WOO: Hagerstown report 96-08-03 


               Steve Smith Takes Hagerstown Opener
                         By Richard Day
    HAGERSTOWN, MD (August 3) - When he won three Skoal Outlaw
Series "A" Features in the summer of 1978, Steve Smith probably
had no idea he would still be racing 18 years later, let alone
beating the world's best sprint car driveRs.
    But that's exactly what he did Saturday night when the series
opened a double-feature event at Hagerstown Speedway.
    Steve, whose son is 1990 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year
Stevie Smith, drove his #19 Leiby's Mobile Homes Avenger past
Mark Kinser during the third lap and held off Sammy Swindell to
win the Preliminary Feature.
    In 1978, the year Ted Johnson founded the World of Outlaws,
Smith won "A" Features at his home track, Lincoln Speedway, in
June and July before taking another at Oakshade Raceway in
Wauseon, OH, in late August.
    Smith, who has won track championships all over the state of
Pennsylvania, was the sixth-fastest qualifier in Saturday's 28-
car field. He earned the right to start the 20-lap feature
outside the second row by finishing fourth in the Vivarin Dash.
    Swindell, the Vivarin Dash winner, burst into the lead from
the pole as the green flag fell in the Preliminary Feature. The
start was called back, however, when First Quaker State Heat Race
winner Jim Carr and the #7M American Fire Extinguishers Avenger
spun into the retaining wall in turn one.
    Kinser, the Skoal Outlaw Series points leader, drove the #5M
Wirtgen Maxim around Swindell to take the lead as the race
resumed. Smith also took advantage of the restart, passing Steve
Kinser, then Swindell, by the end of the opening lap.
    Smith caught Mark early in lap three, and took the low line
through the fourth corner to take the lead seconds later. He
opened an eight-car-length advantage within a lap, and entered
lapped traffic five laps into the race.
    King's Royal champion Johnny Herrera surrendered sixth place
when he steered the #47 Casey's General Stores into the pit area
with mechanical problems the next time around. He was credited
with a 21st-place finish.
    Smith extended his comfort zone as Swindell battled Mark for
the runner-up spot and Stevie challenged Jac Haudenschild for
fourth place during the eighth lap.
    Mark, a Skoal Outlaw Series "A" Feature winner at Hagerstown
on May 27, 1995, raced away from Swindell during the next four
laps and caught Smith with eight laps remaining. Smith was equal
to Mark's challenge and, after slicing through lapped traffic for
two laps, was eight car-lengths ahead.
    Smith saw his advantage disintegrate within two laps,
however, as he slowed behind a pack of backmarkers. Mark
threatened to take the lead during the 17th lap, only to have
Sammy drive the #1 ChannelLock Gambler deep into the third corner
to pass him for the runner-up spot the next time around.
    Although he raced wheel-to-wheel with Smith through much of
the final two laps, Swindell was a car-length behind when he took
the checkered flag.
    "I saw Sammy down there with two laps to go," Smith told the
near-capacity crowd from victory lane. "I expected him to do the
same thing as we were going for the checkered. He gave me room to
race and I managed to hold him off down the straightaway."
    Mark beat Stevie Smith across the finish line for third
place. Rounding out the top 10 in the Preliminary Feature were
Steve Kinser, Haudenschild, 18th-starting Dave Blaney, Andy
Hillenburg, Jeff Swindell and Lance Blevins.
    Mark continued to dominate the EcoWater Quick-Time Award,
earning his 28th of the year for pacing the qualifying session.
His 15.529-second lap around the semi-banked, 1/2-mile oval was
.283 seconds faster than the one-lap record he set at Hagerstown
on May 27, 1995, and .275 seconds quicker than the second-fastest
qualifier, Steve Kinser. WoO
            1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
               Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown, MD
             Saturday, August 3, Preliminary Program
    Qualifications:  1. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 15.529 (new one-
lap record); 2. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 15.804; 3. Jac
Haudenschild, Elden 22, 15.928; 4. Sammy Swindell, Swindell 1,
15.980; 5. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 15.995; 6. Steve Smith,
Smith 19, 16.044; 7. Stevie Smith, Motter 71M, 16.097; 8. Brian
Paulus, P&P Motorsports 28, 16.113; 9. Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G,
16.131; 10. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners 7TW, 16.148; 11. Lance
Blevins, Blevins 21, 16.186; 12. Paul McMahan, Roth 83, 16.207;
13. Jim Carr, McCarr 7M, 16.217; 14. Keith Kauffman, Apple
Motorsports 12, 16.218; 15. Tim Kuhn, Kuhn 11A, 16.230; 16. Andy
Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 16.232; 17. Ed Lynch, Jr., Lynch 2L,
16.268; 18. Dave Blaney, Luna 10, 16.271; 19. Joey Saldana,
Stanton 75, 16.404; 20. Scott Jones, Jones 13, 16.584; 21. Kevin
Gobrecht, Gobrecht 92, 16.606; 22. Greg Hodnett, Helm 11H,
16.651; 23. Bobby Allen, Allen 1a, 16.731; 24. Fred Rahmer,
Hamilton 77, 16.750; 25. Troy Fraker, Fraker 12W, 17.111; 26.
Christine Kerns, Kerns 65.5, 17.417; 27. Bob Howard, Howard 49,
17.486; 28. Mike Dillman, Dillman 81, 18.442.
    First Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Jim Carr, 2.
Stevie Smith, 3. Andy Hillenburg, 4. Sammy Swindell, 5. Jeff
Swindell, 6. Mark Kinser, 7. Joey Saldana, 8. Greg Hodnett, 9.
Troy Fraker, 10. Mike Dillman. (first six qualified for the
Preliminary Feature)
    Second Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Ed Lynch,
Jr., 2. Lance Blevins, 3. Keith Kauffman, 4. Johnny Herrera, 5.
Brian Paulus, 6. Steve Kinser, 7. Scott Jones, 8. Christine
Kerns, 9. Bobby Allen. (first six qualified for the Preliminary
Feature)
    Third Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Dave Blaney,
2. Paul McMahan, 3. Jac Haudenschild, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Joe
Gaerte, 6. Kevin Gobrecht, 7. Bob Howard, 8. Fred Rahmer, 9. Tim
Kuhn. (first six qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
    Vivarin Dash (five laps):  1. Sammy Swindell, 2. Mark Kinser,
3. Steve Kinser, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Jac Haudenschild, 6. Johnny
Herrera, 7. Stevie Smith, 8. Brian Paulus. (finish determined the
first eight starting positions in the Preliminary Feature)
    B Feature (12 laps):  1. Greg Hodnett, 2. Joey Saldana, 3.
Scott Jones, 4. Tim Kuhn, 5. Christine Kerns, 6. Bob Howard, 7.
Troy Fraker ($160); 8. Mike Dillman ($135); 9. Bobby Allen
($110); 10. Fred Rahmer ($85). (first six qualified for the
Preliminary Feature)
    Preliminary Feature (20 laps):  1. Steve Smith ($4,010); 2.
Sammy Swindell ($2,310); 3. Mark Kinser ($1,610); 4. Stevie Smith
($1,410); 5. Steve Kinser ($1,260); 6. Jac Haudenschild ($1,160);
7. Dave Blaney ($1,110); 8. Andy Hillenburg ($1,060); 9. Jeff
Swindell ($1,035); 10. Lance Blevins ($1,010); 11. Paul McMahan
($910); 12. Joe Gaerte ($710); 13. Keith Kauffman ($610); 14.
Greg Hodnett ($530); 15. Joey Saldana ($330); 16. Kevin Gobrecht
($310); 17. Bob Howard ($280); 18. Ed Lynch, Jr. ($260); 19.
Scott Jones ($280); 20. Brian Paulus ($260); 21. Johnny Herrera
($260); 22. Christine Kerns ($280); 23. Tim Kuhn ($280); 24. Jim
Carr ($260).
         Lap leaders:  Mark Kinser 1-2, Steve Smith 3-20
         EcoWater Quick-Time Award winner:  Mark Kinser
                               WoO
All information courtesy of MNI - Motorsport News International
This archive is made possible by the support of Software Metrics Inc.