From Richard Day
Lake Odessa, MI — (October 7, 1997) — Stevie Smith sure knows how to take care of a sponsor.
Three days after announcing his sponsorship agreement with Ingersoll-Rand, Smith arrived at I-96 Speedway Tuesday with a new black car trimmed in red and white and emblazoned with his sponsor’s logos. Then Stevie drove the new-look sprinter to his fourth Pennzoil World of Outlaws “A” Feature of the year in convincing fashion, leading all 40 laps from the pole.
“I’m thankful for everything we have, especially my dad and Devin (Delugio),” Smith said. “Having Ingersoll-Rand join the #19 team is something I’m very proud of.
“We’ve struggled a little lately, but I think we have things going back in the right direction now. All the credit goes to my crew. This car was fun to drive tonight.”
For Smith, the fun started after Channellock Fast-Time Award winner Mark Kinser picked the #4 inversion pill, giving Smith – the fifth-fastest qualifier – the pole position in the Vivarin Dash. Stevie won the five-lap race for the right to start the main event on the pole.
Smith and Kinser, who started the “A” Feature outside the front row, raced wheel-to-wheel down the front straightaway before Stevie surged ahead in the first corner.
Steve Kinser was challenging Jac Haudenschild for third place two laps later when Craig Dollansky spun in front of Paul McMahan and Keith Kauffman in turn four. The three-car collision sent McMahan and the #75 Mopar Stealth flipping into the outside retaining fence. Though none of the drivers were injured in the mishap, each watched the remainder of the race from the pit area.
As the green flag replaced the red, Andy Hillenburg executed a daring move through the third and fourth corners to pass Kenny Jacobs and World of Outlaws points leader Sammy Swindell and take over sixth place. Jacobs came back three laps later, taking the high line into turn four to pass Hillenburg for sixth.
Smith burst into lapped traffic with a half-straightaway lead during the ninth lap. His comfortable advantage disintegrated five laps later, however, when Haudenschild stopped the #22 Pennzoil Maxim in the fourth corner with a flat left rear tire.
Although the #5M Wirtgen Maxim lost a cylinder midway through the race, Mark Kinser managed to maintain his second-place running position. Smith was a full straightaway ahead of Mark when he caught the backmarkers again with 11 laps remaining.
Swindell continued his charge toward the front with a back- stretch pass of Jacobs for fourth place midway through lap 23.
Kinser narrowed the gap to seven car-lengths in dense lapped traffic with four laps remaining, but Smith broke out of traffic with two laps remaining and took the checkered flag with 10 car- lengths to spare.
Steve Kinser closed to within 11 points of Dave Blaney in their battle for second place in the driver standings by running third. Swindell finished fourth, ahead of Jacobs, Blaney, Hillenburg, Joey Saldana, Second Heat Race winner Johnny Herrera and Frankie Kerr.
Greg Hodnett, the 20th-fastest qualifier in the 43-car field, raced into 12th place from outside the ninth row. Lance Blevins, the last driver to qualify for the main event, passed seven cars to finish 17th.
Mark Kinser broke his 13th single-lap record of the year with a 119.111-m.p.h. run around the semi-banked, 1/2-mile oval. The 15.112-second lap was 2 1/2 m.p.h. faster than the standard he set June 15th. He was rewarded with his 30th Channellock Fast- Time Award of the year.
The $40,000 event was originally scheduled for July 21st, but was postponed due to inclement weather.
1997 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
I-96 Speedway, Lake Odessa, MO
Tuesday, October 7, Feature Program #64
Qualifications: 1. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 15.112 (new one- lap record); 2. Jac Haudenschild, Elden 22, 15.332; 3. Charlie Fisher, Fisher 48, 15.435; 4. Kenny Jacobs, Ashworth 92, 15.442; 5. Stevie Smith, Smith 19, 15.525; 6. Sammy Swindell, Swindell 1, 15.527; 7. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 15.544; 8. Frankie Kerr, Shoff 23S, 15.549; 9. Dave Blaney, Blaney/Hylton 10, 15.558; 10. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 15.661; 11. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 15.680; 12. Joey Saldana, Mox 17, 15.742; 13. Craig Dollansky, Wahlie 1W, 15.745; 14. Van Gurley, Jr., Gurley 3B, 15.749; 15. Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 15.752; 16. Dean Jacobs, Jacobs 1F, 15.768; 17. Tyler Walker, Walker 35, 15.787; 18. Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G, 15.836; 19. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners 7TW, 15.858; 20. Greg Hodnett, Helm 11H, 15.860; 21. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11D, 15.893; 22. Keith Kauffman, Johnson U2, 15.895; 23. Gus Wasson, Wasson 3, 15.945; 24. Kevin Huntley, Daugherty 7, 15.965; 25. Bobby Allen, Allen 1a, 15.965; 26. Paul McMahan, Stanton 75, 15.972; 27. Lance Blevins, Blevins 21, 16.023; 28. Daniel Coggeshell, Coggeshell 3C, 16.032; 29. Byron Reed, B&S Racing 5R, 16.110; 30. Terry McCarl, Holbrook 8H, 16.180; 31. James Fisher, Fisher 48J, 16.200; 32. Bobby Adamson, Adamson 2A, 16.382; 33. Jerry Slade, Slade 1CW, 16.610; 34. Jay Rohrback, Rohrback 22J, 16.711; 35. Fred Boso, Boso 7B, 17.008; 36. Joe Conway, Conway 11C, 17.008; 37. Howie Gleason, Gleason 21G, 17.067; 38. Jason Blonde, Blonde 10B, 17.285; 39. Kevin Bloomstran, Bloomstran 5W, 17.307; 40. Lisa Ward, Ward 49W, 17.635; 41. Greg Wilson, Wilson 60, 17.940; 42. David Aldrich, Aldrich 27, 19.687; 43. Davey Brown, Brown 13, no time.
First Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Tyler Walker, 2. Craig Dollansky, 3. Stevie Smith, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Dave Blaney, 6. Dion Hindi, 7. Kevin Huntley, 8. Byron Reed, 9. Howie Gleason, 10. Jerry Slade, 11. Greg Wilson. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Second Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Johnny Herrera, 2. Joe Gaerte, 3. Jac Haudenschild, 4. Keith Kauffman, 5. Sammy Swindell, 6. Paul McMahan, 7. Van Gurley, Jr., 8. Jason Blonde, 9. Jay Rohrback, 10. David Aldrich, 11. Terry McCarl. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Third Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Gus Wasson, 2. Jeff Swindell, 3. Donny Schatz, 4. Andy Hillenburg, 5. Steve Kinser, 6. Lance Blevins, 7. Charlie Fisher, 8. Fred Boso, 9. Kevin Bloomstran, 10. James Fisher, 11. Davey Brown. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Fourth Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Greg Hodnett, 2. Joey Saldana, 3. Kenny Jacobs, 4. Bobby Allen, 5. Frankie Kerr, 6. Dean Jacobs, 7. Daniel Coggeshell, 8. Bobby Adamson, 9. Joe Conway, 10. Lisa Ward. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Vivarin Dash (five laps): 1. Stevie Smith, 2. Mark Kinser, 3. Kenny Jacobs, 4. Jac Haudenschild, 5. Sammy Swindell, 6. Steve Kinser, 7. Dave Blaney, 8. Frankie Kerr. (finish determined the first eight starting positions in the “A” Feature)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Dion Hindi, 2. Dean Jacobs, 3. Paul McMahan, 4. Lance Blevins, 5. Terry McCarl ($200); 6. Kevin Huntley ($180); 7. Van Gurley, Jr. ($150); 8. Charlie Fisher ($110); 9. Bobby Adamson ($90); 10. Bobby Adamson ($80); 11. Jason Blonde ($60); 12. Fred Boso ($60); 13. Kevin Bloomstran ($50); 14. Joe Conway ($50); 15. Howie Gleason ($50); 16. Jay Rohrback ($50); 17. David Aldrich ($50); 18. Lisa Ward ($50); 19. Daniel Coggeshell ($50); 20. Jerry Slade ($50); 21. Greg Wilson ($50); 22. Davey Brown ($50); 23. James Fisher ($50). (first four qualified for the “A” Feature)
A Feature (30 laps): 1. Stevie Smith ($7,000); 2. Mark Kinser ($4,000); 3. Steve Kinser ($3,000); 4. Sammy Swindell ($2,500); 5. Kenny Jacobs ($2,300); 6. Dave Blaney ($2,200); 7. Andy Hillenburg ($2,100); 8. Joey Saldana ($2,000); 9. Johnny Herrera ($1,700); 10. Frankie Kerr ($1,600); 11. Tyler Walker ($1,200); 12. Greg Hodnett ($1,150); 13. Donny Schatz ($1,100); 14. Jeff Swindell ($1,050); 15. Jac Haudenschild ($1,000); 16. Joe Gaerte ($700); 17. Lance Blevins ($620); 18. Bobby Allen ($500); 19. Gus Wasson ($500); 20. Dion Hindi ($520); 21. Dean Jacobs ($520); 22. Paul McMahan ($520); 23. Keith Kauffman ($500); 24. Craig Dollansky ($500).