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Claycomb’s Star Shines Brightest and Shoots 15th Annual Kenny Simpson Memorial

Brownstown, IN – May 15 – Kevin Claycomb of Vincennes, IN drove his Prestige Auto Sales #28 to the win in the 15th Annual Kenny Simpson Memorial Saturday night at Brownstown Speedway. The race was event number six of the 1999 Northern All Star Late Model Series schedule and saw 52 drivers attempt to make the 22 car starting field that raced 50 laps for $5,000 to win. Claycomb’s win made him only the second driver to become a repeat winner of the event as his previous victory came in 1993. The winning entry was a GRT Chassis with Gaerte Engines providing the horsepower beneath the hood. The car was also equipped with AFCO Shocks and the tires of choice were Hoosier.

The start of the race saw Mark Barber jump to the lead from the outside of row two, but veteran Jim Curry would take the point on lap 2. The first caution of the race would be displayed after lap 2, as Barber stopped on the frontchute with a flat tire, but quickly went pitside and changed the tire and returned to the event. One lap after the restart, caution would wave for the final time for debris on the track entering turn one. On the restart, Curry would continue to hold the lead with Kevin Claycomb now in tow, followed by Jeff Wilson, Scott Smith, and Bob Pierce, who was racing for the first time in 1999. By lap 10, Curry and Claycomb were beginning to distance themselves from the rest of the field, as Pierce would pass Smith for the fourth spot also on lap 10.

The man on the move at this point in the race was Kevin Weaver, who had started 14th on the grid and was in 8th by lap 10, and made a daring move between Billy Drake and Ernie Barrow on the backchute to take 6th on lap 14. While this was taking place, Wilson and Pierce battled for 3rd place, with Pierce taking the spot away on lap 19, with Weaver passing Smith for 5th on this same lap. By lap 20, the lead cars were beginning to encounter lapped traffic as Claycomb closed right up on Curry’s back bumper and on lap 21, Claycomb squeezed beneath Curry exiting turn two and took the lead entering turn three. At the midpoint of the race on lap 25, Claycomb held the lead followed by Curry, Pierce, Weaver, and Wilson as Weaver passed Wilson in turn one on this same lap. As Claycomb continued to motor away from the field, Weaver would begin to track down Pierce for third and on lap 34, Shot beneath Pierce as the duo entered turn three. At this point, a great battle was also taking place for positions Six through ten as Ernie Barrow, Billy Drake, Steve Barnett, Scott Smith and Don O’Neal battled, trading positions with each passing lap.

As laps began winding down, Claycomb was firmly established in the lead, but Curry had Weaver breathing down his neck for second. With Claycomb taking the checkered flag first, Weaver and Curry went into turn three side-by-side, and Weaver edged past Curry at the finish for second. Pierce would come home in fourth, with Wilson having a superb run finishing fifth. Completing the top ten were Ernie Barrow, Steve Barnett, Don O’Neal, who started 18th, Billy Drake, and Marty O’Neal.

In other action, Scott Patman of Vallonia, IN drove to the UMP Modified feature win in convincing fashion as he led all 25 laps of the caution-free event. Trailing Patman’s Pro Chassis, Able Race Engine powered #29 at the finish were Adam Sasser, Matt Boknecht, Brad Erwin, and Daryl Herbert, who started 15th. John DeMoss, Randy Petro, Brad Cummings, Brent Londeree, and Todd Gilpin completed the top ten.

Darrell Dearing scored his second Bomber feature win of the season at Brownstown in a good race that saw Dearing, Robbie Wilson, and Sam Chastain battle for the lead throughout the entire race. Wilson would settle for second, with Robbie Palmer nipping Chastain for third, and Charlie Stevens in fifth. The second saw Alan Martin, Darren Crawhorn, Troy Clark, Matt Bex, and Matt Cummings finish in that order.

SUMMARY – Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, Indiana – May 15, 1999


Northern All Star Late Models (52 cars)
Top Qualifier – Steve Barnett 15.048
1st Heat – Jim Curry, Scott Smith, Barnett, Frankie Coomer, Jeff Coulter
2nd Heat – Mark Barber, Billy Drake, Marty O’Neal, Kevin Weaver, Doug Ault
3rd Heat –Jeff Wilson,, Bob Pierce, Kris Patterson, Doug McCammon, Duane Chamberlain
4th Heat – Kevin Claycomg, Ernie Barrow, Scott James, Dion Deason, Don O’Neal
1st Consy – John Gill, Tony Collins, Dan Sturgeon, Coulter, Gary Barrow
2nd Consy – Don O’Neal, Cale Kern, Chamberlain, Bob Pohlman, Steven Godsey
Kenny Simpson Memorial – Claycomb, Weaver, Curry, Pierce, Wilson, Barrow, Barnett, Don O’Neal, Drake, Marty O’Neal, James, McCammon, Gill, Sturgeon, Patterson, Barber, Deason, Chamberlain, Collins, Smith, Kern, Coomer

UPM Modifieds
1st Heat – Scott Patman, Brent Londeree, Todd Gilpin, Troy Burton, Alan Magner
2nd Heat – Brad Erwin, Matt Boknecht, John DeMoss, Richie Lex, Rick Hines
3rd Heat – Adam Sasser, Randy Petro, Brad Cummings, Nelson Gingery, Daryl Herbert
Consy – J.D. Francis, Rob Brickert, Darren Davis, Tony McVey, John Davis
Feature – Patman, Sasser, Boknecht, Erwin, Herbert, DeMoss, Petro, Cummings, Londeree, Gilpin, Burton, Magner, Hines, Gingery, Brickert, Davis, Lex, Davis, Francis, McVey

Bombers
1st Heat – Robbie Wilson, Charlie Stevens, Greg Hicks, Darren Crawhorn, Nate Wentworth
2nd Heat – Darrell Dearing, Alan Martin, Rick Wilson, Robert Walters, Ray Weston
3rd Heat – Sam Chastain, Robbie Palmer, Jennifer Johnson, Ryan Scott, Matt Cummings
Consy – Matt Bex, Troy Clark, Chris Streeval, Jonnie Collins, Travis Mankin
Feature – Dearing, Robbie Wilson, Palmer, Chastain, Stevens, Marlin, Crawhorn, Clark, Bex, Cummings, Rick Wilson, Streeval, Wentworth, Collins, Weston, Walters, Scott, Johnson, Mankin, Hicks