O'Neal, Gilpin, and Chastain Champs of Jackson County Fair Races
Brownstown, IN - July 31,1999 - Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees and 133 race cars made for one hot night of racing Saturday night at the annual Indiana Grand Champion Fair Race. Feature race winners would include Don O'Neal in the Late Models, Todd Gilpin in the UMP Modifieds, and Sam Chastain in the Bombers.
Forty-one Late Models were in attendance and the Late Model feature saw Doug Ault scoot to the point at the start, trailed by Jim Curry, Steve Barnett, O'Neal and Cale Kern. O'Neal would take third on lap 2, with Mark Barber taking fifth on the same lap. On lap 3, Barnett would slip by O'Neal for second as Curry slipped back to fifth, and O'neal would pass Barnett back for second one lap later. The first caution of the race appeared on lap 5 for a spin by Tom Collini. Curry ducked into the pits and returned to the race at the rear. On the restart, Ault was challenged for the lead by O'Neal and on lap 6, O'Neal would slip past Ault for the lead, with Barnett, Barber, and James Huff in tow. The caution would appear again on lap 9 for a turn three spin by Scott Smith. At this point, all eyes were on Mike Jewell, as he had charged to 6th after starting the event 16th. The restart would see Jewell break into the top five for good on lap 15 after a fierce side-by-side battle with Huff. Meanwhile, Barnett was beginning to fire, as he challenged Ault for second and grabbed it with a pass on lap 16. The front five would remain the same until lap 22, when Jewell would take fourth from Barber, as race leader O'Neal continued to set the pace behind the wheel of a brand new C.J. Rayburn mount. The finish of the 35 lap $1500.00 to win event would see O'Neal's Indiana Department of Tourism, O'Neal Wood Products #71 first, for the seventh time this season at Brownstown, with Barnett in the runner-up slot. Ault would nip Jewell in a photo finish for third, with Barber fifth. Completing the top ten were Huff, Brad Barrow, Rick Corbin, C.J. Rayburn, and Scott Smith.
Forty-one UMP Modifieds were signed in and the feature race for the division proved to be a good one as Adam Sasser, Todd Gilpin, and Earl Plessinger battled three-wide for the lead on the opening lap. The caution would fly on lap 5 for a spin by Tony Godsey. The race at this point saw seven cars racing for the lead in the first fifth of the 25 lap main. There would be one final caution on lap 8 for a spin by David McWilliams. By the midpoint of the event, it was a two car race as the duo of Todd Gilpin and Scott Patman raced for the lead, with Gilpin out in front as the two worked the hub of the 1/4 mile track to perfection. Gilpin would stave off Patman's repeated challenges as the Columbus, IN driver scored his first win of 1999 at Brownstown. Sasser would edge Plessinger for third, with Matt Boknecht fifth. Randy Petro, Brad Cummings, Gary Burton, Brad Thrasher, and Billy Peeden rounded out the top ten.
Fifty-one entries signed in for the Bomber division. Larry Harris led he 20 lap feature until there were three laps to go, as he got together with a lapped car and spun on the backchute. This would hand the lead to Sam Chastain, who drove his Briscoe Mobile Homes #57x to his second win of the year at Brownstown. Chastain would fend off a hard charging Kevin Applegate for the win, with Ryan Scott taking third, Matt Cummings would finish fourth after starting 17th, with Nate Wentworth fifth. Willie Sallee, Darrell Dearing, Paul Ortman, Tim Reed, and Rick Wilson completed the top ten.
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