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Kilby Takes Pole and Win at Hickory

Hickory, NC (April 1, 2001) - Scott Kilby made the most of his Hickory Motor Speedway homecoming Saturday night, setting pole with his A & H Windows No. 30 and leading all 125 laps for his first victory in the American Racing Association All-Stars Series. In most cases, and in most series, Kilby's efforts would have made for a snoozer of a race. The All-Stars field made it anything but.

With fans and teams battling the wet and cold of scattered dixie showers that plagued the evening's events with a three hour delay, Kilby had a different battle to contend with, holding off late charges by defending series champion Greg Marlowe and a miraculous comeback by Keith Bumgarner.

The warm, clear skies that greeted the drivers and crews during practice evolved into a cruel tease as ominous clouds rolled into the Catawba Valley by midday, sending crews scurrying with heavy rain and lightning. The weather was a fitting precursor to the main event.

With qualifying and a 20 lap consolation race woven throughout the night's short local program, the All-Stars took the green shortly after 11:00 pm. Kilby had posted a 15.032 qualifying run, 19/1000's better than No. 79 Tim Weaver, who was ultimately sent to the rear for the start of the feature for a technical irregularity. No. 07 Marlowe, who had qualified third, traded in his new-found outside pole position for inside fourth row on the starting grid, putting local favorite No. 43 Kenny West up front.

As a blanket of fog settled in, the green flag dropped, and the fireworks quickly started with a collision in Turn 1 involving No. 99 Stephen Lite and No. 18 Glenn Jermalowicz. The accident, which ended Lite's night with a broken rear axle, also collected Bumgarner, who had made the feature on a points provisional after mechanical problems hampered his qualifying run. Bumgarner would go a lap down while his crew removed the damaged Country Chair-adorned hood, re-entering on the rear for the double-wide restart on Lap 5.

With Kilby building a comfortable lead early, Hickory driver Mark Setzer, driving the local and perennially strong Galaxy Foods No. 84 car, pulled past Kenny West on lap 31 to take second, with No. 32 Randy Porter quick to follow Setzer two laps later. No. 25 Scott Hall, suffering ill fortune two weeks in a row, spun coming out of turn four, bringing out the night's second caution on lap 34. Pools of standing water on the apron reflected the famed Hickory Motor Speedway pit wall as the cars gathered themselves for the restart.

By lap 51, Marlowe, hounding West for two laps, beat him on the inside coming out of turn 4 to take over the fourth position. While the drivers dueled for top five real estate, Bumgarner was busy reeling in the leader Kilby, digging hard to regain his lap. Kilby showed no intentions of giving the lapped car a free pass.

"We figured he might let us go, but he didn't," said Bumgarner after the race. "I just wanted to get to the front, whatever it took."

As the witching hour on the clock approached, Bumgarner took to the harrowing Hickory outside groove and eventually wrestled by Kilby, who stuck to the inside in an effort to save his tires and car. A caution for debris two laps later brought Keith around to the tail, back on the lead lap. The storm that those in attendance feared might return to wash out the race was now anchored to a set of Goodyear tires and stamped with a 95.

"I didn't really press the issue too much back there on his lap back because I wanted something for the end," said Kilby, "but it almost came back to haunt me."

The 'haunting' began immediately on the restart, as Bumgarner charged through the field, picking off cars inside and outside. While Marlowe was passing Porter on lap 63 for third, and last week's winner No. 5 Westley Huffman was digging past Kenny West on the inside out of Turn 4 for fifth, the No. 95 car was stealing the show, powering into the top fifteen.

Hickory driver Jamie Yelton, driving a No. 3 for the night, muscled past J.R. Robbs on the inside for ninth on lap 83. Robbs would be victimized again on the ensuing lap, as Bumgarner, eyeing to crack the top ten, ran underneath Robbs in Turn 3. Robbs would get loose in 4, but correct it. The 72 car of Brian Rose, close behind, did not correct, and spun, bringing out caution number five.

Weaver, who had battled his way back in to the top ten, was Bumgarner's next victim following the restart. With a lap car as a pick, Keith charged past Jamie Yelton, then slipped under a loose No. 50 John Michaelowski for seventh by lap 92. Bumgarner took to the outside again, passing Kenny West in Turn 4. On lap 103, Keith chose the inside, this time beating Huffman to the stripe, snaring a top five spot. Up front, Marlowe was tailing the leader Kilby, awaiting the slightest give to make his move. Kilby didn't budge, while Marlowe fell victim to a track getting slicker and slicker as the night progressed.

A caution on lap 108 bunched the field together again for the final 17 laps. Bumgarner blitzed past Porter on the backstretch to nab fourth, then powered inside of Setzer on the next lap for third. The crowd stood in disbelief as Bumgarner, from a 29th starting position and having been a lap down almost midway through the event, now stood on the verge of charging to the lead.

With Bumgarner on his heels, Marlowe got loose in Turn 4. Bumgarner pulled even on the inside, and the two dove into Turn 1 neck and neck. Worsening track conditions spelled near disaster for Marlowe, who began to spin. As he showed the ARA faithful on numerous occasions last year, Marlowe saved the car and pulled it in behind Bumgarner, holding onto third through the finish.

"We're pretty happy to be here," said Marlowe in Victory Lane. "We got a little tight there with about forty to go. I thought we had something for Scott, but that's the way racing goes."

A Turn 4 spin on lap 115 brought out the eighth caution, setting up the improbable Bumgarner - Kilby Round Two showdown.

Kilby held off Bumgarner for three laps, stretching his lead to two car lengths before a Turn 2 spin brought out the night's final caution with seven laps remaining. On the restart, Kilby pulled away, slowly building a lead over the 95 car through the final laps, eventually taking the checkers.

"It's always good to come back home to Hickory," said Kilby. "I appreciate the support we've had over the years and it's great to come back to Hickory and win. I'd like to congratulate the boy in the No. 95 car. Up front they all drove a clean race over the past two weeks and it just shows you what a class act we've got in this series."

Mark Setzer would hold onto an impressive fourth place finish, with Randy Porter taking fifth. Westley Huffman, Tim Weaver, Kenny West, John Michaelowski and Jamie Yelton rounded out the top ten.

The series moves on to Tri-County Motor Speedway this Friday, April 6th, for its third race in thirteen days to start the season.