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Racing77prt; .*lt;i *41 * \ ’rt ** n* M ^U IT»CHARLOTTE - Tommy Houston made it three in a row by leading all the way in the 50-lap late model sportsman feature Friday night at the Metrolina' Speedway at the Charlotte Fairgrounds.Harry Gant challenged Houston throughout the race, getting a fender alongside the leader on several occasions, but was never able to slip Into the top spot. Gant finished third after losing the runner-up spot to Jimmy Griffin late in the race, with Morgan Shepherd fourth, and Don Miller fifth.The win gave Houston a clean sweep in the three races held this season on the newly paved %-mile oval, with the Hickory driver leading all 175 laps of .Sportsman feature competition. But Gant gave Houston all the competition he could handle in this race showing that the Houston dynasty might be coming to an end.Finishing in sixth place was ‘ George Dalton with Dale Earnhardt seventh, Glenn Jarrett eighth, Larry Wallace ninth, and Sam Routh tenth.In the sportsman semi-feature, Dalton was the winner, with Jimmy Griffin second, and Ronald Fox third.In the 25-lap Limited Sportsman contest, Roger Starnes got past both Jerry Fox and Larry Starnes on the final lap to grab the win. Fox and Larry Starnes staged a dramatic side-by-side duel for the lead throughout the race with Roger Starnes slipping past both coining off the fourth turn on the last lap, leaving Fox in second, and Larry Starnes in third, Lowe Smith finished behind the top trio in fourth, and Gray Brook-’ shire in fifth.Roger Starnes also took the limited heat race.Ray Nicholson, Jr., won the 20-lap mini-stock race in a Volkswagen, followed by Park Olsen in an Austin and the eider half of the Nicholson team, RaySr., third in a Renault.Houston’s toughest test of the season will come next Friday night in a 150-lap North Carolina State Championship race. • Ray Hendrick, the only driver to beat Houston in Sportsman competition this year, has filed an entry for.the event, as has Grand National star Bobby Issac. Gant, Shepherd, Griffin, Dalton, Earnhardt, and Jarrett are also expected back to challenge Houston. A 40- lap Baby Grand race His an added attraction also.—O-—HICKORY — Tommy Houston made it four in a row at Hickory Speedway Saturday night by winning the 75-lap sportsman feature, but not before having a serious challenge from Bob Pressley. The Asheville driver ( started on the pole and led the ( first 42 laps of the race before c ; mechanical trouble forced him i from competition, leaving i Houston in first place.Finishing behind the winning t Chevelle was the Ford of Glen / Hoke, Harry Gant (Chevelle) i third, Boyce Eckerd (Chevelle) c fourth, and 'Dale Earnhardt fc (Chevelle) fifth. gKen Wilson finished sixth, with Junior Crouch seventh, t Glenn Jarrett eighth, Larry F Wallace ninth, and Ronald Fox a tenth. tlt;Crouch won the sportsman semi-feature, with Earnhardt second, and Allen Leatherman, a rookie, third. •The winner in the 25-lnn
Newspaper Details
Statesville Record and Landmark
Statesville, North Carolina, US
Mon, Apr 29, 1974
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
NC, USA 09 Jan 2021
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