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73 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 30, 2004 Injured Smith watches his car tear up the track By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Ron Smith has suffered more than his share of bad luck this summer. The Medford sprint car driver has been involved in two nasty wrecks. The first destroyed his car, the second left him with compound fractures of two vertebrae. Smith won’t return to the track this summer — doctor’s orders — but his car has made a stirring comeback with Californian Steve Allard behind the wheel. Allard, a Chico resident who has competed in a slew of World of Outlaws events, drove Smith’s car to a pair of thirds and a fifth during the first three races of the Northern Sprint Tour’s Speedweek earlier this month. "I learned a lot by just watching that guy operate," Smith, 24, says. "The way he communicates with his crew chief and just the way he races were good lessons for me. It was like he was a half track ahead the whole time." Advertisement Allard’s most impressive performance came on July 14 at Lebanon. He finished a lackluster fifth in his heat race and qualified a dismal 15th, which put him in the 12th row for the B main. A spinout midway through that race left him in dire straits, but Allard passed five cars on the final lap to snag the fourth and final transfer spot to the A main. In the feature event, Allard started 15th and worked his way to fifth by the checkered flag. "What he did on that final lap of the B main was incredible," Smith says. "He looked like a rocket ship coming out of turn two. He passed three cars on the backstretch, picked off another one in turn three and then another one in turn four. "I’ve never seen anything like that in a sprint-car race." Smith would love to have Allard pilot his car during Saturday’s $2,500-to-win sprint car race at the Southern Oregon Speedway, but Allard hitched rides at World of Outlaws events this week. Smith has a competent alternative driver, however, in Sacramento’s Bryan Barnes, who has also raced on the World of Outlaws circuit. "As much as I love being in my car, I’m having just as much fun watching these other guys drive," Smith says. Dave Duste, Jr., become the eighth modified driver in nine races to snag a victory at the Southern Oregon Speedway when his car zipped past the checkered flag on July 17. Points leader Brad Alfrey is the only two-time winner in the modified division this summer. "The level of parity is as high as I’ve ever seen it," says Alfrey, who operates a 2001 Dirt Works chassis. "It’s really hard to get an edge. "Some people think you need a good guy and a bad guy or a person that dominates the races, but I like the close competition. I think it’s good for the sport." Shady Cove’s Scott Lenz notched his 10th feature victory of the season in a 50-lap, $1,000-to-win race at Yreka last Saturday, but it wasn’t easy. Lenz needed 49 laps to get in front of John Toolenan for the win. Lenz holds a commanding lead in the California UMP standings and ranks 15th nationally. With the Yreka track shutting down for the Siskiyou County Fair over the next three weeks, Lenz will return to the Southern Oregon Speedway, where he triumphed on opening night. Ron Martin couldn’t have asked for a better modified race than the one he promoted in Cottage Grove on July 17. Forty-four cars showed up for the 50-lap event, and Martin’s ace driver — Jon DeBenedetti — ran off with the victory. DeBenedetti thus returned $4,000 of the $10,000 purse that Martin put up. "The best part about it was there were only two yellow caution flags the entire race, and we had two and three cars racing side by side much of the time," Martin said. Coberg’s Jessie Williamson wound up second, followed by Cottage Grove’s Jason Kocks, Medford’s Monte Bishoff and Chico’s Dustin Jenks. Medford’s Mark Wauge finished sixth and Gold Hill’s Dan Estremado was ninth. Martin plans to promote the race again next year. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times