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NASCAR SJAPS: Anderson Regains Points Lead in Slim Jim All Pro Series

28 June 1999

Asheboro, N.C.- Wildwood, Fla.'s Wayne Anderson not only won the $41,000 Arndt & Herman Windows 200 for the Slim Jim All Pro Series, NASCAR Touring on Saturday night, he regained the series points lead after being unseated from the top spot last week. The Jani-King Chevrolet driver earned $8,465 for the hard-fought victory.

"I can't say enough about Frankie Grill (car owner) and this entire Jani-King Commercial Cleaning Services team. Everyone works long and hard on this team to put a good race car under me and tonight's win shows what can result from all of their hard work," stated Anderson.

For the second time in 1999 Huntersville, N.C.'s Coy Gibbs grabbed the $300 Bud Pole Award as he drove his MBNA Chevrolet around the 0.455-mile oval in a time of 16.545 seconds at an average speed of 99.003 mph. Sharing front row honors was Anderson who clocked a 16.613-second lap. Gibbs is now in a tie with Scott Kilby for the most Bud Pole Awards.

As the 30-car field surged to the start-finish line to begin the 200-lap contest Anderson grabbed the early lead. The race was just six laps old when the first of 10 cautions occurred. Laurel, Miss.'s Robert Burroughs spun his Chevrolet in turn one, collecting Centre, Ala.'s Tina Gordon in the process. The wayward duo was able to pull away and continue after sheet metal repairs. During this caution period many of the lead lap cars pitted to fulfill their mandatory pit stop requirement but pit road was not the place to be.

While attempting to exit the pits Nortel Networks Chevrolet driver Hal Goodson made hard contact with a pit road barrier and was forced to extend his stay on pit road for nearly 40 laps to effect repairs to the right front of his race car. Also hampered by this incident were Steven Howard, Josh Clemons and rookie Patrick Lawler. The trio each lost one lap.

The green flag was again displayed on lap 12 and Asheville, N.C.'s Lee Tissot now paced the field. The Brinkley Racing Pontiac driver maintained the top spot through five more caution periods that occurred during the first 100 laps of the event. The race's sixth caution produced a scary moment for Pensacola, Fla.'s Eddie Mercer when he tangled with Statesville, N.C.'s Scott Kilby as the duo made contact while racing for the third position coming out of turn two. Both cars piled into the outside backstretch wall with Mercer's Phoenix Construction/Eddie Mercer Automotive SuperCenter Chevrolet nearly flipping over. Miraculously neither driver was injured but the same could not be said for their race cars. Kilby was forced to pit repeatedly to have his crew make repairs to his Arndt & Herman Windows Chevrolet while Mercer was able to limp back to pit road where his car's damages proved to be too severe to continue.

The green flag was again displayed on lap 98 and, with Tissot still leading and the $400 Gatorade Front Runner Award in site, he proceeded to miss a shift on the restart and several lead lap cars piled into each other on the front stretch. This resulted in an eight minute, 33 second red flag period.

Second place driver Gibbs, David Reutimann, Ron Young and Brian Smith got the worst of the situation, with all except Gibbs being forced to retire their machines for the evening.

The race restarted on lap 105 with Billy Bigley, Jr. in the lead but Anderson quickly overhauled the Peerless Woodworking Chevrolet driver, and proceeded to grab the Gatorade greenbacks for leading on lap 109, the fifth consecutive green flag lap after coming out of the caution period.

Anderson then appeared to have things well in hand as he was able to move out to as much as a five-car-length lead over Sorrento, Fla.'s Ronnie Burkett. Burkett closed on Anderson when the leader was having trouble getting by Goodson on lap 143. Coming down the front stretch on lap 144 Anderson made contact with Goodson, sending Goodson into a lazy slide.

Burkett seized the opportunity and zipped by both cars on the outside to take the lead for the first time in 1999. The Big Daddy's BBQ Sauces & Spices/Havana Cola Chevrolet driver maintained the lead for 14 laps until Anderson ran him down and regained the lead with a move to the low side on lap 158. From that point forward Anderson maintained the lead until the checkered flag waved on lap 200.

Burkett earned his fourth second place finish of 1999 while Jeff Fultz grabbed the third position with a last lap pass on Steven Howard. Howard settled for fourth while infrequent competitor Steve Mendenhall earned his top finish of the season with a strong fifth place run. Rounding out the top 10 were Bigley, Tissot, Lawler, rookie Benny Gordon and Kilby. All but Kilby finished on the lead lap, with Kilby coming up one lap short, having completed 199 circuits.

The race was run in one hour, 23 minutes and 20 seconds and Anderson's winning average speed for his seventh career, and second 1999 win, was 65.52 miles per hour. There were 17 cars running when the checkered flag waved. A total of six lead changes took place among five drivers and there were a total of 10 cautions eating up 51 laps of racing.

As was previously mentioned, Anderson regained the points lead and now leads Bigley by 35 tallies. Goodson drops to third, 26 points behind Bigley.

Burkett and Howard continue to hold down the fourth and fifth positions. For the second consecutive race Colleyville, Tex. driver Patrick Lawler earned Rookie-of-the-Race honors and his latest rookie honor was well deserved. The Manheim's Auto Auctions of Texas Chevrolet driver managed to regain lead lap status after going down one lap early in the event and he was able to post an eighth place finish as a result. Gibbs continues to lead Rodney Childers in the Rookie-of-the-Year points chase by 11 points. Lawler trails Childers by seven points.

Augie Grill earned the $300 Jasper Engines & Transmissions Crew-Chief-of-the-Race honors for the second time in 1999 and is now in a tie with Goodson's Crew Chief Jimmy King for the category's annual points chase.

Slim Jim All Pro Series teams will now have a month off before their next event. This will certainly give them time to repair battered race cars and bruised egos. The next event for the Slim Jim All Pro Series is Saturday night, July 24 as teams return to Caraway Speedway once again. The Arndt & Herman Windows 200 will be the 11th event on the 16-race Slim Jim All Pro Series schedule.

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