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NEIL BONNETT MEMORIAL GOES TO BOLEN

Monday October 6, 2008

 

By Grady H. Thornton

Birmingham, AL (October 4). It was only fitting that the annual Neil Bonnett Memorial 100 at Birmingham International Raceway was won in a car built by a company formerly known as Neil Bonnett Race Cars. It was also fitting that the team winning the 100-lap Birmingham Super Series Late Model Challenge Race # 7 was that of a family who was good friends with the Hueytown racer who died of injuries sustained in a practice session at Daytona in 1994. John Tyler Bolen of Parish, Alabama, won the Neil Bonnett 100 by taking the lead from Gary Nix with 12 laps to go.

The Bolen team had to break out a backup car for this race after the 14th lap crash in the Teddy Bear 100 two weeks earlier. After Friday night’s practice session, the Bolen team found trouble in the rear end of the backup car. They switched out the broken rear end for a new one Saturday morning at Frankie and Augie Grill’s shop. Although not the preferred car to run for 100 laps at BIR, Bolen backed the Grand American Race Cars Chevrolet Monte Carlo off the trailer as the fastest car in the field. Bolen set the fastest qualifying time of 20.138 seconds/111.729 mph and drew an eight-car inversion. He lined up behind defending BSS champion Gary Sanford, Jr., on the fourth row. When the green flag was dropped disaster was less than half a lap away as front row sitter Andy Antinoro got all out of control on the backstretch. Racecars were spinning like the teacups on the amusement ride at Disneyland. At least eight cars were collected. Seven came back out bruised and battered. Only Corinth, MS, racer Mark Singleton was unable to re-enter the race.

The starting lineup was dramatically altered as current BSS points leader Ken McFarland now started on the point and led the first lap. Nix, who got moved up in the starting order, overtook McFarland and assumed the lead by the next time around. It was the first of a long run at the front for Nix, whose setup had never been as good. By the seventh lap Nix had a straightaway on second running McFarland.

On the 17th lap Sanford was trying to get a position from Dennis Reno, Jr., on the backstretch. Sanford went deep under Reno and when the cars bumped Sanford’s car went spinning and hitting solid objects and was seriously damaged. A red flag was called immediately for clean up. Sanford came out of his car and sprinted toward Reno’s car as the field stopped on the backstretch. Sanford leaped on the hood of the Reno car, and standing on the hood, angrily castigated Reno for the wreck. Reno remained in the car as Sanford was escorted to his pit stall.

Sanford’s car was toast for the evening. The race resumed with Nix still out front. Rookie contender Chase Oliver broke out and was running in the top five when a 28th lap caution was called. Reno pitted with heating problems. He had taken to the grass in the first lap melee and in so doing bent and stopped up the airflow duct in the front end of the car. While pitted, Sanford approached him again. Birmingham Police then escorted Sanford out of the pit area. After five laps of caution Nix once again to pull away from the field with Bolen now running second and Oliver moving into third behind Bolen. At the half-way point, Nix was a good 120 yards ahead of Bolen, who had 50 yards on Oliver, who had 15 yards on Justin South, who had a straightaway on McFarland. At the 60th lap, Nix had half a lap on second place. The third caution on lap 64 came out when Blake Ferguson’s car stalled on the track. This bunching up of the cars would not bode well for Nix. The 68th lap restart saw Nix’s dominance fading as his car did not build up real estate ahead of the rest of the field. Bolen was staying in striking distance.

On the 74th lap Oliver scrapped the fourth turn wall while running in a strong third position. The fourth and final caution was called for laps 75 through 78 for debris cleanup. When green flag racing resumed, it was obvious Nix was off the pace. Bolen no longer grew smaller in the rearview mirror, but stayed close to the leader. On the 88th circuit, Bolen brought his car along side that of Nix, then passed the leader on the front stretch. He then began to stretch out his lead as Nix had been able to do in the early stages. Danny Bagwell, who had maintained a top five position the whole race, moved into second position for the final ten laps. The Nix car grew looser and looser as the race wound down and he began to fall back.

“We had a car capable of running hard all the race,” Bolen said after the race. His team took a more or less scientific approach to the race and studied previous races. “We looked at the statistics and there are usually three or four cautions at Birmingham. We decided to wait to race him (Nix) on the last caution. The car was really good and stable. I’d like to thank Frankie and Augie Grill, they keep the car up for us. Also, David Ray and the crew who gave me a good car.”

At the completion of the 62.5-mile race, Bolen was firmly in control, with Bagwell, South, Nix and Clint Folsom following. Lee Hansard, Oliver, Ferguson, Justin Caton, and Brandon Hall were the top ten finishers.

Bolen’s Grand American Race Cars-built Chevrolet is powered by a Volunteer Racing Engines power plant and has an ARP body. Sponsors for the team are Gateway Gaming and 2B Amusements. Clint Folsom was the recipient of the Fel-Pro Hard Charger Award and the Sonic Racing Clutches Fifth Place Finisher Award. The Victory Circle Racing Communications Highest Finishing Rookie Award went to Chase Oliver.

SUPPORT DIVISIONS ALSO HONOR BONNETT
In support division racing, Gary Nix fared somewhat better. In the Open Wheel Modified division, Wesley Stephens was the fastest qualifier with a time of 21.034 seconds/106.969 mph. A six-car inversion put Nix’s Gober Racing entry on the front row for the start. After the third restart due to crashes and spinouts, the race got off to a start with Nix in the lead. That is where he stayed throughout the 25-lap event. Fastest qualifier Stephens’ car was slammed into the wall when a tire blew out. Johnny Brazier picked up some speed and was drawing close to the front. At the finish it was Nix by a fender over Brazier. Danny Bagwell was third, Dustin Knowles fourth, Greg Powers fifth, Wayne Hill sixth, Brandon Curren seventh, Jimmy Schutt eighth, Nick Martin ninth, and Darrell Brown tenth. Nathan Davis, Rickey Holland, Walter Cartledge, and Stephens made up the rest of the finishing order.

In Sportsman action, division points leader Shawn Kyzer earned his second feature win of the year. Kyzer’s Short Kutz Chevrolet led the 15-lap race wire-to-wire. His toughest competition came from Michael Scoby, who finished second. Roger Cain was third, defending division champion Jimmy Roberts fourth, and Josh Ross was fifth.

Veteran Burt Belter drove a Woods Brothers Racing look-alike Mercury, much like that of the late Neil Bonnett, to a feature win in the Street Stock division. Marty Bean led the first half, with Joel Falls, Stan McClure, and Belter all within inches of each other. On the ninth lap, Belter saw an opening and passed Bean on the backstretch for the lead. Joel Falls finished second, Richard Patino was third, Bean fourth, division points leader Rusty Alverson fifth, Tim Sims sixth, and Stan McClure seventh. Belter repeated his win from the night before.

Jarrod Washington of Tuscaloosa won the Renegade feature, repeating his win from the night before. The Dodge at his command and sporting the sponsorship of Jimmy’s Muffler Shop and West Coast Customs, held off Randall Sexton, Daniel Hubbard, Joseph Freeman, and Leonard Bradley for the win. Kenneth Quattlebaum, Jimmy Beasley, Michael Scoby, and Tommy Belden made up the finishing order.

The front row starting position for Mike Collins allowed him to vault into the lead at the drop of the green flag and lead the entire Mini-Stock race. The Trussville racer held off Jeremy Gwin, Eddie Dodd, Chuck Mann, David Passmore, Jr., Charlie Beasley, Floyd Brown, Robert Fucich, and Cindy McClure to take the win.

Roddy Moore repeated his previous evening’s win in the Mini-Modified division. The Tim Burke Collision Center/Jimmy’s Hot Dogs Ford Mustang started deep in the pack and picked up two positions per lap until he took the lead on the fifth lap. Jonathan Goolsby came from the rear also to take second place at the finish, with Lee Streetman, Hunter Spivey, Will Collins, Justin Bonnett, Bobby Youngblood, Jacob Wyatt, and Roger Wood, Sr., following.

OFFICIAL FINISH IN THE NEIL BONNETT MEMORIAL 100 1. John Tyler Bolen; 2. Danny Bagwell; 3. Justin South; 4. Gary Nix; 5. Clint Folsom; 6. Lee Hansard; 7. Chase Oliver; 8. Blake Ferguson; 9. Justin Caton; 10. Brandon Hall; 11. Keith Cahela; (The top 11 finished the race) 12. Justin Cruise, handling; 13. Ken McFarland, rear end; 14. Andy Antinoro, (wreck) ; 15. Dennis Reno, Jr., overheating; 16. Chase Knox, wreck damage; 17. Gary Sanford, Jr. (wreck); 18. Josh Belter, (ignition); 18. Mark Singleton, (wreck).

FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER STRIKES AS LOCAL DIVISIONS ROLL OUT

Birmingham, AL (October 3). Friday night’s first half of the annual Neil Bonnett Memorial weekend proved to play a major roll in how the points races are shaping up in the local divisions. All feature races were double points races and were hotly contested.

In Sportsman action, Michael Scoby led the race from flag to flag. The Lightening McQueen look alike car of Scoby had the field covered with only second place finisher Roger Cain coming close to being a serious challenger. Shawn Kyzer was third, Jimmy Roberts fourth, Josh Ross fifth, and Joel Falls sixth.

Burt Belter of Calera won the Street Stock feature by also leading the entire race of 20 laps. The Howton Machine/Belter Motorsports Mercury held off runner up Joel Falls, with Stan McClure, Tim Sims, Rusty Alverson, and Richard Patino following.

Roddy Moore padded his points lead by winning the feature in the Mini-Modified division, but it did not come easy. Moore started the Rozar’s Auto Paint Supply/Chris Z’s Ford Mustang in 12th position. He was up to third running position when he pitted under caution on the 10th lap. A spark plug wire had come off. He returned to the track and worked his way back to the front again. On the 26th lap he took the lead and lead for the rest of the 30-lap event. Hunter Spivey of Decatur, making his first run at BIR, was second after leading laps 13 through 25. Lee Streetman was third, Will Collins fourth, and Jacob Wyatt fifth. The rest of the field was Phillip Norton, Jason Day, Frankie Spradlin, Roger Wood, Sr., Jonathan Goolsby, Chris Knight, Chase Spradlin, and Justin Bonnett.

Jarrod Washington won the Renegade feature, adding to his win column. The Dodge Boy held off Randall Sexton, Tommy Belden, Michael Scoby, Joseph Freeman, Kenneth Quattlebaum, and Daniel Hubbard.

Division points leader Kevin Higgins won the Mini Stock feature. The City of Tarrant Police Officer piloted his Honda to the win over Eddie Dodd, Jr., Jeremy Gwin, David Passmore, Jr., and Floyd Brown. In positions six through ten were Chuck Mann, Robert Fucich, Cindy McClure, Phillip Amick, and Tyler Adams.

A special non-points race for drivers in the Mini-Stock division was held at the end of the evening. To be eligible, the driver had to be a non-winner this year. David Passmore, Jr., and Jeremy Gwin put on a great show, with Passmore, reported to be 12 years old, taking the checkered flag and his first win at BIR.

RANDOM NOTES ON THE ANNUAL NEIL BONNETT MEMORIAL 100 (The comments and observations reported here are those of the writer and should not be intended to reflect the opinions of BIR, Inc., Joey Sims, Ray Tennyson, Brian Crocker or any agent thereof and may or may not be influenced by the cooler temperatures, the high gasoline prices, the dark side of the moon, the wizard of Oz, the Wall Street bailout, and fatigue.) It seemed like everybody had a story to tell about Neil Bonnett at the race weekend in his honored memory. Johnny Bolen, the 100-lapper winner’s dad, was almost overcome with emotion as he tried to describe how he felt about his son winning the race. The Bolens were good friends with the Bonnetts. Clint Folsom in the BSS race revealed he won the first BIR race in which Neil was a competitor back in the day. Jarrod Washington and his dad, diehard Dodge Boys, did some research and discovered a 1968 Dodge Charger driven by Neil had gold painted wheels. The Washingtons painted Jarrod’s Dodge’s wheels gold for the race in his Bonnett’s memory. Roddy Moore spoke fondly of Neil. For my part, I have had the privilege of working with the all members of the Alabama Gang in some capacity. I have respect and affection for all of them, but of all the racers who “made it”, Neil was more one of us than anybody. I will always cherish the memory of his allegiance to his fans, the common person…Stan McClure won the Demolition Derby, an event that seemed to last longer than any like it in the past. The competitors kept on banging on each other for several minutes…There are very few things about stock car racing that I do not like. The kind of incident on the 17th lap of the BSS 100-lapper is one of those things, however. The incident involving Gary Sanford, Jr., and Dennis Reno, Jr., was disturbing to me. I had a choice to make. I could write the matter as an objective motorsports journalist or I could write up the story as a friend of both talented racers. I could have done some investigative journalism, dug up details, and reported it with all the “stuff” that goes along with the incident. Instead, my personal feelings of being friends of both kept the report squeaky clean. I will acknowledge my discomfort with the matter and admit I may have failed my Reporting 101 class. I chose, however, not to rub salt into wounds and took the easy way out. I hope the issue is resolved between the two racers who happen to be related by marriage. Reno is married to Sanford’s sister, Allison. Thanksgiving dinner will be interesting…Drivers of note this weekend: Chase Oliver drove better than I’ve ever seen him do. Up in the top five until a brush with the wall dropped him back to seventh at the finish. It is thrilling to watch Marty Bean drive a race car. Fans in the grandstand had a great view of his on-the-edge action coming out of turn four. And Darrell Brown came back in an Open Wheel. It was good to see him…Thirteen of the 19 BSS starters had won some kind of race previously at BIR…Drivers seen watching the races: Chris Serio, Kenny Hogan and Brian “Whoop” McBrayer…Thanks again to all the drivers and owners who fielded more than one car or drove more than one car: Stan and Cindy McClure, Belter Motorsports, Wesley Stephens, Danny Bagwell and the Florida team that brought two cars, and Michael Scoby. By the way Scoby is not pronounced as in Scooby Doo. The “O” is long and rhymes with Koby as in Bryant. Scoby is Scottish for “a man with many tattoos.” Not really, not about the tatts, anyway…Mr. Gober, who owns the Open Wheel Mod driven by Gary Nix, is 83 years old and keeps the car up. I think it is a good thing to give senior citizens something to do to keep them off the streets…Cashier Margaret Kirkpatick continues to recover from serious illness, Mr. Gober hopes to get a final clearance from the doctor saying his cancer is gone, Mr. Melvin, Billy’s dad and Charlie’s granddad, is at home gaining strength to have another cancer surgery, and former BIR racer Grady Humphryes, had a massive heart attack last week. No other information was available at press time. BIR extends condolences to the family of John Boy Wilkinson, who received word his mother had died just before qualifying for the Neil Bonnett Memorial 100…Thanks again to the family of the late Neil Bonnett for allowing us the opportunity to honor his memory…Race hard, pray hard. May God bless our nation and our sport.

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This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Kim DeHaven.

 

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