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  *Comments on the 1997 Burnham Boilers 150:*
  View the most recent comment <#1> | Post a comment <#post>


  1.   TaterRacing posted:
  02.07.2012 - 1:14 pm
   Rate this comment:      (2)      (0)

Broadcast live on ESPN. Jerry Punch and Benny Parsons called the race
with Kyle Petty and Bill Weber in the pits.

On the first turn of the first lap, Bryan Wall turned Dale Quarterley
after Quarterley was a little aggressive in trying to pass Wall.
Meanwhile, Ted Christopher had trouble and fell back as far as 30th.
Stub Fadden pulled into the garage before reaching the second turn. He
would come back on track.

On the second lap, turn one, Brad Bennett spun through the inside of the
turn and missed any cars on track and slid through the gravel trap. He
was able to drive through and continue.

Also on lap two, Herb Drugg got out of the #26 car and Scott Bouley got in.

It did not pay to be up front early. Wall had engine trouble and dropped
out. On lap 5, Mike Stefanik had transmission trouble and stopped on the
back stretch, just before the bus stop to bring out the FIRST CAUTION.

Stuart Jones, in his first stock car race, was black flagged for passing
on the right on the first restart.

Brian Simo took the lead from Stefanik on lap 3, but he would not last
much longer. His engine expired while leading and came to a stop on the
back stretch on the same spot Stefanik did earlier. It brought out the
SECOND CAUTION on lap 12. It was the third engine destroyed by the Simo
twins that weekend. Brian Simo blew up in practice and his brother,
Mark, also blew an engine before qualifying. Mark Simo never got a
chance to qualify for the race. Brian was battling the flu that day and
raced in the Trans Am race that afternoon.

Bobby Dragon took over the lead after Simo dropped out. Kat Teasdale,
who was incorrectly credited as being the first female driver to run in
Busch North by ESPN, ran as high as second and was pretty strong before
having trouble.

After Stefanik dropped out and Jerry Marquis said he dropped a cylinder,
things looked up for Dave Dion in the fight for the championship. His
hopes were dashed momentarily as he got into someone and developed a
tire rub. He pitted for tires and to fix the fender. He got out in front
of leader Dragon and was able to stay in front of him before the THIRD
CAUTION for Jamie Aube on lap 22. Aube spun in turn one and got stuck in
the gravel trap.

Lou Rettenmeier and Andy Santerre got caught pitting while the pits were
closed, forcing them to restart at the rear.

Billy Penfold spun twice in this race and spun someone else as well. His
first spin came on lap 25, as he got two wheels in the dirt coming out
of turn 10 and looped it around. No damage and no yellow.

Bob Brunell was not so lucky as he spun in turn one and got stuck in the
gravel pit on lap 28 to bring out the FOURTH CAUTION.

On lap 33, Dave Dion worked his way back toward the front and looked to
overtake Rick Bell for second in turn 10, but Dion drove in too deep and
the brakes locked. He nailed the rear of Bell, spinning them both into
the gravel trap. Dion was able to drive away and stay on the lead lap,
but Bell had to be towed out of the gravel to bring out the FIFTH
CAUTION. The hood was taken off the Dion car and he managed to finish 10th.

Under caution, Jeff Barry came out of his No. 22 car and was relieved by
Tom Carey Jr. Barry was complaining of being too hot in the car. He was
running in the top five for a while. Carey led four laps earlier in his
own car.

Ted Christopher, who battled back from deep in the field, took the lead
from Kelly Moore at the beginning of the esses with 25 laps to go
(actually 27 to go as this was a G-W-C finish). TC wouldn't relinquish
the lead after that.

Half a lap later, something went wrong for Quarterley, as he completely
missed turn 10 and rode the guardrail around the gravel pit. He would
return to the pits. A lap later, Dragon had a tire go down and he had to
pit.

The SIXTH CAUTION came out with 20 to go (22 to go). There was no reason
given for the yellow.

Three things seemed to happen simultaneously with 18-17 laps to go.
First, Eric Bodine blew his motor coming out of turn nine. Then Mike
Olsen got into Kim Baker in turn 11, causing Olsen to slide and lost
positions. Baker was unaffected. And Paul Spencer slid and stopped in
the grass in turn one

Tom Bolles blew a motor and spun in his own oil in turn 11 to bring out
the SEVENTH CAUTION. Also Brad Bennett slid in the oil and backed his
car into the wall. Jamie Aube ran into the back of Tracy Gordon and left
some of his fender in the back of the Gordon car. Gordon was black
flagged and had to pit to get the fender out.

On the restart, Baker got into Moore and spun him out of the second
position.

On lap 53, Glen Brehio was spun by Penfold and came to a stop at the end
of the innerloop to bring out the EIGHTH CAUTION.

With six laps to go (8 to go), Dennis Demers went way too hard into turn
one and slammed into Dragon. The front end of the Demers car came off
the ground and both went off the turn. Both would continue without a yellow.

A lap later, Brad Bennett spun and came to a stop at the end of the
innerloop. At first, there was no caution, but a lap later, NASCAR threw
the EIGHTH CAUTION on lap 60, causing a green-white-checkered finish.

Christopher got a great jump on the last restart and was never
challenged to win his first race of the 1997 season and second of his
career.


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