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Division front-runners approach season's finish line trying to hold ground with "tired engines.''
By LOGAN NEILL
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 6, 2001
September traditionally begins the most crucial part of the season at Citrus County Speedway, especially for drivers in the hunt for one of the seven division crowns.
For many of those racers, it often is a time of nagging questions.
Things like: Is the small oil leak that your car developed last week a sign of big trouble to come? Is the 3-year-old clutch going to hold out until the final night? And, what's the story with that intermittent miss in the engine you began noticing a couple of weeks ago?
But with the season approaching its final stretch, time is not on the side of those who are trying to protect a points lead or make up ground. A "Did Not Finish" near the end of the schedule can be particularly costly, says Herb Neumann Jr., a three-time champion.
"If you're still in it for a championship by this point, keeping your car together and on the track every night is probably the most important thing you can do," Neumann said.
"Right now, there are a lot of tired engines on the track," he said, "and some of them are going to give out before it's all over."
With a 67-point lead on his closest Late Model rival, Dale Sanders, Neumann doesn't enjoy what he would consider a comfortable cushion. Fortunately for Neumann, his car has been running well and his consistent finishes in recent weeks have enabled him to shine simply because his competitors have not.
"I finished fifth last week, and normally I wouldn't be too thrilled about it," Neumann said. "But the guys behind me haven't been doing all that well either, so that's helped."
While Neumann has had his share of mechanical problems, including a blown motor, he's confident his car is healthy enough to take him through closing night. In fact, Neumann thinks he has the freedom to be able to turn things up a notch or two if he wishes.
"I was fortunate in that I won a lot at the beginning of the season and built up my points," he said. "I can afford to go out and take a few more chances."
Like Neumann, Street Stock driver Travis Nichols has enjoyed being in the top spot of his class since opening night.
He, too, hasn't had many stellar performances recently, which has allowed Ernie Reed, Jr. to gradually creep within 26 points of Nichols' 731 total.
Nichols knows that things likely are to tighten up in the coming weeks. Just 55 points separate the top four drivers, including Dean Lawyer and Mike Bell, who are tied for third at 676. But while Nichols realizes he must gun for every possible win, he must be conservative. "Winning my first championship was my goal since the beginning of the season," Nichols said. "But it was also a lot of other people's as well.
"When you only have a few weeks left, you're scratching for every point you can get," he said. "The worst thing that can happen is to tear your car up and go home empty-handed."
WHAT: Short-track stock car racing in the Late Model, Sportsman, Street Stock, Hobby Stock, Mini Stock and Thunder Stock classes, as well as the Super Mini Cup Cars and the Great American Bicycle Races for kids.
WHEN: Saturday. Gates open at 4 p.m. The first heat race is at 6:30.
WHERE: 2 miles south of Inverness on U.S. 41.
ADMISSION: Adult general, $10; seniors and students to age 17, $8; children under 10, $2; under-12 child with paid adult, free; and pits, $20.
INFORMATION: (352) 726-9339.
LATE MODEL: 1. Herb Neumann, Jr. (647), 2. Dale Sanders (580), 3. Billy Bechtelheimer (571), 4. Danny Johnson (544), 5. John Chance (500).
SPORTSMAN: 1. Mike Veltman (794), 2. Rex Struble (698), 3. Chris Hooker (671), 4. Mark Dominique (625), 5. Johnny Sanders (610).
STREET STOCK: 1. Travis Nichols (731), 2. Ernie Reed, Jr. (705), 3. (tie) Mike Bell, Dean Lawyer (676), 5. Victor Stanley (642).
MINI STOCK: 1. Frank Coleman (661), 2. Mark Sowell (636), 3. John Coleman (584), 4. Don Faunce (561), 5. Rob Wheatley (558).
HOBBY STOCK: 1. Richie Smith (811), 2. Roy Perkins (709), 3. J.D. Goff (685), 4. Brandon Johnson (660), 5. Art Brueningsen (627).
FIGURE 8: 1. Bob Hage (328), 2. Robbie Hage (315), 3. Robert Aaron (305), 4. (tie) Charlie Meyer, Scott Knight (263).
THUNDER STOCK: 1. Stuart Madison (694), 2. Allen Turner (572), 3. Rick Badessa (552), 4. John Donahue (548), 5. Gary Johnson (518).