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Dome Park report 97-01-18

GAMESTER REPEATS AT THE DOME Indianapolis, Ind......Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind. captured Saturday night's 100-lap "Thunder in the Dome XIII" USAC Midget race at the RCA Dome, beating Ted Hines and Tony Elliott to the checkered flag in a close ...

Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM

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GAMESTER REPEATS AT THE DOME

Indianapolis, Ind......Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind. captured Saturday night's 100-lap "Thunder in the Dome XIII" USAC Midget race at the RCA Dome, beating Ted Hines and Tony Elliott to the checkered flag in a close finish. Gamester previously won the "Dome" event in 1992.

"I was just hanging in at the end," said an exhausted Gamester in victory lane. "I couldn't turn the thing. It was a handful. I just tried to hug the inside as close as possible."

Gamester started 20th and didn't lead until lap 86 when Ronnie Johncox of Jackson, Mich. dropped out with motor and fuel problems. Other race leaders included Stevie Reeves, Tony Stewart and Ted Hines. Stewart appeared in command until lap 27 when he ran over Donnie Lehmann's tire and nearly flipped in turn three. He restarted but eventually clipped a marker tire and retired on lap 61.

Forty-lap team features were won by Reeves and Stewart, while Jay Drake and Michael Lewis were named "Rookies of the Team Feature Races." Lehmann, who finished ninth, was the top rookie in the 100-lapper.

Drivers Mark Cassella and Johnny Parsons suffered minor injuries in separate incidents. Cassella was transported to Methodist Hospital for x- rays on his lower back after a crash in the Team USAC feature and Parsons suffered a leg injury when he knocked over a concrete wall on the 37th lap of the feature. He was running fourth at the time.

Team USA, for only the second time ever, won the team standings 160-140.

AGATE RESULTS

"THUNDER IN THE DOME XIII" USAC MIDGETS RCA DOME INDIANAPOLIS, IND.

FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Russ Gametser, 2. Ted Hines, 3. Tony Elliott, 4. Brian Gerster, 5. Nick Fornoro, Jr., 6. Stevie Reeves, 7. Bob Cicconi, 8. Doug Kalitta, 9. Donnie Lehmann, 10. Davey Hamilton, 11. Ryan Newman, 12. Ronnie Johncox, 13. Andy Michner, 14. Michael Lewis, 15. Jay Drake, 16. Kevin Thomas, 17. Tony Stewart, 18. John Parsons, 19. Mark Dismore, 20. Tyce Carlson, 21. Jim Hettinger, 22. Mel Kenyon, 23. Lou Cicconi, Jr., 24. Roy Caruthers. TEAM FEATURE WINNERS: (40 laps) Team Indiana - Stewart; Team USA - Reeves.

TEAM HEAT RACE WINNERS: Team Indiana - Thomas, Stewart and Michael Lang; Team USA - Brian Tyler, Cicconi, Jr. and Reeves. FINAL TEAM STANDINGS: Team USA-160, Team Indiana-140.

posted by Len in Indy

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