padjen gave us a great track."

Tiner ended his victory speech with a bold statement: "We're going to win Saturday night."

Tiner was the class of the 40-car field Thursday. He received the Vivarin Fast-Time Award for pacing the qualifying session with a 12.101-second lap around the semi-banked, 1/4-mile oval, then finished third in the First Racing Champions Heat Race and fifth in the Channellock Dash before winning the Preliminary Feature.

Danny Lasoski actually recorded the fastest qualifying lap, but the #83 Beef Packers Eagle exceeded the maximum D.B.A. level allowed in California. "The Dude" was clocked at 12.025 seconds when he took one lap at the end of the qualifying session and received credit for the 11th-fastest time.

Tiner earned the right to start the feature inside the third row by following Kinser, Walker, Fourth Racing Champions Heat Race winner Johnny Herrera and Bobby McMahan across the finish line in the Channellock Dash.

Kinser, winner of nine Gold Cup championships, started on the pole and drove his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the lead as the green flag fell, only to have Walker pass him with an inside move through turns three and four late in the opening lap.

Tiner passed McMahan and Herrera during the first lap, then took second place from Kinser with a fourth-corner move the next time around.

Cautions for Bud Kaeding and Jim VanLare during the third and fifth laps tightened the field. Brent Kaeding, who won the "B" Feature and started inside the fifth row, passed Herrera low between the first and second corners early in lap seven.

Walker entered lapped traffic with a seven-car-length advantage during the 11th lap. Tiner was only three car-lengths behind when Third Racing Champions Heat Race winner Dale Blaney lost his face shield and stopped in turn four two laps later.

Walker was three car-lengths ahead of Tiner when he caught the backmarkers again during the 18th lap. The leaders were racing wheel- to-wheel the next time around when Walker clipped a retaining tire deep in the first corner. He stopped on the back straightaway with a broken drag link, giving Tiner the lead.

"Tyler was running pretty good, but he just got down a little too low," Tiner said.

Kinser was battling Tiner for first place when Blaney took the #93 Amoco J&J for a spin in turn one with 3 3/4 laps remaining. Tiner burst ahead of "The King of the Outlaws" as the green flag replaced the yellow and was four car-lengths ahead when he pulled a wheelstand as the checkered flag waved.

Brent Kaeding held off Herrera for fourth place. Lasoski made a late charge to finish fifth, ahead of McMahan, Mark Kinser, Greg Decaires, Shane Scott and 1991 Gold Cup champion Joe Gaerte.

1998 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
45th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions
Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, CA

Thursday, September 17, Preliminary Program #1

Qualifications: 1. Randy Tiner, Tiner 83T, 12.101; 2. Bud Kaeding, Macieal 29, 12.368; 3. Bobby McMahan, Bumgarner 88, 12.383; 4. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 12.390; 5. Brent Kaeding, M&M Racing 2M, 12.395; 6. Tyler Walker, Walker 35, 12.483; 7. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 12.494; 8. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 12.566; 9. Greg Decaires, Orth 24, 12.568; 10. Joe Gaerte, Holbrook 8H, 12.642; 11. Danny Lasoski, Roth 83, 12.025*; 12. Randy Hannagan, THR 1x, 13.651; 13. Shane Scott, Danielson 7D, 12.753; 14. Peter Murphy, Williams 0, 12.762; 15. Roger Crockett, Crockett 7N, 12.800; 16. Dale Smith, Smith 75S, 12.853; 17. Ryan Riley, Filipich 98x, 12.856; 18. Kevin Pylant, Pylant 14P, 12.940; 19. Dale Blaney, Hylton/Blaney 93, 13.097; 20. Jimmy Trulli, Trulli 33T, 13.065; 21. Todd Bammer, Bammer 18, 13.077; 22. Kasey Kahne, Kahne 23K, 13.094; 23. Jason York, York 25, 13.111; 24. Graydon Cross, Cross 8C, 13.152; 25. Jimmy Sills, Wright 35W, 13.178; 26. Mark Cooper, Cooper 5, 13.219; 27. Rick Frock, Frock 10R, 13.337; 28. Gary Willey, Willey 76, 13.380; 29. Jim VanLare, Pors 5V, 13.417; 30. Ty Hawkins, Hawkins 3H, 13.595; 31. Steve Fehrman, Fehrman 30, 13.613; 32. Claudia Harvey, Harvey 15C, 13.691; 33. Alan Bradway, Bradway 80N, 13.696; 34. Korey Lovell, Lovell 71, 13.748; 35. Shawn Schmitz, Schmitz 38, 13.920; 36. Gerald Hopping, Hopping 23, 14.016; 37. Dave Clarke, Clarke 49, 14.172; 38. Tim Sherman, Sherman 87, 14.213; 39. Mark Flachman, Flachman 55, 14.224; 40. Greg Sherman, Sherman 00Z, 14.416. * - exceeded maximum decibel level

First Racing Champions Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Ryan Riley, 2. Todd Bammer, 3. Randy Tiner, 4. Shane Scott, 5. Greg Decaires, 6. Brent Kaeding, 7. Jim VanLare, 8. Jimmy Sills, 9. Alan Bradway, 10. Dave Clarke. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Second Racing Champions Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Kevin Pylant, 2. Peter Murphy, 3. Joe Gaerte, 4. Tyler Walker, 5. Bud Kaeding, 6. Korey Lovell, 7. Tim Sherman, 8. Ty Hawkins, 9. Kasey Kahne, 10. Mark Cooper. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Third Racing Champions Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Dale Blaney, 2. Danny Lasoski, 3. Bobby McMahan, 4. Steve Kinser, 5. Roger Crockett, 6. Jason York, 7. Steve Fehrman, 8. Rick Frock, 9. Mark Flachman, 10. Shawn Schmitz. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Fourth Racing Champions Heat Race (10 laps): 1. Johnny Herrera, 2. Graydon Cross, 3. Jimmy Trulli, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Randy Hannagan, 6. Dale Smith, 7. Gary Willey, 8. Gerald Hopping, 9. Greg Sherman, 10. Claudia Harvey. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Channellock Dash (seven laps): 1. Steve Kinser, 2. Tyler Walker, 3. Johnny Herrera, 4. Bobby McMahan, 5. Randy Tiner, 6. Mark Kinser, 7. Greg Decaires, 8. Bud Kaeding. (finish determined the first eight starting positions in the Preliminary Feature)

B Feature (12 laps): 1. Brent Kaeding, 2. Kasey Kahne, 3. Jim VanLare, 4. Rick Frock, 5. Gary Willey ($150); 6. Alan Bradway ($125); 7. Dale Smith ($100); 8. Mark Cooper ($75); 9. Jason York ($60); 10. Ty Hawkins ($50): 11. Dave Clarke ($40); 12. Tim Sherman ($40); 13. Claudia Harvey ($40); 14. Korey Lovell ($40); 15. Jimmy Sills ($40); 16. Steve Fehrman ($40); 17. Gerald Hopping ($40); 18. Mark Flachman ($40); 19. Greg Sherman ($40); 20. Shawn Schmitz ($40). (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Preliminary Feature (25 laps): 1. Randy Tiner ($4,500); 2. Steve Kinser ($2,500); 3. Brent Kaeding ($1,720); 4. Johnny Herrera ($1,500); 5. Danny Lasoski ($1,350); 6. Bobby McMahan ($1,250); 7. Mark Kinser ($1,200); 8. Greg Decaires ($1,100); 9. Shane Scott ($1,075); 10. Joe Gaerte ($1,050); 11. Randy Hannagan ($1,000); 12. Peter Murphy ($800); 13. Kasey Kahne ($720); 14. Bud Kaeding ($630); 15. Roger Crockett ($400); 16. Ryan Riley ($400); 17. Graydon Cross ($300); 18. Dale Blaney ($300); 19. Kevin Pylant ($300); 20. Jimmy Trulli ($300); 21. Todd Bammer ($300); 22. Rick Frock ($320); 23. Tyler Walker ($300); 24. Jim VanLare ($320).

Lap leaders: Tyler Walker 1-18, Randy Tiner 19-25

Vivarin Fast-Time Award winner: Randy Tiner