Phoenix report

1995 SCCA Trans-AM Series, Round One, Phoenix,Az

Pos Qual  Driver          Sponsor / Team                Car      Points
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 1.( 8)  Price Cobb       Highway Master/Rocketsports   Camaro    31
 2.( 1)  Tom Kendall      All Sport Body Quencher/Roush Mustang   34
 3.( 4)  Boris Said       Unsponsored / Tom Gloy        Mustang   25
 4.( 6)  Brian Till       RAL Group / Pickett           Camaro    23
 5.(13)  Ray Kong         Sunsource                     Camaro    21
 6.(12)  Tony Ave         Carlin Combustion/Phelon      Camaro    20
 7.(16)  Dale Phelon      Carlin Combustion/Phelon      Camaro    19
 8.(17)  Michael Lewis                                  Mustang   18
 9.(15)  Bob Sobey                                      Camaro    17
10.(11)  Brian Simo       Valvoline / Gloy              Mustang   16
11.( 2)  Ron Fellows      AER & AC Delco/McCall         Camaro    18
12.(20)  Bill Sanders     Highway Master/Rocketsports   Camaro    14
13.(22)  Jon Gooding      Mountain Dew / Roush          Mustang   13
14.(14)  Chris Kneifel    Matco Tools / Bob Patch       Firebird  12
15.( 3)  Dorsey Schroeder Raybestos Brakes / Gloy       Mustang   12
16.(18)  Tim McAdam       Rocketsports                  Camaro    10
17.(19)  Peter Shea       Rain-X & Matco Tools          Camaro     9
18.(28)  Phil Bartlet                                   Mustang    8
19.(21)  R.J. Valentine   Pennzoil/Pickett              Camaro     7
20.(18)  Jim Guthrie                                    Camaro     6
21.(24)  Claudio Burtin                                 Mustang    5
22.(26)  Jim Maguire                                    Camaro     4
23.( 7)  Paul Gentalozzi  Highway Master/Rocketsports   Camaro     3 DNF
24.(25)  Tom Beattie                                    Camaro     2
25.(10)  Robert Rizzo     Ford Care / Roush             Mustang    1 Contact
26.(27)  Milton McPeek                                  Pontiac    0
27.( 9)  Jamie Galles     ICI & Glidden / McCall        Camaro     0 Crash
28.( 5)  Dino Crescentini                               Camaro     0 Crash
DNS      Greg Pickett     Cytomax / Pickett             Camaro       Crash

Notes:

Dino Crescentini started on the pole due to new rule that inverts top five qualifiers. Dorsey Schroeder broke a hose to the power steering pump on the pace laps and was in the pits when the green flag fell. Dorsey joined the race one lap down. Greg Pickett didn't start because he crashed his car in the warm-up session. At that time Greg was one of the three fastest cars.

Crescentini took Galles out early in the race (poetic justice?) while Galles was trying to pass Crescentini into 3rd place. In looked to me like Dino made little attempt to stop, brakes???, and pushed Galles out of turn one clear over to turn one of the oval. TV coverage provided no intervied of Crescentini so who knows. Jamie bumped Dino going by the first time so it may have been retaliation, but ????

Kendall and Fellows, it'll be strange seeing Ron in a Camaro, ran away from the field early but Price Cobb moved steadily upwards. After the second yellow flag laps Cobb was firmly in third hounding Fellows. Paul Gentalozzi ran well early, but faded back as his differential gradually siezed. Paul didn't see the checker.

About mid point in the race a dust storm caused a yellow flag as visibility dropped to zero. The wind was so strong part of the fencing on the outside of the oval was blown down.

When racing resumed Cobb got past Fellows and attached himself to Kendall. In the beginning the All Sport Roush Mustang of Kendall was clearly the class of the field. Late in the race Cobb's Rocketsports Camaro easily ran with Kendall. After a late yellow, Cobb blasted past Kendall and held on for the last two laps to win.

The Roush and Rocketsports teams seemed to benefit from previous experience at PIR. I doubt that Gloy or McCall have ever raced there. It looks like Kendall, Cobb and Fellows will be the major contenders for the Championship. Dorsey Schroeder and Paul Gentalozzi will be serious contenders, but inconsistancy will keep them from the championship. Call me crazy, but I think that Fellows and McCall will find a way to win it all.

One further comment, I thought that this was the worst coverage Prime as ever given any race. They missed most of the action and Cobbs pass at the end. Also night racing is lousy on TV. The glare of the car lights makes the camera work ineffective. Can hardly wait for Lime Rock.