Sept 12

Chub Returns to Portsmouth Raceway Park Again

Friday September 12th

Photo By Rick Schwallie

September 12, 2003

By Bret Emrick

Rob Blair of Titusville, PA broke his over five-year winless drought with the Renegade DirtCar Racing Series Friday pocketing the $10,000 to win "Pepsi 100" at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, OH. Starting from the pole aboard the Bossard-Crawford GM Store/Maloney Tool & Mold/Armstrong Lumber No. Won11 Rob Blair Motorsports Rocket Chassis/Draime Racing Engines Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Blair traded the lead with Chub Frank four separate times before inheriting the point three laps from the finish when Frank tangled with the lapped car of Doug Drown. The contact between Chub and Drown locked their cars together spinning both cars to a stop which handed the lead and eventual win to Blair. The victory was Blair's second career Renegade DirtCar Racing Series sanctioned win. His first happened July 24, 1998 at Raceway (OH) 7.

Photo By Rick Schwallie

"We would have never caught Chub", stated the very happy winner. "But, I guess it's like they say. I'd rather be lucky than good. It's too bad Chub got together with Doug. He had us covered. But, I'll take the win though it's not the way I'd like to win it".

Bart Hartman, who started 23rd, rode home in second with 12th starting Steve Casebolt third, R.J. Conley fourth and Billy Drake fifth. Completing the top ten finishers were 24th starting Mike Balzano in sixth, 21st starting Rod Conley seventh followed by Jim Bernheisel, Frank (the last car on the lead lap) and John Mason.

Blair and Eddie Carrier Jr. brought the 25 car starting grid to the green flag but before lap one could be completed contact in turn one between Lance Elson and Chris Conley brought out the first of nine yellow flag periods and forced Conley to the pits with a broken rear-end. Carrier Jr. won the drag race into turn one once the green flag replaced the yellow flag leading Blair, Drake, Barry Bragdon and Chub at the end of the first lap. Blair stayed right with Carrier Jr. inching ahead of Carrier Jr. as the field completed lap 4 with Chub losing the fifth spot to R.J. Conley. The caution would wave again before lap 5 was completed as Rick Aukland limped his car to a stop in turn four.

On the restart Carrier Jr. fell back to fourth as Drake and Bragdon shot by low in turn two. Carrier Jr. lost another spot two laps later to R.J. Conley. Up front, Blair ran the bottom of the race track with Drake two car lengths behind. Blair entered lapped traffic on lap 11 but worked his way through the back markers until caution waved on lap 19 when Davey Johnson slowed. Two more laps were recorded before the yellow was right back out for Jackie Boggs who stopped in turn four when his car shut off.

Blair continued to keep Drake and the rest of the field at bay once the race resumed. With 25 laps in the books Blair enjoyed a four car margin over Drake with Bragdon third ahead of R.J. Conley and Chub with Carrier Jr. now sixth trailed by Bernheisel, Casebolt, Balzano and Hartman. Six laps later the caution would wave again for Boggs who suffered mechanical woes and stopped. Drake's solid run came to a halt, as did the torrid action, on lap 37 when he suffered a flat tire. Drake headed pit side for new rubber and returned to the race.

Ten laps before the halfway point Blair still held the lead with Chub now second with R.J. Conley third, Bragdon fourth and Carrier Jr. fifth ahead of Balzano, Hartman, Bernheisel, Casebolt and Rod Conley. Chub shot to the top side of the race track using the momentum to track down Blair and grab the lead on lap 49. One lap after the halfway point Bragdon went up in a cloud smoke and dropped into the pit area letting the race stay green. But the caution would wave two laps later when Kenny Christy stopped with damage.

On the restart Chub jumped the cushion in turn two allowing Blair to retake the lead at lap 54. The race stayed green for an extended amount of laps with Blair staying on the bottom and Chub running the top groove as the sliced their way through the lapped traffic. Balzano had worked his way into third by lap 80 and he suddenly joined the battle for the lead running the middle groove. The top three dazzled the crowd until the caution waved on lap 88 when Balzano suffered a flat right front tire. Balzano headed pit side for new rubber and lined up ninth, the last car on the lead lap.

Photo By Rick Schwallie

Chub was all over Blair on the restart working his way under Blair for several laps as Blair fought a push in his car. Chub grabbed the lead on lap 90 and seemingly had the race in the bag until lap 97. Racing off turn four Chub saw his path full of the lapped cars of Drown and Dave Troutman. Chub tried to squeeze underneath of Drown but the right front of Chub's car became entangled with the left rear of Drown's machine just as the pair passed the flag stand. Trying to shake their cars loose from each other as they entered turn one both cars slid up the track coming to a stop and bringing out the caution. Chub suffered a flat right front tire and after a lengthy delay to untangle the two machines an obviously frustrated Chub headed pit side for new rubber and rejoined the field. Blair kept his car out in front of Hartman the final two circuits to take the win.

Originally slated for August 31, all of the racing program but the feature event was completed before rain forced the postponement. The $42,000 purse event drew 46 drivers to the semi-banked 3/8ths mile speedway with Chub Frank earning the CARRERA SHOCKS "Challenge the Clock" time trial award with his fast lap of 14.989 seconds. Frank also copped the first BRODIX, INC. heat race with the other heat races falling to R.J. Conley, Rick Aukland and Jim Bernheisel. Scoring the MASTERSBILT RACE CARS "B" Main events were Lance Elson and Matt Urban while the ISKY RACING CAMS dash fell to Rob Blair.

1. Rob Blair

2. Bart Hartman

3. Steve Casebolt

4. R.J. Conley

5. Billy Drake

6. Mike Balzano

7. Rod Conley

8. Jim Bernheisel

9. Chub Frank

10. John Mason

11. Steve Shaver

12. Dave Troutman

13. Lance Elson

14. Josh McGuire

15. Doug Drown

16. Charlie Swartz

17. Eddie Carrier Jr.

18. Kenny Christy

19. Barry Bragdon

20. Matt Urban

21. Jackie Boggs

22. Rick Aukland

23. Rob House

24. Davey Johnson

25. Chris Conley

The next scheduled event for Chub Frank Racing.

Saturday September 13

KC Raceway
For

The 2003 Renegade DirtCar Series Point Standings - (after 9-12-03)
1. Chub Frank - 5,640
2. Mike Balzano - 5,190
3. Rob Blair - 4,450

4. Davey Johnson - 4,360
5. Rod Conley - 3,820

Don’t forget to stop by merchandise, there’s been a lot of new merchandise added.

Chub Frank Racing

Rt.1 Box 146

Lottsville Niobe Rd.

Bear Lake, PA 16402