Starnes Takes $1,000 Modified Victory at Devil's Bowl

Mesquite, TX (May 7) – Rowdy Starnes set sail at the drop of the green flag and never looked back to win the Crandall Cotton Gin Restaurant $1,000 USA modified feature at Devil's Bowl Speedway Saturday night. Jon Wallace ran away with the late model feature. David Gailley claimed the street stock feature win. Preston Grosvenor took his first championship sprint victory this season and Charlie Brown topped the super sprints. 

Rowdy Starnes started the special 20-lap USA modified feature on the outside of the second row and followed early leader Jeff Welborn in the Baxter Motorsports / Kountry Kids Day Care Nr. 19J through the first corners. Starnes got past Welborn on the second lap and started to pull a few car lengths ahead, only to have the advantage erased when third running Colby Smith spun around in turn two on the fourth lap. 

With the Crandall Cotton Gin Restaurant putting up a special purse for the modified feature, the action was hot and heavy through the night.

Starnes took off in his Starnes Trucking / Cain's Engine Repair Nr. 50X as the race resumed and built a comfortable lead. Welborn battled with Clyde Dunn, Jr. for several laps before relinquishing the runner-up position on the eighth circuit. Rick McCommas also got past Welborn to battle with Dunn for the position.

With those cars running side by side, Starnes was able to pull away and extend his lead to a full straightaway length. Troy Taylor started on the outside of the seventh row and worked through the field to take the fourth spot on the 12th lap. McCommas car started to smoke heavily entering the turns with about six laps remaining in the feature, but the caution flew moments later.

Jeff Welborn and Richard Miller got together in turn four and it took several minutes before order was restored and the cars lined up for the restart. Dunn had extensive damage to his car's right side body work from contact with a slower car earlier in the feature and a problem with the left front suspension or steering. Under the caution he went to the pits for repairs - relinquishing the second stop to McCommas.

When the green flag fell for the final laps, McCommas could not accelerate as quickly as normal. Taylor, Randy Kirkland and Jason Troutman all moved quickly past McCommas. Starnes set the pace with the track holding all the power the drivers could put down. For the final five trips around the half-mile clay oval, Starnes was perfect, never giving Taylor an opening.

Starnes took the victory by a couple car lengths, with Taylor second in his 25th anniversary silver paint scheme, sponsored by Smiley's and Batson Construction. Kirkland was a close third in the Reliable Plumbing / American Locksmith Nr. 77, with Troutman fourth in the Town East Ford / Speed Specialties Nr. 44 and McCommas held on to fifth in the Unlimited Sprinkler Nr. 39.

Starnes, Taylor and Don Jensen in the Jeanie's Used Auto Parts / Corker Tire Nr. 40 won the heat races.

Chuck Beusch got turned around on the back straight on the opening lap of the late model main. On the next start, Brandon Barber slipped off the back straight coming out of turn two. As he tried to get back in the groove, he made contact with Michael Grubbs car. Before it was over five cars were involved with Britt Ables taking a hard hit. Everyone was alright though sore. Barber, Ables and Grubbs were out of the race with Skip O'Neal and Tom Lorenz able to restart with mostly body damage to their cars.

When the race resumed, Jon Wallace wasted no time going to the front Coming from the third row in the Ron's Racing / Lane's Automotive Nr. 55, Wallace went around early leader J.D. Wilson's Nr. V8 on the third lap. Just as he did in his heat and the trophy dash, Wallace pulled steadily away from the rest of the field. Turning perfect laps every trip around the Devil's Bowl half-mile, Wallace built a comfortable margin and easily took the victory.

Lorenz returned to claim the second spot in the Smiley's Racing / Hoosier Tire Southwest Nr. 84, and O'Neal took third in his Urban Fire Protection / O'Neal Race Engines Nr. 8. Wilson and Wayman McMillan in the P&W Sales/ Maniford Systems Nr. 14 were fourth and fifth. O'Neal won the other heat.

Chris Guile took off from the outside of the front row as the street stock feature took the green flag. The Guile Enterprises / Kevin's Heads Nr. 2G set the pace, until losing the driveshaft on the third lap. Danny Zimmerman took over the lead in the Quality Intermodal Nr. 11X only to slow two laps later. Gailley was in the perfect position to take over the lead in the Gailley Motorsports Nr. 24. The remainder the race was a tight battle between Gailley and Walter Dorsett. Though Dorsett was able to pull his Nikon Dallas / R&D Racing Nr. 31 alongside a couple times, Gailley controlled the fastest line and claimed his first street stock victory this season by a couple car lengths. Trandel White claimed third in the Verna May / Garcia's Lawn Care Nr. 10 in a race long battle with Johnny Philpott in the J&S Direct Doors / Riddell Plumbing Nr. 12. Terry Carter rounded out the top five in his Nr. 35. Zimmerman, Philpott and Jason Trevathan in the Pit Stop Pizza / Anson Powder Coating Nr. 3 won the heat races.

Preston Grosvenor pulled away as the green flag dropped on the championship sprint feature, setting the pace through the first turns in the Enduro Powder Coating / Gary's Machine Shop Nr. 20X. Dale Wester moved into second and closed on Grosvenor's rear bumper but for the remainder of the feature, Wester was unable to find a way to put the Service King Collision Repair / Allard Racing Engines Nr. 12 into the top spot. They diced for the lead lap after lap with Grosvenor taking his first feature win of the season. Randy Bryant was third in the Custom Engine Balancing Nr. 6 with Phil Valvra fourth in the Jimmy Allard Racing ENgines Nr. 4. Wester won the heat race.

Ray Welnack set the early pace in the super sprint feature from the outside of the front row in his Nr. 16. Brown started the Keith's Truck & Accessories / Forney Kar Wash Nr. 72 on the fifth row with Larry Long starting on the fourth row in the Town East Ford / Speed Specialties Nr. 28. The pair battled their way through the field taking over the second and third spots on the fifth lap.

Brown had the advantage and claimed the lead on the ninth circuit, with Long right behind him. For the remainder of the caution free feature, they were only occasionally separated by a lapped car with Brown claiming his fourth feature win of the season. Third behind Long was Welnack with Todd Evans in the Fillip Automotive of San Angelo Nr. 14E fourth and Bill Waller in the Lubrication Engineers / Brenco Industrial Service Nr. 53 taking fifth. Welnack and Long topped the heat races.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Race Results – Sat, May 7, 2005

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Next At Devil's Bowl

Saturday, May 14

O'Rielly Free Admission Night for residents of Balch Springs, Seagoville, Crandall, Kaufmann - with photo ID proof of residence.

Super Sprints,  USA Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks