'Buckeye Bullet' Wins Rain-Shortened Tulsa Race
                         By Richard Day
    TULSA, OK (June 25) - Dave Blaney was declared the winner of
the Skoal Outlaw Series' rain-shortened "A" Feature at Tulsa
Speedway Tuesday when series officials determined the track
unsafe after 22 laps of the scheduled 30-lap race.
    It was the first time since in almost four years that rain
forced World of Outlaws officials to throw the checkered flag
before the prescribed number of laps had been completed. Fifteen
laps remained in the "A" Feature at Black Hills Speedway on July
4, 1992, when Sammy Swindell was ruled the winner.
    The victory was the fifth of the year for "The Buckeye
Bullet," who also won a Skoal Outlaw Series main event at Tulsa
on April 8, 1990.
    Blaney, the fourth-fastest qualifier in the 32-car field,
started the main event outside the second row. As Vivarin Dash
winner Mark Kinser burst into the lead from the pole, Blaney
chased Broken Arrow, OK, drivers Lance Blevins and Aaron
Berryhill around the semi-banked, 3/8-mile oval.
    As Blevins challenged the Skoal Outlaw Series points leader
for first place, Blaney steered the #10 Vivarin J&J into the high
groove in the second corner to pass Berryhill for third. Mark had
a five car-length lead when "The Buckeye Bullet" caught Blevins
late in the third lap, and passed him in turn four the next time
around.
    The leaders were approaching lapped traffic with Blaney only
two car-lengths behind Kinser when Swindell stopped his #1
ChannelLock Gambler on the back straightaway with a blown engine.
With Sammy being credited with a 23rd-place finish, brother Jeff
Swindell's eighth-place run pushed him past Sammy into sixth
place in the World of Outlaws point standings.
    The race resumed amid sprinkling rain. Andy Hillenburg,
Tulsa's new one-lap record holder, passed Berryhill for fourth
place four laps later.
    Kinser was three car-lengths ahead of Blaney when the leaders
caught the backmarkers during the 13th lap. Mark moved through
lapped traffic easily, and opened a six-car-length advantage
within two laps.
    "The Buckeye Bullet" started narrowing the gap by lap 18, and
caught Kinser the next time around. With the #5M Wirtgen Maxim
getting tighter and tighter with each passing lap, it became
tougher to control. Mark lifted its front end and almost bicycled
through turn two early in the 20th lap, allowing Blaney to pass
him for the lead.
    The sprinkles became a shower two laps later, prompting
officials to throw the caution flag. The race was declare
complete when, after three caution laps, the rain continued
pelting the track.
    With caution flag flying, officials discovered the muffler
was missing from Hillenburg's #2 STP J&J. Andy, a World of
Outlaws "A" Feature winner at Tulsa on July 28, 1993, was
disqualified and credited with a 24th-place finish. Hillenburg's
misfortune allowed Stevie Smith to pass him for fourth place in
the Skoal Outlaws Series points race.
    Hillenburg, another Broken Arrow resident, thrilled the
sellout crowd when he broke Tulsa's qualifying standard with a
14.602-second lap. Andy lowered Bobby Allen's five-year old
record by .036 seconds.
    While Blaney and Mark were scored first and second in the
main event, Blevins achieved a career-best finish of third place.
Steve Kinser, a four-time winner at Tulsa, finished fourth, ahead
of Smith, Berryhill, Fourth Quaker State Heat Race winner Gary
Wright, Jeff Swindell, Shane Stewart and Johnny Herrera.
    Stewart, the Second Quaker State Heat Race winner, passed
nine cars to claim ninth place. Greg Hodnett, the last driver to
qualify for the "A" Feature, raced into 15th place from outside
the 12th row.
    Hodnett's collision with Mike Peters in the First Quaker
State Heat Race caused Peters to finish eighth, keeping him out
of the Vivarin Dash and putting Blevins and Berryhill on the
front row of the five-lap race. WoO
            1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
                    Tulsa Speedway, Tulsa, OK
              Tuesday, June 25, Feature Program #30
    Qualifications:  1. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 14.602
(new one-lap record); 2. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners 7TW, 14.676;
3. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 14.676; 4. Dave Blaney, Luna 10,
14.702; 5. Mike Peters, Grandstaff 66, 14.703; 6. Lance Blevins,
Blevins 21, 14.728; 7. Aaron Berryhill, Berryhill 97, 14.830; 8.
Stevie Smith, Motter 71M, 14.855; 7. Sammy Swindell, Swindell 1,
14.864; 10. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 14.872; 11. Jim Carr, McCarr
7M, 14.936; 12. Gary Wright, Action Motorsports 9, 14.937; 13.
Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G, 14.950; 14. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47,
14.962; 15. Joey Saldana, Stanton 75, 14.997; 16. Jac
Haudenschild, Elden 22, 15.016; 17. Tommie Estes, Jr., Threatt
29, 15.040; 18. Shane Stewart, Stewart 9S, 15.053; 19. Jerry
Stone, Crown Enterprises 63, 15.165; 20. Danny Lasoski, Forbrook
5, 15.178; 21. Mike Goodman, Midwestern Engineering 20M, 15.229;
22. Danny Wood, Jarnigan 1N, 15.252; 23. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11A,
15.347; 24. Tony Edmonson, Edmonson 2E, 15.350; 25. Greg Hodnett,
Helm 11H, 15.426; 26. Mike Miller, Miller 4M, 15.440; 27. Shane
Carson, Helms 12$, 15.445; 28. Aaron Lemmons, Lemmons 12, 15.640;
29. Ray Campbell, Campbell 6, 15.777; 30. Billy Frazier, Frazier
21F, 15.830; 31. Jimmy Lambert, Lambert 92, 15.845; 32. Donnie
Crawford, Hillenburg 55, 15.860.
    First Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Mike Goodman,
2. Tommie Estes, Jr., 3. Sammy Swindell, 4. Joe Gaerte, 5. Andy
Hillenburg, 6. Ray Campbell, 7. Greg Hodnett, 8. Mike Peters.
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Second Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Shane
Stewart, 2. Steve Kinser, 3. Joe Gaerte, 4. Lance Blevins, 5.
Johnny Herrera, 6. Danny Wood, 7. Mike Miller, 8. Billy Frazier.
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Third Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Dion Hindi, 2.
Jim Carr, 3. Joey Saldana, 4. Aaron Berryhill, 5. Mark Kinser, 6.
Shane Carson, 7. Jerry Stone, 8. Jimmy Lambert. (first five
qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Fourth Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Gary Wright,
2. Danny Lasoski, 3. Dave Blaney, 4. Jac Haudenschild, 5. Stevie
Smith, 6. Donnie Crawford, 7. Aaron Lemmons, 8. Tony Edmonson.
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Vivarin Dash (five laps):  1. Mark Kinser, 2. Aaron
Berryhill, 3. Lance Blevins, 4. Dave Blaney, 5. Jeff Swindell, 6.
Sammy Swindell, 7. Andy Hillenburg, 8. Stevie Smith. (finish
determined the first eight starting positions in the "A" Feature)
    B Feature (12 laps):  1. Danny Wood, 2. Mike Peters, 3. Tony
Edmonson, 4. Greg Hodnett, 5. Jimmy Lambert ($210); 6. Donnie
Crawford ($185); 7. Jerry Stone ($160); 8. Shane Carson ($110);
9. Aaron Lemmons ($100); 10. Ray Campbell ($90); 11. Mike Miller
($70), 12. Billy Frazier ($60). (first four qualified for the "A"
Feature)
    A Feature (scheduled for 30 laps, called after 22):  1. Dave
Blaney ($6,010); 2. Mark Kinser ($3,510); 3. Lance Blevins
($2,510); 4. Steve Kinser ($2,210); 5. Stevie Smith ($2,110); 6.
Aaron Berryhill ($2,010); 7. Gary Wright ($1,610); 8. Jeff
Swindell ($1,510); 9. Shane Stewart ($1,410); 10. Johnny Herrera
($1,310); 11. Jac Haudenschild ($1,160); 12. Joe Gaerte ($1,110);
13. Jim Carr ($1,060); 14. Tommie Estes, Jr. ($1,010); 15. Greg
Hodnett ($730); 16. Danny Wood ($530); 17. Joey Saldana ($410);
18. Dion Hindi ($410); 19. Tony Edmonson ($430); 20. Mike Peters
($430); 21. Mike Goodman ($410); 22. Danny Lasoski ($410); 23.
Sammy Swindell ($410); 24. Andy Hillenburg ($410).
        Lap leaders:  Mark Kinser 1-19, Dave Blaney 20-22
       EcoWater Quick-Time Award winner:  Andy Hillenburg
                               WoO