O'REILLY AUTO PARTS MID-AMERICA RACING SERIES
Monett Speedway
Sunday, April 13, 2003
by Larry Olson; Mountain Home, AR
MONETT MO. Bill Frye notched his first O'Reilly Auto Parts Mid-America Racing Series feature win, Sunday night at the Monett Speedway. Frye lead all 40 Laps, but had to hold off several supreme efforts by Al Purkey to wrest the lead from him over the first half of the event. Frye picked up $3,000 in his attempt to defend his 2002 O'Reilly M.A.R.S. Championship.
Frye held the pole, with Terry Phillips to his outside. Frye took the lead as the green flag came out, with Phillips, Purkey, Billy Moyer, and Leslie Essary falling in behind. Purkey got under Phillips taking the second spot in turn two on the second lap. Essary took the fourth spot from Moyer in turn four on lap three.
Frye and Purkey drove side by side for the next several laps, with Frye on the
high side, and Purkey on the bottom. The caution flag waved on lap six for debris.
Purkey briefly took the lead on the track on the backstretch on lap eight, but Frye was back out front as the pair exited turn four. Moyer slipped past Phillips for fourth on lap nine. Moyer drove over Essary for the third spot in turn two on lap ten.
Frye finally cleared Purkey, and got a couple of laps of breathing room. He led by 5 carlenghts on lap 15, but the caution flag waved on lap 17 as Steve Rushin had gotten turned around in turn four.
On the restart, Terry Phillips took a wild ride off turn one preventing the race from staying green. Phillips had to exit the track to change two tires that he flatted, before tagging on to the rear of the field.
Moyer took over second from Purkey on the restart, but Purkey made his move back by Moyer for the postion in turn four on lap 18. Frye was pacing the field by 10 carlengths again by lap 20, and was a half straight ahead of Purkey by lap 23.
Rex McCroskey made his way into fifth by lap 24, then the caution flag waved on lap 28 for Wendell Wallace, who had cut down a left rear.
On the restart, Moyer got turned around in turn four in close racing bringing the yellow back out. Moyer pitted, then returned joining the field at the rear.
Jeff Taylor was fifth on the restart. Frye moved back out to his 10 carlength advantage by lap 30, and had put his competition away by a half straightaway by lap 35.
Bill Frye came home with the win, with Al Purkey, Leslie Essary, Rex McCroskey, and Jeff Taylor making up the top five. Donnie Barnhart, Jerry Buck, Darren Miller, Mike Bowers, and Terry Phillips rounded out the top ten.
Entries: 43
Top Qualifier: Bill Frye
Hard Charger: Jeff Taylor
Provisionals: Jeff Floyd (2), Steve Rushin (2)
Lap Leaders: Bill Frye 1-40
Cautions: 3
A FEATURE (40 Laps)
1) Bill Frye, GRT/Kuntz/Mustang; $3,000
2) Al Purkey, Larry Shaw/Hatfield/Grand Prix; $2,000
3) Leslie Essary, GRT/Mike's/Grand Prix; $1,250
4) Rex McCroskey, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $1,100
5) Jeff Taylor, Larry Shaw/Kuntz/Taurus; $1,000
6) Donnie Barnhart, GRT/Kuntz/Grand Prix; $750
7) Jerry Buck, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $700
8) Darren Miller, MasterSbilt/Pro Power/Taurus; $675
9) Mike Bowers, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $650
10) Terry Phillips, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $625
11) Wendell Wallace, GRT/Craft/Taurus; $600
12) Jeff Floyd, GRT/Kuntz/Taurus; $575
13) Brandon McCormick, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $550
14) Brad Looney, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $525
15) Dewaine Hottinger, GRT/Kuntz/Monte Carlo; $500
16) Billy Moyer, MasterSbilt/Dickens/Monte Carlo; $500
17) Duke Whiseant, GRT/Dickens/Monte Carlo; $500
18) Shane Essary, GRT/Hatfield/Grand Prix; $500
19) Shannon Babb, Rayburn/Dickens/Monte Carlo; $500
20) Steve Rushin, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $500
21) Robbie Starnes, Larry Shaw/Dynotech/Grand Prix; $500
22) Alan Vaughn, Rocket/Smitty's/Grand Prix; $500
1st Heat (12 Laps) 1) Al Purkey, Coffeyville KS 2) Terry Phillips, Springfield MO 3) Rex McCroskey, Springfield MO 4) Ken Essary, Cape Fair MO 5) David Turner, Creighton MO 6) Mike Brown, Ft. Gibson OK 7) Steve Ihm, Hazel Green WI 8) Larry Jones, Eldorado Springs MO 9) Jerry Walker, Southhaven MS
2nd Heat 1) Billy Moyer, Batesville AR 2) Shane Essary, Aurora MO 3) Brandon McCormick, Lebanon MO 4) Duke Whiseant, Texarkana AR 5) Brad Looney, Republic MO 6) Steve Rushin, Poplar Bluff MO 7) Darrell Mooneyham, Aurora MO 8) Dustin Mooneyham, Aurora MO 9) Gary Stolba, Willow Springs, MO
3rd Heat 1) Jerry Buck, Harviell MO 2) Darren Miller, Chadwick IL 3) Wendell Wallace, Batesville AR 4) Joey Mack, Benton MO 5) Mike Bowers, North Little Rock AR 6) Justin Wells, Aurora MO 7) Robbie Starnes, Baytown TX 8) Raymond Merrill, Sallisaw OK 9) Will Ince, Rogersville MO
4th Heat 1) Leslie Essary, Crane MO 2) Donnie Barnhart, North Little Rock AR 3) Alan Vaughn, Belton MO 4) Jeff Taylor, Batesville AR 5) Jack Sullivan, Greenbriar AR 6) Garrett Durrett, Simsboro LA 7) Jimmy Greenway, Galena MO 8) Chris Moore, Nesbit MS
5th Heat 1) Shannon Babb, Mowequa IL 2) Bill Frye, Greenbriar AR 3) Dewaine Hottinger, Russellville AR 4) Jeff Floyd, Walnut Ridge AR 5) John Dillard, Farmington AR 6) Charlie Randolph, Muskogee OK 7) LeRoy Johnson, Springfield MO 8) Gary Webb, Blue Grass IA
1st Last Chance Qualifier (15 Laps, two transfer) 1) Duke Whiseant 2) Robbie Starnes 3) Chris Moore 4) Justin Wells 5) Larry Jones 6) Jerry Walker 7) Darrell Mooneyham 8) Jeff Floyd 9) Steve Rushin 10) John Dillard 11) Joey Mack 12) Jack Sullivan 13) Jimmy Greenway (scratch: Will Ince)
2nd Last Chance Qualifier 1) Mike Bowers 2) Jeff Taylor 3) Ken Essary 4) Gary Webb 5) David Turner 6) Charlie Randolph 7) Raymond Merrill 8) Garrett Durrett 9) Dustin Mooneyham 10) LeRoy Johnson 11) Gary Stolba 12) Mike Brown 13) Steve Ihm
MARS POINTS AS OF: 04/13/03
1 5E ESSARY, LESLIE CRANE, MO 246
2 5T TAYLOR, JEFF BATESVILLE, AR 230
3 75P PHILLIPS, TERRY SPRINGFIELD, MO 228
4 66F FRYE, BILL GREENBRIAR, AR 222
5 88W WALLACE, WENDELL BATESVILLE, AR 214
6 21M MOYER, BILLY BATESVILLE, AR 210
7 F1 FLOYD, JEFF WALNUT RIDGE, AR 192
8 14JR RUSHIN, STEVE POPLAR BLUFF, MO 190
9 65H HOTTINGER, DEWAINE RUSSELLVILLE, AR 184
10 22V VAUGHN, ALAN BELTON, MO 182
11 11B BARNHART, DONNIE NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 180
12 60B BOWERS, MIKE NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 168
13 77RS STARNES, ROBBIE BAYTOWN, TX 166
81B BUCK, JERRY HARVIELL, M0 166
15 427B BROWN, MIKE FT. GIBSON, OK 150
16 33P PURKEY, AL COFFEYVILLE, KS 149
17 64M McCROSKEY, REX SPRINGFIELD, MO 142
18 9R RANDOLPH II, CHARLIE MUSKOGEE, OK 132
19 32D MILLER, DARREN CHADWICK, IL 129
20 15E ESSARY, SHANE AURORA, MO 128
Monett Speedway
Sunday, April 13, 2003
by Larry Olson; Mountain Home, AR
MONETT MO. Bill Frye notched his first O'Reilly Auto Parts Mid-America Racing Series feature win, Sunday night at the Monett Speedway. Frye lead all 40 Laps, but had to hold off several supreme efforts by Al Purkey to wrest the lead from him over the first half of the event. Frye picked up $3,000 in his attempt to defend his 2002 O'Reilly M.A.R.S. Championship.
Frye held the pole, with Terry Phillips to his outside. Frye took the lead as the green flag came out, with Phillips, Purkey, Billy Moyer, and Leslie Essary falling in behind. Purkey got under Phillips taking the second spot in turn two on the second lap. Essary took the fourth spot from Moyer in turn four on lap three.
Frye and Purkey drove side by side for the next several laps, with Frye on the
high side, and Purkey on the bottom. The caution flag waved on lap six for debris.
Purkey briefly took the lead on the track on the backstretch on lap eight, but Frye was back out front as the pair exited turn four. Moyer slipped past Phillips for fourth on lap nine. Moyer drove over Essary for the third spot in turn two on lap ten.
Frye finally cleared Purkey, and got a couple of laps of breathing room. He led by 5 carlenghts on lap 15, but the caution flag waved on lap 17 as Steve Rushin had gotten turned around in turn four.
On the restart, Terry Phillips took a wild ride off turn one preventing the race from staying green. Phillips had to exit the track to change two tires that he flatted, before tagging on to the rear of the field.
Moyer took over second from Purkey on the restart, but Purkey made his move back by Moyer for the postion in turn four on lap 18. Frye was pacing the field by 10 carlengths again by lap 20, and was a half straight ahead of Purkey by lap 23.
Rex McCroskey made his way into fifth by lap 24, then the caution flag waved on lap 28 for Wendell Wallace, who had cut down a left rear.
On the restart, Moyer got turned around in turn four in close racing bringing the yellow back out. Moyer pitted, then returned joining the field at the rear.
Jeff Taylor was fifth on the restart. Frye moved back out to his 10 carlength advantage by lap 30, and had put his competition away by a half straightaway by lap 35.
Bill Frye came home with the win, with Al Purkey, Leslie Essary, Rex McCroskey, and Jeff Taylor making up the top five. Donnie Barnhart, Jerry Buck, Darren Miller, Mike Bowers, and Terry Phillips rounded out the top ten.
Entries: 43
Top Qualifier: Bill Frye
Hard Charger: Jeff Taylor
Provisionals: Jeff Floyd (2), Steve Rushin (2)
Lap Leaders: Bill Frye 1-40
Cautions: 3
A FEATURE (40 Laps)
1) Bill Frye, GRT/Kuntz/Mustang; $3,000
2) Al Purkey, Larry Shaw/Hatfield/Grand Prix; $2,000
3) Leslie Essary, GRT/Mike's/Grand Prix; $1,250
4) Rex McCroskey, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $1,100
5) Jeff Taylor, Larry Shaw/Kuntz/Taurus; $1,000
6) Donnie Barnhart, GRT/Kuntz/Grand Prix; $750
7) Jerry Buck, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $700
8) Darren Miller, MasterSbilt/Pro Power/Taurus; $675
9) Mike Bowers, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $650
10) Terry Phillips, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $625
11) Wendell Wallace, GRT/Craft/Taurus; $600
12) Jeff Floyd, GRT/Kuntz/Taurus; $575
13) Brandon McCormick, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $550
14) Brad Looney, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $525
15) Dewaine Hottinger, GRT/Kuntz/Monte Carlo; $500
16) Billy Moyer, MasterSbilt/Dickens/Monte Carlo; $500
17) Duke Whiseant, GRT/Dickens/Monte Carlo; $500
18) Shane Essary, GRT/Hatfield/Grand Prix; $500
19) Shannon Babb, Rayburn/Dickens/Monte Carlo; $500
20) Steve Rushin, GRT/Hatfield/Monte Carlo; $500
21) Robbie Starnes, Larry Shaw/Dynotech/Grand Prix; $500
22) Alan Vaughn, Rocket/Smitty's/Grand Prix; $500
1st Heat (12 Laps) 1) Al Purkey, Coffeyville KS 2) Terry Phillips, Springfield MO 3) Rex McCroskey, Springfield MO 4) Ken Essary, Cape Fair MO 5) David Turner, Creighton MO 6) Mike Brown, Ft. Gibson OK 7) Steve Ihm, Hazel Green WI 8) Larry Jones, Eldorado Springs MO 9) Jerry Walker, Southhaven MS
2nd Heat 1) Billy Moyer, Batesville AR 2) Shane Essary, Aurora MO 3) Brandon McCormick, Lebanon MO 4) Duke Whiseant, Texarkana AR 5) Brad Looney, Republic MO 6) Steve Rushin, Poplar Bluff MO 7) Darrell Mooneyham, Aurora MO 8) Dustin Mooneyham, Aurora MO 9) Gary Stolba, Willow Springs, MO
3rd Heat 1) Jerry Buck, Harviell MO 2) Darren Miller, Chadwick IL 3) Wendell Wallace, Batesville AR 4) Joey Mack, Benton MO 5) Mike Bowers, North Little Rock AR 6) Justin Wells, Aurora MO 7) Robbie Starnes, Baytown TX 8) Raymond Merrill, Sallisaw OK 9) Will Ince, Rogersville MO
4th Heat 1) Leslie Essary, Crane MO 2) Donnie Barnhart, North Little Rock AR 3) Alan Vaughn, Belton MO 4) Jeff Taylor, Batesville AR 5) Jack Sullivan, Greenbriar AR 6) Garrett Durrett, Simsboro LA 7) Jimmy Greenway, Galena MO 8) Chris Moore, Nesbit MS
5th Heat 1) Shannon Babb, Mowequa IL 2) Bill Frye, Greenbriar AR 3) Dewaine Hottinger, Russellville AR 4) Jeff Floyd, Walnut Ridge AR 5) John Dillard, Farmington AR 6) Charlie Randolph, Muskogee OK 7) LeRoy Johnson, Springfield MO 8) Gary Webb, Blue Grass IA
1st Last Chance Qualifier (15 Laps, two transfer) 1) Duke Whiseant 2) Robbie Starnes 3) Chris Moore 4) Justin Wells 5) Larry Jones 6) Jerry Walker 7) Darrell Mooneyham 8) Jeff Floyd 9) Steve Rushin 10) John Dillard 11) Joey Mack 12) Jack Sullivan 13) Jimmy Greenway (scratch: Will Ince)
2nd Last Chance Qualifier 1) Mike Bowers 2) Jeff Taylor 3) Ken Essary 4) Gary Webb 5) David Turner 6) Charlie Randolph 7) Raymond Merrill 8) Garrett Durrett 9) Dustin Mooneyham 10) LeRoy Johnson 11) Gary Stolba 12) Mike Brown 13) Steve Ihm
MARS POINTS AS OF: 04/13/03
1 5E ESSARY, LESLIE CRANE, MO 246
2 5T TAYLOR, JEFF BATESVILLE, AR 230
3 75P PHILLIPS, TERRY SPRINGFIELD, MO 228
4 66F FRYE, BILL GREENBRIAR, AR 222
5 88W WALLACE, WENDELL BATESVILLE, AR 214
6 21M MOYER, BILLY BATESVILLE, AR 210
7 F1 FLOYD, JEFF WALNUT RIDGE, AR 192
8 14JR RUSHIN, STEVE POPLAR BLUFF, MO 190
9 65H HOTTINGER, DEWAINE RUSSELLVILLE, AR 184
10 22V VAUGHN, ALAN BELTON, MO 182
11 11B BARNHART, DONNIE NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 180
12 60B BOWERS, MIKE NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 168
13 77RS STARNES, ROBBIE BAYTOWN, TX 166
81B BUCK, JERRY HARVIELL, M0 166
15 427B BROWN, MIKE FT. GIBSON, OK 150
16 33P PURKEY, AL COFFEYVILLE, KS 149
17 64M McCROSKEY, REX SPRINGFIELD, MO 142
18 9R RANDOLPH II, CHARLIE MUSKOGEE, OK 132
19 32D MILLER, DARREN CHADWICK, IL 129
20 15E ESSARY, SHANE AURORA, MO 128
