RUSSELL AND WHITE WIN VUKOVICH FEATURES

Source: Gerald Laurie
Date: 05/11/2008

The Annual Vukovich Classic kicked off at Madera Speedway on Saturday featuring the SMRA Supermodifieds and the Madera Speedway 360 Supermodifieds. The Supermodified Racing Association Open Supers were combined with the Madera Speedway 360 Supermodifieds for heat races and the fifty lap feature.

The Supermodifieds Qualified as two separate groups. Kenny White topped all of the 360 Supers with a lap of 13.664, followed by Kenny Kinchen at 13.671, David Gassett at 13.836, Donnie Large at 13.876, and David Tuey at 13.918.

Tops among the SMRA qualifiers was Troy Regier at 12.626. Next up were Jeff Russell at 12.717, Martin McKeefery at 12.880, Justin Belfiore at 12.886, and Bryan Warf at 12.990.

The 360 Supers took the green for their Trophy Dash with Donnie Large and David Gassett on the front row. Kenny Kinchen and Kenny White rounded out the field. Gassett and Large ran the first lap side by side with Donnie holding a slight edge at the line. Gassett had problems on lap two and headed for the pits as Kinchen and White took second and third. And that was the finish. Large won with Kinchen and White both challenging.

The SMRA Supermodified Dash featured Pat Whittet, Ernie Coppo, Jim Birges, and Jeff Russell. Whittet led Coppo and Birges on lap one with Russell slowing a bit. Birges took to the low line to pass Coppo in turn two and then sailed up to the high side to get Whittet a lap later. Birges took the checkers over Whittet, Russell, and Coppo.

The first Supermodified Heat lined up with Lance Jackson, Donnie Large, Kenny White and Ernie Coppo in the first two rows. Justin Belfiore, Troy Regier, and David Prickett rounded out the field. Large led lap one over Jackson, Coppo, Regier, and White. On lap two, Regier jumped from fourth to first taking two cars in turn two and another in turn four. Coppo moved to second followed by Large, Belfiore, and Jackson. Belfiore took third on lap three and White moved to fifth. The order remained the same until lap seven when White slowed dramatically. Regier took the checkers over Coppo, Belfiore, Large, and Jackson.

The second Supermod Heat had Pat Whittet and David Tuey on the front row. They were pursued by Kenny Kinchen, Whitey Janssen, Bryan Warf, Jeff Russell, and Larry Hinz. Everyone lined out in order at the start. Warf moved to third and Russell took fifth on lap two. Russell was fourth by lap three. Warf moved to second on lap four and Russell took third on lap five. Order after five was Whittet, Warf, Russell, Tuey, and Kinchen. Russell was all over Warf for three laps and made the pass on lap eight to take second at the checkers. Finishing order was Whittet, Russell, Warf, Tuey, and Kinchen.

The third SMRA Heat featured Eric Silsby, Lance Tatro, David Gassett, Mike McCann, Jim Birges, Martin McKeefery, and Bobby Dalton. McKeefery snookered the field at the start to lead lap one over Tatro, Birges, Silsby, and Dalton. Lap two saw Birges move to second, and Dalton to third. Birges sailed past McKeefery on the top side and led lap three over McKeefery, Dalton, Tatro, and McCann. Dalton moved to second on lap four and McCann took fourth a lap later. And that finished the passing. Birges took the race over Dalton, McKeefery, McCann, and Tatro.

The Supermodified Feature started 21 cars for fifty laps. The top eight qualifiers were inverted placing Whitey Janssen on the pole followed by Ernie Coppo, Jim Birges, Bryan Warf, Justin Belfiore, Martin McKeefery, Jeff Russell, and Troy Regier. Behind the rapid crew were Mike McCann, Kenny White, Kenny Kinchen, David Gassett, Donnie Large David Tuey, Lance Tatro, and Lance Jackson. Bringing up the rear were Pat Whittet, Eric Silsby, David Prickett, Larry Hinz, and Bobby Dalton.

Coppo and Warf moved out on the outside at the green and led over Janssen, McKeefery, and Birges. Birges moved to third on lap two and Russell was up to fifth a lap later. Russell took fourth on lap four. Large broke the drive train on lap six and stopped near the turn four wall to bring out the yellow. On the restart, Coppo led over Warf, Birges, Russell, McKeefery, Belfiore, Regier, Janssen, and McCann. Warf grabbed the lead and Birges and Russell followed him through. On lap seven, Birges went into three very deep and he and Warf made contact sending Bryan around and bringing out another yellow. Birges was penalized to the rear with Warf and the restart order had Russell over Coppo, Belfiore, McKeefery and Regier. Belfiore and Regier passed Coppo on the green. Regier took second on lap nine making the ten lap order Russell, Regier, Belfiore, Coppo and Dalton who had started dead last.

Regier slowed and pulled to the pits on thirteen with a broken panhard bar. This moved Coppo to third, Dalton to fourth, and McCann to fifth. The leaders were into lapped traffic by lap fifteen allowing Dalton to take third. By lap twenty, Russell had a substantial lead over Belfiore, Dalton, Coppo, and Warf who had come up through the field after his spin. The yellow flew on lap twenty two when Gassett tagged the wall in turn one. The red was then displayed after a lengthy yellow when the tow truck died and was stuck in turn one with Gassett’s car. When the race finally resumed, Warf took fourth and set out after Dalton. At thirty laps it was Russell, Belfiore, Dalton, Warf, and Coppo.

There were no changes in the top five through lap forty. Warf finally got around Dalton on lap forty three and McCann displaced Coppo at the same time. And that was the race. Jeff Russell won over Belfiore, Warf, Dalton and McCann. Kenny White was the top finishing 360 Super in tenth place. The remaining cars in the top five 360’s were Tuey, Tatro, Silsby, and Kinchen.

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