InsideGroove - Race Report

BARNETT TAKES TOUR POINT LEAD WITH TUCSON WIN

Tucson, Az -- Having come into the night just two points back of Troy Godwin, Curt Barnett from El Paso TX used wins in both his heat race and the 30 lap feature to take over the Barnett Harley Davidson Dirt Modified Tour point lead Saturday night at USA Race Park. Only the Sunday night show at this track remained on the 2005 schedule for the first year series. C Barnett pocketed $1000 for the win from third starting and third ranked Bumper Jones from Las Cruces NM used a high line to climb into the $700 second from 10th starting. Tour regulars took the top five slots as Texas female star Christy Georges ran third ahead of fellow El Paso resident Godwin and Phoenix charger Jason Black. Godwin nearly missed the final weekend action as his newborn son was released from the hospital on Saturday morning in time for Godwin to make a hurried trip west. A great 45 car dirt modified field participated. Pro Stock dominator Brian Barsness captured that feature win ahead of Jaime Throckmorton, Butch McCleskey and Don Brown. Barsness also raced in the dirt modified class and finished 24th.

The dirt modifieds were divided into five heat races and only the top two finishers in each heat advanced into the front five rows for the 30 lap A Main. The heat lineups were a draw. Robert Adams drove the team car to Godwin and put the Tony Salazar owned GRT in the winners circle for heat 1 from 4th starting. Phoenix youngster Jason Noll turned an outside front row start into the second transfer slot ahead of track point leader Carl Trimmer. Georges drove her Skyrocket to a win in heat 2 from third starting. Godwin started and finished 2nd with fifth starter Paul Banghart in third. Tucson star R C Whitwell had problems and ran 9th. C Barnett turned heads when he drove from 8th to win heat 3 ahead of 7th starter Fito Gallardo from Las Cruces. Street stock graduate Brandon Garner started on the pole and ran third ahead of Sherman Barnett. Former Arizona UMP champion Brad Campbell had the pole for heat 4 and won with Texan Patrick Carney coming from sixth to transfer in second. Young Corey Hosler Jr was third. Black won from third in heat 5 as B Jones came from 8th to finish second ahead of Phoenix star Anthony Madrid, who started on the pole. With ten cars now qualified, two large B Mains determined the next 14 slots with seven coming from each. Outside front row starter Gallardo out dueled pole starter Trimmer in the first as Las Cruces veteran Scott Logston ran third ahead of Madrid, Jack Smith, S Barnett and Jeremy Huebner. Banghart just missed in 8th ahead of Daniel Hutto and Dennis Fetter. The 2nd B Main was also won from the outside front row as Hosler beat pole starter Dana Fite, a former Casa Grande champion. Adam Crippen came from 7th to get third ahead of Wade Simmons, Barsness, Warren Wampole Jr and Jimmy Dixon. Bryan Miller and Jerry Martzall just missed the move up. When Dixon was unable to make the call for the feature, Fetter was allowed to start by the track promoter. John Cox got the tour provisional to start 25th.

The new clay provided for much improved track conditions than the eastern visitors had seen in their previous visits this season. A quick watering of a high line during intermission gave the A Main action two distinct grooves, one on the bottom and other up top. C Barnett mainly ran the bottom as he had the lead by lap 3.and B Jones used the high line to make his rally, but ran out of laps as he caught C Barnett. Fetter hit an infield tire in turn 3 and was done for the night. There were just two early yellow flags in the 30 lapper. Logston clipped an infield tire on lap 5 while racing in 9th. He was enough off the track to not draw a caution and his team changed the tire, but never got the necessary caution to return to action. C Barnett won ahead of B Jones, Georges, Godwins Carney built mount and Black. Hosler led the Tucson contingent in sixth ahead of Gallardo, Noll, Madrid, Fite, Carney, Crippen and Wampole, who won the Dirt Track Depot Hard Charger award for his drive from 22nd to 13th. C Barnett came out of the night just one point in front of Godwin in their series championship duel.

Charging from sixth starting, Barsness got the pro stock feature win for the 11th time in 2005. Throckmorton ran second ahead of McCleskey, Brown, Christian Fuller, Florida transplant Larry Frederickson, Gary Cheek, Rod Hiestand, J J Howe and Larry Leetch as a 16 car field competed.

Summary Pro Stock Main-Brian Barsness, Jaime Throckmorton, Butch McCleskey, Don Brown, Christian Fuller, Larry Fredrickson, Gary Cheek, Rod Hiestand, J J Howe, Larry Leetch, Pat D'Antonio, Dennis Lickliter, Tom Campbell, Toby Olds, Chris Cheek, Daryl Fischer. Dirt Modified Heat 1-Robert Adams, Jason Noll, Carl Trimmer, Wade Simmons, Scott Logston. Heat 2-Christy Georges, Troy Godwin, Paul Banghart, Dana Fite, Jeremy Huebner. Heat 3-Curt Barnett, Fito Gallardo, Brandon Garner, Sherman Barnett, Troy Hoey. Heat 4-Brad Campbell, Patrick Carney, Corey Hosler Jr, Jack Smith, Adam Crippen. Heat 5-Jason Black, Bumper Jones, Anthony Madrid, E K Ongley, Lance Mari. 1st B Main-Gallardo, Trimmer, Logston, Madrid, Smith, S Barnett, Huebner, Banghart, Daniel Hutto, Dennis Fetter. 2nd B Main-Hosler, Fite, Crippen, Simmons, Brian Barsness, Warren Wampole Jr, Jimmy Dixon, Bryan Miller, Jerry Martzall, Ongley. A Main-C Barnett, B Jones, Georges, Godwin, Black, Hosler, Gallardo, Noll, Madrid, Fite, Carney, Crippen, Wampole, Campbell, Trimmer, S Barnett, Huebner, Smith, John Cox, Adams, Simmons, Logston, Fetter, Barsness.
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