Tom Scully came back from last week’s disaster with this week’s win. It seemed that Tom and Mike Brightman put their fortunes in the wall with last week’s twin wreck against the backstretch wall. Angelo Belsito benefitted, vaulting eighteen points ahead of Scully in the championship chase. But oh, what a difference a week makes. Belsito was out after 27 laps this week, after rolling slowly to a stop on the backstretch. Scully went to the top, winning the event. And Brightman, despite what announcer Kevin Boucher termed “fighting an ill-handling car” led the race at points and was never out of the top five, finishing fifth overall. Scully’s win, paired with Angelo’s sixteenth-place finish, dramatically reverses events and Tom is in the lead again. And he captured the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown as well.
Dave Darling and Bobby Pelland III also reversed their recent fortunes with strong second and third place finishes. And Darling, had he perhaps another 500 rpms in his mill, might have captured the feature. He dogged Scully’s tracks for just under half the race, often threatening to go around or drive under but just a whisker off the pace to do so.
All the hard cases lurked around the front at the start: Brightman on pole, Ryan Lineham on the outside. Kevin Casper and Darling behind them. Freddy Astle and Scully in row three with Belsito and Dick Houlihan one more back. Plenty of excitement in store for a hungry crowd. And a single, mid race caution to provide a breather from the high-octane insanity at the old Cement Palace.
And Brightman and Lineham kicked it off with a brutal door-to-door that lasted 12 laps then refreshed itself as Brightman continued to pursue, thn retrieved his lead on lap 24. Lineham grabbed it back on lap 27 and Scully went alongside Mike to nose ahead just as Belsito lost power in turn two and coasted to the backstretch, bringing the only caution. Mind you: moments before the shutdown, the Auburn Assailant was running fourth and duking it out with Scully for position. And then things changed a bit.
Lineham and Brightman lined up at the front with Scully and Darling paired behind them. Rick Martin and Casper were row three, ahead of Pelland and Jake Vanada.
Scully got under Brightman as Lineham grabbed the lead. Martin ducked under Darling as Scully was easing Lineham off the front. The Radical One then got under Mighty Mike into third on Lineham’s bumper. The game was afoot as Darling, not to be denied, passed Brightman, then two laps later passed Martin onto Lineham’s coattails. Pelland followed Darling past Brightman to chase Martin as Dave vaulted further, relieving Lineham of second place. On lap 36.
Lineham, Martin and Pelland gave chase for a handfull of laps until Lineham suddenly fell off on lap 43 and was unable to regain the car’s earlier prominence. But Pelland suddenly vaulted past Martin into third on lap 43. Scully and Darling were setting a wicked pace, however, and were several lengths ahead.
Casper followed Pelland as Martin and Brightman disputed fifth place between themselves with Brightman finally taking the position.
With seven laps remaining, Darling was using up his entire bag of tricks on Scully, but to no avail. The latter had mastered The Konk for the evening and though he could not break the welds that held Darling on his bumper, he could not be passed.
Scully fetched under the checkers with Darling in his draft, then Pelland, Casper and Brightman. Rounding out the top ten were Martin, Houlihan, Vanada, Astle and Dean Petty.
PRO STOCKS
SCULLY JR BACK ON TOP
BELSITO DNF WITH EQUIPMENT FAILURE