USAR Hooters Pro Cup: Fogleman Wins Aloe Lu Ya 250
24 August 1999
- First win after 12 top-10 finishes on the yearSouth Boston, VA -- The USAR Hooters ProCup Series heated up South Boston Speedway as Jay Fogleman positioned himself at the front of the 34-car field en route to collecting his first victory of the 1999 Hooters ProCup season in the inaugural Aloe Lu Ya 250.
Fogleman started the race from the outside front row in the Cheerwine Ford Thunderbird and then stayed in the top-10 throughout the 257-lap event on the .410-mile semi-banked oval.
"Wow what a race," said Fogleman. "It has really been frustrating for us to run up front all year and not to have won a race until tonight. The win should help put us back into the points race too. Im glad that we were able to win here at South Boston with it being so close to home. It really makes it special. Im happy to have Cheerwine on board with us tonight. We lost Phil Crabtree our Jackman to Cancer earlier this week so it has truly been a very emotional week for us."
Fogleman took the lead on lap 219, but a late race caution was brought out when the fifth place No. 16 IRMOs Grading Chevrolet of Brian Sockwell cut a tire and darted into the turn two wall, bunching the field up for a green, white and checkered finish.
The fans rose to their feet on the restart to watch as Jay Fogleman fended off Mike Laughlin, Jr., Michael Ritch, Steve Christian and Bill Plemons, Jr. in the dash for the biggest share of the $77,550 in posted awards. Fogleman and Laughlin bumped and banged going into turn one and Laughlin gained position over Fogleman. On the white flag lap, Fogleman charged back to make his move on Laughlin, sending Laughlin sideways through turn one and leaving Fogleman to fend off attacks from Ritch and Christian.
"Im like a mirror," said Fogleman. I race everyone just like they race me and Mike knocked me sideways to get under me going down the back straight away. I dont race dirty but Im not going to get raced dirty either.
I hate it for big Mike and little Mike because they are good guys and they help me a lot, but when your racing hard for position and neither wants to give ground something is bound to happen. I hate it because these are good guys and good racers and this is a heck of a series."
Laughlins Valenite Tools Ford Taurus was shuffled to fourth after starting the race third.
"It was good hard racing but Ill remember it," said Laughlin. "I got into him just a little bit getting down in the corner and he returned the favor. He was racing hard and I was racing hard and his last minute effort worked.
I thought we were a lot faster than Jay," Laughlin continued. "Right before that last caution came out we were getting under him. Its just disheartening you know we had a bad pit stop and great race car. I just hate it for the guys."
Michael Ritch collected his third Discount Auto Parts Pole Award and led the race for the first 100 circuits giving up the lead when he and the rest of the leaders came in for pit stops. While battling for the lead with the Discount Auto Parts Chevrolet of Derrick Kelley on lap 202, the two bumped and ended up hitting the wall in turn four, putting Kelley out of contention and back to ninth. Ritch battled back to second.
Bobby Gill led the Aloe Lu Ya 250 for 35 laps at the mid-point of the race taking home the $1,000 Lucas Oil Products Halfway Leader Bonus. Gills Naturally Fresh Foods Ford Taurus finished sixth.
After 13 events in the $1.5-million Series points race, Gill remains the front runner for the USAR Hooters ProCup Championship hunt but is now being pursued by Fogleman who moves back into second in the standings, only 40 points behind.
Mario Gosselin falls to third in the Series points race after a disappointing 22nd place finish. Gosselin ran in the top-10 for most of the race but got into the back of Ritch in the closing stages damaging the front end of the W.J. Plemons Investments Chevrolet. Unfazed at the time, Gosselin still charged to the front taking the lead on lap 207 but the damage resulted in a cooked radiator that overheated the engine putting Gosselin out of contention.
"We had and awfully good car this weekend," said Gosselin. "We got into Michael and lost a radiator hose when Michael and Derrick got together. It was just one of those things, but it hurt us in the points."
USAR Hooters ProCup Series rookie Steve Christian had a third-place finish in the Lucas Oil Products Chevrolet. Christians career best effort landed him the $1,000 Miller Lite Rookie of the Race Award, putting him just 12 points behind Mardy Lindley in the chance for the year-end $10,000 Miller Lite Rookie of the Year title.
Lindleys Aloe Lu Ya Pontiac finished a respectable 10th.
Scott Wimmer, a Milwaukee, WI, native, charged from deep in the field and improved 22 positions to a top-10 finish that earned him the W.J. Plemons Hard Charger Award. The Jackaroo Gold Sauces Chevrolet started 30th and finished eighth.
Former South Boston Motor Speedway track champion Charlie Ford qualified ninth and finished 15th, three laps down. Six-time South Boston Motor Speedway Late Model Champion David Blankenship drove the No. 114 Baileys Cigarettes Chevrolet to a 24th place finish , completing 183 laps before a cut tire put him into the turn two wall.
During the Aloe Lu Ya 250, there were eight lead changes among seven drivers and the field was brought under caution on nine occasions for 72 laps. Foglemans margin of victory over runner up Michael Ritch was .160 second.
The Aloe Lu Ya 250 will be televised Friday, August 27 at 9 p.m. on the Speedvision network.
The next stop in the 20 race schedule for the USAR Hooters ProCup Series will be in Lakeland, Fla at the USA International Speedway on Saturday, September 4. Central Florida race fans can celebrate the Labor Day Holiday with the stars and cars of the ProCup Series at the Jackaroo Sauces 250. Racing begins at 8 p.m.
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