Hagerstown results 97-08-17

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. 16 results (published Aug. 17) HAGERSTOWN: Moran wins $50,000 in 50th Anniversary 100 =================================== UNSANCTIONED Hagerstown 50th Anniversary 100

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Saturday) Donnie Moran led every lap of the 50th Anniversary 100 at Hagerstown Speedway to win $50,000, one of the most lucrative dirt late model purses of the year.

Moran, feeling right at home at Hagerstown with his third big-purse win of the year at the half-mile track, outgunned polesitter Gary Stuhler on the first lap and was never headed. Stuhler finished a car length behind in second while Bart Hartman rallied from his 10th starting spot to finish third. Rodney Franklin and Todd Andrews were fourth and fifth, while Tim Hitt, Ronnie Johnson, Scott Bloomquist, Mike Balzano and Billy Moyer finished sixth through 10th as Hagerstown capped its four-day 50th Anniversary Late Model Extravaganza.

"I got beat in the dash by (Gary) Stuhler and that made us go back and do some homework," Moran said in victory lane. "We changed a few things and it paid off."

Moran outdueled Moyer for a Hav-A-Tampa-sanctioned victory worth $10,000 in the Maryland Silver Cup Nationals at Hagerstown on June 14, and captured a STARS-sanctioned race worth $10,000 on Thursday.

His 50th Anniversary victory was flag-to-flag in a race that featured very little change among the top cars after Hartman moved up into fourth place by the 10th lap.

The first caution appeared on the 25th lap just as Moran beginning to lap slower cars. Moran led Stuhler, Rick Eckert, Hartman and C.S. Fitzgerald as the top five stayed the same until the halfway fuel stop.

Eckert dropped out with fuel pump problems on the 54th lap, and Fitzgerald made a tire change during the caution to move everyone from fifth place back up two spots.

The top four of Moran, Stuhler, Hartman and Franklin edged away from the rest of the field, but cautions on laps 73 and 86 tightened things up again. Stuhler stayed close to Moran throughout the race, but his brakes got hot at the end, taking away any chance to overtake the leader

CAR COUNT: 58 late models.

FAST QUALIFIER: Rodney Franklin, 21.223 seconds (half-mile oval; complete qualifying results appeared in previous report).

FAST DASH: Gary Stuhler, Donnie Moran, Rick Eckert, Rodney Franklin, C.S. Fitzgerald, Todd Andrews.

FIRST HEAT: Charlie Schaffer, Clint Smith, Mark Miner.

SECOND HEAT: Tim Hitt, Rick Workman, Jimmy Mars.

THIRD HEAT: Roy Deese Jr., Booper Bare, John Mason.

FOURTH HEAT: Bart Hartman, Billy Moyer, Bill Frye.

FIFTH HEAT: Mike Balzano, Scott Bloomquist, Steve Francis.

SIXTH HEAT: Ronnie Johnson, Nathan Durboraw, Doug Timmons.

CONSOLATION WINNER: Chub Frank.

FEATURE (Pos., driver, hometown, winnings) 1. Donnie Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, $50,000 2. Gary Stuhler (19), Greencastle, Pa., $10,000 3. Bart Hartman (75), Zanesville, Ohio, $7,500 4. Rodney Franklin (01), Cross Junction, Va., $5,000 5. Todd Andrews (42), Eldred, Pa., $4,500 6. Tim Hitt (68), Weston, W.Va., $4,000 7. Ronnie Johnson (5), Chattanooga, Tenn., $3,500 8. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., $3,000 9. Mike Balzano (E1), Parkersburg, W.Va., $2,500 10. Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., $2,000 11. Mark Miner (7), Stockbridge, Ga., $1,750 12. Booper Bare (00), Rockbridge Baths, Va., $1,600 13. Bill Frye (66), Greenbrier, Ark., $1,250 14. Charlie Schaffer (11), Westminster, Md., $1,225 15. Nathan Durboraw (24D), Hagerstown, Md., $1,200 16. Jack Boggs (B4), Grayson, Ky., $1,175 17. John Mason (72), Millersburg, Ohio, $1,150 18. Jeff Robinson (49), Greencastle, Pa., $1,125 19. Doug Timmons (95), Hagerstown, Md., $1,100 20. Roy Deese Jr. (44), Odenton, Md., $1,090 21. Clint Smith (1), Griffin, Ga., $1,080 22. Chub Frank (1*), Sugargrove, Pa., $1,070 23. Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., $1,060 24. C.S. Fitzgerald (100), Lexington, Va., $1,050 25. Rick Eckert (24), York, Pa., $1,045 26. Rick Workman (34), Stewartstown, Pa., $1,040 27. Frankie Plessinger (9), McConnellsburg, Pa., $1,035 28. Jimmy Mars (28), Elk Mound, Wis., $1,030 29. Freddy Smith (00), Knoxville, Tenn., $1,025 30. Al Richards (4), York Haven, Pa., $1,020 31. Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D., $1,015 32. Marshall Green (89), Dalton, Ga., $1,010

NOTES: Moran has won more than $70,000 at Hagerstown this year .... the week's winner's were Todd Andrews on Wednesday in the Richard Bonebrake Memorial, Moran on Thursday in the STARS event and Bill Frye on Friday in the inverted 50-lapper for the fastest 24 qualifiers .... Andrews had the most consistent finishes throughout the week .... Scott Bloomquist made among the biggest jumps in Saturday's race, starting 17th in the feature and finishing eighth .... Chub Frank won Saturday's 30-lap consolation event.

CREDIT: Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway publicity. -------------------------------------------------------------