LOCAL DIVISIONS DRAW 52 CARS
Grady H. Thornton
 
Although there were no Alabama drivers in the ASALMS Crimson 125 Presented by FLF Racecars, the local boys showed up to do their thing. The lead local division was the Sportsman division, with Joel Falls taking his first win this year. Falls wrestled the lead away from Whit Goode, who was guest-driving the car normally driven by his brother-in-law, Gary Sanford, Jr. Goode handled the step-up good, but chose not to challenge as Falls led the rest of the race. Points leader Jimmy Roberts moved up six positions to finish second, with Roger Cain, Tristan Morgan in his first

Sportsman visit to BIR, and Shawn Kyzer following.
Goode returned to his Street Stock car in the next race and put on one of his best performances ever, winning the 20-lapper on the edge. Goode’s GSR Racing Chevy held off stiff challenges by Josh Belter and points leader Dennis Freeman for the win. Freeman took second after a last row start, with Belter, Daniel Jacks, and Joel Falls following.

 In the Renegade division, Charlie Melvin proved summer can be exciting. The Paine Intermediate School student prepared to enter the fifth grade by winning the 12-lap event by over a straightaway. His grandparents, the Melvins, were on hand to see the 10-year old win for their first time. Daniel “Real Deal” Hubbard was second, Tommy “T-Bone” Belden third, Leonard Bradley fourth, and Ronnie Farris fifth.

Roddy Moore of Hueytown won his first Mini-Modified feature of the year, making it also the first division win for a Ford this year. Moore’s wire-to-wire run in the Chris Z’s/Riverchase Collision Center Mustang saw points leader Ricky Holland in second, Ryan Price third, Eddie Dodd Jr. fourth, and Buddy Hughens fifth.

There seems to be no stopping Roger E. Wood, Sr, in the BUZZZ division. The points leader came from 13th starting position to the lead by the sixth lap. He won his ninth race of the year over Will Collins, Mike Collins, Floyd Brown, and Phillip Amick.

The July 21st event at BIR has been cancelled due to a conflict in scheduling with the Alabama State Fair Authority. The next BIR event will be August 4th. Call BIR at 205.781.BIR1 or visit the webpage at www.bir-racing.com for more information.

RANDOM NOTES ON THE CRIMSON 125

by Grady H. Thornton
 
Pardon me for gushing, but the Crimson 125 was a monumental event for me. To begin with, ASA had never run in Alabama prior to BIR. BIR, as we know, is in it’s 94th year of racing. If you were there, it was another milestone in BIR’s legacy in the racing industry….

Sean Bass, Orlando, FL, was also part of history. His MOPAR Crate Motor-powered Dodge Charger was the ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Fast Qualifier Award winner, the first time for a Dodge to take the award in ASA history….

Speaking of Bass, an inverted start put him on the fifth row inside. That was just a little too much ground to make up to get to the point. He advanced to finish fourth….

The Crimson 125 had drivers from six states, but Alabama was not one of them….


Brandon Johnson led the first 99 laps. He had won the previous ASALMS race at New Smyna, FL, a 100-lap event, by leading all 100 ! laps. When he relinquished the lead to Slocumb on lap 100, he had led 199 consecutive laps of ASALMS racing in an UNSPONSORED race car….


The ASALMS races are green lap events. A hundred and a quarter circuits took one hour, 49 minutes, 44.012 seconds. No record of the true number of laps, including the cautions, was available….

There were 12 caution periods for wrecks, spins, and dry gas tanks. Four cars ran out of TORCO Racing Fuel in the closing laps, Dalton Zehr, Travis Wilson, Brian Blum, and Chris Fontaine….


The green flag requirement kept most cars on the lead lap. Of the 16 cars finishing, 15 were on the lead lap….

The Hoosier Racing Tires held up amazing well. ASALMS rules require the drivers to finish on the tires they started on unless they catch a flat….

The restarts were a little faster than BIR fans were accustomed to seeing. BIR typically restarts at about 30 mph, ASALMS looked like about 55-60 mph….


Most BIR observers stated this was the first race they had seen at BIR in which most of the drivers had never raced at BIR before. One possible previous race was the inaugural World Classic, held in July, 1978. Bartow, Florida, racer Rick Wilson was one of the drivers in that race, although he eventually raced at BIR and on what is now known as NASCAR Nextel Cup. Wilson was back for the Crimson 125 with his racer son Travis Wilson. On lap 75, the running order was Johnson, Choquette, Cope, Slocumb, Wilson, and Bass. Wilson was the oldest of the six-pack at 23 years old. Also coaching a young whipper-snapper was Florida short track standout Mike Cope, providing direction for son Travis Cope….

There was not much slicing and dicing until the end was in sight. Around lap 90 drivers began to make challenges….

ASALMS has a “three strikes and you are out rule”. Any driver who causes three caution periods is sent to the trailer. Nob! ody received that penalty in the Crimson 125.…

The series also uses rev limiters set at 6,300 rpm. A computer chip in the ignition keeps the engines from exceeding 6,300 and that was the chattering noise heard from some of the engines at full speed….

The lone Pontiac, that of Logan Dernoshek, was a front pack runner most of the race, but could not seem to get his car to stick. Coming off the fourth turn toward the 97th lap, he brushed the outside wall, blew a tire, and was collected into the wall further down the way….
Race teams from upper series view the ASALMS as a fertile recruiting ground. Wood Brothers Racing supports the team of John Wes Townley….

Slocumb’s Ford Fusion was sponsored by Zaxby’s Real Chicken, Lang Signs, Regions Bank, and Brothers Racing Team….

I personally want to thank the ASALMS Southern Division officials for allowing me to extend the Bibles For Racers Ministry my wife, Laura, and I started at BIR in 2000, to the competitors. I was fortunate to meet each starter and give them a copy of Pathway to Victory, a New International Version New Testament Bible with stories about racing personalities mixed with Scripture.

SANFORD’S DA MAN IN DA ‘HAM: TAKES
AMERICAN PRIDE 1OO BY BREAKING ALL THE RULES
Grady H. Thornton

Birmingham, AL (July 3). Gary Sanford, Jr., became the first repeat winner in the Birmingham Super Series Tuesday evening by winning the American Pride 100, the fourth event in the inaugural year of the series at Birmingham (AL) International Raceway. He defied virtually all the rules of racing probability, drawing a handful of Jokers and turning it into a Full House winning hand. The Michael Murphy/Imaging Business Machines Dodge-skinned GM Crate Motor-powered car performed flawlessly under Sanford’s command. To begin with, nobody is supposed to be able to run low at BIR. The low-banked, high groove track lends itself to such a high groove that lapped cars get the inside lane on restarts. Sanford’s made dash in the beginning laps was unheard of low for the 5/8-mile oval. Observers were certain he had used up his tires in the first quarter of the race. Sanford started third row inside. Fastest qualifier Josh Hamner (20.714 sec/108.622 mph) rolled a three-car inversion and started second row inside. Dennis “Tink” Reno, Jr., and Edwin Gurley shared the front row. Reno got the jump at the start and pulled Hamner along with him. The front two cars established a 50-yard lead over the third place car of then-BSS points leader Jeff Letson. Sanford settled back into sixth running position while the drama played out ahead of him. Hamner, tired of seeing Reno’s rear end, began his quest for the point. On lap 15 he was within inches of Reno at the line. Two laps later Hamner plunged into turn one ahead of Reno and took the lead. That lead stand for 13 laps. Sanford, meanwhile, was still wearing his poker face, not showing his hand on the track. He had been running a full two grooves lower than the competition, causing silent desperation in the hearts of his crew. Drivers are not supposed to do that in an extended -length race at BIR. Sanford then began picking off his prey one by one. Ken McFarland, a master of 100-lap contests at BIR, was the first to go. Sanford overtook him on lap 20, then Gurley on lap 21, and Letson on lap 23. Sanford had run down the lead pack. On the 24th lap, he set up to pass second running Reno, but lapped traffic foiled the plot. On the 25th lap Sanford went around Reno and was right behind the leading Hamner car. The top 10 running order at that point was Hamner, Sanford, Reno, Letson, McFarland, Gurley, Gary Nix, Tyler Townsend, Andy Lally, and Zack Taylor. Sanford again went into the bottom feeder mode and mounted a new challenge for the lead. Once again, lapped traffic ran between Sanford and the lead. On the 29th laps Sanford’s car bobbled just a little coming off the fourth turn, but another dive into the deep of the turns handed him the lead from Hamner on the 30th. The cars ran 45 laps of green flag racing before the first caution came out on the 46th. Gurley got squirrelly and looped it coming into the fourth turn. The three laps of cooling caution conditions gave the drivers and the cars a rest. On the restart, the action was fast and furious mores than in the early laps of the race. That fast restart was good for one lap. The engine Hamner has won races with for four years became a part of the Independence Day fireworks, spewing fluids, metal fragments, and smoke onto the racing surface. The clean up was extensive, so the race was halted under red flag conditions. The 55th lap restart once again seemed to re-energize the race. A diamond-shaped quartet of drivers, Sanford being the point, Reno and McFarland side by side, and Nix right behind them, increased the distance from the fourth to fifth place car. Nix was now the aggressor, also running low. McFarland slipped back into fourth while Reno and Nix assumed second and third running positions. McFarland was off the pace, the result of a leaking right rear tire. He lost two laps limping around the track, then another when he spun to the inside of turn four. The caution was coming out as his car rolled back onto the track and stalled. The oncoming traffic had little notice and when Brent Seeley entered the turn, McFarland was stopped on the track. Thanks to some split-second maneuvering, Seeley was able to reduce the impact with the stalled McFarland car, but not without serious car damage. It took two wreckers and a red flag to get Seeley’s car cleared. McFarland, meanwhile, had re-fired and went to his pit for new rubber. McFarland came back on the track three laps down, but stating ahead of Sanford. The race resumed on the 70th lap. Yet again, the cooling off period gave Nix some speed. Sanford passed McFarland, who was still laps down, on the73rd circuit, while Nix went around Reno on the 74th lap. Nix tried the inside in an attempt to get around Sanford, but it was Sanford who still mastered the inside. The final caution period came out on lap 87 when Letson’s car stalled on the track. The Huntsville driver who came into the race as points leader took a serious hit in the standings as this stall cost him precious laps. Nix returned to the low groove to take the point from Sanford in the final 10 laps, but the laps ran out. Sanford had defied racing logic by taking the extreme low groove and not using up his tires, and became the first two-timer in the BSS. Nix was a standout taking second, Reno third, 14-year old Tyler Townsend taking fourth in his first trip to BIR, and Andy Lally fifth, also his first time to race at BIR. Gurley, Taylor, and Bobby Reuse were sixth through eighth, all on the lead lap. Nick Glaze and Pat Cruise were ninth and tenth. In explaining the quick way he found around the track, Sanford responded, “We got beat the at the last race. What we were doing wasn’t working. I started looking for something different. I just committed to finding something different and I found a new spot on the race track and worked on the car to make it run in that groove.” The search for the answer was a soul searching one. “I did all I could to run with them where you are supposed to run. I had to do something else. I had a plan and committed to it and lived by it. The car would turn good, so that made it easy to run low.” Sanford’s creativity was evident. “Setting up the crate motor car is different. You have to do a complete rethinking of how to set the car up. I just threw everything out the window and started trying new things.” It worked. OFFICIAL FINISHING ORDER, BIRMINGHAM SUPER SERIES AMERICAN PRIDE 100. 1. Gary Sanford, Jr.; 2. Gary Nix; 3. Dennis “Tink” Reno, Jr.; 4. Tyler Townsend; 5. Andy Lally; 6. Edwin Gurley; 7. Zack Taylor; 8. Bobby Reuse; 9. Nick Glaze; 10. Pat Cruise; 11. Roger Cain; 12. Justin Cruise; 13. Jeff Letson; 14. Jackie Curren; 15. Chance Atkins; 16. Ken McFarland; 17. Brent Seeley; 18. Josh Hamner; 19. Chase Knox RANDOM NOTES ON THE AMERICAN PRIDE 100 Sanford became the first two-time winner in the BSS. His other finishes were second and fifth…. Andy Lally’s first trip to BIR ended with a fifth place finish; he won his division in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this year; the day before the American Pride 100, the Dacula, GA, standout was testing a Porshe at Barber’s Motorsports Park in nearby Leeds…. While Gary Nix was the senior driver (age unreported) in the race, 14-year old Tyler Townsend of Longview, TX, qualified seventh and finished fourth on the lead lap….The race started with 19 cars and 15, or 79% of the cars finished. A typical 100-lapper at BIR sees 45%-55% of the cars finish….Brandy Malone, WBRC TV FOX 6 Good Day Alabama Traffic Reporter, was the Grand Marshall of the event. BIR sends a special thanks to FOX 6 staffer Suzanne Cornett for coordinating the appearance….In the race, there were two Juniors (Sanford and Reno), two Texans (Seeley and Tyler), two former Series winners (Sanford and Hamner), and two cousins (Justin and Pat Cruise)….The pouting little girl in Victory Lane was Gary and Jerri Sanford’s daughter, Hannah. Never mind daddy won the race, she was crying because she was awakened from a deep nap for photographs….Roger Cain was the highest finishing rookie….Sanford’s personal discipline was obvious. Already slightly built, he has lost 35-40 pounds and says he feels great….The other out of stater in addition to those listed above was Nick Glaze of Arkansas….The next BIR event will be the ASA Late Model Series on July 14th. The next BSS event will be August 18th with an August 4th show featuring a special event for Mini-Modified cars.
LOCALS HAVE PRIDE, TOO
Roy Cantrell’s qualifying attempt was a bust in the Super Modified division. He did not even post a time and started on the rear in the race. Twenty-five laps later he was the winner. A first lap melee on the front stretch collected the front six cars, including FQ Billy Melvin. All were able to re-enter the race, albeit limping in some cases. Cantrell, in his Precision Frame and Body/Mitchell Racing Engines car, led the first lap, yielded to Dustin Knowles on the second, and then led the rest of the race. Melvin came back from the first lap spin to second running position on the sixth lap, far behind Cantrell, who had the advantage of stretching out his lead. At the checkered flag, Melvin had closed in and was close, but second. Roger Wood was third, Steve Piper fourth, Brett Jean fifth, Marlin Gunter sixth, Nick Martin seventh, Knowles eighth, and Greg Powers ninth.

In the Sportsman 15-lap feature, there were three leaders and seven lead changes. Division heavy weight Jimmy Roberts emerged as the leader after a door-to-door duel with Jack Collier. Joe Odom led the first lap as Collier came from sixth starting position to lead the next two laps. Roberts then passed Collier and the two swapped the point until Collier fell out with two laps to go. Roberts claimed his eighth win for the Continental Realty/Buffalo Electric Race Team. Rookie Shawn Kyzer never fell out of the top three and was the runner up. Bobby Peebles, Courtney Parker, Odom, and Collier made up the finishing order.

In Street Stock action, Josh Belter became the only driver this year to pass Dennis Freeman when he was leading and go on to win the race. Freeman, the division points leader, started fourth row outside and took only two laps to catch leader Stan McClure. Belter, the lone Ford in the pack, also worked his way up from deep in the field. Freeman and Belter went head-to-head from laps 10-15. Freeman’s mastery of the extreme upper groove had kept him out front in most races this year, but Belter’s Howton Machine/Rozar’s Auto Paint Supply Grand Torino took the honors this time. Freeman kept his points lead with the second place finish. Whit Goode was third, McClure fourth, and Ryan Logan fifth. The rest of the top ten were Matt Gaulden, Richard Patino, Bobby Knox, Sr., David Morrow, and Robert Cribbs.

Twice this year rookie Ryan Price has won a Mini-Modified feature. Twice this year a car owner on another team lodged a protest. Twice this year Price left the track with the trophy and the protest money. Roddy Moore had a strong Mustang and led the first four laps of the four-cylinder division. The oil pan gasket blew out, however, and began to coat his right front tire with oil. He lost the lead to points leader Ricky Holland. Holland diced it up with Price for a few laps before Price took and kept the lead. The tentative finishing order was Price, Holland, Eddie Dodd, Scott Rice, and Buddy Hughens. After a two-hour teardown and inspection, that became the official top five. Fritz Fridley, Roddy Moore, Wayne Hill, Lee Streetman, and Jonathan Goolsby made the top ten, in that order.

In the Renegade 12-lap run, Daniel “Real Deal” Hubbard climbed the fence for the second time this year. Driving car 31, he had to wrestle with car 13 driven by Tommy “T-Bone” Belden for the win. Belden led the first half of the race as Hubbard worked his Real Deal Promotions/College Tire Chrysler through the field. Belden took an honorable second, his best finish this year. Mike Aaron was third, points leader Charlie Melvin fourth, Mike “Rerun” Martin fifth, Scooby sixth, Eugene Aaron seventh, and Larry Bradley eighth.

Points leader Roger E. Wood, Sr., started the BUZZZ feature in eighth position. He picked up a spot on the first lap, was running sixth on the third lap, fourth on the fourth, second on the seventh, took the lead on the 11th, and took the checkered on the 12th lap. In Victory Lane observing his seventh win this year, he acknowledged Motorvation Motorsports and Wood Brothers Auto Sales for supporting the Honda Prelude race team. Wood also thanked second place finisher Jimmy Hartley, who led some in the second half of the race and was all over him a the finish, for racing him clean. Hartley was followed by Mike Collins, Floyd Brown, and Adam Holt. Drew Bowman, Don Amick, Will Collins, Scott Shoemaker, and Phillip Amick completed the top ten.

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RANDOM NOTES ABOUT THE BIRMINGHAM STEEL DOGS 100

Jeff Letson came to BIR with two race cars capable of winning and left with two races cars in a box. His open wheel Pro Modified car was fastest qualifier for a 25-lap race. Letson’s car got hung up with the car of Dustin Knowles on the opening lap and smashed into the front stretch wall. He entered the BSS event as points leader, but crashed on the last lap...

Edwin Gurley had his best run in a 100-lap race in years. He qualified seventh, was in second on the first lap, stayed inthe top five all 100 laps, and finished third...

Of the 20 cars on hand, former BIR champion Ken McFarland had won more 100-lap events at BIR than any of the others. He could not quite get the car to handle in this one, howeverDennis Reno, Jr. was the only driver to break into the 20-second range. His draw of an eight-car inversion just put him too far back to catch up...

Reno’s brother and former crew member, Sgt. First Class Lance Reno, will leave for a six-month deployment to Iraq on Friday, June 15th. He has served in the United States Army in several of the world’s hot spots of war….

Chase Knox, son of former track champion Mark Knox, has been running a 15-year old race car for the past two race nights. He hit the wall in qualifying and did enough damage to keep the Chevrolet Lumina (Yes, Lumina) on the trailer for the night. He sat in a race car for the first time ever on Thursday, May 24th, when the car was brought out of mothballs for the May 26th BIR event….

The “illegal” description in relation to race winner Hamner: Mapquest lists the Mobile International Raceway office as being 279.04 miles from BIR. Hamner said he left Mobile at 4:15 PM and got to BIR at 7:55 PM, making the trip, estimated by Mapquest to take 4 hours, 14 minutes, in only 3 hours, 40 minutes. That is an average speed of just over 76 MPH. This means Hamner’s average speed getting to the track in a heavy duty pickup pulling an enclosed trailer loaded with a race car and equipment on public highways was faster than the average speed of the 100-lap race that was slowed by multiple cautions...

STEEL DOGS SHOW INCLUDESSUPPORT DIVISIONS

The running of the Dogs included feature races in six support divisions. Open Wheel Pro Mod points leader Billy Melvin of Trussville won the 25-lap race in that division. The first lap saw fastest qualifier Jeff Letson rearrange the molecular structure of the concrete wall along the front stretch. Letson’s inverted start put him near the rear of the starting field. Thinking the cars had cleared each other when he passed, his car and that of Dustin Knowles hung up and turned right. Letson was out of the race. Greg Powers led the first lap, with Melvin taking the lead the next time around. Melvin’s Associated Cooling and Heating/Posten’s Overhead Door Chevrolet finished far ahead of Powers, Nick Martin, Rocky Rogers, Roger Wood, Jr., Brett Jean, Knowles, and Letson.
 
In the Sportsman 15-lapper, Roger Cain of Sterrett ended the winning streak of points leader Jimmy Roberts. Cain handed car owner Jerry Bradford his first BIR win in the Renaissance Electronics/Millbrook Muffler/McGuire Auto Sales Chevrolet Monte Carlo by leading the race start to finish. Roberts was second, Joel Falls third, Shawn Kyzer fourth, Joe Odom fifth, Courtney Parker sixth, and Bobby Peebles seventh.

In StreetStock action, points leader Dennis Freeman of Centerville took only one lap to get from sixth starting position to the lead in the 15-lap event. Freeman’s Shelby Belcher Trucking Chevrolet held off a persistent Ryan Logan, who was in his fourth-ever race. Whit Goode was third, Matt Gaulden fourth, and David Morrow fifth. John Lawley was sixth, previous winner Josh Belter but dead motor this time around was seventh, and Joel Falls was fifth.
 
Mini Modified points leader Ricky Holland proved two things in winning that four-cylinder division feature. One, that he can drive--and win--with a broken hand and two, that he can win in anything he drives. Holland was offered the opportunity to drive the S & N Products primary car of defending division champion Scott Rice. He took the offer and won in the third different car this season. Ryan Price was second, Rice was third, Eddie Dodd was fourth, and Michael Mackey was fifth. Jonathan Goolsby, Roddy Moore, Fritz Fridley, Chase Spradlin, Jonathan Schroder, and Roger Wood, Jr. completed the finishing order.

Charlie Melvin, 10-yer son of OWM racer Billy Melvin, won his third Renegade feature in his debut year. The Paul’s Wholesale Auto/Wood Brothers Auto Sales Acura was handling good enough for the young Trussville fifth graderto go deeper into the turns than he had in the past. He passed for the lead on the 12th lap of the 15-lap event. Daniel Hubbard was second, Mike Aaron third, Mike Martin fourth, and Tommy Belden fifth.
 
Jimmy Hartley drove as if he were going to break the domination of Roger E. Wood, Sr. in the BUZZZ division. For 10 of the 12 laps he led the race, but Wood’s extremely nimble Honda Prelude came from eighth starting spot to take the lead with two laps to go. Wood took over the lead for the win, with Hartley taking second, Will Collins third, George Berry fourth, and Jeremy Price fifth. Dale Bates, Jr. was sixth, James Brockman seventh, Jeremy Marlow eighth, Philip Amick ninth, and Mike Collins tenth.            

WOOD SR. SCHOOLS JR. IN RACING 101 & RENO RULES AT BIR. 

BIR is highlighting each division on different race nights. Saturday’s featured division was the BUZZZ division, which contested an extended length 30-lap feature. Roger Wood, Jr. and Roger Wood, Sr. started side-by-side on the fourth row. The younger driver launched into the lead on the first lap, with dad catching up to second position on the second lap. Jr. led the first third of the race until Sr. made the crucial pass to take the lead. Once ahead, Wood, Sr. maintained his position and led the final 20 laps. Wood, Jr. was second place finisher, followed by Will Collins, Drew Bowman, and John Amick. Finishing behind them were Josh Henning. Tanner Bailey, and Blake Walker.

The last time Dennis Reno, Jr. raced at Birmingham (AL) International Raceway, he left dejected and defeated.
His car just would not act right. Saturday evening, however, the same driver in the same car had a new lease on life after winning the Late Model Feature event. Three weeks of tweaking, refining, and knuckle-busting made the difference for the Morris resident. The cooling of the day and the soft breeze made qualifying less grueling than the earlier practice sessions. Roger Cain celebrated his 35th birthday with the fastest qualifying lap he had ever turned, 20.924 seconds. That was good for a third fastest spot. Sanford clocked 20.836, but Reno rolled off the trailer as the fastest qualifier (20.627 seconds/109.08 mph). Starting outside front row with Sanford alongside, the race started. Sanford took the lead and control on the start. Reno tucked in behind the leader. After 10 laps, Reno appeared to be calculating his move. He began to reign in Sanford, got door-to-door, and took the lead as he passed the flagstand on the 13th lap. It became Reno’s show at that point. At the completion of the 30th circuit, Reno parked the McGunegill Engine Performance-powered Port City Chassis/Five Star Racing Bodies/Penske Racing Shocks car in Victory Lane for the first time in 2007. Sanford was second, Gary Nix third, Larry Speakman fourth, Roger Cain fifth, Eric Wallace sixth, and newcomer Chase Knox seventh.

In the Super Modified division, Roy Cantrell of Huntsville became the first driver in almost two years to actually outrun Billy Melvin. Things looked good for Cantrell from the beginning. Cantrell’s Precision Frame and Alignment car was the fastest qualifier at 21.775 seconds/103.329 mph. Melvin’s second fastest time and an inverted start put him on the inside front row. Melvin took the lead at the start with Cantrell close behind him. With only five laps left in the 25-lap race, Cantrell pulled off a pass and led the final fifth of the race. Melvin took second, an unfamiliar spot for him, with Dustin Knowles, Greg Powers, Nick Martin, and Brett Jean following.

Jimmy Roberts of Avondale, the Sportsman division points leader, reached a new milestone in his Continental Realty/Buffalo Electric Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Roberts won his sixth consecutive feature, the only driver of all the divisions to have done so in 2007. Roberts started third row outside in the 20-lap feature. Joel Falls took the lead at the wave of the green flag and set out for a good lead. Roberts, meanwhile, moved into fifth on the first lap, into fourth on the third lap, third on the third, and second on lap 7. He then had a lot of real estate to make up as Falls had been out front by himself. Under green flag conditions, Roberts chased down the leader, took the lead on the 16th lap and won the race. Falls kept his second position at the pay window, with defending division champion Justin Cruise, Bobby Peebles, Shawn Kyzer and Joe Odom following.

Most fans would agree the most exciting race of the evening was that won in the Street Stock division by Dennis Freeman of Centerville. Freeman started his Shelby Belcher Trucking Chevrolet on the front row and took the lead at the start of the race. The action was right behind him. Whit Goode came from the sixth starting position to second running position on the second lap. Josh Belter came from seventh starting position to third on the fourth lap. The two younger drivers lined up behind Freeman and were digging on the lead. Freeman is most likely the driver to have mastered the high groove better than anybody else at BIR this decade. He ran his high line, giving the challengers every inch they needed to race. Belter went inside Goode on the 12th lap and began a quest for the lead. He could get beside Freeman and even inch ahead in the corners, but Freeman used the upper groove to get a run on the straights and keep the lead. Neither Belter nor Goode could get a good grip, so Freeman led them, in that order to the finish of the 20-lap race. Joel Falls, Ryan Logan, David Morrow, and Jason Sanford completed the finishing order.

There were three leaders in the Mini Modified race, with division strong man Ricky Holland being the final and winning leader. Holland’s winning streak was broken at the previous race night in April when his engine broke. Returning with a newly reworked mill, the Birmingham Suzuki/Auto Recovery Specialist number 1x rebounded with finesse. Holland took the lead on the fifth lap and went on to win over Eddie Dodd, Chase Spradlin, Scott Rice, Jonathan Goolsby, Ryan Price, Philip Amick, and Lee Streetman.

Show and Tell will never be the same at Paine Intermediate School in Trussville. That is because one of the fourth grade students, Charlie Melvin, once again won the Renegade feature race. Melvin recovered from a first lap spinout to work his way up through the pack. Melvin’s Paul’s Auto Wholesale/Wood Brothers Auto Sales/Associated Cooling and Heating Acura ran easily through the turns as he chased down and passed veteran racers five times his age. He passed for the lead on the ninth lap, taking his second consecutive race win. Mike “Rerun” Martin was second, Leonard Bradley third, Mike Aaron fourth, Eugene Aaron fifth, and Tommy Belden sixth. 


 BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY 13TH ANNUAL DAVEY ALLISON MEMORIAL 100
APRIL 28TH, 2007 By Grady Thorton Birmingham, AL (April 28).

Chris Serio scrambled his way from way back in the starting field at Birmingham (AL) International Raceway Saturday evening, overcame odds and misfortune, and made better use of rubber than any racer. In doing so, he captured the biggest Late Model win of his 10-year racing career. Serio capped off an otherwise all-around bad day by winning the Davey Allison Memorial 100, the second 100-lap event in the recently debuted Birmingham Super Series of eight Late Model events at BIR. It had not been a good day for the Serio team from the time they woke up. The tire combination was reconfigured five times before a decent rollout could be discovered. An unfortunate incident on pit road occurred in practice in which Serio’s car struck and injured someone who was rushed to the hospital with significant but not life-threatening injuries. Starting from 13th position in the20-car field did not bode well for the aggressive young racer. His qualifying time of 21.461 seconds was over .6 seconds off the pole. Dennis Reno, Jr., had the inside front row from which to start the 62.5 mile contest while fastest qualifier (20.824 seconds/108.048 mph) Johnny Brazier of Hazel Green manned the outside spot in a two-qualifier inversion. Reno set the pace and took the lead with Jeff Letson following close in behind for second. The field had just completed the first lap when Justin Cruise got loose, spinning around in turn two. A quick restart kept Reno out front until the fifth circuit when Letson made his move to the front. By the 10th lap the top five runners, Letson, Reno, Brazier, Larry Speakman, and Gary Sanford, Jr. were in a train well ahead of the rest of the field. At the quarter mark Letson had a comfortable 30-yard lead, with Reno, Brazier, Speakman, and now Serio in the top five. Serio had maneuvered his Anthony’s Car Cleanup/Zoe’s Kitchen/Rick Davis Performance Engines Chevrolet out of his starting position dungeon into tenth running position on the seventh lap, into ninth on the tenth, eighth on lap 14, seventh on 16, sixth on 18, and fifth on 19, advancing his on-track position by about one spot every two laps. The silver lining was beginning to overcome the dark cloud that had hung over the ethnic Sicilian all day. “I was real timid at the beginning of the race,” the 24-year old Hoover speed jock admitted. He had never raced on American Racer tires before.As the race went on , he was gaining confidence in the way his car was working with his tires. “I got on the radio and told my dad, ‘These are great tires! I don’t think you can wear them out!’” While Letson dominated the front followed by Speakman, Brazier passed Reno for second position on the 27th lap and Speakman passed Reno on lap 28. Meanwhile Serio had advanced position again to take third on lap 30. Serio got around Speakman in the 38th lap, but a five-lap debris caution put him back in third place. Speakman, a former Southern All Star racing series champion, probably had more 100-lap races under his seat belt than any of the other drivers in the race. His driving style in the Allison Memorial reflected that maturity and skill. He had kept his position and protected his tires for the run at the end. “Early in the race I was trying not to slip my tires,” he said. “I tried not to go too hard into the corners, not to spin them when accelerating. I tried to drive like a cup of coffee was on the dash.” When the race went back to green on lap 43, it would be a 30 green flag run. Speakman immediately challenged Leston on the restart, looking as if he had the umph to take the lead. Letson, however, was still untouchable. During this long run, Letson would put as much as 40 yards between himself and Speakman, who now had Serio behind him in third. Speakman all day. “I was real timid at the beginning of the race,” the 24-year old Hoover speed jock admitted. He had never raced on American Racersuccumbed to Serio on the 57th lap when the 24-year old Italian wrestled away the position. Serio had made 70 yards under green flag racing and was at Letson’s rear bumper by lap 64. On lap 67 they came by the flag stand side by side, with Letson half a car ahead. On lap 68 it was a quarter-car length lead. On the 70th lap Serio made a backstretch pass that took him to the lead for the first time since being almost a half-lap behind in the early laps. It was somewhere in the midst of this long green flag grind that Serio began to realize he had a shot at winning. His spotter, fellow truck racer Paul Jean, gave him some important data. “When Paul told me ‘You’re on the same straightaway as the leaders,’ all I knew was that I could see Letson and Speakman ahead of me. I didn’t know they were leading.” Serio’s dad, Anthony , who sets up the Port City car, made some changes he did not tell his son about. “I might have been scared to death if I’d known about it,” the winner laughed. The 73rd lap caution came out when Pat Cruise and Chris Oliver spun out in the second turn. On the 77th lap restart, Speakman tried to take it three-wide as he and Letson challenged Serio. Serio slammed the door shut, however, and maintained his place at the point. The final caution came out on lap 85 when Justin Cruise smacked the second turn wall. The lap clock was stopped on the 89th lap in accordance with BSS regulations regarding the final laps of the race. On the 90th lap restart Letson tried Speakman to unseat the leader from his second running position, but fell back. The final ten laps saw a lot of dicing and slicing, but Serio held up. Speakman was the runner-up, with Letson, Reno, Sanford, Gary Nix, Keith Cahela, Josh Hamner, Scott Dunn, and Roger Cain, in that order, being the top ten finishers. There was a heaviness in Serio’s heart and spirit that was hard to deal with. The injury of another team’s member disturbed him greatly. “I really feel bad, words can’t express it. I apologized to him when he came back. Thatis why I dedicated the win to him (in Victory Lane). Him and Charlie Bradberry.” Serio’s competitive nature was softened as he spoke of Bradberry, whom he described as a good friend. “He was a great friend; we were the best of friends. I loved him dearly. I believe he was helping me in the race.” Serio also got the Hard Charger Award. His family’s twin businesses, Anthony’s Car Clean up and Anthony’s Paint and Body, are equal in supporting the team. Also on board are A Cut Above and drinkact.com. Serio expressed appreciation to Joey Sims and Ray Tennyson for putting the Birmingham Super Series together. Referring to the various engine combinations, he said, “RayRay and Joey have made it fair to everybody.“ Letson was the highest finishing rookie, and led the most laps. The rookie drivers, and their finishing places were Letson (3), Cain (10), Tyler Caton (13), and Justin Cruise (16). Other notes of interest: Edwin Gurley was in the best 100-lap race run of his career at BIR, running a consistent top five position. He got as high as fourth (lap 90) until a flat tire took him in. Josh Hamner, a former BIR ROY and 100-lap winner, never got near the top. The ill-performing car, however, took him from 19th starting position to eighth place finisher on the lead lap. Seventeen of the 20 starters had some kind of success at BIR in the past, either as race winner, division champion, or rookie title. Ten cars were on the lead lap at the end of the race. Seven cars failed to finish. Hal Goodson was first out with engine problems. Burt Belter also lost an engine. Brazier lost oil pressure. Billy Melvin had wheel bearing go out, Justin Cruise wrecked, Andy Antinoro’s car broke a rear end, and Gurley had a flat near the end of race. OFFICAL FINISHING ORDER, BIRMINGHAM SUPER SERIES RACE #2, DAVEY ALLISON MEMORIAL 100 1. Chris Serio; 2. Larry Speakman; 3. Jeff Letson; 4. Dennis Reno, Jr., 5. Gary Sanford, Jr.; 6. Gary Nix; 7. Keith Cahela; 8. Josh Hamner; 9. Scott Dunn; 10. Roger Cain; 11. Chase Oliver; 12. Pat Cruise; 13; Tyler Caton; 14. Edwin Gurley; 15. AndyAntinoro; 16. Justin Cruise; 17. Johnny Brazier; 18. Billy Melvin; 19. Burt Belter; 20. Hal Goodson.

In addition to the BSS 100-lapper, six support divisions contested feature events.
 
The Super Modified results went pretty much as expected: Billy Melvin of Trussville was the fastest qualifier (21.285 seconds/105.708 mph) and won the event after taking the lead on the third of 40 laps making up the event. Melvin’s Performance Specialties Racing Engines/Posten’s Overhead Door/Associated Cooling and Heating team has won all except one Super Modified race in 2006 and thus far into 2007. Roy Cantrell, Dustin Knowles, Nick Martin, Brett Jean, and Harry Rice followed him.

In Sportsman division action, Jimmy Roberts of Avondale won his fifth consecutive race, continuing the longest winning streak this season. Roberts trailed Joe Odom five laps before taking over and leading the rest of the 15-lap race. Roberts’ Continental Realty Chevrolet finished ahead of Odom, who posted his best BIR finish ever, Shawn Kyzer, Courtney Parker, Bobby Peebles, Jon Adamson, and Joel Falls.

Whit Goode of Maytown was the winnerin the Street Stock 15-lapper. Goode led the second half of the race with his dominant Negron Grocery/Ray Ludof Paint and Body Chevrolet. Behind Goode was Roddy Moore guest-driving in the Ford of Josh Belter, Wayne Hill, Dennis Freeman, and Joel Falls.

By far the most exciting finish was in the Mini Modified 15-lap race, in which Sylvan Springs Jonathan Goolsby earned his first BIR win the hard way: coming form third row starting position to three-wide at the finish line. Goolsby’s Customs and Collision/Auto Color/City Auto Parts Honda rode in third position while Wayne Hill led the first 13 laps. A caution period came out on the 13th lap, setting the stage of one of the best shootouts in BIR history. A side-by-side duel had been developing between Hill and Eddie Dodd, Jr., who inched ahead on the 13th lap restart. Goolsby, who had been running in third since the fourth lap was close on the lead duo, but there was no room to get through. When the one-to-go flag was waved, Goolsby was still in third position. Coming out of the fourth turn to take the checkered, Goolsby went as far down on the asphalt as he could get and was inside Dodd and Hill at the finish, getting there about half a foot before they did. Scoring ruled Goolsby the winner. Dodd was second, Hill third, Jonathan Schroeder fourth, and Fritz Fridley fifth.

In thehistory of the ancient kingdom of Judah, it is written that the people proclaimed Josiah as their king in 639 BC. He was eight years old. So what. BIR fans were equally supportive and delighted but not surprised when a 10-year old, Charlie Melvin, became the youngest racer in the 94-year history of the track to win a feature race. Trussville’s Melvin was running in fourth position on the first lap of the Renegade feature. He took the lead on the fifth lap, doing a little side-by-side give and take with veteran driver Mike Aaron . At the end of the 12 laps, the Paine Intermediate School fourth grader was in Victory Lane with his Wood Brothers Auto Sales/Paul’s Auto Wholesale/Associated Cooling and Heating Acura. Aaron was second, John Sullivan third, Mike Martin fourth, Tommy Belden fifth, followed by Leonard Bradley and Eugene Aaron. This win capped of a great evening for the Melvin family.
Racer Billy Melvin is the proud father of Charlie. It was the first time this century in which a whole family was in Victory Lane twice for two wins in one night.

Roger Wood, Jr., held off challenges from his dad to win his second BUZZZ division race in as many nights. Wood passed John Amick on the second lap and ledthe rest of the 12-lap race. Wood, Sr., moved into second position on the fifth lap and finished there. Will Collins was third, Amick fourth, and Jimmy Hartley fifth.

The next race event at BIR will be Saturday, May 12th. There will be a 30-lap BUZZ feature paying $300.00 to win. Races for the Late Model, Super Modified, Street Stock, Sportsman, Mini Modified, and Renegade divisions will also be held. For more information call BIR at 205.781.2471 or visit the Website at www.bir-raceway.com.

BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY DAVEY ALLSION MEMORIAL WEEKEND
 NIGHT ONE APRIL 27,
2007 Birmingham, AL (April 27). By Grady Thorton

As a part of the two-day annual Davey Allison Memorial, Birmingham International Raceway hosted five support divisions Friday evening. While the Birmingham Super Series Late Models were allowed to test and tune, the local boys got to play in traffic. Repeat winners Jimmy Roberts and Roger Wood, Jr., shared the Winner’s Circle with 2007 newcomers Ryan Price, Josh Belter, and Mike Aaron.

In Sportsman action, Jimmy Roberts took his Buffalo Electric Chevrolet to his fourth consecutive win. Shawn Kyzer led the first two laps, lost the lead to Roberts on the third, regained it on the fourth and fifth, then relinquished it to Roberts for good on lap seven. Kyzer held on to the second spot for rest of the race. John Adamson was third, Bobby Peebles fourth, Joe Odom fifth, and Joel Falls fifth.

In the Street Stock 30-lap race, Josh Belter took his retro-look Ford to the win. The Howton’s Automotive Ford Grand Torino at Belter’s command handled as if on a rail and led the entirety of the race. Dennis Freeman came from sixth starting position to second position on the first lap and finished there. Braden Hall was credited with third, Matt Gaulden fourth, David Morrow fifth, and Steve Allen sixth.

The Mini Modified 30-lap feature was over quickly, but the winner was not declared until almost midnight. Nick Martin led the first lap, with Eddie Dodd taking the lead on the second lap. Newcomer Ryan Price took over on the third lap and held off three-time winner Ricky Holland through the 25th lap. Holland had engine failure, which took him out of contention and took away his prospect of winning his fourth consecutive race. Price was first across the line while Dodd advanced to second, where he finished. Scott Rice was third, Martin fourth, and Phillip Amick fifth. The complete rundown in this extended length feature, beginning with sixth, was Jonathan Goolsby, Ricky Holland, Roy Humber, Fritz Fridley, Scott Little, Lee Streetman, Blake Ferguson, and Jonathan Schroder. The tension came at the tech shed when legal protests were lodged against engine in Price‘s Toyota. BIR officials eventually ruled the car to legal to win.

Mike Aaron won the Renegade feature, taking the lead on the fifth of 15 laps. Mike “Rerun” Martin was second, Charlie Melvin third, Tommy Belden fourth, and John Sullivan fifth.

Roger Wood, Jr., of Trussville, led the BUZZ division 15-lapper from wire to wire. The Motorvations Motorsports car held off dad, Roger, Sr., who took second place. Mike Collins was third, Will Collins fourth, and Bo Burroughs fifth. John Amick was sixth, David Beck seventh, Jacob Wyatt eighth, and Tanner Bailey ninth.

OUTLAWS TAKE OVER BIRMINGHAM

BY GRADY H. THORNTON, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
 
Brimingham, Alabama (March 31). With a noticeable degree of arrogance and a disrespect for tradition, the outlaws took over in Birmingham Saturday evening. No, the state legislature did not move into the state’s Magic City. The newly formed band of envelope-pushers, the AllStar Outlaw Late Models, made it’s debut at the historic 5/8-mile oval known as Birmingham International Raceway. The Huntsville-based circuit brought drivers mostly from the North, with Phil Bozell of Portage, Michigan, taking home the coveted title of winner at BIR.

 The jubilant Bozell ran smooth as could be in his first visit to BIR. When asked how he adapted so quickly to the difficult track, he laughed and said, “We can thank the 41 car for that.” Bozell was referring to local driver Gary Nix of Adamsville, the event’s fastest qualifier and early leader in the race. The top runners had not figured out the quickest way around the track was the high groove. When Nix took the lead from Gary Wade Finley on the third lap and led until lap 32, the visiting drivers noticed. “We watched him. He should have not showed up until the race was ready to start. We were bottom feeders, trying to run low. We noticed he was the fastest.”

 Harold Fair, Jr., started second row outside and stayed in the second spot while Bozell held down third. When Bozell was ready to make his move, he picked off Fair on the 31st lap, then Nix on the 32nd. A caution period came out on lap 35. With Bozell leading, Nix pitted on the 36th lap and Fair on the 37th. Neither of the two cars regained the edge they demonstrated in the early running. It was a Bozell cakewalk for the rest of the 100-lap race. At the end, it was Bozell taking another of the many wins in his career. Finley was the runnerup, with Chris Benson, Andy Bozell, Fair, and Nix following in that order.

 Bozell’s car was powered by a Dave Irwin built engine setting in a Howe chassis Bozell and his teammates had reworked. The Bozell car carried the sponsors and support of Kalsee Credit Union, Sweet Manufacturing,