NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Race Report: Greased Lightning Cleaner 150
10 November 1997
NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series
Greased Lightning Cleaner 150 Race Report
Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex
November 8, 1997
PARKER, GOODSON BIG WINNERS AT HOMESTEAD
HOMESTEAD, FL - Denver, N.C.'s Hank Parker, Jr. powered to his second NASCAR
Slim Jim All Pro Series win of 1997 as he earned a $13,975 payday by winning
the $89,900 Greased Lightning Cleaner 150 at Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports
Complex on Saturday afternoon, November 8. Also at stake was the NASCAR Slim
Jim All Pro Series points championship and the outcome was not settled until
the checkered flag waved. Hal Goodson, who hails from Darlington, S.C.,
earned the '97 title by just two points over Milford, Oh.'s Jeff Fultz, as
the race played out before a live television audience on WTBS.
Concord, N.C.'s Sean Studer, battling for the runner-up spot in the Port City
Racing Rookie of the Year chase, surprised everyone including himself as he
picked up his first career Busch Pole Award during Friday afternoon's
qualifying session. Wheeling his Old El Paso Mexican Style Foods/Food Lion
Chevrolet, Studer, along with the entire starting field, broke the track
record on the reconfigured 1.5 mile superspeedway. He earned the opportunity
to lead the 40-car field to the green flag with a lap of 37.572 seconds
equaling a speed of 143.724 mph. Studer became the only rookie to win a pole
in 1997, and the 14th different polesitter of the year as well.
The 20-year-old got a good start to lead the first lap but outside front row
starter Mike Garvey took over on the second circuit and paced the field until
the first caution waved on lap 14, which occurred as a result of a spin by
Kevin Prince. Prince was able to regroup and keep going but the field was
bunched up for the lap 18 restart. Just five laps later Parker outmuscled
Garvey for the top spot and it was apparent that his Delco Voyager
Batteries/Duragloss/NGK Chevrolet was strong and would figure into the final
outcome of the 150-mile event.
Parker led from lap 23 to lap 71, giving up the top spot when he pitted for
right side tires and fuel. Lake Wales, Fla.'s Mario Gosselin, who was having
a solid run in his W.J. Plemons Insurance Chevrolet in his first ever run at
Homestead, assumed the lead until he pitted during the event's second caution
period. The slow go period came about as a result of a broken camshaft on
Carl Long's mount, which precluded him from getting back to the pit area.
Parker narrowly escaped going a lap down to Gosselin, being saved by the
caution flag but several others who had pitted were not so fortunate.
When green flag racing resumed on lap 83 Gosselin regained the lead over then
leader Robert Burroughs but Parker retook command for good on lap 84. Green
flag conditions continued until the third and final caution waved on lap 91,
brought out as a result of debris on the track. Several drivers that were
gambling on fuel mileage were forced to pit prior to the caution and ended up
a lap down as the caution occurred.
When the green flag waved on lap 96 a four-lap dash ensued, with only Parker,
Gosselin and Bobby Hamilton, Sr. being lead-lap cars racing for the win.
Parker was simply too strong and edged away to a 1.814 second win. Gosselin
had a tire going down allowing Hamilton to move his Pontiac into the second
position, with Gosselin settling for a third place finish as the last car on
the lead lap.
"We had that caution with five laps to go, my heart was in my throat, I
didn't know what was going to happen. Mario got beside me in three and four
and I thought oh no but once we got through three and four I knew I was ok,"
stated Parker after the event. "The new configuration is awesome, it's so
smooth, and you can race others better now," the winner added.
Scot Walters and Derrick Gilchrist rounded out the top five while Brian
Sockwell, Larry Raines, Billy Bigley, Jr., Ron Young and Steven Christian
filled out the top 10, all having completed 99 laps.
Goodson and Fultz waged their own private midpack war for the points
championship as each experienced difficulties during the event to finish 16th
and 17th respectively. Goodson appeared to lose any shot at his second series
championship when he cut down a left rear tire on lap eight. For the better
part of the event he ran one lap down after a tire change, while Fultz was
executing a consistent top 15 run. All that changed on lap 72 when Fultz
entered the pits too quickly during a green flag pit stop on lap 72. The
JaniKing Chevrolet driver was assessed a 15 second penalty, causing him to
lose a lap to the leaders. With the caution waving just five laps later, the
two points leaders were then on the same lap.
Through the balance of the event Goodson scratched and clawed to close on
Fultz, ultimately finishing one position behind him. This produced a two
point victory margin for the driver of the Greased Lightning Cleaner/Black's
Tire Chevrolet, and earned the Citadel graduate a second NASCAR Slim Jim All
Pro Series Championship in three years. Ironically, when Goodson won the
championship in 1995 he also cut down a tire during the last race and had to
battle back in a similar fashion during that event.
"In '95 we cut a tire down, lost two laps but had a bigger (points) lead
then, I managed to hold on for the championship," Goodson stated. Goodson also
noted, "At the first of the year we had a local car dealer, Burdette
Chevrolet, helping me out some. Along about July Greased Lightning came along
to help us out.I'm glad we stuck with it, it was a lot of fun all year,
racin' with Jeff (Fultz) for the championship."
Ron Young wound up third in the points standings while Parker and 1997 Port
City Racing Rookie of the Year David Reutimann secured the fourth and fifth
points positions. The sixth through 10th points positions went to Christian,
Gilchrist, Mike Harmon, Nipper Alsup and Raines.
Steve Mendenhall and Bobby Hamilton, Jr. earned the Port City Rookie of the
Race and Race Runner-up honors after notching 11th and 12th place finishes
respectively. Reutimann had already locked up the rookie title but the
runner-up position was undecided until the checkered flag waved. Studer
secured the runner-up spot over Steven Howard and Long.
Ronnie Carrier earned his second Jasper Engines & Transmissions Crew Chief
Challenge award of 1997 as he guided Parker's journey to victory lane.
Young's Crew Chief Larry Rapp earned the season long championship over
Goodson's head wrench Delbert Ray.
A final celebration will take place on Friday evening, January 2, 1998, at
the Atlanta Airport Hilton, the new site of the annual awards banquet.
By NASCAR Public Relations