By Michael Despain
Bardstown, KY-April 26- The 6th Annual Spring Sizzler was contested Saturday night at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY and it was also the 2003 opener for the STARS Battle of the Bluegrass Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN would make a last lap pass to secure his first ever STARS BoB victory in the 30 lap, $3,000 to win event. Other division winners were Josh Lucas of Bardstown, KY in Modifieds and Barry Chesser of Chaplin, KY in Sportsman.
The Late Model feature would take the green flag, only to see the caution wave quickly as defending STARS BoB champion Eddie Carrier, Jr. would spin in turn one and would pull to the infield with suspension on his mount. That would be the only caution that would wave as Kevin Claycomb would take the race lead, with Scott James, Steve Hillard, O’Neal, and Darrell Lanigan in pursuit. O’Neal would roll to third on lap 3 and then settle into what would be an outstanding duel with James for the runner-up slot. By lap 10, Claycomb had stretched his lead to almost a half-straightaway advantage, while James and O’Neal continued to battle door to door for second, exchanging the position several times at various points on the track. Meanwhile, Steve Barnett and John Gill were waging their own little battle for sixth, with Michael Chilton, Whitney McQueary, and B-main winner Rick Corbin all working for the eighth spot. O’Neal would dance in front of James exiting turn two on lap 16 and the pair would make contact down the backchute, with both entries driving on. By lap 20, Claycomb was beginning to close in on slower traffic and this was allowing O’Neal to slowly reel in the race leader. With five laps remaining, O’Neal closed to within a couple of car lengths of Claycomb for the lead, with James looming closely in third as well. As the white flag was displayed, Claycomb and O’Neal would take the one to go signal side by side and waltz off into turns one and two in the same fashion, with O’Neal getting a good run off of the bottom of turn two and pulling ahead of Claycomb, who would clip the backchute guardrail attempting to hold off O’Neal’s charge, but O’Neal would take the checkered flag first to earn his Spring Sizzler event win in the Petroff Towing, B Auto Parts, AFCO Racing Products, O’Neal Wood Products #71 C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Pro Power Race Engines, Hoosier Tire shod entry. Claycomb would take second, with James, Hillard, and Lanigan completing the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Barnett, Gill, Chilton, McQueary, and Corbin. The event drew 50 entries from six states and saw O’Neal set quick time at 16.240 seconds and also winning the first heat. Hillard, James, Lanigan, and Claycomb were the other heat winners. Corbin and James Huff won the B-mains, with Richard Smith and Joey Daniel earning STARS BoB provisionals.
The 20 lap Modified feature would also be a dandy as defending Modified track champion Benji Lee and 1999 track champion Josh Lucas would put on a clinic of back and forth race action, with Lucas working the hub and Lee riding the rim, with the duo trading the lead several times at various spots around the ½ mile oval. Lee would gain a bit of an advantage in the waning laps, but would see it disappear when the transmission in his mount exploded just as he took the white flag, handing the lead over to Lucas, who would hold off the charges of Joe Mattingly to secure the feature win aboard the Gerald and Rita Lucas owned Family Chiropractic, Lucas Oil Products, The Car Pool, Smirnoff Ice, Keith Sparks Attorney at Law, B and R Speed Shop #78 Lightning Chassis mount. Mattingly would be second, with Robbie Gullion, Jerry Rutherford, and Dion Benningfield completing the top five. Billy Despain would lead the second group of five at the finish, followed by Jason Wheatly, Whit Salyers, Brad Schlosser, and Lee. Heats were scored by Lucas, Lee, and David Copley.
The Sportsman feature event would see Barry Chesser lead flag to flag in taking his first feature win of the season behind the wheel of his Buzick Construction, Budweiser, Nalley’s Auto, Bumper to Bumper Auto #36 machine. Johnny Lee would take runner-up honors for the second straight week, with defending class champion Robert Cocanougher third. Rocky Wilson and Timmy Glazer completed the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Roger Cecil, Darrell Gaddis, Pat Hagan, Kevin Wilson, and Ronnie Rogers. The dash was won by Bo Wilson, with the heat win going to Jimmy Bryan
SUMMARY-Bluegrass Speedway-Bardstown, KY-April 26, 2003
STARS BoB DirtCars (50 entries)
Top Qualifier- Don O’Neal 16.240
1st Heat- O’Neal, John Gill, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Tyrel Todd
2nd Heat- Steve Hillard, Michael Chilton, Johnny Wheeler, Rick Corbin
3rd Heat- Scott James, Steve Barnett, Aaron Hatton, James Huff
4th Heat- Darrell Lanigan, Mike Marlar, Steve Casebolt, Jr., Jim Curry
5th Heat- Kevin Claycomb, Whitney McQueary, Brad Neat, Ed Behn
1st B Main- Corbin, Joey Kramer, John Whitney, Joey Daniel, Tim Tungate
2nd B Main- Huff, Jesse James Lay, Jerry Rice, Richard Smith, Curry
STARS BoB Provisionals- Joey Daniel and Richard Smith
6th Annual Spring Sizzler- O’Neal, Claycomb, James, Hillard, Lanigan, Barnett, Gill, Chilton, McQueary, Corbin, Marlar, Neat, Huff, Whitney, Lay, Wheeler, Rice, Daniel, Smith, Hatton, Kramer, Carrier, Jr., Casebolt, Jr. (DNS)
Modifieds (25 entries)
1st Heat- Josh Lucas, Billy Despain, Brad Schlosser, Sidney Sprague
2nd Heat- Benji Lee, Joe Gray, Earl Plessinger, Jerry Rutherford
3rd Heat- David Copley, Joe Mattingly, Robbie Gullion, Keith Currens
Feature- Lucas, Mattingly, Gullion, Rutherford, Dion Benningfield, Despain, Jason Wheatley, Salyers, Schlosser, Lee, Sprague, Gary Yeager, Roy Herring, Copley, Plessinger, Gray, Kenny Hassing, Robbie Turner, J.P. Karpowicz, Currens
Sportsman (18 entries)
Dash- Bo Wilson, Barry Chesser, Kevin Wilson, Johnny Lee, Rocky Wilson, Robert Cocanougher
Heat- Jimmy Bryan, Kelly Riggs, Roger Cecil, Darrell Gaddis, Dale Becht
Feature- Chesser, Lee, Cocanougher, Rocky Wilson, Timmy Glazer, Roger Cecil, Gaddis, Pat Hagan, Kevin Wilson, Ronnie Rogers, Bryan, Riggs, Randall Basham, Brian Jackson, Derrick Laswell, Bo Wilson, Becht
Bardstown, KY-April 26- The 6th Annual Spring Sizzler was contested Saturday night at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY and it was also the 2003 opener for the STARS Battle of the Bluegrass Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN would make a last lap pass to secure his first ever STARS BoB victory in the 30 lap, $3,000 to win event. Other division winners were Josh Lucas of Bardstown, KY in Modifieds and Barry Chesser of Chaplin, KY in Sportsman.
The Late Model feature would take the green flag, only to see the caution wave quickly as defending STARS BoB champion Eddie Carrier, Jr. would spin in turn one and would pull to the infield with suspension on his mount. That would be the only caution that would wave as Kevin Claycomb would take the race lead, with Scott James, Steve Hillard, O’Neal, and Darrell Lanigan in pursuit. O’Neal would roll to third on lap 3 and then settle into what would be an outstanding duel with James for the runner-up slot. By lap 10, Claycomb had stretched his lead to almost a half-straightaway advantage, while James and O’Neal continued to battle door to door for second, exchanging the position several times at various points on the track. Meanwhile, Steve Barnett and John Gill were waging their own little battle for sixth, with Michael Chilton, Whitney McQueary, and B-main winner Rick Corbin all working for the eighth spot. O’Neal would dance in front of James exiting turn two on lap 16 and the pair would make contact down the backchute, with both entries driving on. By lap 20, Claycomb was beginning to close in on slower traffic and this was allowing O’Neal to slowly reel in the race leader. With five laps remaining, O’Neal closed to within a couple of car lengths of Claycomb for the lead, with James looming closely in third as well. As the white flag was displayed, Claycomb and O’Neal would take the one to go signal side by side and waltz off into turns one and two in the same fashion, with O’Neal getting a good run off of the bottom of turn two and pulling ahead of Claycomb, who would clip the backchute guardrail attempting to hold off O’Neal’s charge, but O’Neal would take the checkered flag first to earn his Spring Sizzler event win in the Petroff Towing, B Auto Parts, AFCO Racing Products, O’Neal Wood Products #71 C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Pro Power Race Engines, Hoosier Tire shod entry. Claycomb would take second, with James, Hillard, and Lanigan completing the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Barnett, Gill, Chilton, McQueary, and Corbin. The event drew 50 entries from six states and saw O’Neal set quick time at 16.240 seconds and also winning the first heat. Hillard, James, Lanigan, and Claycomb were the other heat winners. Corbin and James Huff won the B-mains, with Richard Smith and Joey Daniel earning STARS BoB provisionals.
The 20 lap Modified feature would also be a dandy as defending Modified track champion Benji Lee and 1999 track champion Josh Lucas would put on a clinic of back and forth race action, with Lucas working the hub and Lee riding the rim, with the duo trading the lead several times at various spots around the ½ mile oval. Lee would gain a bit of an advantage in the waning laps, but would see it disappear when the transmission in his mount exploded just as he took the white flag, handing the lead over to Lucas, who would hold off the charges of Joe Mattingly to secure the feature win aboard the Gerald and Rita Lucas owned Family Chiropractic, Lucas Oil Products, The Car Pool, Smirnoff Ice, Keith Sparks Attorney at Law, B and R Speed Shop #78 Lightning Chassis mount. Mattingly would be second, with Robbie Gullion, Jerry Rutherford, and Dion Benningfield completing the top five. Billy Despain would lead the second group of five at the finish, followed by Jason Wheatly, Whit Salyers, Brad Schlosser, and Lee. Heats were scored by Lucas, Lee, and David Copley.
The Sportsman feature event would see Barry Chesser lead flag to flag in taking his first feature win of the season behind the wheel of his Buzick Construction, Budweiser, Nalley’s Auto, Bumper to Bumper Auto #36 machine. Johnny Lee would take runner-up honors for the second straight week, with defending class champion Robert Cocanougher third. Rocky Wilson and Timmy Glazer completed the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Roger Cecil, Darrell Gaddis, Pat Hagan, Kevin Wilson, and Ronnie Rogers. The dash was won by Bo Wilson, with the heat win going to Jimmy Bryan
SUMMARY-Bluegrass Speedway-Bardstown, KY-April 26, 2003
STARS BoB DirtCars (50 entries)
Top Qualifier- Don O’Neal 16.240
1st Heat- O’Neal, John Gill, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Tyrel Todd
2nd Heat- Steve Hillard, Michael Chilton, Johnny Wheeler, Rick Corbin
3rd Heat- Scott James, Steve Barnett, Aaron Hatton, James Huff
4th Heat- Darrell Lanigan, Mike Marlar, Steve Casebolt, Jr., Jim Curry
5th Heat- Kevin Claycomb, Whitney McQueary, Brad Neat, Ed Behn
1st B Main- Corbin, Joey Kramer, John Whitney, Joey Daniel, Tim Tungate
2nd B Main- Huff, Jesse James Lay, Jerry Rice, Richard Smith, Curry
STARS BoB Provisionals- Joey Daniel and Richard Smith
6th Annual Spring Sizzler- O’Neal, Claycomb, James, Hillard, Lanigan, Barnett, Gill, Chilton, McQueary, Corbin, Marlar, Neat, Huff, Whitney, Lay, Wheeler, Rice, Daniel, Smith, Hatton, Kramer, Carrier, Jr., Casebolt, Jr. (DNS)
Modifieds (25 entries)
1st Heat- Josh Lucas, Billy Despain, Brad Schlosser, Sidney Sprague
2nd Heat- Benji Lee, Joe Gray, Earl Plessinger, Jerry Rutherford
3rd Heat- David Copley, Joe Mattingly, Robbie Gullion, Keith Currens
Feature- Lucas, Mattingly, Gullion, Rutherford, Dion Benningfield, Despain, Jason Wheatley, Salyers, Schlosser, Lee, Sprague, Gary Yeager, Roy Herring, Copley, Plessinger, Gray, Kenny Hassing, Robbie Turner, J.P. Karpowicz, Currens
Sportsman (18 entries)
Dash- Bo Wilson, Barry Chesser, Kevin Wilson, Johnny Lee, Rocky Wilson, Robert Cocanougher
Heat- Jimmy Bryan, Kelly Riggs, Roger Cecil, Darrell Gaddis, Dale Becht
Feature- Chesser, Lee, Cocanougher, Rocky Wilson, Timmy Glazer, Roger Cecil, Gaddis, Pat Hagan, Kevin Wilson, Ronnie Rogers, Bryan, Riggs, Randall Basham, Brian Jackson, Derrick Laswell, Bo Wilson, Becht
