TOURING: Plumb creates own luck in Vegas Speedvision Touring race
29 October 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
LAS VEGAS, Nev.--Hugh Plumb, of Chadds Ford, Pa.,
capitalized on a bobble
by the leaders to take the point and cruise to his second Speedvision
World
Challenge Touring Car win of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Alfred
duPont, of Kennett Square, Pa., finished second. Neal Sapp, of Elicott
City,
Md., clinched the 2000 Rookie of the Year title after finishing third.
Plumb started from the pole in the No. 43 BuySellorHold.com/RealTime Racing Acura Integra R, but fell back to third at the start. As duPont's No. 51 European Racing Technologies BMW 328ci and Mike Fitzgerald's No. 12 Pure Image/ProPartsUSA.net BMW 328Ci battled for the lead on lap 14, the two slid wide in turn five, allowing Plumb and Sapp's No. 2 TCKlineRacing.com/ProPartsUSA.net BMW 328Ci to move through.
From there, Plumb cruised to a 1.326-second win, averaging 81.555 mph.
"I've had four races this year that have been less than desirable, so coming off of a win into the last race really gives me confidence and momentum," said Plumb.
DuPont, coming off of his first-career win at Laguna Seca, moved up from seventh on the grid, making a big move on a lap-four restart to get to the front. He recorded the race's fastest lap of 1:30.978 (89.032 mph).
"I'm surprised I had the fastest race lap, because I was trying to drive conservatively," said duPont. "I'm not sure what happened when Mike and I slid off track for the lead. I'll have to decide that after I see the tape."
Sapp earned Rookie of the Year honors and kept alive in the Championship race with a third-place finish. He sits 17 points behind Pierre Kleinubing, who finished fourth. Sapp's closest rookie competitor, Don Salama, finished fifth, but the 46-point advantage going into next week's finale proves insurmountable, with only 34 points available at each race.
"At the beginning of this year, we set our sights on Rookie of the Year, but we figured to get a look at the Championship too," said Sapp. "I've had good finishes all year, and that's kept us in the hunt. The Championship is not over until its over. Even though it's unlikely, I could still do it."
Kleinubing's fourth gives him 225 points, followed by Sapp, with 208, Kevin Schrantz (180), Plumb (163) and Salama (162).
Will Turner, of Newburyport, Pa., came back from a spin after contact with duPont to finish sixth, earning the Borla Performance Award for his drive through the field from 29th.
LAS VEGAS, Nev.--Results from Saturday's Speedvision Touring Car Round Nine Race, part of the Grand Prix of Las Vegas Presented by EnjoyTheRide.com at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with finishing position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car, laps complete and reason out, if any.
1. (1), Hugh Plumb, Chadds Ford, Pa., Acura Integra R, 28.
2. (7), Alfred duPont, Kennett Square, Pa., BMW 328is, 28.
3. (4), Neal Sapp(R), Elicott City, Md., BMW 328Ci, 28.
4. (6), Pierre Kleinubing, Erexim, Brazil, Acura Integra R, 28.
5. (8), Don Salama(R), Avon, Conn., BMW 328is, 28.
6. (3), Will Turner, Newburyport, Mass., BMW 328is, 28.
7. (9), Steve Pfeffer(R), Etna, N.H., BMW 328is, 28.
8. (5), Kevin Schrantz, Boulder, Colo., Acura Integra R, 28.
9. (19), Ken Dobson(R), Carmel Valley, Calif., Pont Sunfire GT, 28.
10. (31), Paul Alderman(R), Newark, Del., BMW 328is, 28.
11. (14), Mark C. Reed, London, England, Acura Integra R, 28.
12. (10), Shauna Marinus(R), Folsom, Calif., BMW 328Ci, 28.
13. (16), Walter Markes_Jr., Bronx, N.Y., BMW 328i, 28.
14. (21), Fred Pignataro, E. Northport, N.Y., BMW 328, 28.
15. (22), Carlos Steyer(R), Porto Alegre, Brazil, Acura Integra R,
28.
16. (29), Manny Matz, Somers, N.Y., BMW 328is, 27.
17. (23), John Bisignano(R), Breckenridge, Colo., Toyota Celica, 27.
18. (26), Leo Capaldi(R), Lenox Twp., Mich., Mercury Cougar, 27.
19. (32), Daniel Geiger(R), Grafton, Wis., Honda Prelude, 27.
20. (15), Steve Lisa, Scottsdale, Ariz., Mazda 626, 27.
21. (37), Peter Ackroyd(R), New Zealand, BMW 328is, 27.
22. (24), Grant Lockwood, Cumming, Ga., Honda Prelude, 27.
23. (27), Kurt Buchwald, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Toyota Celica, 27.
24. (30), Fred Meyer, Dallas, Texas, Acura Integra R, 27.
25. (35), Dan Wall(R), Carmel Valley, Calif., BMW 328i, 27.
26. (17), Drew Hagestad(R), Long Beach, Calif., VW Jetta, 26, Mech.
27. (13), David Rosenblum, Langehorn, Pa., Mazda 626, 26, Mech.
28. (36), Peter Miller, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda Civic, 26.
29. (2), Mike Fitzgerald(R), Phoenix, Ariz., BMW 328Ci, 20,
OilCooler.
30. (12), Justin Marks(R), Woodside, Calif., BMW 328is, 20, Crash.
31. (20), Davy Jones(R), Lake Tahoe, Nev., BMW 328Ci, 16, Engine.
32. (33), Nick Vitucci(R), Bronx, N.Y., Acura Integra R, 16, Crash.
33. (34), Albert Mirko, Morgan Hill, Calif., Ford Contour, 13,
OvrHeat.
34. (11), Taz Harvey, Danville, Calif., Acura Integra R, 11, Engine.
35. (25), Mike Buzzetti(R), San Francisco, Calif., Olds Achieva, 7,
Mech.
36. (18), Jeff Littel(R), Wilmington, Md., BMW 328is, 0, Crash.
DQ. (28), Peter Bovenberg(R), Campbell, Calif., Honda Civic Si, 27,
Disqualified.
Time of race: 46 minutes, 20.929 seconds.
Average speed: 81.555 miles-per-hour
Margin of victory: 1.3260 seconds
Lap leaders: Laps 1-3, Sapp; laps 4-13, Fitzgerald; laps 14-28,
Plumb.
Fastest race lap: Alfred duPont, 1:30.978 (89.032 mph)
Fastest qualifier: Hugh Plumb, 1:30.611 (89.393 mph)
Cautions: Two for three laps.
Speedvision Touring Car Top-10 Point Standings
1, Kleinubing, 2252, Sapp (R), 208
3, Schrantz, 180
4, Plumb, 163
5, Salama (R), 162
6, duPont, 155
7, Alderman (R), 138
8, Turner, 137
9, Fitzgerald (R), 133
10, Pfeffer (R), 127
Text Provided By Eric Prill
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos
and art, visit
The Racing
Photo Museum and the
Visions
of Speed Art Gallery.