By HotRodBob
Parking Lot Temp: 78
Conditions: Mostly clear, slight breeze
Crowd: Good crowd, as of the first warm up, the ticket line was out to the street.
Car Count: 20
MIA: Wells, Port Winner Smith
Newbies: 7m Mike Mansfield
Notable: Leppo is in the Apple car, rumor has it that this will be a permanent arrangement.
T&A Level: Good, but as the temperatures rise, so do the expectations.
First Warm Up: May have been the fastest event of the night.
Second Warm Up: 51 Baker has trouble pushing off, apparent mechanical failure. The track is dusting off already. 28 spins in turn two, 8m does 360 to avoid. Possible Franchitti award candidate.
First Heat – 10 Cars, 10 Laps, All Qualify
Lineup- 42, 29k, 25, 22, 26, 4, 93, 77, 51, 10x
Start- Kluge to the lead, 22 & 25 follow.
Lap 1- Track is slow.
Lap 2- 22 challenges high in 2
Lap 3- 22 grabs lead at flag stand, 77 4th
Lap 4- 22, 29k, 77, 25
Lap 5- 77 & 25 side by side
Lap 6- 22 3sec. lead
Lap 7- 22 4 sec. lead, 29k, 77, 25
Lap 8- 77 around 29k in turn 4
Lap 9- 22 way out front
Finish- 22, 77, 29k, 25, 4, 42, 26, 93
Notes: I don’t see how this track could get any slower.
Heat Two – 10 Cars, 10 Laps, All Qualify
Lineup- 28, 8m, 65, 12c, 87, X, 12, 1R, 88H, 7m
Start- All bunched up entering 1
Lap 1- 8m has lead, 28 gets passed by 12c
Lap 2- 8m, 12c, 28, X, 88h gets 3rd.
Lap 3- 8m and 12c have broken away from pack by 5 sec.
Lap 5- 8m, 12c, 88h, gained 4 sec. on leaders in two laps
Lap 6- 8m, 12c, 88h
Lap 7- 8m, 12c, 88h, X, 65
Lap 8- 88h on rear of 12c
Lap 9- 88h pulls sick move to get in the middle of 8m & 12c. It’s a three way battle for the lead.
Finish- Did Freddy do it. Photo finish. If he won it was by a bumper.
88h, 8m, 12c, X, 65, 12
Notes: The track REALLY is horrible. Slow and dusty.
Feature: Lineup- 42, 29k, 8m, 25, 65, 22, 12c, 4, X, 12, 77, 88h, 26, 87, 93, 28, 10x, 1r, 7m, 51
Start- 29k to the lead.
Lap 1- 25 passes 29k for the lead, 42 to 2nd
Lap 2- 25 way out front
Lap 3- 22, 42, 29k, 8m, 4, 12
Lap 4- same
Lap 5- Rahmer 8th, 25 stretches lead
Lap 7- 25 lapping cars already
Lap 8- No one can pass, except the man out front. He is in a class of his own
Lap 9- 25, 42, 29k, 8m, 4, 12, 22, 88h
Lap 10- Positions 2- 10 just can’t go anywhere
Lap 11- 25 just might lap the field!
Lap 12- I hope that the wheelie contest is more exciting than this, CAUTION, Spin in turn 4, 8m, & 12c. What a bad break for 8m, had a good run going.
Restart- 25, 42, 29k, 4, 12, 22, 88h, 87, 77, 93, X, 26, 1r
Lap 13- Dewease takes advantage of lapped cars lined up behind him to run and hide from field
Lap 14- 25, 29K, 4, 12
Lap 15- 25 6 sec. lead
Lap 16- same
Lap 17- 25, 4, 29k fades a bit
Lap 18- same
Lap 19- 25, 4, 12, 29k, 22, 88h, 77
Lap 20- 25 7 sec. lead
Lap 21- 25, 2, 12, 29k
Lap 22- 25, 4, 12
Lap 23- 42 slows, on inside GR, but keeps moving
Lap 24- 25, 4, 12
Finish- 25 in a laugher, 4, 12, 29k (GREAT RUN!) , 22, 88h, 77, X, 87, 93, 12c, 1r, 8m, 26, 10x, 7m, 28, 42, 65, 51
Notes: 25 was in a league of his own this evening. Looks like everything is falling into place for Lance and Pete & Co. Way to go Brent Kluge. Was it coincidence that your PR guy was missing. LOL (inside joke)
Franchitti Smooth Cut- Fred Rahmer for his daring move to win his heat.
Sunset Mortgage Horizon Award: Eric Stambaugh
2nd Annual Beer Hill Gang Wheelie Contest
The event that I’ve had marked on my calendar for weeks now. The Red Clay Report took a collection for a bonus to try to entice the 88h, 77, or 25 to enter the contest. The Red Clay Report Bonus would be awarded to any of these three that entered and won the contest. In the event that they do not enter, the bonus would become the third place prize.
Thanks to many generous individuals, $150 was raised in short order. This meant that the 25, 88h, or 77 could win $1150 for their efforts. It didn’t happen. The only drivers brave enough to enter were Johnny Mackison and Bobby Weaver. Mackison went first, and pulled some pretty good wheelies. I scored him a 7, defending wheelie champ Eric Stambaugh gave an 8, and the flagman gave a 10. Total of 25 points. Up next Bobby Weaver. The guy gave it a heck of an effort, but just couldn’t get the bite needed to get the fronts on the ground. So, disappointingly, the wheelie contest was over. And, there was no driver to award the $150 bonus to, so, we awarded it to Weaver.
Johnny Mackison is your 2005 BHG Wheelie Champ.
Thanks to both drivers for at least giving an effort. Mackisons wheelies were good, but there was room for someone to top him. So, where was everyone else? Explanations ranged from, yeah right, to, what would I want to do that for, to wreck my car? The offer of a case of beer perked some interest, but, in the end it was a two car deal. Very, very disheartening.
Thanks to the following donors for the bonus:
Vicki Leppo (LRI)
Drak Pac
Mr. Excitement
Brent Kluge
Dave Metzger
SABKO Enterprises
Zellers Racing
Sea Bass
Butcher ( who also sponsored 2nd place)
Zach Stiles
Lance Zeigler
Justin Ross
Mike Snyder
C. Snyder
Brian Harman
There were a few that I couldn’t read this morning, sorry.
Thanks to BHG and SSP for putting on this event. Thanks to Butcher for the beer, and everyone that puts up with my annoying butt week after week.
The Red Clay Report is written weekly by HotRodBob. Comments and opinions contained in the Red Clay Report do not necessarily reflect those of SSP, it's management, officials, the flagman, or associates. Questions, comments and autograph requests can be directed to hotrodbob34@yahoo.com.
