Brown Flies to Super Sprint Win at Devil's Bowl

Racing Saturday night, May 3 will be Super Sprints, USA Modifieds, Late Models and Street Stocks. 

Saturday May 3, will be free admission for residents of Mesquite, Sunnyvale, Forney and Terrell with photo ID.

The Championship Sprints will start racing on Saturday,  May 3. These cars will look the same as the Super Sprints, but will use a 2bbl carb rather than fuel injectors.

Mesquite, TX (Apr 26) – Charlie Brown led the super sprint feature from flag to flag Saturday night for his first victory this year at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Defending USA modified and late model champions Rowdy Starnes and Skip O’Neal took their first victories of the year. Walter Dorsett topped the street stocks.

Brown captured the first sprint heat race and due to his low point average for the season, he started on the front row for the super sprint feature. At the drop of the green flag, Brown and outside front row starter Justin Spoerl raced side by side into the first turn. Brown held his line and Spoerl had to lift as his car started to push. Brown pulled ahead in his City Blues / Koin Kar Wash of Forney Nr. 72 as they exited the second turn. The caution free race belonged to Brown as he pulled away to a comfortable lead. Brown maintained his lead all the way to the checkered flag, not even slowing as he lapped cars at the back of the field. Spoerl ran a strong race to finish second. His consistent top five finishes gave Spoerl the points lead early this season. The battle of the race was for third as Wayne McNally in the Nr. 8 racing with Kurt Summers in the Soulman’s Bar-Be-Que / Johnny Suggs Chassis Nr. 99 and Kevin Rowland in the Southwest Performance Engines Nr. 4. McNally’s years of experience at Devil’s Bowl allowed him to keep the younger drivers behind as McNally took third at the checkered flag, followed by Summers and Rowland, who won the second sprint heat.

Russell Shoulders had his Shoulders Racing Engines Nr. 21 USA modified running strong to win his heat race. Richard Miller in the Jeanie’s Used Auto Parts / Rick Shipp Rebuilders Nr. 1X, Rowdy Starnes in the Starnes Trucking / Big G Auto Supply Nr. 50X and Mike Goodson in the Troy’s Used Cars Nr. 66 won the other heat races. Aaron Morey in the Troy’s Used Cars / M&M Engines Nr. 17X, Dale Wester in the Jimmy Allard Machine & Supply / T - N - T Truck Parts Nr. 12 won the twin B mains.

Shoulders started the 15-lap modified main on the pole and took the early lead. Behind him the cars were three wide battling for second. Two laps later Shoulders pulled off the track, with Goodson taking over the lead. A lap later Ronnie Carty slowed on the front straight with a flat right rear tire. Running eighth with most of the cars behind him, Carty tried to get off the track, but as cars went right and left dodging his rapidly slowing machine, Frank Rose and Dave Peoples ran out of room. Rose clipped Carty and went into the safety barrier atop turn one. Peoples pitched his car sideways to lessen the impact, but it was still a hard crash. All three drivers walked away from their damaged race cars.

Goodson led the cars under the green flag with Steve Sickels and Rowdy Starnes right on his rear bumper. Richard Miller was fourth with Rick McCommas and Jay Miller battling for fifth. On the seventh lap, Gary Lowe and Chuck Hooks got together and spun in turn three. The leaders came upon their stopped cars before the officials could throw the yellow flag. Goodson, Starnes and Richard Miller went around the stopped cars, Sickels squeezed through the middle, but McCommas and Jay Miller crashed hard into the stopped cars. Kevin DeLashaw also could not avoid the wreck. All five cars were knocked out of the race, but no one was injured.

On the restart Starnes got a run low in turn two to pass Goodson for the lead. A caution on the next lap for Aaron Morey’s car stalled in turn four slowed the race again. When the green flag waved again, Starnes took off, but could not get away from Sickels in the Troy’s Used Cars / S&S Fabrication Nr. 50. Goodson’s car was pushing in the final laps and he drifted back. Dale Wester moved up from his 18^th starting spot to take third from Richard Miller on the 14^th lap. Fifth at the checkered flag behind Miller was Billy Fronterhouse in the Wade’s Rod & Custom of Wylie / C&H Wrecking of Nevada Nr. 5. Wester won the Timber Wolf Hard Charger Award, his second of the season.

Wayman McMillian was the fast car early in the late model races. After winning his heat in the P&W Sales / Manifold Systems Nr. 14, McMillian started the 15-lap feature on the second row. Slicing through the turn, McMillian pulled into the lead as the first lap of the feature ended. Right behind him was defending late model champion Skip O’Neal in the Barnsco Construction Materials / Urban Fire Protection Nr. 8. The two put on a great race for much of the feature. O’Neal pulled even several times, but McMillian kept pulling away. On the ninth lap, O’Neal finally made the move he needed as they approached lapped traffic and took the lead. A late race caution gave O’Neal a clear track to charge to the checkered flag, with McMillian second. Third was Jimmy Goodwin in the RC Drywall / Speed Pro Signs Nr. 12, with Jack Ambern, Jr. in the Woody Weaver Pharmacy & Home Medical Nr. 2 and Britt Ables in the Ables Auto / First Mechanical H&A Nr. 51 rounding out the top five. Sloppy Hogg win the other heat race.

Michael Murphy looked to have broken his hard luck this season, with a second place run in his heat, and by winning the street stock trophy dash in his Valvoline Nr. 21. Frank Shafer in the Automotive Machine Shop of Jacksonville / B.L. & Flat Broke Racing Nr. 84 and Michael Grubbs in the Fullen’s Crankshaft Service / R.C.I. Nr. 00X won the heat races. Shafer and Grubbs got together in the trophy dash, putting Grubbs on the trailer for the evening. Murphy and George Parrish started on the front row of the 12-lap main. Murphy took off and pulled away as Walter Dorsett and Shafer charged into the battle for second. Murphy built a five car length lead until mid-race as he started lapping slower cars. Shafer cut Murphy’s lead to only a car length. Then on the ninth lap, Shafer started to slow. Dorset was running a perfect race in third, and quickly took second in his Nikon Dallas / Home Care Supply Nr. 31. A lap later, Murphy and George Parrish made contact as Murphy went to lap Parrish. At the same time right in front of that battle, Johnny Philpot’s motor let go, spreading engine parts down the back straight. Either the contact or the debris cut down both right side tires Murphy’s car, sending him to the pits. Dorsett took over the lead for the restart. Shafer dropped out within a lap. Trandel White, his first night back in the Garcia’s Lawn Care / WhiteStar Trailers Nr. 10, had moved up steadily to take over the second place position. Dorsett easily took the victory, with White close behind. Mark Ross was third in the Ross Racing / Tommy G’s Welding Nr. 8, with Gayla Jones in the Koool Touch Refrigeration / Imperial Electric Nr. 42 taking fourth. Rounding out the top five was Parrish in the Jeanie’s Auto Parts / Parrish Racing Nr. 49.

Next Saturday night, May 3, Devil’s Bowl will offer free admission to residents of Mesquite, Sunnyvale, Forney and Terrell. Present your photo ID at the front gate for free admission to the grandstand area.

Story by Reggie Fields, Photos by Linda Fields

Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Race Results – Sat, April 26, 2003

SUPER SPRINTS - Heat 1:  

1. #72, Charlie Brown, Greenville; 2. #43, Jimmy Allard, Ennis; 3. #6, Justin Spoerl, Mesquite; 4. #99, Kurt Summers, Mesquite; 5. #4, Kevin Rowland, Cedar Hill; 6. #8, Wayne McNally, Dallas; 7. #10X, John Bontrager, Poetry; 8. #3, Johnny Suggs, Mesquite; 9. #10T, Troy Bontrager, Wylie

Heat 2: 1. #4, Kevin Rowland, Cedar Hill; 2. #6, Justin Spoerl, Mesquite; 3. #99, Kurt Summers, Mesquite; 4. #10X, John Bontrager, Poetry; 5. #10T, Troy Bontrager, Wylie; 6. #8, Wayne McNally, Dallas; 7. #43, Jimmy Allard, Ennis; DNS - #72, Charlie Brown, Greenville; DNS - #3, Johnny Suggs, Mesquite

A FEATURE: 1. #72, Charlie Brown, Greenville; 2. #6, Justin Spoerl, Mesquite; 3. #8, Wayne McNally, Dallas; 4. #99, Kurt Summers, Mesquite; 5. #4, Kevin Rowland, Cedar Hill; 6. #3, Johnny Suggs, Mesquite; 7. #10X, John Bontrager, Poetry; 8. #10T,. Troy Bontrager, Wylie; DNS - #43, Jimmy Allard, Ennis

USA MODIFIEDS - Heat 1: 1. #21, Russell Shoulders, Forney; 2. #5, Billy Fronterhouse, Wylie; 3. #98, Marc Madison, Tioga; 4. #39, Rick McCommas, Balch Springs; 5. #12, Dale Wester, Ovilla; 6. #17, Charles Lasater, Garland; 7. #84, Tom Lorenz, Balch Springs; 8. #23, Gary Lowe, Red Oak

Heat 2: 1. #1X, Richard Miller, Terrell; 2. #18, Frank Rose, Mesquite; 3. #34, Jay Miller, Terrell; 4. #71, Ronnie Carty, DeSoto; 5. #99, Johnny Dunn, Jr., Sunnyvale; 6. #17X, Aaron Morey, Dallas; 7. #6P, Jerry Cowart, Mesquite; DNS - #64, Rick Preddy, Aubrey

Heat 3: 1. #50X, Rowdy Starnes, McKinney; 2. #50, Steve Sickels, Rowlett; 3. #13, Chuck Beusch, Red Oak; 4. #K2, Kevin DeLashaw, Hendrix, Okla.; 5. #11, Dave Peoples, Royse City; 6. #50D, David Gailley, Mesquite; 7. #27, Tony Batt, Princeton; 8. #15, Chris Locke, Mesquite

Heat 4: 1. #66, Mike Goodson, Ardmore, Okla.; 2. #90, Johnny Hitt, Kaufman; 3. #12C, Chuck Hooks, Mesquite; 4. #T2, Todd Short, Denison; 5. #88, Clyde Dunn, Jr., Sunnyvale; 6. #19, Richard McGibboney, Dallas; 7. #77, Randy Kirkland, Mesquite; 8. #4, Tracy Adams, Rowlett

First B Main: 1. #17X, Aaron Morey, Dallas; 2. #17, Charles Lasater, Garland; 3. #11, Dave Peoples, Royse City; 4. #90, Johnny Dunn, Jr., Sunnyvale; 5. #4, Tracy Adams, Rowlett; 6. #84, Tom Lorenz, Balch Springs; DNS - #77, Randy Kirkland, Mesquite; DNS - #50D, David Gailley, Mesquite

Second B Main: 1. #12, Dale Wester, Ovilla; 2. #19, Richard McGibboney, Dallas; 3. #23, Gary Lowe, Red Oak; 4. #88, Clyde Dunn, Jr., Sunnyvale; 5. #64, Rick Preddy, Aubrey; 6. #6P, Jerry Cowart, Mesquite; 7. #15, Chris Locke, Mesquite; 8. #27, Tony Batt, Princeton

A FEATURE: 1. #50X, Rowdy Starnes, McKinney; 2. #50, Steve Sickels, Rowlett; 3. #12, Dale Wester, Ovilla; 4. #1X, Richard Miller, Terrell; 5. #5, Billy Fronterhouse, Wylie; 6. #T2, Todd Short, Denison; 7. #19, Richard McGibboney, Dallas; 8. #66, Mike Goodson, Ardmore, Okla.; 9. #90, Johnny Hitt, Kaufman; 10. #98, Marc Madison, Tioga; 11. #13, Chuck Beusch, Red Oak; 12. #17, Charles Lasater, Garland; 13. #17X, Aaron Morey, Dallas; 14. #39, Rick McCommas, Balch Springs; 15. #34, Jay Miller, Terrell; 16. #K2, Kevin DeLashaw, Hendrix, Okla.; 17. #12C, Chuck Hooks, Mesquite; 18. #23, Gary Lowe, Red Oak; 19. #71, Ronnie Carty, DeSoto; 20. #11, Dave Peoples, Royse City; 21. #18, Frank Rose, Mesquite; 22. #21, Russell Shoulders, Forney

LATE MODELS - Heat 1: 1. #14, Wayman McMillan, Gladewater; 2. #8, Skip O'Neal, Midlothian; 3. #51, Britt Ables, Wylie; 4. #47, Woody Weaver, Tyler; 5. #29, Mike Ambern, Longview

Heat 2: 1. #ZZ, Sloppy Hogg, Arlington; 2. #12, Jimmy Goodwin, Garland; 3. #84, Tom Lorenz, Balch Springs; 4. #9D, Jerry Horn, Athens; 5. #2F, Gene Foster, Wylie; 6. #2, Jack Ambern,Jr., Arp

A FEATURE: 1. #8, Skip O'Neal, Midlothian; 2. #14, Wayman McMillan, Gladewater; 3. #12, Jimmy Goodwin, Garland; 4. #2, Jack Ambern,Jr., Arp; 5. #51, Britt Ables, Wylie; 6. #47, Woody Weaver, Tyler; 7. #ZZ, Sloppy Hogg, Arlington; 8. #9D, Jerry Horn, Athens; 9. #29, Mike Ambern, Longview; 10. #2F, Gene Foster, Wylie; 11. #84, Tom Lorenz, Balch Springs

STREET STOCKS - Heat 1: 1. #84, Frank Shafer, Balch Springs; 2. #21, Michael Murphy, Ferris; 3. #72, Joe Crowder, Garland; 4. #8, Mark Ross, Royse City; 5. #3, Justin Trevathan, Denton; 6. #47, Danny d'Happart, Wylie

Heat 2: 1. #00X, Michael Grubbs, Sachse; 2. #31, Walter Dorsett, Royse City; 3. #10, Trandel White, Balch Springs; 4. #42, Gayla Jones, Mesquite; 5. #49, George Parrish, Terrell; DNS - #12, Johnny Philpot, Sunnyvale

Trophy Dash: 1. #21, Michael Murphy, Ferris; 2. #84, Frank Shafer, Balch Springs; 3. #10, Trandel White, Balch Springs; 4. #31, Walter Dorsett, Royse City; 5. #00X, Michael Grubbs, Sachse; DNS - #72, Joe Crowder, Garland

A FEATURE: 1. #31, Walter Dorsett, Royse City; 2. #10, Trandel White, Balch Springs; 3. #8, Mark Ross, Royse City; 4. #42, Gayla Jones, Mesquite; 5. #49, George Parrish, Terrell; 6. #3, Justin Trevathan, Denton; 7. #21, Michael Murphy, Ferris; 8. #84, Frank Shafer, Balch Springs; 9. #12, Johnny Philpot, Sunnyvale; 10. #47, Danny d'Happart, Wylie; DNS - #72, Joe Crowder, Garland; DNS - #00X, Michael Grubbs, Sachse

T

So far there no driver has two feature wins this season at Devil's Bowl. Through three points nights and two special events, 16 different drivers have taken feature wins. 

Richard Miller has a good feature run in the Nr. 1X USA modified. A strong smooth race, with a fourth place finish for the young driver in his second year in the modifieds.

Another USA modified driver showing improvement Saturday was Billy Fronterhouse. He has run strong and clean in his first A feature of the early season.

Gayla Jones got to the track late and barely made the start of the second street stock heat. In the feature she ran fourth, one of her best runs yet at Devil's Bowl.

It was not a good night for points leaders, Frank Shafer in street stocks, Ronnie Carty in USA modifieds and Tom Lorenz in late models all had trouble and dropped out of the points lead in their class.

Trandell White made a successful return to racing in the Nr 10 WhiteStar Trailers / Garcia's Lawn Care / Walls Racing street stocks after heart bypass surgery over the winter. 

Dave Peoples could only scratch his head after his crash in the USA modified feature. When Ronnie Carty slowed with a flat tire, four or five cars missed Carty, but by the time Peoples could see Carty, it was too late.

Johnny Philpot finally got his Nr. 12 street stock to start a feature, but the race ended badly as somthing let go, spreading parts all over the back straight.

Tony Batt also lost some parts from his Nr. 27 USA modified. The driver shaft let go in his heat race, and something else broke at the start of the B main sending him to the pits.