Barber Looks Marvelous in Brownstown Speedway Main Event

Brownstown, IN-June 30- Mark Barber of North Vernon, IN became only the third driver to repeat in the Late Model division as he captured the 25 lap, $2,000 to win feature at Brownstown Speedway on Saturday evening. Other class winners included Matt Bex of Avoca, IN in Bombers, Earl Plessinger of Seymour, IN in UMP Modifieds, and Eric Edwards of Bloomington, IN in AMSA Mini-Sprint action.

Polesitter Dan Sturgeon would jump to the lead of the Late Model feature at the drop of the green flag, with Mark Barber pulling alongside of Sturgeon in turn two as the pair worked lap 2, with Barber taking the lead with a turn four pass. The first caution to slow the pace waved on lap 3 as Vernon Soeder and Jeff Mounce got together exiting turn four, resulting in both cars making contact with the outside retaining wall, ending the night for both drivers. Back under the green flag, Barber continued to show the way, while Sturgeon was now getting some heat for second from Ernie Barrow. Greg Johnson ran in the fourth spot, while Tim Prince and Marty O'Neal were getting it on for the fifth spot. O'Neal would take fifth from Prince with a pass on the hub in turn two, while Bloomington veterans Sturgeon and Barrow slugged it out for the runner-up spot. Just as the leader was about to catch slower traffic, the final caution of the event appeared on lap 13 for Dusty Chapman, who had spun off the track in turn two and would be towed back to the pit area. The final restart would see O'Neal now challenge Johhson for the fourth position and O'Neal would scoot beneath Johnson exiting turn four on lap 14. Meanwhile, Barber was beginning to distance himself from the field, as Sturgeon and Barrow would continue to wage war for the second spot. As the five lap to go signal was shown to the field, Barrow and pull alongside of Sturgeon and the pair would go side-by-side for a lap and a half for second until Sturgeon secured the spot off of turn two on lap 22. Johnson was now pestering O'Neal for the fourth spot and would take the position on the hub in turn four as the field took the white flag. Barber would see the checkered flag first in his Bill Davis owned Biehle Electric, www.fishingbuckets.com, Challenge Plastics, Davis Machine #00 MasterSbilt Race Car entry. Sturgeon would hold off Barrow for second, with Johnson and O'Neal completing the top five. Steven Godsey would lead the second group of five at the finish, followed by Prince, Scott Smith, Joe Godsey, and Mark Bechelli. Twenty-nine Late Models were on hand with heats going to Sturgeon, Barrow, and Barber, with Chapman winning the B-main.

Bomber track points leader Matt Bex once again visited victory lane in the 15 lap Bomber feature as he led flag-to-flag in his Bailey's Flowers and Gifts, East Vending, Tucker Transmissions, Cummings Race Engines #31 Performer Chassis Monte Carlo. Bubba Woods would come home in the runner-up spot, with Jim Ruddick, Robert Walters, and Matt Cummings completing the top five. The second five at the finish were Charlie Stevens, Roger Reichenbacker, Paul Owens, Josh Turner, and Frankie Warren. Thirty-five Bombers in action saw heat race wins scored by Bex, Turner, Cummings, and Woods, with Jim Pfieffer winning the B-main.

In a hotly contested UMP Modified feature, Earl Plessinger grabbed the lead coming to the white flag to take the 20 lap open-wheel main event behind the wheel of his Moose Brothers, Lokey Timber, All Seasons Contracting, Crothersville Heating and Cooling, MS Ross Transport #39 Bob Pierce Race Cars entry. Adam Sasser would hang on to finish second, with Brent Londeree taking third. Matt Boknecht and Lee Hobbs completed the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Todd Gilpin, Randy Petro, Josh Lucas, Alan Magner, and Nelson Gingery. Thirty-three Modifieds saw heats won by Londeree, Sasser, and Petro, with Tim Eddelman winning the B-main.

The AMSA Mini-Sprints were also in action with twenty-two of the winged warriors in attendance and it would be 1999 AMSA champion Eric Edwards taking the 20 lap feature event aboard his Sierra Heating and Cooling, Edwards Car Wash #44 Bailey Chassis mount. Larry Bland would take second, with Boyd Wolff, Scott Williams, and Rocky Thickstun rounding out the top five. Completing the top ten were David Eichenberger, Paul Tetrault, Patrick Haynes, Steve Noel, and Ryan Brewer.



SUMMARY-Brownstown Speedway-Brownstown, IN-June 30, 2001

Late Models (29 entries)
Top Qualifier- Greg Johnson 16. 16.086
1st Heat- Dan Sturgeon, Johnson, Tim Prince, Mark Bechelli
2nd Heat- Mark Barber, Joe Godsey, Steven Godsey, Scott Smith
3rd Heat- Ernie Barrow, Marty O'Neal, Lee Hobbs, A.J. Bingham
B-Main: Dusty Chapman, Rusty Smiley, Greg Ault, Reece Riggle, Jeff Mounce
Feature- Barber, Sturgeon, Barrow, Johnson, O'Neal, Steven Godsey, Prince,
Smith, Joe Godsey, Bechelli, Derek Ramp, Hobbs, Ault, Smiley, Riggle,
Frankie Coomer, Chapman, Vernon Soeder, Mounce, Bingham

Bombers (35 entries)
1st Heat- Matt Bex, Robert Walters, Charlie Stevens, Darrell Burton
2nd Heat- Josh Turner, Frankie Warren, Chris Streeval, Rob Manley
3rd Heat- Matt Cummings, Jim Ruddick, Paul Owens, Mike Seal
4th Heat- Bubba Woods, Roger Reichenbacker, Bobby Davis, Glen Woods
B-Main: Jim Pfieffer, Dave Robinson, Jerry Maynard, Jim Isley, Andrew Davis
Feature- Bex, Bubba Woods, Ruddick, Walters, Cummings, Stevens,
Reichenbacker, Owens, Turner, Warren, Davis, Manley, Burton, Streeval, Seal,
Maynard, Glen Woods, Robinson, Pfieffer, Isley

UMP Modifieds (33 entries)
1st Heat- Brent Londeree, Earl Plessinger, Todd Gilpin, J.D. Roberts
2nd Heat- Adam Sasser, Alan Magner, Rusty Smiley, Mark Bechelli
3rd Heat- Randy Petro, Lee Hobbs, Brad Sturgeon, Nelson Gingery
B-Main: Tim Eddelman, Clint DeMoss, Brandon Short, Shannon Reed, Dale Hobbs
Feature- Plessinger, Sasser, Londeree, Matt Boknecht, Lee Hobbs, Gilpin,
Petro, Josh Lucas, Magner, Gingery, Levi Godsey, DeMoss, Sturgeon, Reed,
Bechelli, Short, Roberts, Eddelman, Dale Hobbs, Sm