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DEFENDING CHAMP NEEDS PEACH STATE WIN

JEFFERSON, GA - To say the least, it's been a disappointing season for Greg Marlowe. The defending American Racing Association (ARA) Kool Seal Challenge champion hasn't won a single race, but still has high hopes heading into the Kool Seal Twin 125 on Sunday, Sept. 2. at Peach State Speedway.

Greg Marlowe

His hopes are buoyed by the fact that he finished fourth in the ARA's last race at Peach State on Aug. 12th and by a strong run in the last race, Aug. 18th in the Bobby Isaac Memorial 200 at Hickory, when he qualified a disappointing 15th but charged to a fourth-place finish.

"Maybe, just maybe, things are turning around," Marlowe said after the Hickory run. "But it's really been a rough season. We just can't figure out why we haven't run better."

Despite the lack of a victory, Marlowe ranks a strong fourth in the Kool Seal standings with 401 points, thanks to seven top 5 finishes in his #07 Southern Pride Chevrolet. But he remembers a disastrous month of May when he finished 24th, 22nd and 7th in three events.

"We got behind and we've never caught up," says the Troutman, NC, short track veteran. "We'd like to get at least one (win) before the season is over."

Marlowe can still influence the outcome of 2001 ARA Kool Seal championship. He is still a strong threat to qualify on the front row, and pick up five bonus points. Those are points that both Scott Kilby and Keith Bumgarner desperately need as they battle for the title.

Kilby, of Statesville, NC, has won the last two races - and earned a maximum number of points possible in each - to boost his lead to 495-475 over Bumgarner, of Conover, NC. Westley Huffman of Blytheville, SC, ranks third with 415 points, followed by Marlowe with 401, Keith Stiltner of Grundy, VA with 324, Frampton Ferguson of Furman, SC with 284 and 14-year-old Stephen Leicht of Asheville, NC., with 277.

Kilby has boosted his lead by 19 points in the last two events. Kilby won the Bobby Isaac Memorial 200 and the U.S. Auto Sales 125 Aug. 12th at Peach State in his #30 A & H Windows Chevrolet, while Bumgarner finished second at Hickory and third at Peach State in his #95 Country Chair Ford.

This will mark the second time Peach State has hosted an ARA Kool Seal Challenge and Southern Thunder doubleheader. Each race will be for 125 laps.

Gates open at 10 a.m. Sunday, with ARA practice starting at Noon. Time trials start at 4 p.m., and the Kool Seal Challenge race is set for a 7 p.m. start. Local division races are set for 8 p.m. and the Southern Thunder feature is at 9 p.m.

DWAYNE BUGGAY LOOKS FOR FIRST ARA WIN ON SUNDAY

JEFFERSON, GA - Coming off a strong runner-up effort in his last event, Dwayne Buggay of Marietta, GA, needs only to move up one more position to win his first American Racing Association (ARA ) Southern Thunder Late Model series race, the Kool Seal Twin 125 Sunday at Peach State Speedway.

Dwayne Buggay

It will be an ARA doubleheader, with the Kool Seal Challenge series also running a 125-lap feature Sunday.

"The beginning of the season was very disappointing," says the 37-year-old driver of the #15 Atlanta Auto Brokers Ford Taurus, "but we've run well at Peach State the last two races, so we know we can win if we get the breaks."

That's get the breaks, not have things break. The early part of his season was plagued by mechanical maladies that denied him a top 5 finish in at least three events. That's why he ranks only fourth in the ARA Southern Thunder championship standings with 170 points.

Paul Kelley of Snellville, GA (#24 Kelley Motorsports Chevrolet) ranks first with 245 points, with 14-year-old Stephen Leicht of Asheville, NC (#99 Action Racing Collectibles Chevrolet) second with 230 and Michael Lance of Dacula, GA (#04 Lance Used Auto Parts Chevrolet) third with 214 points.

Buggay was second to Leicht in the series last event, Aug. 12th at Peach State.

While the championship may be out of reach, victory circle isn't for Buggay.

"This is my first full season with the ARA, and the competition is tough," Buggay says. "I like the ARA, because of TV deal (a half-hour highlights show airs weekly on The Outdoor Channel), and the travel. We're not running the same track every week, and the variety keeps the team on its toes. I've got a great crew with Donnie Poole (of Gainesville, GA) and Jack Hatfield (of Marietta), but they like to be challenged."

Buggay also relishes tougher competition. He started in 1987 in go-karts, and moved up to late models in '95. Last year, he was a regular at Lanier National Speedway, and now he's a touring pro for the ARA asphalt short track series. He also tested a NASCAR Busch Grand National earlier this summer at Peach State.

His #15 Ford Taurus has some of the best sponsorships among ARA teams, with Atlanta Auto Brokers, Solar Works Glass Tinting and CarsRus among his supporters.

"It takes a good team with good sponsors to win, and we're good enough to win," Buggay says. "It's just a matter of time."

Gates will open at 10 a.m. for competitors, with Kool Seal practice starting at Noon, followed by Southern Thunder practice. Qualifying for the Battery Supply of Virginia pole award will start at 4 p.m., when spectator gates open. An autograph session is scheduled for 6 p.m., with the Kool Seal Challenge race starting at 7 p.m., followed by local division features and the Southern Thunder feature. For more information, the new telephone number for Peach State Speedway is 706-387-7490.

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American Racing Association
KOOL SEAL Twin 125s
Sunday, September 2, 2001

Event Schedule

10am       Competitor Gates Open
Noon       Kool Seal Challenge Series Practice
12:45pm    Southern Thunder Series Practice
1.30pm     Kool Seal Challenge Series Practice
2:15pm     Southern Thunder Series Practice
3 pm       Driver's Meeting
4 pm       Spectator Gates Open
4 pm       Kool Seal Challenge Series Time Trials
5 pm       Southern Thunder Series Time Trials
6 pm       Driver Autograph Session
7 pm       Kool Seal Twin 125 - Kool Seal Challenge Series
8 pm       Local Division Features
9 pm       Kool Seal Twin 125 - Southern Thunder Series

KELLEY AND KILBY LEAD ARA POINTS

PENDERGRASS, GA - Paul Kelley of Snellville, GA., carries a 15-point lead over Stephen Leicht of Asheville, NC, in the American Racing Association (ARA) Southern Thunder Series heading into Sunday's Kool Seal Twin 125 at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, GA.

Leicht, 14, won the series' last race, Aug. 12th at Peach State in his #99 Action Racing Collectibles Chevrolet, but trimmed only two points off Kelley's lead as Kelley finished third in his #24 Kelly Motorsports Chevrolet

Kelley leads 245-230, with Michael Lance of Dacula, GA, third with 214 points and Dwayne Buggay of Marietta, GA., fourth with 170 points.

Thanks to two straight victories - and maximum point-earning efforts - Scott Kilby of Statesville, NC, now leads Keith Bumgarner of Conover, NC, by 20 points in the ARA Kool Seal Challenge championship standings.

Westley Huffman of Blytheville, SC., is third with 415 points, and Greg Marlowe of Troutman, NC, is fourth with 324.

The Peach State event will be a doubleheader of both the Southern Thunder and Kool Seal Challenge series, each running a 125-lap feature Sunday.

Official ARA Kool Seal Challenge Series point standings:

1. Scott Kilby, Statesville, NC, 495
2. Keith Bumgarner, Conover, NC, 475
3. Westley Huffman, Blytheville, SC, 415
4. Greg Marlowe, Troutman, NC, 401
5. Keith Stiltner, Grundy, VA, 324
6. Frampton Ferguson, Furman, SC, 284
7. Stephen Leicht, Asheville, NC, 277
8. Danny O'Quinn Jr., Coeburn, VA, 269
9. Tim Weaver, Statesville, NC 265
10. Kenny West, Sherrills Ford, NC, 208

Official ARA Southern Thunder Late Model point standings:

1. Paul Kelley, Snellville, GA, 245
2. Stephen Leicht, Asheville, NC, 230
3. Michael Lance, Dacula, GA, 214
4. Dwayne Buggay, Marietta, GA, 170
5. Jeff Gore, Powder Springs, GA, 156
6. Kevin Perry, Jefferson, GA, 144
7. Russell Fleeman, Dacula, GA, 141
8. Ricky Moore, Gainesville, GA, 112
9. Lee Langford, Jefferson, GA, 111
10. tie, Rodney Landrum, Gainesville, GA 108 
         Mickey Cain, Gainesville, GA 108