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BOB REAM, JR.
ENDS HIS DROUGHT IN MANZY SPRINTS |
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Phoenix, AZ (March 7) Bob Ream, Jr. ended his 20 month victory drought and Adam Crippen scored his first ever win in Saturday night’s twin bill on Manzanita Speedway’s half mile track.
Bob Ream, Jr., winless since July 4, 2002, was flawless in winning the 25 lap Arizona Sprint Car Association season opener at Manzanita Speedway. “The Bullet” started on the outside of the third row and watched as Charles Davis, Jr,, the 1996 and ’99 ASCA champion and former Western World champion Jeremy Sherman battled for the top spot. Sherman had problems with the #51 usually driven by six time champion Ricky Johnson who was ill and gave Jeremy the ride, and he coasted to a stop on the track on the seventh lap.
One the ensuing start both Ream and Jay Ervine shot by Davis who was losing air in his right rear tire. Davis dropped to fourth in one lap and then the race was halted when J.T. Imperial shot hard into the retaining wall coming off turn four. The J.R.Tuttle car caught the end of the wall at the old pit entrance and virtually destroyed the car. Imperial, despite a damaged helmet, managed to walk to the ambulance under his own power. He was later taken to a local hospital for further checks.
The crew on Davis’ Tony Smiley owned car, added air to the right rear and tightened a bead lock and crossed their fingers hoping the tire would not lose too much air. At the drop of the green Ream went back to work and built a lead that stretched to over three seconds. However Eric Wilkins and Jerry Coons, Jr. were flying from their 16th and 17th starting positions and both closed on the leader.
Coons, who has spent the past six years in the Midwest, finally took second and set his sights on the Ream’s Buckley. However he ran out of time and had to be content with a second place finish in the Bill Sweeney car. Wilkins, who had earlier knocked almost a full second off the four lap record in winning the Arizona Race Mart trophy dash, was third just ahead of Davis. Erivine took fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Jeff Slinkard, Mike Martin, up from 20th, Davey Bateman, Tim Beal and Bernie Smith.
Beal beat Chuck Buckman, R.J. Johnson and Slinkard in the first eight lap heat race. The second heat went to Imperial over his J.R. Tuttle Motorsports team mate Jay Ervine, Jeff Henry and Darren Hagen. Davis passed Ream midway through the third heat and pulled away for the win. Ream was second ahead of Bateman and Smith. In the final heat it was Sherman, Joey Moriarity, Josh Pelkey and Wilkins.
Four cars were eliminated from the feature in a first lap crash. Cars driven by Buckman, Johnson, Hagen and Henry required wrecker service after getting together. Lowell Carsten was the night’s hard luck owner. Paul Norbury tipped over in the first heat but came back to run in the semi where he failed to finish. Bugs Norbury, in the other Carsten entry, did a wild series of flips in the early laps of the semi.
ARIZONA SPRINT CAR ASSOCIATION Main Event: Lap Leaders: laps 1-7 Davis, Jr; laps 8-25 Ream, Jr.
1ST Heat:
2nd Heat:
3rd Heat:
4th Heat:
Semi Main: 5. Mike Leslie 6. Charlie Fegan 7. Bobby Seals 8. Mike Miller 9. James Aragon 10. Andy Reinbold 11. Ryan Linder 12. Paul Norbury 13. Chris McArthur 14. Casey Shuman 15. Seainn Hendrichson 16. Ben Gregg 17. Bugs Norbury
Trophy Dash: |
