Seven More Winners And 2 Repeat Victors Crowned On Sunday At Rockingham Speedway

[PressRoom-GFN]

Rockingham, N.C. (Jan. 13, 2008) – The second race weekend of the 2008 season is over at Rockingham Speedway and seven new victors from the INEX sanctioned Legend, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster divisions have been added to the track’s wall of winners on the track's web site.

They join the nine victors from last week, including two repeat winners, Christian Pahud and Thomas VanWingerden. Sixty-five drivers from across the United States participated in the event.

The Legend and Bandolero drivers raced on a six-tenths mile road course built primarily in the superspeedway's infield, but with one section allowing the drivers onto the high-banks in turns three and four before turning back into the infield.

The day's first feature race, the Legend Car Young Lion division, included a great battle for the win between Dylan Presnell, who traveled from Tennessee, and Ronnie Bassett Jr. Presnell jumped out to an early lead, but was pressured the entire race by Bassett. Jordan Stillwell finished third.

Kyle Weatherman led every lap of the Bandolero Bandit race for his first win at “The Rock.” It was not all easy for Weatherman, however, as he was pressured throughout the race by second-place finisher Matt Wallace and eventual fourth-place finisher Justin Carroll.

Pahud also led every lap in his feature race, the Legend Pro division, and became the first repeat winner at the track since it reopened. In fact, the top four finishers were identical from the previous week with VanWingerden, Daniel Moskowitz and Kyle Beattie finishing second through fourth, respectively, both weekends.

The day's best race was the Bandolero Young Gun event. Ryan Glenski and Chad Finchum swapped the lead five times – at the start finish line – in the intense battle. They also swapped the lead at least as many times throughout the six-turn road course. Finchum managed to get the lead and hold on to it when it counted, at the start finish line of the last lap. Tyler Lester was credited with second after Glenski did not go through post-race inspection and was put to the end of the finishing order.

Legend veteran Jan Ingram jumped out to the early lead in the Master Division race and never looked back, as he cruised to his first win at “The Rock.” Bill Baldwin overcame an early mishap to climb back into the second position with Russ Thompson and Mark Vogt finishing third and fourth, respectively.

Last week’s Bandolero Outlaw winner, Bailey Daniels returned to try and make it two in a row. She pressured race winner Nathan Rodgers throughout the event, but Rodgers did not crack under the pressure and held on for his place on Rockingham's “Wall of Winners.” Daniels finished second with Marcus Limehouse in third.

Even though Steven Ross won the Legend Semi-Pro heat race, he did not start from the first position because of the points system used to determine the line-up and the fact that Matt Lundstrum managed to pass seven cars during the heat race. It would not faze Ross, as he managed to grab the lead before the second corner and pull away for his first win at “The Rock.” Ross was a threat to win in week one, but a transmission problem forced him out of last week’s race before it was over. However, he would not face the same bad luck during the second weekend. Behind him, Lundstrom and Gene Kirila battled for second with Kiri la taking the honors.

The only lap Anthony Berube led during the Bandolero Beginner Bandit race was the one that mattered – the last one. Berube grabbed the lead on the final corner of the final lap after contact between two cars in front of him sent first and second place spinning. Brian Kolb, who had led every lap of the race until the final lap, lost control of his car after contact from behind. He still managed to bring his car across the line in third. He would receive credit for second after officials moved Drew Whidby back to third because of the contact.

Although there was more distance between them during the second week as the Thunder Roadster drivers crossed the start/finish line, that did not mean the race was not as good. Coming down the backstretch to take the white flag, Thomas Van Wingerden, Bryan Silas and Brandon Thompson were three wide battling for the lead. Van Wingerden managed to keep the lead after the three wide racing and repeat as winner of the Thunder Roadster race with Thompson beating Silas to the checkered flag. The Roadsters competed on the 1-mile oval.

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