NASCAR SJAPS: Anderson makes it three in-a-row in Slim Jim All Pro Series
1 August 1999
Louisville, Ky. - July 31, 1999 - When things are going good they're going very good. At least that's how Wildwood, Fla.'s Wayne Anderson would probably respond these days. Battling back from a lap down, after having to pit for a broken valve stem on his left rear tire on lap 60, the 31-year-old Jani-King Chevrolet driver captured his third Slim Jim All Pro Series, NASCAR Touring win in as many tries. He bested 27 other series drivers in the $54,200 NAPA Auto Parts 300 at Louisville Motor Speedway in Louisville, Ky. to win $9,850 and the win also allowed him to increase his series points lead. "I've been here three times previous, once in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck and twice in Slim Jim All Pro cars and never finished a single race so to come back with this Jani-King Commercial Cleaners car and pick up the win from a lap down early in the race is fantastic," stated Anderson. "I just want to thank my crew, they're just working their butts off and I've got to take my hat off to my wife, she's my spotter and she kept me out of a lot of trouble tonight and I'm proud to have her at every race," he added. For the third time in 1999 Statesville, N.C.'s Scott Kilby parked his Arndt & Herman Windows Chevrolet in the Bud Pole position after he bested 27 other drivers during qualifying. Kilby toured the challenging 0.4375-mile D-shaped oval in a time of 14.884 seconds at an average speed of 105.818 mph. Kilby's lap time was 0.083 seconds shy of the track record that was established by Concord, N.C.'s Conrad Burr in this event last year. New Albany, Ind.'s Josh Clemons earned his best career starting position when he ripped off a lap of 15.007 seconds to grab the outside front row starting position in his Fuzzy's Sauces/SkySpy Chevrolet. When the green flag waved to signify the start of the 300-lap race Clemons edged out to a brief lead but by the time he and polesitter Kilby reached turn three Kilby assumed command. Just after the leaders crossed the start-finish line local favorite Chuck Winders brought out the race's first caution when he belted the frontstretch wall ending his chances at victory before he could get started. Once green flag racing resumed the field settled down and Kilby received early pressure from Clemons. Eventually Ron Young moved into the second position then Billy Bigley, Jr. moved around Young with an outside pass on the front straightaway on lap 90. Bigley ultimately moved his Peerless Woodworking Chevrolet into the lead on lap 123. Bigley stayed in the top spot until the caution waved on lap 145 when Rodney Childers made contact with the outside retaining wall in turn one. Bigley then proceeded to the pit area to get four new Hoosier tires to get set for the second half of the race. He handed the lead to Anderson at this point. Anderson was then in position to earn the $400 Gatorade Front Runner Award for leading at the race's halfway point. Since rules dictate that the award is earned only under green flag conditions he had to withstand two restarts before he could lay claim to his second Gatorade award of 1999. The payoff lap finally came on lap 165, after Childers' caution and one more for a single car spin by Conrad Burr. Anderson kept his Jani-King Chevrolet ahead of Randy Gentry and Hal Goodson to grab the money. Bigley resumed his march to the front and moved into the second position on lap 223. Another driver marching forward was Louisville, Ky.'s Keith Gardner. On the 228th circuit he passed Goodson for the fourth position and set his sites on the Carolina Painting Chevrolet of Gentry. Gardner's reign in the fourth position was short-lived after Cincinnati, Oh.'s Jeff Fultz pushed his Multiple Tool Chevrolet in front of Gardner on lap 240. Fultz then wasted no time tracking down Gentry and pressured him heavily at the 250-lap mark. All the while Anderson paced the field, maintaining a 10-car length lead over Bigley. Anderson lapped polesitter Kilby on the 254th lap, while Fultz overhauled Gentry on the same lap for the third spot. On lap 287 the final caution waved when Gentry's engine expired and the Easley, S.C. driver's car came to a stop on the backstretch. This set up a final 10-lap dash. Anderson maintained his position until the checkered flag waved and edged Bigley by 0.762 seconds to earn his series leading fourth win of 1999 and ninth of his career. The second-generation driver is now tied with Mike Garvey and Toby Porter for sixth on the career wins list. Bigley notched his second runner-up finish of the season while Fultz equaled his best finish of the year, winding up third. Goodson grabbed the fourth position while Gardner carried the torch for the local gentry with a fifth place finish, his first top five in nine starts. Ronnie Burkett, Kilby, Patrick Lawler, Ken Weaver and Clemons rounded out the top 10, with Weaver and Clemons earning their first career top 10 finishes. The race was completed in one hour, 48 minutes and 13 seconds and Anderson's average speed was 72.771 mph. Seventeen of 28 starters were running at the finish and five of those drivers completed all 300 laps. There were two lead changes among three drivers and a total of 12 cautions for 77 laps. Anderson, with 1978 points, increased his points lead to 137 points over Bigley, while Goodson trails Bigley by 12 points. Burkett is 31 markers behind Goodson and Steven Howard continues to hold down the fifth spot, 110 points behind Burkett. For the fourth time this season, and for the third race in a row, Birmingham, Ala.'s Augie Grill earned the $300 Jasper Engines and Transmissions Crew Chief of the Race Award for guiding his driver and team to victory. Grill now leads Goodson's crew chief Jimmy King by 16 points in the run for the annual Jasper payoff of $2,500. With Anderson earning his second Gatorade Front Runner Award of the season he vaults into the third position in the Gatorade Front Runner points, trailing Greer, S.C.'s Howard by three points with four races left to decide the final standings. Goodson is sandwiched between Howard and Anderson, two points behind Howard and one ahead of Anderson. With his series leading fifth Rookie-of-the-Race Award, on the strength of his fourth top 10 finish of the year, Colleyville, Tex.'s Lawler moved ahead of Childers into the second position in the Rookie-of-the-Year standings. Coy Gibbs holds an 11-point lead over Lawler while Childers trails Lawler by two points. Mishawaka, Ind.'s Weaver trails Childers by nine points. For the first time in Slim Jim All Pro Series history the drivers will take to the 0.375-mile concrete oval at Kingsport Speedway in Kingsport, Tenn. next Saturday night. The $41,000 Don Hill Pontiac 200 represents the 13th of 16 races on the 1999 series schedule and is the third of four races scheduled on four consecutive weekends. The race is also the third of four races to be run in Tennessee this season. The series has already visited Memphis Motorsports Park and Bristol Motor Speedway, and the season will wind up on October 2 at Nashville Speedway U.S.A.