BINNS HITS 'RED FOX CASINO 125' JACKPOT

Source: Peter W. Moss
Date: 10/04/2005

Qualifying and inverted heats were run on Saturday night with drivers earning positions for the straight-up start in Sunday's 125 lap main event. Crescent City's Howard Ford led all qualifiers with his quick 12.510, on the 1/4-mile oval that promoter Blair Aiken had treated with an adhesive compound. Roddy ran a 12.605, Bews a 12.684 and Hall a 12.832. Redding's Bill Ward made his first start since the May NSCS race at SRP. He arrived just in time to get some tires mounted and ran a 12.935 lap. Ford opted out of the dash and Ward would win it over Hall, Bews and Roddy.

Binns earned the pole for Sunday's race, in his 25-lap qualifier, from the outside of the front row, ahead of Lathrop's Angelo Queirolo. NSCS co-promoter Dane Nissen, in his first ride in over a year, was third in B.A.D. Racing's second car, followed by Hall and Roddy.

Ukiah's Eric Graham earned the tenth spot on Sunday's grid with his heat win over 2005 NSCS champ Mike Doss and Oregonian David Miller. DeKeyser would finish fourth after blowing a power steering line and Citrus Heights driver Mike Simpson was fifth after retiring early with carburetor problems. DeKeyser's Golden Gate Meats/Richard Childress Racing teammate, Ryan Foster, suffered engine problems in his Randy Stutesman owned car and did not start.

Cahto Tribal Chair, Cristy Taylor representing the Red Fox Casino in Laytonville, gave the starting command to the fifteen-car field. Lauren Snider, who did not qualify on Saturday, tagged the back of the field in the familiar #2K Dodge, usually piloted by his son Darin. Binns took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Queirolo, Hall, Nissen, Roddy and Ford in tow. Most drivers seemed content to click off some laps and save their equipment for later in the long race. Simpson's problems recurred and he was the first retiree, on lap 30. Nissen would join him with ignition problems soon thereafter. The yellow flag flew on lap 37 after Queirolo and Snider made contact and spun. Doss and Ward got caught up in the mess and each suffered damage. Ward retired and Doss was black-flagged a green flag lap later for loose body panels. He did not return. Queirolo pitted on lap 45 and was done.

Over the next 38 laps, Hall dogged Binns' left rear quarter panel, in a bid for the lead, while Roddy, Ford, Bews and DeKeyser waited to see how it was going to play out. After a lap 83 caution flag for a brief sprinkle of rain, Hall continued to hound Binns to no avail. Lap 94 saw contact between Roddy and Hall as Roddy attempted an outside pass for second. Roddy fell back to fifth. Three laps later, yellow flew as Hall lost right side bodywork into the turn four catchfence. Roddy showed his displeasure with Hall during the caution period.

Binns led Hall, Ford, Bews and Roddy to starter Bubba Silva's lap 97 green flag. Graham retired on lap 100 after sway bar damage from a lap 98 meeting with Miller's front bumper. By lap 110, the top five were putting some distance on the field but were still nose-to-tail. The crowd rose to their feet as Hall finally got past Binns on lap 112 and immediately stretched his lead while Ford started to work on Binns. With 9 laps remaining and Hall checking out, he suddenly erupted in a plume of oil smoke, from a broken fitting, causing a yellow flag and eventually a red flag and a lengthy clean up. Hall made repairs and restarted seventh, the last of the lead lap cars. Binns reassumed the lead and Ford looked to be in the catbird seat, but after the restart, Ford had a right front tire going down. He pitted but was unable to rejoin the race. Bews moved into second ahead of Roddy, DeKeyser and Mic Moulton.

The final caution flew on lap 119 when Roddy went dirt tracking in the grease sweep in the upper groove at both ends of the track and finally looped in turns 3 and 4. Bews would try to get under Binns over the final 6 laps but would settle for second ahead of Roddy, DeKeyser, Hall and Moulton.

Binns on Hall- "He was definitely faster and he was definitely going to pass me. I finally had to let him go. I'm glad he raced me clean."

Hall on Binns- "He was spinning his tires and holding me up. I knew sooner or later he'd move up the track and I'd get him and that's exactly what happened. I had a blast!"

Roddy on dirt tracking near the end of the race-"I wasn't going to stop trying to pass people just because it was slick up there." On the race- "That was a lot of fun! We had a great car. The #36 (Hall) didn't give me much room and I was mad for a while but I guess that's just racing."

Bews-"We came here just hoping to finish and have the car in one piece. I'm really happy to finish second. We'll take it!"

Dash-Ward, Hall, Bews, Roddy

Heat 1-Graham, Doss, Miller, DeKeyser, Simpson

Heat 2-Binns, Queirolo, Nissen, Hall, Roddy, Ward, Ford, Bews, Moulton

Main- Binns, Bews, Roddy, DeKeyser, Hall, Moulton, Snider, Miller, Ford, Graham, Queirolo, Doss, Ward, Nissen, Simpson

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