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Hearn Victorious, Meier Scores 11, 6 |
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05/03/07 |
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Were it not for a late race caution flag, the 30-lap modified feature at Orange County Fair Speedway might have been dubbed the "Mike DePalma Show." At the green flag, the 112 looked as if it had been shot from a cannon. There was a first lap caution as Steve Dodd's 88 spun in between turns one and two, also collecting David Van Horn's 71. DiPalma built a bigger lead over the field with every lap. By lap 10, DePalma was half a straightaway ahead of the leaders.
Meanwhile, Brett Hearn, who started eighth, began to weave his way through traffic. He was in fifth place by lap two, and remained in third place for most of the race. He challenged second place Bruce Kline on lap 17 as the front of the field encountered lapped traffic. Hearn took second place three laps later, but DePalma was far away in first place.
On lap 21, the caution flag flew as Frank Jashembowski's #8 lost power. The field was reset for a nine-lap shootout, and DePalma's seemingly insurmountable lead evaporated.
The green flag flew, and both drivers went to work. Hearn overtook DiPalma with five laps to go and won the feature by ¼ of a straightaway.
"Once I took second, I just kept digging. DePalma was really fast, and I figured I'd have to be content with second place," said Hearn. "On the restart, I was able to get by him because I think our setup with just a little better."
The win was Hearn's 163rd big block victory at Orange County Fair Speedway.
Order of finish:
1 74 Brett Hearn
2 118 Mike DePalma
3 1 Gary Edwards
4 10 Randy Sherlock
5 28 Ric Hill
6 1R Mike Ricci, Jr.
7 59 Bruce Kline
8 79 Jeremy Markle
9 11 Danny Creeden
10 66 Jeff Heotzler
11 33 Tommy Meier
12 5 Chuck McKee
13 17JR Jeff Heotlzer, Jr.
14 24 Chris Shultz
15 93X Craig Mitchell
16 10 Rich Eurich
17 25 Mike Kolka
18 71 David VanHorn
19 73 Rick Mill
20 17 Brian Krummel
21 7K Kirk Horton
22 673 Joe Morel
23 66 Jared Petruska
24 7X1 Billy Wilson
25 244 Chris Whitehead
26 8 Frank Jashembowski
27 1A Brian Weaver
28 88 Steve Dodd
Small Block Modified:
Before he even removed his helmet and exited the car in Victory Lane, Dom Roselli shouted, "Twenty-seven years I've been trying to do this!!!" Once he emerged from his #80, emotions ran high as he high-fived his crew, pumped his fist in the air, and began the celebration.
Starting on the pole, Roselli was challenged by outside pole-sitter Neil Harris, and the two battled for the entire 25-lap race.
Rusty Smith's R2 spun on lap two, forcing a yellow flag. Two laps later, the J7 shut off, bringing the caution flag again. On lap seven, Johnny Guarino's #9 slowed in the second turn, then tangled with Hearn and Krummel. Guarino retired from the race. One lap later, Jeremy Markle's #313 shut off between turns three and four.
Harris mounted a serious challenge on laps 16 and 17, but couldn't catch the "Iceman." On lap 24, the #12 lost a wheel, forcing a green-white-checkered finish, and Roselli won his first small block feature in many attempts.
After the race, Roselli could only say, "Finally!" Asked about the performance of his race car, he said, "It was getting a little tight at the end, but I held on and won one!" He was aware of the challenge presented by Neil Harris' #68, but said, "I've known Neil for years; he's a great competitor."
Order of finish:
1 Dom Roselli
2 Neil Harris
3 Alan Kellogg
4 Jerry Higbie, Jr.
5 David Van Horn
6 Tommy Meier
7 Chuck McKee
8 Brett Hearn
9 Craig Mitchell
10 Chris Shultz
11 Joe Barbagallo
12 Dustin Delaney
13 Randy Sherlock
14 Jim Finnegan
15 Ted Zacker
16 Tim Bayles
17 Rusty Smith
18 Jeremy Markle
19 Johnny Guarino
20 Briam Krummel
21 Kirk Horton
22 Chris Kervatt
23 Tim Hindley
24 John Finley
25 Jim VanAnden
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