Eldora race report, results 2001-06-30

ROSSBURG, OH - Greg Wilson is on a roll. He drove away from the field Saturday night at Eldora Speedway to win the All Star sprint 30- lap feature. Eldora's 47th Anniversary race paid the driver of Bob Hampshire's No. 63 $5,000 to win. Wilson had to pass leader Danny Smith on lap 17 and hold off Kenny Jacobs on a late race restart to earn his third All Star win in the past three weeks. Wilson almost had a clean sweep as he set quick time, won his heat but ran second to Jacobs in the Haulmark dash to put the only blemish on an otherwise perfect evening.

"Man, this is the best feeling you could ever have," an emotional Wilson said in victory lane. "I don't even know what to say. Our American Race tires were awesome. The new All Pro engine Hamp (car owner Bob Hampshire) built and our Maxim race car were awesome. Everything is starting to go our way a little bit. This is unbelievable." Wilson, whose father owned stock cars and is the nephew of Hampshire, began attending races at Eldora while still a baby and was almost speechless in victory lane after his first career Eldora All Star win.

Rodney Duncan started on the ButlerBuilt Hot Seat pole with Jim Nier outside. Kenny Jacobs and Danny Smith were in row two with Rob Chaney and Wilson in row three. Nier went high to grab the lead at the drop of the green ahead of Smith. Nier rode the high groove of the fast half mile with Smith trying the middle and low grooves. Smith dove under Nier on lap three, but Nier had more horsepower in the high groove and maintained the lead. As the leaders entered lapped traffic, Nier began to pull away from the Indiana veteran. But on lap seven, disaster struck the leader. Nier was trying to thread the needle between the lapped car of Jarod Larson and the backstretch concrete wall when Larson pinched the leader, putting Nier into the wall and breaking his front end.

This put Smith on top for the restart ahead of Duncan, Wilson, Jacobs and Jason Johnson. Smith jumped out to a big lead when the green flew, with Wilson going around Duncan on the outside to take second place. At the mid-way point of the 15 mile contest, Larson shredded a tire for another caution, and Smith was still on top when the green reappeared, ahead of Wilson and Jacobs. Wilson dove low in turns one and two on lap 16, but Smith repelled the advance until turns three and four where Wilson made the move stick to emerge with the lead on lap 17. From that point on, Wilson was a rocket, stretching his advantage over Smith and Jacobs. Jacobs finally took over second from Smith with a low move following a lap 23 restart, but didn't have anything for the leader.

"My tire had a vibration from the start, then it started going flat," third place Smith lamented while examining his left rear Hoosier Tire. "It was banging the frame rails and just about jarred my teeth out. The yellows just about killed me. Then under green we'd get some air in it and it would be okay," he concluded, speaking of the tire which cost him a trip into victory lane.

Jacobs in second earned the $100 TW Metals nightly cash bonus ahead of Smith and Travis Rilat, who used the low groove all night to come on strong at the end after starting 15th. Dean Jacobs was next after starting 11th, with Jason Johnson sixth.

Rob Chaney finished seventh, winning the Team Simpson Racing Lucky Seven award ahead of Chad Kemenah, Duncan and Blake Feese.

The K-T Equipment heat went to Wilson, the JB Enterprise Racing Products heat was won by Dean Jacobs, the Crown Battery heat fell to Travis Rilat and Kenny Jacobs won the Haulmark Dash.

Time Trials: 1. Greg Wilson, Hampshire 63, 14.351; 2. Rob Chaney, Courtad 9x, 14.476; 3. Danny Smith, Baker 4, 14.481; 4. Kenny Jacobs, Jacobs/Honecker 6, 14.510; 5. Jim Nier, Nier 00, 14.568; 6. Rodney Duncan, Harrison 22, 14.597; 7. Jason Johnson, Elden 22e, 14.660; 8. Kraig Kinser, Kinser 11k, 14.730; 9. Chad Kemenah, Harble 15k, 14.745; 10. Ed Lynch, Jr., Lynch 2L, 14.803; 11. Dean Jacobs, Daugherty 7r, 14.942; 12. Chris Knopp, Neiderer 10n, 14.986; 13. Jason Dukes, JT 3, 15.213; 14. Brian Ellenberger, Ellenberger 20, 15.274; 15. Travis Rilat, Archer U2, 15.424; 16. Mike Wagner, Wagner 55, 15.455; 17. Jerrod Hull, Webb 51, 15.595; 18. Blake Feese, Feese 1, 15.633; 19. Jarod Larson, Clemson 47, 15.665; 20. Jim Dayton, Dayton 2x, 15.778; 21. Barry Ruble, Ruble 63r, 16.476; 22. Jeff Hoying, Hoying 61, 16.545;

K-T Equipment Rental Heat (8 laps): 1. Wilson 2. Lynch 3. Johnson 4. K. Jacobs 5. Larson 6. Wagner 7. Hoying 8. Dukes.

JB Enterprise Racing Products Heat (8 laps): 1. D. Jacobs 2. Kinser 3. Nier 4. Chaney 5. Dayton 6. Ellenberger 7. Hull.

Crown Battery Heat (8 laps): 1. Rilat 2. Kemenah 3. Duncan 4. Smith 5. Feese 6. Ruble 7. Knopp.

Haulmark Dash (4 laps): 1. K. Jacobs 2. Wilson 3. Duncan 4. Smith 5. Chaney 6. Nier.

A Main (30 laps): 1. Greg Wilson 2. Kenny Jacobs 3. Danny Smith 4. Travis Rilat 5. Dean Jacobs 6. Jason Johnson 7. Rob Chaney 8. Chad Kemenah 9. Rodney Duncan 10. Blake Feese 11. Jerrod Hull 12. Ed Lynch Jr. 13. Brian Ellenberger 14. Kraig Kinser 15. Mike Wagner 16. Jim Dayton 17. Chris Knopp 18. Jarod Larson 19. Barry Ruble 20. Jason Dukes 21. Jim Nier 22. Jeff Hoying.