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USAR: Ward sweeps Peach State in Miller Lite 250

26 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

JEFFERSON, GA -- In only his fourth USAR Hooters ProCup Series start of the 1999 season, Marty Ward landed in victory lane for the second time at Peach State Speedway in the Miller Lite 250.

The Marietta, SC, resident started the fall classic in Jefferson from inside the fifth row of the 36-car starting field and stayed well within the top-10 for most of the 250 laps at the half-mile oval in the foothills of North Georgia.

"It was just an awesome car all night long," said Ward. "We weren't quite as good this morning as we were the last time we were here, but I didn't want to make any changes to the car thinking that the track would come to us when the sun went down."

"We just had an awfully good car. I can't complain really," continued Ward. "We have put in a lot of laps at Peach State over the years. I guess that helps."

In Ward's case experience paid off as he increased his winning percentage to fifty percent. The No. 97 Hooters Restaurants/W.J.Plemons Insurance driver has been serving as crew chief on the No. 7 Hooters Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by Bill Plemons Jr., who finished a career best fourth in the Miller Lite 250.

"If being a crew chief full-time and a driver part-time is what it takes to win, maybe I need to go back and crew chief all year and let the car sit in the back room and then bring it out every once in a while."

Ward piloted the florescent orange Hooters Chevrolet past Plemons on lap 167 and remained at the helm for the last 94 laps, finishing with a 2-second lead over the No. 21 Discount Auto Parts Chevrolet of Derrick Kelley. The Miller Lite 250 slowed 13 times for 76 laps with just three lead changes among three drivers.

"We didn't get the win, but we really needed this good finish," said Kelley. "We've had a string of bad luck lately so this is almost as good as a win. This week we'll take second but come St. Augustine in two weeks, we're going for the win."

Kelley did collect the W.J. Plemons Hard Charger Award with his runner-up finish after starting the race back in eighteenth.

Durham, North Carolina's Jay Fogleman has only two races remaining to make up the 220 points that separate him and the Series point leader Bobby Gill. Fogleman finished eighth in the Miller Lite 250 after a wild ride out of turn three and into the grass two weeks ago at Mobile International Speedway.

"It's not a bad finish," said Fogleman. "We finished in the top-10 but every position that Bobby (Gill) finishes ahead of us on the track is farther behind we fall in the points.

"We had to replace the nose and some other things on the car after Mobile. We made some changes to the set up in the car that we thought would make it better. It didn't, so we'll change it all back before St. Augustine."

The No. 5 Naturally Fresh Dressings and Dips Ford Taurus driven by Hooters ProCup Series points leader Gill started event 18 from outside the front row but took command of the race by the exit of turn two. Gill led the event for the first 128 circuits around the half-mile oval and collected the $1,000 Lucas Oil Products Halfway Leader Award.

The 1997 Hooters ProCup Champion, Mario Gosselin, put the No. 10 W.J. Plemons investments Chevrolet on the the Discount Auto Parts Pole for the seventh time this season but finished the race seventeenth. Gosselin was running second to Gill on lap 86 but on lap 90 he dropped off the pace and came down pit-road for a green flag stop. "Our bad luck continues," said Gosselin. "We had some kind of problem in the fuel cell. We ran out of gas 90 laps into the race. We'll take it back to the shop and fix it for the next race."

Brian Sockwell tied his career best finish with a fifth place finish that earned him the $1,000 Miller Lite Rookie of the Race, while Steve Christian remained ahead of Mardy Lindley in the points for the $10,000 Miller Lite Rookie of the Year honors.

The Miller Lite 250 from Peach State Speedway will be televised on Speedvision Friday, October, 29 at 9 p.m. with a re-broadcast at midnight and again on Monday, November 1 at noon.

The next stop for the USAR Hooters ProCup Series will be November 6 at 7 p.m. in St. Augustine Speedway for the Lucas Oil Products 250. For ticket information call 1-800-852-7223. Top-20 Points Leaders
Following the Miller Lite 250
Peach State Speedway
October 23,1999

1. Bobby Gill 3040
2. Jay Fogleman 2820
3. Mario Gosselin 2554
4. Steve Christian 2363
5. Jeff Agnew 2276
6. Michael Ritch 2263
7. Derrick Kelley 2225
8. Johnny Rumley 2180
9. Mardy Lindley 2175
10. Andy Thurman 2072
11. Mike Laughlin, Jr. 2016
12. Scott Wimmer 1985
13. Tim Clayton 1907
14. Charlie Ford 1892
15. Trent Owens 1864
16. Bill Plemons Jr. 1800
17. Mart Nesbitt 1761
18. Jabe Jones 1758
19. Toby Porter 1592
20. Karen Schulz 1509

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