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Hagerstown report 97-80-15

DirtNews Digest Your Online News Source for Late Model Dirt Track Racing "Get Some Dirt On Your Computer!" Todd Turner, editor Email address: DirtNews@aol.com Web site: ...

DirtNews Digest Your Online News Source for Late Model Dirt Track Racing "Get Some Dirt On Your Computer!" Todd Turner, editor

Email address: DirtNews@aol.com Web site: http://members.aol.com/dirtnews/digest =================================== CONTENTS: Aug. 13-14 results (published Aug. 15) STARS: Moran cruises to STARS victory at Hagerstown, Md. CAPSULE: Chris Smyser gets victory in Iowa Governor's Cup =================================== SHORT TRACK AUTO RACING STARS (STARS

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Friday) Donnie Moran, helping Hagerstown Speedway blow out the candles on its 50th birthday cake, blew away the field for a STARS-sanctioned victory worth $10,000 on the second day of the Maryland track's four-day 50th Anniversary Late Model Extravaganza.

Moran, of Dresden, Ohio, took the lead from polesitter Gary Stuhler on the second lap and repeatedly pulled away, leaving the 25 others drivers to battle for second spot during the 50-lap race slowed by three cautions. Todd Andrews managed to finish second ahead of Stuhler, Ronnie Johnson and Rick Eckert on the half-mile track. Finishing sixth though 10th: Bill Frye, Steve Francis (who started 20th), Roy Deese Jr., Mike Balzano and Rick Aukland.

Stuhler got the jump at the start, but Moran immediately put on pressure from his second-row starting spot and grabbed the lead on the second circuit.

Scott Bloomquist, starting seventh, grabbed the third spot on the second lap as 11th-starting Bart Hartman jumped all the way to fifth spot early in the race.

Moran, however, was well ahead of any frays, lapping competitors a dozen laps into the race while Hartman, Andrews and Bloomquist went three wide in a battle for third position on the 15th lap. Hartman took third and began to reel in Stuhler, but his right-front tire went flat to bring out the race's first caution on the 22nd lap.

Moran eased away on the restart as Andrews, now in third, began to pressure Stuhler. Andrews, who won Wednesday's Richard Bonebrake Memorial, made the runner-up pass on the 25th lap as Stuhler, Eckert and Ronnie Johnson made up the top five at the halfway point in their futile chase of Moran.,

Only cautions on laps 38 and 40 let the challengers get close to Moran, but he easily pulled away on restarts on his way to his third STARS victory of the season.

Bill Frye, who started 14th, had a classic battle in getting past Aukland on his way to a sixth-place finish. Francis took 25 laps to advance 10 positions and break into the top 10, and moved past Deese for seventh with just two laps left in the race.

CAR COUNT: 61 late models.

FAST QUALIFIER: Rick Eckert, 20.347 seconds.

FAST DASH: Gary Stuhler, Donnie Moran, Todd Andrews, Rodney Franklin, Rick Eckert, Nathan Durboraw.

FIRST HEAT: Scott Bloomquist, Bart Hartman, Mike Balzano.

SECOND HEAT: Ronnie Johnson, Dick Barton, Booper Bare.

THIRD HEAT: Roye Deese Jr., Frankie Plessinger, Freddy Smith.

FOURTH HEAT: Rick Aukland, Bill Frye, Tim Hitt.

CONSOLATION WINNERS: Jimmy Mars and Steve Francis.

FEATURE (Driver, car no., hometown [if available], laps, reason out) 1. Donnie Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 50 laps, $10,000 2. Todd Andrews (42), Eldred, Pa., 50 laps 3. Gary Stuhler (19), Greencastle, Pa., 50 laps 4. Ronnie Johnson (5), Chattanooga, Tenn., 50 laps 5. Rick Eckert (24), York, Pa., 50 laps 6. Bill Frye (66), Greenbrier, Ark., 50 laps 7. Steve Francis (15), Ashland., Ky., 50 laps 8. Roy Deese Jr. (44), 50 laps 9. Mike Balzano (E1), Parkersburg, W.Va., 50 laps 10. Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D., 50 laps 11. Steve Shaver (30), Parkersburg, W.Va., 50 laps 12. Tim Hitt (68), Weston, W.Va., 50 laps 13. Booper Bare (00), Rockbridge, Baths, Va., 50 laps 14. Freddy Smith (00), Knoxville, Tenn., 50 laps 15. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 50 laps 16. Frankie Plessinger (9), 50 laps 17. Marvin Winters (46), 49 laps 18. Rick Workman (34), 49 laps 19. John Mason (72), Millersburg, Ohio, 49 laps 20. Rod Conley (71r), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 48 laps 21. Bart Hartman (75), Zanesville, Ohio, 41 laps, accident 22. Marshall Green (89), Dalton, Ga., 30 laps, handling 23. Jimmy Mars (28), Elk Mound, Wis., 23 laps, brakes 24. Rodney Franklin (01), Lost Creek, W.Va., 21 laps, handling 25. Dick Barton (28B), Asheville, N.Y., 18 laps, handling 26. Nathan Durboraw (24), Hagerstown, Md., 7 laps, handling

DRIVERS FAILING TO ADVANCE TO FEATURE: Chub Frank, David Williams, Scott Harley, Doug Timmons II, C.S. Fitzgerald, Rodney Combs, Mark Miner, Billy Hicks, Jim Daversa, Al Richards, Mike Benedum, Brent Smith, D.J. Myers, Jeff Robinson, Delmas Conley, Johnny Johnson, Richard Irwin, Denny Bonebrake, Mike Johnson, Tommy Armel, Les Hare, Bob Wearing Sr., Jack Boggs, Davey Johnson, Luke Hoffner, Andy Fries, Barry Bragdon, Mike Duvall, Bill Palmer, Charlie Schaffer, Don Gross, Bobby Stokes, Randy Boggs, Clint Smith.

UPCOMING HAGERSTOWN 50th ANNIVERSARY RACES: Friday, $10,000 to win; Saturday, $50,000 to win.

CREDIT: Hagerstown Speedway publicity. ------------------------------------------------------------- WEDNESDAY'S RACE CAPSULE

SMYSER WINS IOWA GOVERNOR'S CUP CROWN: Chris Smyser of Ottumwa, Iowa, earned his first IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series victory in capturing the Iowa Governor's Cup race at Hawkeye Raceway in Blue Grass, Iowa. Smyser finished two car lengths ahead of local favorite Gary Webb, who came from the sixth row and used lapped traffic and caution flags to catch the leader. Deery Brothers series points leader Harry Walker, who led the first 12 laps, finished third. The 12th annual event was originally scheduled for June 24, but a storm damaged the track, postponing the race to Aug. 12, but rain postponed the race until Wednesday. FEATURE (50 laps): (1) Chris Smyser, (2) Gary Webb, (3) Harry Walker, (4) Jeff Aikey, (5) Tommy Elston, (6) Steve Boley, (7) Kevin Kirkpatrick, (8) Dick Ploog, (9) Mark Chalupa, (10) Greg Kastli, (11) Doug Nigh, (12) Darrel DeFrance, (13) Jerry Connors, (14) Larry Digman, (15) Clint Hines, (16) Dean Wagner II, (17) Boone McLaughlin, (18) Dennis Williamson, (19) Jeff Morris, (20) Jody Wood. ------------------------------------------------------------- CAPSULE CREDIT: Mike McGuire <MCJLMCG@aol.com> of Hawkeye Raceway. -------------------------------------------------------------

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