WOO: Gary Wright Takes Winter Nationals Opener

19 October 1998

By Richard Day

MESQUITE, TX - Pennzoil World of Outlaws teams have learned to beware of Gary Wright at Devil's Bowl Speedway. The former track champion sneaked up on them again Friday, however, and won the Preliminary Feature when the series opened the 25th Annual Winter Nationals.

"I can't believe it," Wright said. "These guys are the best in the world. We just got lucky and hit a good setup tonight. This is great. To win one here at the Devil's Bowl - my home track - it couldn't be any better."

Wright, who won successive modified championships at the Devil's Bowl between 1982 and 1984, is a three-time Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series "A" Feature winner at the series' birthplace, including the 1995 Winter Nationals. He had to overcome adversity as steep as the banks at the legendary semi-banked, 1/2-mile oval early in the event.

Mechanical problems on the #9 F&J Construction Maxim caused Wright to miss his turn in the qualifying session. His 14.585-second lap was the third-fastest, but because he took it at the end of time trials, he only received credit for being 11th-quick.

Wright received a break during the Racing Champions Heat Races when Vivarin Fast-Time Award winner Donnie Crawford, fifth-quick Donny Schatz and sixth-quick Jeff Shepard failed to finish in the top five. Wright received the final starting position in the Channellock Dash when he finished second in the Third Racing Champions Heat Race, then passed four cars in the dash for the right to start the Preliminary Feature outside the second row.

Defending Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series champion Sammy Swindell won his 11th Channellock Dash of the season and started the Preliminary Feature on the pole. He burst into the lead as the green flag fell in the feature only to have Steve McMackin stop on the back straightaway during the opening lap.

Swindell took the lead again when the green flag replaced the yellow. Wright passed Oklahomans Andy Hillenburg and Daryn Pittman before Third Racing Champions Heat Race winner Shane Stewart brought out the caution flag by stopping in turn three late in the third lap.

Pittman, who plans to run the entire 1999 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series schedule, steered his #11P Crown Motorsports Stealth deep into the second corner to pass Wright as the race resumed. Wright used a similar move in turn three to regain second place three laps later.

Wright caught Swindell during the eighth lap, and followed him into lapped traffic midway through the race. Hillenburg, the 1994 Spring Nationals champion at the Devil's Bowl, passed Pittman for third place in dense lapped traffic deep in turn two early in lap 10.

Puffs of smoke started coming from Swindell's #1 Channellock Stealth the next time around. The leaders were taken out of lapped traffic when Craig Dollansky stopped on the bank in the fourth corner late in lap 15.

Wright raced wheel-to-wheel with Swindell through turn two as the green flag replaced the yellow, but was unable to surge ahead. He continued to pressure Sammy until taking the lead with an inside move in the third corner the next time around.

Wright opened a half-straightaway advantage as Hillenburg started challenging Swindell for second place during the 17th lap. Hillenburg steered his #2 J&J into the low groove in turn three to pass Swindell with 2 1/3 laps remaining.

Hillenburg, who won the U.S. Dirt Nationals at I-55 Raceway a week before, gained on Wright during the final two laps but was 1.054 seconds behind at the checkered flag.

"Sammy was smoking," Wright said. "I don't know if something happened to his car, but I was getting faster than him. I thought if I could get by him, we could go on because he was slowing down."

Swindell held off Steve Kinser for third place. Johnny Herrera finished fifth, ahead of Pittman, Mark Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Jac Haudenschild and Tyler Walker.

Jeff Swindell, the 30th-fastest qualifier in the 50-car field and the last driver to qualify for the feature, raced into 13th place from outside the 12th row.

Crawford received the first Vivarin Fast-Time Award of his career after pacing the qualifying session with a 14.437-second lap.

1998 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series

25th Annual Winter Nationals

Devil's Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX

Friday, October 16, Preliminary Program

Qualifications: 1. Donnie Crawford, Hillenburg 1H, 14.437; 2. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 14.581; 3. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 14.591; 4. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 14.632; 5. Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 14.714; 6. Jeff Shepard, Stewart 4J, 14.731; 7. Jac Haudenschild, Elden 22, 14.748; 8. Daryn Pittman, Pittman 11P, 14.750; 9. Sammy Swindell, Swindell 1, 14.763; 10. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 14.787; 11.* Gary Wright, Wright 9, 14.585; 12. Peter Murphy, Williams 0, 14.794; 13. Tyler Walker, Walker 35, 14.870; 14. Paul McMahan, Stanton 75, 14.882; 15. Danny Lasoski, Roth 83, 14.929; 16. Tim Shaffer, Helm 11H, 14.943; 17. Dale Blaney, Hylton/Blaney 93, 14.949; 18. Stevie Smith, Smith 19, 14.966; 19. Shane Stewart, Stewart 9S, 15.070; 20. Travis Whitney, Whitney 7S, 15.159; 21. Brian Paulus, P&P Motorsports 28, 15.159; 22. Aaron Berryhill, Berryhill 97, 15.187; 23. Wayne Johnson, Archer 1A, 15.189; 24. Steve McMackin, Row 41, 15.210; 25. Joe Gaerte, Holbrook 8H, 15.244; 26. Dean Jacobs, Holbrook 8, 15.258; 27. Mike Goodman, Ledford 7W, 15.290; 28. Rick Barksdale, 75B, 15.295; 29. Craig Dollansky, Dollansky 7, 15.308; 30. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners 104+, 15.345; 31. Bill Robertson, Eckley 16, 15.361; 32. Ronald Laney, Laney 52, 15.369; 33. Steve King, Harper 88K, 15.388; 34. Jason Johnson, Johnson 57, 15.475; 35. Lance Blevins, Blevins 21, 15.497; 36. John Bankston, Bankston 9B, 15.554; 37. Skip Jackson, Serace 55, 15.653; 38. Mike Peters, Grandstaff 66, 15.736; 39. Garry Lee Maier, Bishop 9x, 15.795; 40. Ray Campbell, Campbell 6, 15.803; 41. Jeff Mitrisin, Sereg 5J, 15.853; 42. David Chappell, Chappell 50, 16.020; 43. Tony Edmonson, Oakes 47T, 16.037; 44. Nick Bellino, Bellino 41B, 16.038; 45. J.R. Patton, Patton 86, 16.079; 46. Dan Oswalt, Oswalt D1, 16.139; 47. Gerald Cressman, Cressman 56, 16.179; 48. Brandon Corn, Corn 74, 16.180; 49. Keith Dempsey, Dempsey 1B, 19.506; 50. Shawn Sander, Sander 48, no time. * - qualified out of order and took one lap at the end

First Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Dale Blaney, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Brian Paulus, 4. Tyler Walker, 5. Craig Dollansky, 6. Donnie Crawford, 7. Joe Gaerte, 8. Donny Schatz, 9. Ray Campbell, 10. Skip Jackson, 11. Ronald Laney, 12. J.R. Patton, 13. Keith Dempsey. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Second Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Stevie Smith, 2. Aaron Berryhill, 3. Johnny Herrera, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Paul McMahan, 6. Jeff Swindell, 7. Dean Jacobs, 8. Jeff Shepard, 9. Steve King, 10. David Chappell, 11. Dan Oswalt, 12. Jeff Mitrisin. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Third Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Shane Stewart, 2. Gary Wright, 3. Andy Hillenburg, 4. Jac Haudenschild, 5. Wayne Johnson, 6. Danny Lasoski, 7. Lance Blevins, 8. Mike Peters, 9. Jason Johnson, 10. Tony Edmonson, 11. Gerald Cressman, 12. Mike Goodman. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Fourth Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Steve Kinser, 2. Tim Shaffer, 3. Steve McMackin, 4. Travis Whitney, 5. Daryn Pittman, 6. Garry Lee Maier, 7. John Bankston, 8. Peter Murphy, 9. Brandon Corn, 10. Rick Barksdale, 11. Nick Bellino, 12. Shawn Sander, 13. Bill Robertson. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

C Feature (10 laps): 1. Mike Peters, 2. Ray Campbell, 3. Dan Oswalt ($100); 4. Brandon Corn ($80); 5. Nick Bellino ($60); 6. J.R. Patton ($50); 7. Shawn Sander ($40); 8. Jeff Mitrisin ($30); 9. Skip Jackson ($25); 10. Garry Lee Maier ($25); 11. David Chappell ($25); 12. Tony Edmonson ($25); 13. Gerald Cressman ($25); 14. Keith Dempsey ($25). (first two qualified for the "B" Feature)

Channellock Dash (five laps): 1. Sammy Swindell, 2. Daryn Pittman, 3. Andy Hillenburg, 4. Gary Wright, 5. Jac Haudenschild, 6. Steve Kinser, 7. Johnny Herrera, 8. Mark Kinser. (finish determined the first eight starting positions in the Preliminary Feature)

B Feature (12 laps): 1. Joe Gaerte, 2. Danny Lasoski, 3. Jeff Shepard, 4. Jeff Swindell, 5. Donnie Crawford ($150); 6. Ronald Laney ($125); 7. Lance Blevins ($100); 8. Peter Murphy ($75); 9. Mike Peters ($80); 10. Dean Jacobs ($50); 11. John Bankston ($40); 12. Steve King ($40); 13. Ray Campbell ($60); 14. Jason Johnson ($40); 15. Mike Goodman ($40); 16. Bill Robertson ($40); 17. Donny Schatz ($40). DNS - Rick Barksdale. (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)

Preliminary Feature (20 laps): 1. Gary Wright ($4,500); 2. Andy Hillenburg ($2,500); 3. Sammy Swindell ($1,700); 4. Steve Kinser ($1,500); 5. Johnny Herrera ($1,350); 6. Daryn Pittman ($1,250); 7. Mark Kinser ($1,200); 8. Danny Lasoski ($1,120); 9. Jac Haudenschild ($1,075); 10. Tyler Walker ($1,050); 11. Stevie Smith ($1,000); 12. Jeff Shepard ($820); 13. Jeff Swindell ($720); 14. Dale Blaney ($630); 15. Tim Shaffer ($400); 16. Paul McMahan ($400); 17. Joe Gaerte ($320); 18. Aaron Berryhill ($300); 19. Brian Paulus ($300); 20. Craig Dollansky ($300); 21. Travis Whitney ($300); 22. Wayne Johnson ($300); 23. Shane Stewart ($300); 24. Steve McMackin ($300).

Lap leaders: Sammy Swindell 1-15, Gary Wright 16-20

Vivarin Fast-Time Award winner: Donnie Crawford