Midgets: Another Rookie Winner on NAMARS Circuit
22 September 1998
BY LES MESZAROSKOKOMO, IN : Sunday night at the Kokomo Speedway it was another rookie taking his first victory. Kevin Newton, of Terra Haute, IN, won the final leg of the Indiana Triple Crown. Newton led every lap of the 30 lap race and did a stellar job of holding off dirt track veteran Dave Darland. Newton was driving the Steve Newton owned Stealth/Deppe.
Newton grabbed the lead at the start but was followed by Keith Roush the first 3 laps. Dave Darland was quickly on the move and roared past Roush on lap 4. Darland quickly closed in on Newton and was looking inside and putting on the pressure. Lap after lap Darland tried to find a way around Newton but was blocked every time.
While Newton was holding onto first Roy Caruthers and Tony Elliott were picking off spots and moving up. Elliott, winner of 2 NAMARS races in July, looked like he might do it again as he was flying on the outside. Caruthers was moving up on the inside were the leaders were running. Over the las five laps the top three of Newton, Darland and Caruthers ran nose to tail as Elliott started to fade. At the checkered flag it was rookie Newton the winner followed by Dave Darland, Roy Caruthers, Tony Elliott and Kevin Besecker.
No time trials were held and heat race starting positions were determined by a drawing. Heat race winners Dave Darland, Aaron Fike, Steven Graham and Keith Roush. Jerry Coons won the Semi-feature.
NAMARS NOTES; 37 midgets in the pits for the final night of the Indiana Triple Crown...Points leader Matt Westfall crossed the finish line in a qualifying position in the first heat and flipped after taking the checkered flag. Matt was unhurt and the crew made repairs so Matt could start the feature....At the start of the night only 34 points seperated leader Matt Westfall and second place Nick Fornoro. The points race will go down to the last race at Shady Bowl Speedway in Degraff, OH on Sunday, October 4....Dennis Mann flipped in the Semi-feature and was not hurt.
The Summary:
First Heat: 1) 6, Dave Darland; 2) 14, Kevin Newton; 3) 88, Bob McCombs; 4) 54, Matt Westfall; 5) 6, Kenny Lewis; 6) 41, A.J. Fike; 7) 16, Duane Sandy; 8) 69, Clay Klepper; 9) 45, Kevin Myers; 10) 37, Bill Eubank.
Second Heat: 1) 69, Aaron Fike; 2) 18, Travis Wellpott; 3) 3, Kevin Besecker; 4) 16, Jerry Nemire; 5) 2, Rick Treadway; 6) 55, Don Moore, 7) 35, Gordy Ward; 8) 5, Larry Gibson; 9) 82, Toby Alfrey.
Third Heat: 1) 14, Steven Graham; 2) 81, Tim Spindler, 3) 15, Roy Caruthers; 4) 1, Tony Elliott; 5) V4, Jerry Coons, 6) 3, Ed Carpenter; 7) 59, Jim Sawyer: 8) 28, A.J. Davis: 9) 5, John Lucas.
Fourth Heat: 1) 33, Keith Roush, 2) 71, Doug Schenck; 3) 49, Nick Lundgreen; 4) 2, Nick Fornoro; 5) 44, Dennis Mann; 6) 12K, Dave Fall; 7) 57, Joe Devin; 8) 91 Jimmy Davies; 9) 23, Bruce Adkins.
Semi-feature: Coons, Carpenter, Sandy, Klepper, Treadway, Devin, A.J. Fike, Moore, Myers, Eubank, Sawyer, Ward, Fall, Mann, Gibson, Davies, Lucas, Adkins, Alfrey.
Feature: Newton, Darland, Caruthers, Elliott, Besecker, Roush, Lundgreen, Coons, Westfall, Carpenter, Klepper, Nemire, McCombs, Spindler, A. Fike, Fornoro, Welpot, Graham, Sandy, Schenck.
