Sprints/Midgets: Hines and Shelton Cash Racin' Fest Victories
20 September 1998
BLOOMINGTON, IN - On the opening night of the Indiana Triple Crown, Tracy Hines and Ricky Shelton earned victories in the Racin' Fest doubleheader at Bloomington Speedway. Hines won the $4,000 40-lap Pennzoil Cup sprint car main event, while Shelton captured the NAMARS midget 30-lap feature.Hines spent the first twenty laps of the sprint car main pushing his Boyce-Holt Tom Cherry Muffler sprinter to the front of the pack. The second twenty laps were concentrated on fighting through lapped traffic while battling Jack Hewitt and Tony Elliott.
Robbie Rice jumped into the early race lead, pursued by Rusty McClure, and Hines from sixth starting spot. McClure pulled even on lap 3, and after racing side-by-side, took the point at the flagstand on lap 4. Driving the Law Brothers #77, McClure held the lead for the next seventeen circuits while Hines worked past Rice into second. As they encountered lapped cars, McClure, Hines and Hewitt ran nose-to-tail, challenging for position in every turn. When McClure got blocked high in turn one on lap 21, Hines took the bottom groove and the lead. Hewitt quickly grabbed second and took the race to Hines. When Hines went high, Hewitt took the bottom groove and they raced side-by-side for several circuits, with Hewitt ahead at the flagstand on laps 25 and 26. Hines pulled ahead for several laps, but Hewitt came back and again the pair battled wheel-to-wheel. With two laps remaining, Hewitt bobbled, allowing Elliott to burst past him. Hines held Elliott and Hewitt in place to the finish. As the race leaders came through the fourth turn to the checkers, Jon Vennard caught an infield marker tire and somersaulted down the front straight. The red flag stopped the race immediately, while Vennard climbed from the car uninjured. Kevin Thomas took fourth, with McClure falling to fifth. Rice, Derek Davidson, Brian Hayden, Brad Fox and Levi Jones completed the top ten.
Shelton survived a bitter battle with Tony Elliott, and outraced his Willoughby Racing teammate, to score his first midget win at the Bloomington oval.
Elliott lead the first fifteen laps handily while Clay Klepper and Shelton fought for second. Drake found the top groove to his liking as he raced from sixth to second by lap 15, and took the lead from Elliott on lap 17. When Shelton moved in to battle Elliott for second, the fireworks began. After the two made contact several times around the oval, Shelton drove into Elliott in turn three on a restart. Both cars skidded sideways in the turn, and when Klepper dodged them his midget jumped out gear sending on-coming racers scrambling. John Lucas tangled with Keith Rauch, and rolled onto his side, bringing a red flag.
Shelton and Elliott resumed their scrap for second position at the green flag, until Elliott made contact with Shelton in the third turn. Both cars slid to the top of the turn, but only Elliott slipped over the banking. Shelton attacked Drake on the restart, and after two side-by-side laps, grabbed the lead. As the white flag flew, Drake tried to battle back, but wasn't able to strike before the checkered flag. Dave Darland fought from 13th to third, with Nick Fornoro and Clay Klepper in the top five. Roy Caruthers and Dennis Mann followed, as Elliott came back to finish eighth. Jerry Zike and Barry Walkup completed the top 10.
Bloomington Speedway Summary
Racin' Fest '98/Indiana Triple Crown -
September 18, 1998
Pennzoil Cup Sprint Cars
Heat 1: Jack Hewitt, Rusty McClure, Kevin Thomas, Levi Jones
Heat 2: Derek Davidson, Tony Elliott, Derek Scheffel, Brad Fox
Heat 3: Tracy Hines, Robbie Rice, Jason Knoke, Brian Gerster
Heat 4: Brian Hayden, Jason Robbins, Justin Marvel, Jeff O'Banion
B Main: Nick Adams, Jon Vennard, Kevin Miller, Jon Stanbrough
Feature: Hines, Elliott, Hewitt, Thomas, McClure, Rice, Davidson,
Hayden,
Fox, Jones, Marvel, Gerster, Stanbrough, Scheffel, Miller, Robbins,
O'Banion, Vennard, Adams, Knoke
NAMARS Auto Value Midgets
Heat 1: Tony Elliott, Keith Rauch, Jeff Hampton
Heat 2: Ricky Shelton, Clay Klepper, Jay Drake
Heat 3: Jerry Nemire, Nick Fornoro Jr., A.J. Fike
Heat 4: John Lucas, Jerry Zike, Dave Darland
Heat 5: Eddie Carpenter, Roy Caruthers, Dennis Mann
Semi #1: Travis Welpott, Rick Treadway, Doug Schenk
Semi #2: Johnny Heydenreich, Chris Malone, Tray House
Feature: Shelton, Drake, Darland, Fornoro, Klepper, Caruthers, Mann,
Elliott, Zike, Walkup, Carpenter, Welpott, Nemire, Treadway, Fike, Rauch,
Lucas, House, Schenk, Malone, Heydenreich
