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Weekend results 97-04-07

DirtNews Digest Your Online News Source for Late Model Dirt Track Racing "Get Some Dirt On Your Computer!" Todd Turner, editor Email address: DirtNews@aol.com Web site: ...

Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM

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DirtNews Digest Your Online News Source for Late Model Dirt Track Racing "Get Some Dirt On Your Computer!" Todd Turner, editor

Email address: DirtNews@aol.com Web site: http://members.aol.com/dirtnews/digest =================================== CONTENTS: April 4-6 results (April 7) STARS: Ronnie Johnson triumphs at Atomic CAPSULES: Roundup of other weekend events =================================== SHORT TRACK AUTO RACING STARS (STARS) Dogwood 100

KINGSTON, Tenn. (Friday and Sunday) The lead wasn't a safe place to be Sunday afternoon at Atomic Speedway. Except for Ronnie Johnson, that is.

Taking the lead when Scott Bloomquist fell out of the race with just two laps remaining, Johnson captured the rain-delayed STARS Dogwood 100 at Atomic Speedway for his second consecutive big-purse victory. Johnson, who won the Hav-A-Tampa-sanctioned Southern 100 last weekend at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La., collected $12,000 for his rain-delayed victory at the high-banked oval in eastern Tennessee.

Billy Moyer Jr., Rex Richey, consolation-race winner Wendell Wallace and series defending champion Steve Francis rounded out the top five, while Freddy Smith, Billy Ogle Jr., Charlie Swartz, Tim Hitt and Rod Conley finished sixth through 10th in the fourth STARS race of the season.

Bloomquist, who slowed with a broken magneto in the waning laps, wasn't the only leader to have problems.

Before giving up the lead to Johnson, Bloomquist had taken the lead just two laps earlier from Dale McDowell, who led 21 laps before spinning while trying to lap Conley. McDowell had inherited the lead from polesitter Donnie Moran, who led laps 28 through 74 before departing with a faulty fuel pump. And Moran had taken the lead when outside polesitter Wade Knowles, who led the first 27 laps, skirmished with the lapped car of Clayton Christenberry.

"I guess the old adage of being lucky rather than good fits us today," said Johnson, who picked up his first STARS-sanctioned victory since the 1994 Dirt Track World Championship at Pennsboro, W.Va. "It was hard to pass with the slick conditions this afternoon but we just stayed at it and got the win."

CAR COUNT: 52 late models.

FAST QUALIFIER: Skip Arp 11.35 seconds (1/3-mile oval).

FAST DASH (set first three rows of feature): Donnie Moran, Wade Knowles, Dale McDowell, Jeff Treece, Skip Arp, R.J. Conley.

FIRST HEAT (10 laps; top three advance): Earl Pearson Jr., Bart Hartman, Freddy Smith.

SECOND HEAT: Rick Aukland, Billy Moyer Jr., Steve Francis.

THIRD HEAT: Ronnie Johnson, Clayton Christenberry, Billy Ogle Jr.

FOURTH HEAT: Scott Bloomquist, Rex Richey, Steve Smith.

CONSOLATION WINNER: Wendell Wallace.

FEATURE (Pos., driver, car no., hometown, laps, purse, reason out) 1. Ronnie Johnson (5), Chattanooga, Tenn., 100, $12,000 2. Billy Moyer Jr. (21), Batesville, Ark., 100, $6,000 3. Rex Richey (201), Ringgold, Ga., 100, $4,000 4. Wendell Wallace (6m), Batesville, Ark., 100, $3,050 5. Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., 100, $2,500 6. Freddy Smith (00), Knoxville, Tenn., 100, $2,100 7. Billy Ogle Jr. (201), Knoxville, Tenn., 100, $1,800 8. Charlie Swartz (1), Ashland, Ky., 100, $1,650 9. Tim Hitt (68), Weston, W.Va., 100, $1,500 10. Rod Conley (71r), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 100, $1,400 11. Bart Hartman (75), Zanesville, Ohio, 100, $1,300 12. Dale McDowell (17m), Rossville, Ga., 100, $1,200 13. Earl Pearson Jr. (7), Jacksonville, Fla., 100, $1,100 14. Steve Smith (3), Powell, Tenn., 99, $1,050 15. Scott Bloomquist (18), Mooresburg, Tenn., 98, $100, magneto 16. R.J. Conley (71c), Wheelersburg, Ohio., 94, $950 17. Donnie Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 75, $900, fuel pump 18. Mike Balzano (E1), Parkersburg, W.Va., 64, $950, tire 19. Wade Knowles (66), Tyrone, Ga., 35, $900, handling 20. Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D., 35, $900, suspension 21. Jeff Treece (6), Knoxville, Tenn., 28, $900, driveshaft 22. Skip Arp (31), Georgetown, Tenn., 27, $900, handling 23. Clayton Christenberry (cv3), Knoxville, Tenn., 27, $900, steering 24. C.S. Fitzgerald (100), Lexington, Va., 24, $950, engine

NOTES: Third- and fourth-running Skip Arp and Jeff Treece were also caught up in the lap-27 melee caused by leader Wade Knowles and Clayton Christenberry .... after Friday's qualifying and heat races, Saturday's racing was pushed back to Sunday after heavy rain hit the speedway prior to Saturday's hot laps .... there were nine cautions sprinkled throughout the 100-lap feature .... Rod Conley and Tim Hitt got STARS provisional starting spots .... Ronnie Johnson has earned $25,000 the past two weekends .... sixth-place finisher Freddy Smith blew a right-rear tire just before the finish line and dropped two spots .... among drivers failing to make the feature were Rick Eckert, Patrick Duggan, Bob Pierce, John Mason, Ray Cook, Chuck Harper, Randle Chupp, Delmas Conley, Mike Benedum, Shane Hitt and Skip Watterman.

STARS POINT STANDINGS (points behind in parentheses): Steve Francis 790; Rod Conley (-100); Tim Hitt (-170); Booper Bare (-240); Rick Aukland (-250); R.J. Conley (-360); Barry Bragdon (-370); Charlie Swartz (-370); Steve Shaver (-380); Donnie Moran (-410).

NEXT STARS RACE: April 18, Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

CREDIT: Bret Emrick of STARS and Roby Helm <GRMA99A@prodigy.com> of Atomic Speedway. ------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER WEEKEND EVENTS

IMCA DEERY BROTHERS SERIES: Saturday's season-opening event at Bloomfield (Iowa) Speedway was rained out and rescheduled for Friday, April 11, according to the track phone recording.

NASCAR BUSCH ALL-STAR TOUR: Saturday's season-opening Budweiser 50 at Crawford County Speedway was postponed because of inclement weather. The race has been rescheduled for Friday, April 11. -------------------------------------------------------------

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