ARA Montgomery report

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA - Fourteen year-old speed sensation Stephen Leicht, from Asheville, NC, won his second consecutive American Racing Association (ARA) Southern Thunder Late Model feature at Montgomery Motor Speedway. Leicht, the third-fastest qualifier, started eighth and took the lead from polesitter DuWayne Middlebrooks, of Prattville, AL, on lap 73 and led the rest of the way in the Loveshack 125.

Leicht was pressured to the finish by the current ARA Southern Thunder points leader, Paul Kelley, from Snellville,GA. Michael Lance, from Dacula, GA, was third. Mickey Cain, from Gainesville, GA, finished fourth. And, Middlebrooks climbed back to fifth after two quick pitstops.

"This race was much tougher than my last win here," Leicht said after the race. "One factor was the heat. It was so hot in the car that you start to feel sick. The competition was a whole bunch better this time, too.

"I wore the tires out pretty good getting to the front. But, my plan was to get to the front as fast as I could," Stephen continued. "I took the invert for the first time. But once I got to the front I knew I had a good chance of winning."

With Kelley pressuring in the closing laps, Leicht took an unusual tact to fend of the challenger. He slowed down.

"I slowed down a little bit and actually picked my speed up," Leicht explained. "Going fast isn't always the fastest way around the track. When you slow down sometimes you keep the car straighter and run faster. When I kept it straight I pulled him off the corner. That's how I kept the lead."

The next race on the ARA Southern Thunder schedule is at Peach State Speedway on Sunday, August 12.

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UNOFFICIAL RESULTS MONTGOMERY MOTOR SPEEDWAY MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA LOVESHACK 125 AMERICAN RACING ASSOCIATION SOUTHERN THUNDER LATE MODEL SERIES SATURDAY, JULY 28, 2001

Finish,Start,Car Number,Driver,Hometown,Car Make 1,8,99,Stephen Leicht,Asheville NC,Chevrolet 2,6,24,Paul Kelley,Snellville GA,Chevrolet 3,7,04,Michael Lance,Dacula GA,Chevrolet 4,3,37,Mickey Cain,Gainesville GA,Ford 5,1,10,Duwayne Middlebrooks,Prattville AL,Chevrolet 6,4,94,Frank King,Farmersville AL, Chevrolet 7,13,21,Royce Bray,Hull GA,Chevrolet 8,9,5,Jeff Gore,Powder Springs GA,Chevrolet 9,16,54,Brian Farley,Duncanville AL, Chevrolet 10,14,85,Kevin Perry, Jefferson GA,Chevrolet 11,2,98,Russell Fleeman,Dacula GA,Chevrolet 12,17,17,Chris Green,Allentown GA,Chevrolet 13,10,28,Lee Langford,Jefferson GA,Ford 14,11,41,Will Blacksome,Auburn AL,Chevrolet 15,5,15,Dwayne Buggay,Marietta GA,Ford 16,15,30,Jason Heard,Cumming GA,Chevrolet 17,12,97,Linny Foster,LaGrange GA,Chevrolet

-ARA