Lots of challenges in Senoia Speedway' s third week of racing

Lots

of challenges in Senoia Speedway' s third week of racing

Sharpsburg's Wayne

Hansard led every lap of the Alan Vigil Southlake 50-lap

Late Model feature race to take the win and the lead in

the points race for the 2000 racing season.

Hansard,

last season's points champion, started from the pole with

a 14.221 seconds lap in his Bill Heard-sponsored

Chevrolet Monte Carlo and was flawless as he moved in and

out of traffic at will around the 3/8-mile track, to

record his second win in three weeks.

Following

Hansard across the finish line for second place was

McDonough's John Beach. Beach dropped to the rear of

field on the start and worked his way to the front with

the help of a caution that came on lap 23, when Newnan's

Gabrielle Corbitt turned down on Stevie Banks as they

entered turn one, collecting both of them against the

inside retaining wall.

With seven

laps remaining, Beach drove around the second place car

of Scotty Ellis after Ellis's car developed a mechanical

problem coming out of turn four. Ellis kept his car on

the bottom of the track through turns one and two and

then drove up in front of the oncoming car of Banks.

Banks' car

was sent sailing hard against the outside wall, ending

his night of racing. Beach was left with only Hansard in

front of him with six laps remaining. But not even Beach

had anything for Hansard as he could only close to within

five car lengths at the finish.

Gabrielle

Corbitt held on to finish third ahead of Scotty Ellis and

Fayetteville's Charlie Bagwell, who rounded out the top

five.

Senoia's

Chad Caldwell finished sixth several laps down when he

pitted under green flag conditions on lap 29. But he was

able to return to the track later.

Seventh

place went to Banks, whose car will have to have a front

and rear clip. It is doubtful that this car will see the

track for the next three weeks of competition.

Pine

Mountain's Donnie Moore rounded out the field in eight

after suffering mechanical problems related to the rear

axle.

In the

Sportsman's division Newnan's Steve Payton jumped out to

the lead in turn one from his outside starting position

to record his third win of the season and the top of the

points standing in his Payton Machine Works Chevy.

Brooks' Mike Jenkins had to settle for a second place

finish as he had nothing for Payton. A very much improved

Mike Crowley finished third ahead of Dan Oliver and

Hampton's Alan Frey.

Blake

Griffin of Monroe, Ga. went flag to flag in the Street

Stock division for the win at Senoia Speedway. Griffin

was doubtful for this week's race after his involvement

with Jason Turner and Robbie Gober last week that left

his car a wreck. But that was not the case Saturday night

as he went from zero to hero for his first win of the

2000 season.

Senoia's

Mark Lore finished second ahead of Sammy Barge and

Fayetteville's Mike Steffens, who both fought a loose

condition all night long. Rounding out the top five was

Newnan's Jim Van Riper, showing improvement from the last

two weeks of racing.

In Mini

Stock, Fayetteville's Darrell Carlson held off a four-lap

charge from Jonesboro's Cary Hamilton for the double

points win and his first win of the season in the Mini

Stock series at Senoia Speedway. Hamilton led for the

first 21 laps until Gay, Ga.'s Troy French made contact

with Hamilton, causing Hamilton to spin out off turn

four.

Hamilton

and French were both placed behind Carlson on the lead

lap. On the restart neither Hamilton and French could

challenge Carlson, forcing them to second- and

third-place finishes ahead of Newnan's Ferman Estrada and

Keith Adams. Rounding out the field in sixth was James

Waite in the Hooters/MVP Sports Ford Mustang.

Senoia's

Scott Tinsley took the lead for the win in the Young

Lions division from Adam Quattlebaum with eight laps

remaining for his second win of the season. Second place

went to Bubba Pollard, also of Senoia, who was giving it

all he had on the last lap, losing control off turn four

and crossing the finish line sideways for the position.

Fayetteville's

Adam Quattlebaum finished a disappointing third after

leading the first 17 laps. Nick Hill, under the guidance

of Late Model driver Denny Stroud, finished fourth in

only his second race. Rounding out the field was Joey

Boyer and Bubba Harry.

In the pro

division, it took only three laps for the 1999 points

champion Oliver Gentry to dispose of Scott Moseley for

the lead and the win in Saturday Conkles Legends Pro

Series feature at Senoia Speedway. Moseley finished

second ahead of the cars of Pete Boyer and Rusty Lanice,

who finished third and fourth respectively. Scott

Tinsley, winner of the Young Lions feature, rounded out

the top five. Johnny East and Newnan's Jim Thomason

finished sixth and seventh ahead of Josh Phillips and

Chuck Greer, and Robert Drummond rounded out the top ten.

Senoia

Speedway races every Saturday night. The pit gate opens

at 4 p.m., the grandstand at 5 p.m. with racing beginning

at 7. For information phone Senoia Speedway at

770-599-6161 or Rich Lowenberg, media director, at

770-254-1141.