Texas Speedzone - Devils Bowl Speedway recaps 6/11/05

McGibboney Claims Modified Victory at Devil's Bowl

Mesquite, TX (June 13, 2005) – Richard McGibboney used his experience to make a late pass and capture the USA Modified feature at Devil's Bowl Speedway Saturday night for his first win this year. Repeat winners ruled the other classes with Charlie Brown topping the Super Sprints for the sixth time in the 2005 season, Darren Ellis garnered his third Late Model victory and Steve Trevathan finished out front in the street stock main for his third win.

Richard McGibboney raced for almost the entire USA modified feature, just a few feet behind leader Jeff Welborn's Baxter Motorsports / Kountry Kids Day Care Nr. 19J. Taking off from the second row, Welborn took the lead on the second circuit when polesitter Chad Ewell dropped out with problems on his Foam Enterprises Nr. 7JR.

McGibboney started his Baber's Garage / Red's Meat Company Nr. 19 on the third row, and quickly joined the battle for the top spot.

On the fifth lap, Colby Smith tagged the front straight wall, shooting his Innovative Designs / Jesse's Body Shop Nr. 01 across the track into Charles Lasater in the Acelco Services / Troy's Used Cars Nr. 17. The damage sent both cars to the pits, though Lasater was able to return late in the feature.

Welborn held the advantage on the restart, with McGibboney quickly following. The pair raced around the half-mile oval for six laps, with Welborn maintaining his lead on a rapidly drying track. Rick Preddy maintained third in his Winner's Choice Awards Nr. V8 until entering turn three on the 11th circuit.

Preddy's car broke, dropping a lot of fluid on the track as it came suddenly to a stop. fourth and fifth running Johnny Dunn, Jr. and Clyde Dunn, Jr. were on the inside and avoided the slick spot. Not so lucky were Rick McCommas and Billy Fronterhouse in sixth and seventh place.

McCommas spun sideways and crashed hard into Preddy's car, flipping completely over to land on its wheels. Fronterhouse also slid into the two cars with his car coming to a stop facing the wrong way, on it's roof.

The drivers crawled out okay but all three cars, including McCommas' Unlimited Sprinkler Fire Protection Nr. 39 and Fronterhouse's Wade's Rod and Custom of Wylie / C&H Wrecking of Nevada Nr. 5, going to the trailer on the hook.

When the red flag was replaced with the green, Johnny Dunn, Jr. took advantage of restarting in third on the outside to go around McGibboney and take the second spot behind Welborn. But the red flag flew again on the 13th lap when Clyde Dunn, Jr. tried to cut high and low in turns three and four trying to take fourth place from Randy Kirkland. Dunn's left front wheel touched with Kirkland's right rear bumper.

The contact shot Dunn's Smiley's Race Products / Crandall Cotton Gin Nr. 88 head-on into the front straight wall in one of the hardest hits at Devil's Bowl in recent years. After a few minutes the defending USA modified champion climbed out of the mangled car.

With two laps left in the feature, McGibboney lined up on the outside for the final restart. When Welborn and Johnny Dunn, Jr. went low into turn one, McGibboney shot around the outside and claimed the lead and go on to his first feature win this year.

Welborn took the runner-up honors with Johnny Dunn, Jr. finishing third in the Smiley's Race Products / Speed Specialties Nr. 99. Randy Kirkland was fourth in the Reliable Plumbing / American Locksmith Nr. 77 and Tracy Adams rounded out the top five in the Troy's Used Cars / Trayco Construction Nr. 4.

Clyde Dunn, Jr., Chad Ewell and Charles Lasater won the heat races.

The super sprint feature was over quickly in contrast to some of the earlier events - even under the most difficult track conditions. With seventeen winged warriors circling the half-mile in less than 18 seconds per lap, the track dried quickly. Chris Tarrant, who had earlier won his head and the trophy dash in his Auto-Meter / TPI Travel Nr. 71 took off from the pole as the green flag flew. But a seal blew out on the back straight, his feature was over.

Larry Neighbors had flown around the top of the first two turns and took over the lead as he shot out of turn two in the Big Cheese Graphics / Neighbors Coffee Nr. 29. Brown also got a strong run from the outside of the fifth row, following Neighbors around the rest of the field battling for position.

It only took Brown four laps to chase down Neighbors and put his U-Stor-It of Greenville / Smiley's Racing Products / Forney Kar Wash Nr. 72 into the lead.

Though Neighbors was able to narrow down Brown's lead as they worked through lapped traffic, he was never able to get into a position to attempt to retake the lead. Brown had no trouble taking the win, especially after a late race caution gave him a clear track for the final circuits.

Larry Long stayed close to Brown in the points race with a third place finish in his Town East Ford / Enduro Powder Coating Nr. 28, taking the spot in traffic halfway through the race after a close battle with fourth finishing Dale Wester in the Service King Collision Repair / Allard Racing Engines Nr. 12W.

Matt Clevenger rounded out the top five in his JTM Materials / JRJ Paving Nr. 31 after a race long battle with second heat winner Brandon Erwin in the Mack's Auto Service / Coldwell Banker Nr. 9.

Darren Ellis is having his best late model season in years at Devil's Bowl, winning his third feature in the Adams Fence / Race Ragz / Performance Auto Supply Nr. 21X. Starting on the inside of the fourth row, Ellis was in fifth place after the opening lap. Jerry Horn set the pace from the outside of the front row in his Horn's Medical Supply / J&D Motorsports Nr. 9D.

The action was tight in the competitive field, with Ellis able to move up to third place before the first yellow flag waved as the fourth lap was completed. That put Ellis in the right position for the restart and he went around Horn to take the top spot after the green flag waved. Skip O'Neal drove the Urban Fire Protection / O'Neal Racing Engines Nr. 8 into second place a lap later.

Two more quick cautions on the sixth lap slowed the race. Tom Lorenz got past O'Neal on the second restart, moving the Smiley's Racing / Hoosier Tire Southwest Nr. 84 into the runner-up position.

Ellis controlled the race for the final eight laps, putting his car exactly where he wanted it as he flew to the checkered flag. O'Neal managed to pass Lorenz and retake second place on the ninth lap, but he could not challenge Ellis for the lead. Behind third finishing Lorenz was Chuck Beusch in the Sam's Pizza Pasta and Subs / Family Chiropractic Nr. 13 and Bob Ewell in the Foam Enterprises Nr. 85. Ellis and Beusch won the heat races.

It was hard to tell if the lineup for the street stock feature was a car race or "Family Feud". When the field took the green flag, there were pairs of brothers, a husband and wife, and a father and son, along with cousins and a dozen other friends, associates and rivals in the street stock field.

It didn't take long for the caution flag to fly - the first corner - when polesitter Brian Shafer got sideways in the Grubbs Motorsports Nr. 28. He recovered to continue, but Mike Walls in the Walls Racing / Rat Pack Racing Nr. 38 and Danny Zimmerman in the Quality Intermodel Delivery Service / Masters Auto Body Nr. 11X were caught up and sent to the pits.

On the restart Shaffer held his line, but Zimmerman was again collected and spun around just past the flag stand, knocked out of the race this time.

Frank Shafer took over the lead on after a complete lap under the green flag in the Flat Broke Racing Nr. 84. But the person who avoided all the carnage was Steve Trevathan in the Anson Powder Coating / Pit Stop Pizza Nr. 14.

Trevathan had started on the outside of the seventh row, but was able to quickly move up as other cars bunched around the bottom of the slick dry track. Doug Smith mounted the first challenge to Trevathan's lead after a fourth lap caution - the fifth one of the race. Smith closed up in the Tim's Cores / All American Locksmith Nr. 4S to a car length behind Trevathan, but the changing track conditions gave the leader the advantage.

Steve's son, Jason, moved his Nr. 3 Anson Powder Coating / Pit Stop Pizza car into the runner-up spot on the seventh lap. But Jason had to battle a hard charging Bobby Ruffin, driving Kevin Leach's Nr. 151 for the evening. As the white flag came out, Ruffin took over second place, but had to settle for finishing right behind Steve Trevathan. Jason Trevathan was third, with Walter Dorsett fourth in the Nikon Dallas/ R&D Racing Nr. 31 and Smith taking fifth.

B main winner Trandel White in the Verna May / Garcia's Lawn Care Nr. 10 was knocked out of the feature after contact in a couple of the early cautions. Jason Trevathan, Danny Zimmerman and Johnny Philpott in the J&S Direct Doors / Riddell Plumbing Nr. 12 won the heat races