Brownstown痴 Firecracker 40 is the "Donnie O" Show
Brownstown IN - 7/03/1999 - Don O誰eal of Martinsville, IN picked up his sixth win of the season at Brownstown Speedway Saturday night by dominating the Firecracker 40 for the Late Models. The victory was O誰eal痴 26th career win at Brownstown and was worth $8,000 for the driver of the Indiana Department of Tourism, O誰eal Wood Products #71 C. J. Rayburn Race Car entry.
O誰eal would take the lead at the start, followed by Jeff Taylor, Kevin Claycomb, Mark Barber, and Scott Smith. Barber would challenge Claycomb for third and snatch the spot on lap 2, while Scott Smith and Jim Curry battled for fifth. Barber would pass Taylor for second on lap 4, while Smith and Curry continued to trade fifth spot, exchanging it on four occasions until lap 7, when Smith took control of the spot, while at the same time Claycomb passed Taylor for third. O誰eal was beginning to stretch his lead as he reached slower traffic and began the lapping process on lap 8. Smith and Taylor would begin a battle for fourth, with Smith taking the spot on lap 11. Curry would take fifth from a fading Taylor on lap 15 with C.J. Rayburn right on his back bumper in sixth. Curry and Rayburn would battle for fifth for several laps, with Rayburn taking the spot on one occasion, only to have Curry take the position right back.
Meanwhile, O誰eal痴 torrid pace at this point seemed to become even more rapid as "The Real Deal" was setting a blistering pace and lapping more cars with each passing lap. The top five of O誰eal, Barber, Claycomb, Smith, Curry would remain the same as the checkered flag fell on the caution-free event that was completed in 11 minutes. Rayburn would be the last car on the lead lap as he finished sixth, while Cale Kern, Mike Jewel, Taylor, and Brett Davis completed the second five behind Rayburn.
The 25 lap Street Stock main event was an excellent race that saw Tim Clark, Mike Fields, and Rusty Smiley battle throughout the event for the lead, racing just inches apart with on contact being made. Clark and Fields would pull away after a lap 18 caution and restart, with this duo racing for the win. North Vernon IN痴 Tim Clark would come out on top for yet another win behind the wheel of his Majestic Electric/Right Auto Parts/Miller Tire #1. Fields would finish second, with Smiley, Trent Niflis, and Joe Johnson completing the top five. Sixth through tenth at the finish were Eddid Kindred, Roy Bruce, Steve Hunt, Cory Brown, and Barry Gerkin.
The Bomber division feature saw Sam Chastain of Mitchell, IN survive a late race tangle with then runner-up Rick Applegate to score the 15 lap feature in his Briscoe Mobile Homes/Custom Construction #57 and become a first time winner at Brownstown. Chastain would fend off challenges from Charlie Stevens and Larry Harris in the waning laps of the race, with that duo finishing second and third, and Matt Bex and Robbie Palmer completing the top five. Rounding out the top ten would be Darrell Dearing, Nate Wentworth, Darren Crawhorn, Matt Cummings, and Alan Martin.