IT WAS ALL TRUE
By Jack Taylor
(9/4/00)If you
believe all that you hear about certain racing subjects, whether it is pit-side
comments, Internet gossip and bragging, or sometimes one on one conversation,
chances are the story will turn out to be an inflated half-truth. Even if it is
related to you with honesty, you think that it can’t be completely factual.
Well, the one
story we have all heard in the Midwest around the Modified tracks is that young
Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tennessee is the greatest Mod driver to come along in
the past few years. His fans in Tennessee are devoted to that belief and would
erect statues at the local racetracks depicting his accomplishments.
We in the upper
Midwest rarely get the opportunity to see him in action, until special events
come along that Jimmy commits to a weekend trip into the area. He has visited
Vermilion County Speedway several times in his young career, winning the David
Richardson Memorial race in 1998, and competing in that event for the past three
years.
Local fans were
entertained on Labor Day weekend with another Owens sighting as Jimmy pulled
from the South for a whirlwind visit to Charleston Speedway on Saturday night to
win the $1500 prize, after winning at “The Gap” in Tennessee on Friday night
(one of his regular tracks). On Sunday Owens was in the pits at Danville for the
Pride Enterprises $4000 to win show. There were 81 additional Mod drivers there
for the same purpose and only a few were not competitive enough to make a bid
for the top prize.
Top drivers such
as Jeff Leka, Jeff Martin, Bobby Bittle, Bryan Clendenen, Lance Dehm, Denny
Schwartz, Dan Hamstra, Todd Gilpin, Randle Sweeney, Shane Cottle, Mike Steele,
Tommy Burnside, R.J.Gall, John and Tom Seets, Kyle Logue, Darryl Herbert, Kevin
Weaver, and many more were there with the thought of putting their car in a
position to win.
After qualifying,
with Dan Hamstra setting fast time, the fans were treated to eight impressive
heats with Hamstra, Rick Hufford, Bryan Clendenen, Jeff Martin,
Shane Cottle, Jammie Wilson, and Tim O’Donnell winning the first seven
heats. All drivers who have raced regularly at Vemilion County and capable of
winning the whole thing. Not a weak link in any of the seven. The eighth heat
was won by Mr. Owens from the last starting position after his qualifying run
was ruined with a slide off the track in turn two. The driver setting on the
pole in that eighth heat was the second place UMP national point leader, Bobby
Bittle. Owens leads the National points. It was a fantastic job of threading his
way through traffic to win a feature spot and a row four position.
Second place
finishers in the heats were Michael Bradley, Bub Patrick, Todd Gilpin, John
DeMoss, Toby Massie, Tommy Burnside, Kyle Logue, and Bobby Bittle. Not a bad top
sixteen and four Semi-features with only the winner advancing would fill out the
top twenty.
As the evening
progressed into the Semi’s, Matt Rhyne won the first sending drivers such as
Daryl Herbert, Gary Burton, Mike Chasteen, Tom Seets, and Lance Dehm to their
haulers for the trip home. The second Semi went to Randle Sweeney with Jason
Lakey, John Seets, and Ryan Young among others heading home.
As the third Semi
was just underway, Mother Nature struck and what had been a perfect night and
racetrack surface was destroyed. A three hour rain delay, which was prompted
only because a postponement would interfere with a Monday show at Brownstown,
IL, saw officials and drivers work hard at re-preparing the track to finish the
evenings events. Racing resumed at 12:15 AM, but it was not the same top to
bottom dry-slick track. It was top to bottom tacky slick.
The third Semi
was completed with Gary Cook, Jr. winning and more drivers to load including
Jeff Leka, Steve Faust, Jim Farris, and Kevin Weaver. As the fourth Semi got
underway, rain again hit the speedway and the night ended after heavy equipment
damage to the cars of Mike Steele, John Hudson, and Chuck Haga on the second
lap. Several cars slid off the top of turn one prior to this as conditions were
deteriorating.
As fans and the
remaining drivers headed for dry places, the announcement was made that noon on
Monday would be the restart, allowing the remaining drivers to still compete at
Brownstown Monday evening. Only a handful of fans returned Monday morning to
watch what turned out to be one of the best races a Modifed fan could witness.
With only six cars left in the final Semi, Promoter Bill Marietta decided to let
all of them into the feature at the tail end of the field.
Nineteen were
already in the field to be joined by the winner of Semi 4, so the field was now
set for 26 cars for fifty laps on a track which was smooth, hard and dusty. At
1PM, 12 hours later with only a few watching, Jimmy Owens again stole the show.
The race went
green to checkered, with Jeff Martin controlling the tempo from the start. There
was side-by-side racing behind Martin as he led by as much as a full
straightaway early on. By lap 15, Owens had moved to second around Rick Hufford,
and set his sights on Martin. At midway, Owens had closed to about 10 car
lengths, and lapped traffic was slowing both drivers. With 15 to go, Owens was
even and took the lead, winning by a good margin over Martin. Bryan Clendenen
finished a distant third with Michael Bradley, Dan Hamstra, and Jammie Wilson
the only other cars on the lead lap.
It took about
twenty minutes following the 12 hour delay for Jimmy Owens, the Pride of
Tennessee, to win the feature and pocket the $4000 prize and load up to travel
to the next stop on his Modified adventure in 2000. The win was his 38th
feature win in 2000. Few of those have come easily and all have deserved.
It seems that in
Jimmy Owens case, everything we had heard about him is true, and we appreciate
his visits to the State of Illinois. He and his crew are a class act.
RACE SUMMARY
82 Cars
Fast Time- Dan
Hamstra
Heat 1-Hamstra, Michael Bradley, Lance Dehm, Tom Seets
Heat 2- Rick Hufford, Bub Patrick, Matt Rhyne, Mike Chasteen
Heat 3- Bryan Clendenen, Todd Gilpin, Randle Sweeney, John Seets
Heat 4- Jeff Martin, John DeMoss, Jason Lakey, Wes Steidinger
Heat 5- Shane Cottle, Toby Massie, Gary Cook, Jr, Cory Rolfe
Heat 6- Jammie Wilson, Tommy Burnside, Steve Faust, Kevin Weaver
Heat 7- Tim O’Donnell, Kyle Logue, Richie Hedrick, John Coultas
Heat 8- Jimmy Owens, Bobby Bittle, Mike Steele, Dick Phelps
Semi 1- Matt Rhyne, Daryl Herbert, Roger Cary, Mike Chasteen
Semi 2- Randle Sweeney, Jason Lakey, R.J.Gall, John Seets
Semi 3- Gary Cook, Jr, Cory Rolfe, Jeff Leka, Rob Fuqua
Semi 4- Rained out, never completed