Gill Rides Into the Sunset for Second 2K1 Win

Brownstown, IN-July 7- John Gill of Mitchell, IN lived up to is billing as the Modern Day Cowboy as he rode his imaginary horse off into the sunset to take his second win of the 2001 season at Brownstown Speedway by taking the 25 lap, $2,000 to win main event. The win was also Gill's 41st career Late Model win at Brownstown. Other division winners for the evening included Jim Ruddick of Seymour, IN taking the Bomber feature, with Greg O'Neill of Mooresville, IN capturing the Super Stock feature.

Gill would parlay his outside front row starting position to jump to the lead at the start of the event, with Jim Curry, Ernie Barrow, Mike Jewell, and Steve Barnett giving chase. Gill would set a torrid pace up front as he immediately began to pull away from the field. Lap 3 would see the battle for fifth heat up at Barnett began to get pressure from Greg Johnson. The pair would stage the best action in the early stages of the event as the duo would race side-by-side for the spot until lap 7 when Johnson would take the spot, while Jesse James Lay was now on Barnett for the sixth spot. With Gill literally running away from the pack, Lay and Barnett would stage a spirited battle for the sixth spot, with Lay earning the spot with a turn two pass on lap 11. Gill would begin the process of lapping slower traffic on lap 13 and this would allow Curry to close in on the leader. Lay would continue his charge by taking fifth from Johnson on lap 16, only to lose the spot back to Johnson two circuits later. Mark Barber was also charging through the field after starting 17th, he was up to eigthth by lap 18. Lay would retake the fifth spot on lap 19 only to see his night end in puff of smoke two laps later. The only caution of the event waved as the field was set to get the two lap to go signal as Gary Burton would loop his mount in turn four. The restart would see Gill scoot away once again, while Barnett would slip by Johnson and Jewell to go to fourth as the field saw the white flag. Gill would see the checkered flag first in his Terry Eaglin-owned Helena, Inc., Elrod Grain Service #75 Rocket Chassis mount. Curry would come home second, with Barrow taking third. Jewell would nip Barnett at the finish by about a half-car length to get the fourth spot. Completing the top ten were Johnson, Barber, Dan Sturgeon, 18th starting Tim Prince, and Kevin Claycomb. Thirty-five Late Models were in attendance with heat wins scored by Curry, Gill, Jewell, and Barrow. Barber and Prince won the B-mains.

Jim Ruddick would score his third Bomber feature win in his last five starts as hw would take the 15 lap feature win in his Johnnie Cain Carpet Sales, C and O Auto Parts, Kar Kwik Muffler Shop #0 NightCrawler Race Cars entry. Class points leader Matt Bex would finish second, with Matt Cummings taking third. Bubba Woods and Robert Walters completed the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Charlie Stevens, Ray Godsey, Jr., Darrell Burton, Josh Turner, and Mickey Hines. Thirty-one Bombers were on hand with heat race wins going to Ruddick, Cummings, and Bex, while Jeff Helton scored the Bomber B-main win.

Greg O'Neill continued his season of muscle-flexing as he scored his third Super Stock feature win of the season at Brownstown after taking the lead from Rick Hines in the final five laps of the 20 lap affair. O'Neill grabbed the win aboard his Steve Hunt-owned Eastern Drywall Supply #99 HRP Race Cars entry. Jay Deckard would take runner-up honors after leading the first nine laps of the race, with Rick Hines taking third. Brad Cummings and Jeremy Hines would finish fourth and fifth. Completing the top ten were Steve Hunt, Dave Robertson, Mike Robertson, Stan Brown, and Jennifer Johnson. Twenty-six Super Stockers saw heats won by Hunt, Deckard, and Jeremy Hines, while Dave Robertson won the B-main.

Two nights of racing are set for this weekend as on Friday, July 13, the UMP Late Model SummerNationals will invade Brownstown Speedway, with the UMP Late Model feature paying $10,000 to win, along with Bombers on the racing card. Then on Saturday, July 14, there will be a regular show of Late Models, Super Stocks, and Bombers.

SUMMARY-Brownstown Speedway-Brownstown, IN-July 7, 2001

LATE MODELS (35 entries)

Top Qualifier- Jim Curry 15.617

1st Heat- Curry, Greg Johnson, Cale Kern, Steven Godsey

2nd Heat- John Gill, Jesse James Lay, Doug Ault, Kevin Claycomb

3rd Heat- Mike Jewell, Steve Barnett, Dan Sturgeon, Mark Bechelli

4th Heat- Ernie Barrow, Dick Phillips, Gary Burton, Scott Smith

1st B-Main: Mark Barber, Joe Godsey, AJ Bingham, Rusty Smiley, Randy Robbins

2nd B-Main: Tim Prince, Todd McKinney, Jeff Mounce, Dusty Chapman, Shannon Reed

Feature- Gill, Curry, Barrow, Jewell, Barnett, Johnson, Barber, Sturgeon, Prince, Claycomb, Ault, Phillips, Smith, Bechelli, Kern, McKinney, Steven Godsey, Burton, Lay, Joe Godsey

BOMBERS (31 entries)

1st Heat- Jim Ruddick, Bubba Woods, Charlie Stevens, Ray Godsey, Jr.

2nd Heat- Matt Cummings, Mickey Hines, Josh Turner, Dave Robinson

3rd Heat- Matt Bex, Robert Walters, Paul Owens, Darrell Burton

B-Main: Jeff Helton, Jim Pfieffer, Glen Woods, Frankie Warren, Fudgie Robbins

Feature- Ruddick, Bex, Cummings, Bubba Woods, Walters, Stevens, Godsey, Jr., Burton, Turner, Hines, Owens, Helton, Greg Benton, Roger Reichenbacker, Robinson, Pfieffer, Glen Woods, Andrew Davis, Warren, Robbins

SUPER STOCKS (26 entries)

1st Heat- Steve Hunt, Brad Cummings, Mike Robertson, Greg O'Neill

2nd Heat- Jay Deckard, Gary Green, Kevin Jones, Jennifer Johnson

3rd Heat- Jeremy Hines, Rick Hines, Stan Brown, Mike Cawood

B-Main: Dave Robertson, Dale Ayers, Ray Weston, Scott Ross, Deb Freisner

Feature- O'Neill, Deckard, Rick Hines, Cummings, Jeremy Hines, Hunt, Dave Robertson, Mike Robertson, Brown, Johnson, Danny Moore, Ayers, Green, Raymond Burton, Cawood, Weston, JD Hume, Ross