TRACKS: DeMoss Wins Second-in-a-row at Bloomington
4 July 1999
COTTLE & O'NEILL ALSO VICTORIOUSBLOOMINGTON, IN - The house was full, the sky sparkled with fireworks, and the action on the track was steaming, as Bloomington Speedway opened the star-spangled Independence Day weekend Friday night. John DeMoss continued his hot streak claiming his second consecutive UMP Modified feature race win. Greg O'Neill picked up his first street stock victory at Bloomington this season, and Shane Cottle won the AMSA mini-sprint feature race.
Starting sixth in the 20 lap mini-sprint feature, Cottle, from Oakland, Illinois, watched Dan Brettnacher, Mike Neher and David Waltman battle for the lead in the opening laps. While Waltman took the lead away from Neher on the third lap and began to pull away, Cottle was climbing steadily toward the front. He grabbed third when Neher slipped over the top of the banking in turn two, and seized second from Brettnacher on a restart. Yet Cottle couldn't keep up with the flying Waltman. But when Waltman quickly caught up a slower car that changed lanes unexpectedly, the Morgantown, Indiana driver swerved, but wasn't able to avoid the other car. The contact sent him tumbling end-over-end, out of the race. Cottle opened a quick lead on the restart. And even though Tom Bush was able to visibly close the distance in the final laps, Cottle held a six car length lead at the checkers. Nate Law trailed Bush, with Eric Edwards and Ronnie Brettnacher filling the top five.
Bloomington's Denny Campbell has been one of the steadiest drivers in the street stock division at Bloomington for years. But when the street stock feature started, Campbell, the pole starter, skidded in the second turn, almost spun in front of the field, and ended up slipping back to fifth before he finally got pointed in the right direction. Terry Arthur gunned his way into the lead, with O'Neill, Trent Niflis and Gerald Todd in his tracks. Campbell quickly fought his way back to the front. On lap 7, while Niflis pulled even with Arthur on the inside, Campbell flew past both of them on the very outside cushion in turn three, taking the lead.
Just before the halfway point, as Lee Hobbs closed in on Campbell, the leader suddenly began spewing smoke and slowly limped back to the pits. A four-time winner already this season, Hobbs held the lead briefly before O'Neill charged around him just two laps later. O'Neill was able to pull away to a ten-car length advantage, but slipped over the banking in turn two and pulled back on the track just feet ahead of Hobbs. But O'Neill faced one more challenge. As they ran the white flag lap, a two-car tangle in turn three caused the caution light, setting up a one-lap shootout with Hobbs. Although Hobbs pushed him hard over the final circuit, O'Neill won a nose-to-tail victory, with Arthur third, followed by Gerald Todd and Cory Brown.
John DeMoss started outside the front row in the final event on the program, the UMP Modified feature. For 25 laps, DeMoss battled someone for his second win of the Bloomington season. Gary Trammell and Tim Prince fought wheel-to-wheel with DeMoss before both dropped from the race. Through the second half of the event, Adam Sasser and Jack Taylor carried the fight to DeMoss. With a handful of laps left, Taylor took the lead briefly. But the Bloomington chauffeur battled back to the front, retaking the point on lap 24 for the win. Taylor finished second, followed by Sasser and Levi Ray Godsey. After slipping over the banking twice, and going back to the tail of the field each time, Ray Humphrey scrambled to a fifth place finish.
Bloomington Speedway Summary
July 2, 1999, Fireworks Night
AMSA Mini-Sprints
Heat 1: Shane Cottle, David Waltman, Kevin Rice, Ronnie Brettnacher, David
Eichenberger, Josh Walker, Boyd Wolff, Craig Kinser, Allen Marsh, Patrick
Haynes
Heat 2: Jared Fox, Mike Neher, Curt Trainer, Mark Bush, Mike Surber,
Steve Noel, Kenny Collins, Mike Gee
Heat 3: Tom Bush, Dan Brettnacher, Eric Edwards, Nate Law, Josh Slone,
Mark Newman, Kenny Haynes, Pete Pobasco, Scott Williams
Feature (20 laps): Cottle, Bush, Law, Edwards, R. Brettnacher, Fox,
Rice, Neher, Walker, Haynes, Newman, Noel, Surber, Wolff, Probasco,
Waltman, D. Brettnacher, Collins, Gee, Bush, Slone, Eichenberger, Trainer,
Kinser
UMP Modifieds
Heat 1: Ray Humphrey, Richie Lex, John DeMoss, Mike Bowersox, Donnie
Parson
Heat 2: Mike Hicks, Tim Prince, Steve Peedon, Gary Barrow, Terry
Trammell
Heat 3: Gary Trammell, Adam Sasser, J.D. Francis, Matt Tiller, Zack
Scott
B-Main: Jack Taylor, Bradley Sturgeon, Dale Dubois, Levi Godsey, Brian
Sullivan
Feature: DeMoss, Taylor, Sasser, Godsey, Humphrey, Francis, Parson,
Barrow, Tiller, Dubois, Brandenburg, Sullivan, Scott, Peedon, Bowersox,
Sturgeon, Prince, G. Trammell, T. Trammell, Hicks
Indiana Street Stocks
Heat 1: Terry Arthur, Gerald Todd, Barry Gerkin, Jerry Hepworth, Steve
Hollars
Heat 2: Denny Campbell, Trent Niflis, Cory Brown, Steve Smith, Steve
Morin
Heat 3: Greg O'Neill, Jack Frye, Joe Deckard, Greg Miller, Steven Hunt
B-Main: Lee Hobbs, Roy Bruce Jr., Don Bush, Bob Smith, Brandon Short
Feature: O'Neill, Hobbs, Arthur, Todd, Brown, Hepworth, Frye, Morin,
Gerkin, Deckard, Bruce, Smith, Hollars, Campbell, Short, Niflis, Smith,
Hunt, Bush
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