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CLEAR Temp: 51 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Monday, August 5, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend July 28, 2002 DeBenedetti pulls off double duty at speedway By DON HUNT Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — It didn’t take Jon DeBenedetti long to get reacquainted with his dwarf car Saturday night at the Southern Oregon Speedway. DeBenedetti drove the miniature vehicle to victory in his first and only time in the car this summer. The former national dwarf car champion had left the car in his garage this summer while driving a modified car, but decided to pull double duty Saturday. He finished fifth in the modified A main and won the B main. "It made for a busy night but it’s a lot of fun driving two cars," said DeBenedetti, who leads the modified points race in his rookie year in that division. "You’re not sitting around very much." DeBenedetti was able to add the dwarf car to his schedule Saturday after picking up a sponsor — Northwest Design — and hopes to gain a sponsor for the Dwarf Car West Coast National race at the speedway on Aug. 9-10. The Dwarf Car Nationals are a series of four events and DeBenedetti won the overall title in 1999. "It’s nice to come out and have a good showing after a year of not being in the car," DeBenedetti said. "I had confidence that I’d be fast — I just wasn’t sure how I’d adjust to racing both cars. "They’re very different to drive." What made it more difficult was that DeBenedetti had to run the modified B main after a poor showing in his heat race. That meant he went from one car to the other three straight times. "The dwarf car is more responsive and you drive it deeper into the corners," DeBenedetti said. "With the modified you’ve got to set it up a lot sooner. "The key was to just relax and not think too much and just drive." Meanwhile, ageless Markey James pulled off his first victory of the season in the modified race. James, 60, grabbed the lead on the first lap of the 20-lap event and never gave it up, although he beat hard-charging Dennis Silva by no more than 10 feet. Brian Poppa, driving a brand-new Smiley chassis, finished third while Bruce Rayburn, Jr., was fourth and DeBenedetti fifth. In other feature events, Jason Finley won the sprint car main, Tony Walker took the pro stock main and Mike Johnson emerged triumphant in the mini stock main. "The track was slick and that was to my advantage because it was hard to pass," said James, who started on the inside of the second row. James has been racing for 40 years and says he has no plans to retire anytime soon. "Racing is the only thing I really enjoy as far as recreation goes," James said. "I’ll give it up once I can’t keep up with these young guys, but right now I feel like I’m competitive." Walker continued his solid summer with another victory in the pro stock main. He moved into the lead on the ninth lap when early leader Tracy Bradley spun out. Pro stocks points leader Frank Word III showcased his extraordinary driving skills by coming from dead last to finish second. The pro stock race was marred by five yellow flags and numerous collisions. MINI STOCKS FIRST HEAT — 1, Jason Watkins; 2, Tom Lanigan; 3, Rocky Bass; 4, Tim Towler. SECOND HEAT — 1, Mike Johnson; 2, Pat Akins; 3, Jason Thompson; 4, Alan Joy. THIRD HEAT — 1, Eddie Farley; 2, Dave Bishop; 3, Tim Coulter; 4, Brian Dickens. FOURTH HEAT — 1, Jack Clement; 2, Jared Morrill; 3, Pete Bowne; 4, Travis Chisum. TROPHY DASH — 1, Mike Johnson; 2, Eddie Farley; 3, Jack Clement; 4, Jason Watkins. B MAIN — 1, Joe Dirt; 2, Cody Russell; 3, Kevin Gudson; 4, Eric Hill; 5, Bryan Barnes; 6, Larry Nelson; 7, Belinda Duste; 8, Pete Bowne, Jr. A MAIN — 1, Mike Johnson; 2, Bryan Barnes; 3, Pat Akins; 4, Jason Watkins; 5, Jared Morrill; 6, Rocky Bass; 7, Eddie Farley; 8, Tom Lanigan; 9, Jack Clement; 10, Dave Bishop. PRO STOCKS FIRST HEAT — 1, Jerry Severson; 2, Butch Poppa; 3, Steve Kilmer; 4, Scott Martin. SECOND HEAT — 1, Tony Walker; 2, Dave Everson; 3, Mike Jones; 4, Darren Provost. THIRD HEAT — 1, Mike Medel; 2, Tracy Bradley; 3, Jim Hill; 4, Bob Dees. FOURTH HEAT — 1, Ken Ford; 2, Jim Walker, Jr.; 3, Jim Hill; 4, Rick Hunsley. TROPHY DASH — 1, Tony Walker; 2, Jerry Severson; 3, Mike Medel; 4, Ken Ford. B MAIN — 1, Donnie Hale; 2, Albert Gill; 3, Jer Deubert; 3, Karl Keehnen; 5, Jerry Gabriel; 6, John David Duffie; 7, Joe Guider; 8, Berry Hunt; 9, Bill Guyer; 10, Chet Mitchell. A MAIN — 1, Tony Walker; 2, Frank Word III; 3, Mike Jones; 4, Butch Poppa; 5, Ken Ford; 6, Jerry Severson; 7, Dan Thomas; 8, Rick Hunsley; 9, Jim Hill; 10, Bob Dees. DWARF CARS FIRST HEAT — 1, Rick Harms; 2, Terry Aplend; 3, Dan Van Acker; 4, Mitch Sheeler. SECOND HEAT — 1, Bob Sousa; 2, Jon DeBenedetti; 3, Gary Fitzsimmons; 4, Jim Miller. TROPHY DASH — 1, Jon DeBenedetti; 2, Rick Sequeria; 3, Terry Aplend; 4, Rick Harms. MAIN EVENT — 1, Jon DeBenedetti; 2, Bob Sousa; 3, Gary Fitzsimmons; 4, Rick Harms. MODIFIED FIRST HEAT — Jay Hinton, Jr.; 2, Bruce Rayburn, Jr.; 3, Dave Duste, Sr.; 4, Eli Zucker. SECOND HEAT — 1, Robbie Pierce; 2, Bruce Rayburn, Sr.; 3, Skipper Klemcheck; 4, Bill Theis. THIRD HEAT — 1, Markey James; 2, Dennis Silva; 3, Jeremy Richie; 4, Ray Kniffen, Jr. FOURTH HEAT — 1, Brian Poppa; 2, Dane Smith; 3, Jon Ireland; 4, Michael Noce. TROPHY DASH — 1, Brian Poppa; 2, Robbie Pierce; 3, Jay Hinton, Jr. B MAIN — 1, Jon DeBenedetti; 2, Dave Duste, Jr.; 3, Rich Paupenhausen; 4, John Sloan; 5, Kevin Hewitt; 6, Anthony Nunez; 7, Carl Fitzsimmons; 8, Andy Freeman; 9, Mark Wauge. A MAIN — 1, Markey James; 2, Dennis Silva; 3, Brian Poppa; 4, Bruce Rayburn, Jr.; 5, Jon DeBenedetti; 6, Jay Hinton, Jr.; 7, Skipper Klemcheck; 8, Dave Duste, Jr.; 9, Dave Duste, Sr.; 10, Kevin Hewitt. SPRINT CARS FIRST HEAT — 1, Greg Sherman; 2, Matt Rogers; 3, Ron Smith; 4, Randy Campbell. SECOND HEAT — 1, Jason Finlay; 2, Anthony Nunes; 3, Todd Zeitler; 4, Bruce Gieg. TROPHY DASH — 1, Jason Finlay; 2, Anthony Nunes; 3, Matt Rogers; 4, Greg Sherman. MAIN EVENT — 1, Jason Finlay; 2, Todd Zeitler; 3, Matt Rogers; 4, Anthony Nunes; 5, Greg Sherman; 6, Bruce Gieg, Jr.; 7, Ron Smith; 8, Jimmy Burton; 9, Randy Campbell. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S