Eldora 1999-06-26

All Star Sprint Race Results - Eldora Speedway - Sat. 6/26/99 By Scott Hall

ROSSBURG, OH - Joey Saldana and Byron Reed traded the lead with slide jobs several times in the All Star sprint 30-lap feature Saturday night at Eldora Speedway. At the end, Saldana held off a hard charging Kenny Jacobs in Eldora's 45th anniversary race that paid $5,000 to win. There were five official lead changes among three drivers in the 15 mile run, with several more lead passes that didn't stick at the start-finish line. Saldana doubled his pleasure, capturing the NRA 360 sprint main in dominating fashion, aboard the Nickles Brothers No. 31.

"Byron Reed was awful fast," Saldana recalled. "I just made some stupid moves in lapped traffic and he drove back by me. You just can't do that here. Steve Mox, Rob Hart and Cathie Barrows have been working really hard on the car. We've been fast everywhere we go, we just couldn't finish." But finish he did tonight for his first Eldora win of the season.

Reed started on the ButlerBuilt Motorsports Equipment Hot Seat pole position with Ed Lynch Jr. outside him and Butch Schroeder and Dean Jacobs in the second row. Reed looked strong, grabbing the initial lead and pulling away from Schroeder and Saldana, who started fifth in the Steve Mox Stealth with Fisher-Chevrolet power. With lapped traffic entering the picture on lap five, Reed's high groove progress was slowed, allowing Schroeder to take the lead for two laps until Reed took over again on lap eight.

Following the only yellow at the eighth lap, Reed led again over Saldana, who got by Schroeder following the restart. It was now a two car race as Saldana kept Reed's B&S Racing Schnee in his sights. Saldana put a slide job on Reed in turn three to lead lap 13. Now Saldana was into heavy lapped traffic, with Reed second, Schroeder third and D. Jacobs fourth with Lynch fifth and eighth starter K. Jacobs next.

Kenny was up to fourth, getting past Lynch and his brother by lap 16 as Reed went high off turn four to retake the lead at the stripe on lap 17. Saldana tried a low move in turn four to retake the lead a lap later, but Reed anticipated the move and dropped low to block Saldana and keep his lead. Saldana made his slide job stick and took over the top spot on lap 20. Schroeder still held third behind the lead duo until lap 25 when Kenny got by him. Saldana began to pull away as Kenny was reeling in Reed. On lap 28, Jacobs and Reed were side-by-side at the flagstand for second, with Kenny taking that spot the next lap and was only three lengths behind Saldana at the checkered, becoming the 14th different All Star winner this season.

"We're real happy to run second," Jacobs revealed. "When the track slickened up my race car just got awesome," Jacobs said of his late race charge into second.

Reed said of third, "I just got beat by two pretty good drivers tonight. It was a good run for us, though. Schroeder held on for fourth place, with 13th starter Rocky Hodges charging to fifth and Lynch hanging on for sixth.

Danny Smith finished seventh, earning the "Team Simpson Racing Lucky Seven" award, ahead of Phil Gressman, Chad Kemenah and Joe Gaerte.

The United Expressline heat fell to Rocky Hodges, the Southwest Expressline heat to K. Jacobs and the Southwest Glass heat was won by D. Jacobs. Schroeder won the Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash and Kerr was the fast qualifier over the 26 car field.

Behind Saldana in the 360 main were Kyle Sauder, Tim Allison and Greg Wilson.

Time Trials: 1. Frankie Kerr, Shoff 23s, 13.286; 2. Joey Saldana, Mox 17, 13.304; 3. Dean Jacobs, Holbrook 8, 13.347; 4. Butch Schroeder, Schroeder 17, 13.405; 5. Ed Lynch, Jr., Lynch 2L, 13.424; 6. Byron Reed, B&S 5, 13.442; 7. Jim Nier, Nier 00, 13.483; 8. Kenny Jacobs, Jacobs 6, 13.487; 9. Brian Ellenberger, Ellenberger 20, 13.495; 10. Joe Gaerte, Johnson U2, 13.506; 11. Phil Gressman, Holbrook 18, 13.541; 12. Danny Smith, Ashworth 92, 13.597; 13. Rocky Hodges, Holbrook 88, 13.696; 14. James Fisher, Fisher 48, 13.762; 15. Rodney Duncan, Harrison 22, 13.840; 16. Fred Boso, Javelina 7, 13.853; 17. Chad Kemenah, Harble 15, 13.885; 18. Jason Dukes, Dukes 3, 13.967; 19. Kent Wolters, Wolters 12, 14.315; 20. Brian Carlson, SC Motorsports 18, 14.549; 21. Greg Wilson, Bowersock 72, 14.696; 22. Boston Reid, Keppel 9, 14.840; 23. Jim Damon, Damon 50x, 15.166; 24. Troy Leonard, Leonard 91, 15.419; 25. Greg Wilson, Hampshire 63, NT; 26. Jerrod Hull, Webb 51, NT.

United Expressline Heat (8 laps): 1. Hodges 2. Nier 3. Gaerte 4. Kerr 5. Schroeder 6. Boso 7. Wolters 8. Reid.

Southwest Expressline Heat (8 laps): 1. K. Jacobs 2. Saldana 3. Lynch 4. Fisher 5. Kemenah 6. Gressman 7. Carlson 8. Damon.

Southwest Glass Heat (8 laps): 1. D. Jacobs 2. Duncan 3. Dukes 4. Ellenberger 5. Smith 6. Reed 7. Hull 8. Wilson (72) 9. Leonard.

Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash (4 laps): 1. Schroeder 2. Saldana 3. D. Jacobs 4. Kerr 5. Lynch 6. Reed.

A Main (30 laps): 1. Joey Saldana 2. Kenny Jacobs 3. Byron Reed 4. Butch Schroeder 5. Rocky Hodges 6. Ed Lynch Jr. 7. Danny Smith 8. Phil Gressman 9. Chad Kemenah 10. Joe Gaerte 11. Frankie Kerr 12. Jerrod Hull 13. Greg Wilson 14. Brian Ellenberger 15. Jason Dukes 16. Fred Boso 17. Brian Carlson 18. Boston Reid 19. James Fisher 20. Jim Nier 21. Jim Damon 22. Rodney Duncan 23. Kent Wolters 24. Dean Jacobs 25. Troy Leonard.