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Brown Wins AC Delco 200 At Five Flags

The Southern All Star Asphalt Series returned to Pensacola's Five Flags Speedway Friday night for its second race of the 2001 at the famed ½ mile oval. After several lead changes, and a few torn up race cars, veteran Darrell Brown took a controversial win in the AC Delco 200.

J.R. Norris led 20 Late Models in UpFront Carburetion Pole Qualifying with a time of 16.795. Brown would start from the pole by virtue of Norris rolling a five on the inversion die.

Brown jumped out to the early lead, but John Wilkinson III charged to the front from his sixth starting spot. Wilkinson, who won when the series last visited on June 1, took the lead from Brown on lap 4. The rest of the field seemed content to ride and get some laps under them and save some rubber for later. Wilkinson led Brown, Ricky Turner, Wayne

Willard, and Norris to a lap 47 caution period. Turner and Willard elected to pit during the caution, with Willard eventually retiring for the night with over heating problems. Turner had to return to the pits

on lap 66 with a flat tire. Under new Southern All Star procedures, two competition cautions were planned for the race, the first coming on lap 75. Wilkinson led Brown, Norris, Ronnie Sanders, and Jason Hogan to the caution. Wilkinson continued to lead after the caution, but behind him the action was starting to pick up. Norris and Sanders moved ahead of Brown. Keith Thorpe moved into the top five, but Jeremy Rice was the man

on the move. Starting sixth after the restart, Rice moved into fifth on lap 94. Four laps later, he moved past Sanders for fourth. At the half way point, he was up to third behind Wilkinson and Norris. Rice charged past Norris, then took the lead from Wilkinson on lap 106 as Wilkinson began to experience mechanical problems.

Rice led the field to the second competition yellow on lap 140, followed by J.R. Dudley, Brown, Turner, and Sanders. Dudley had the fastest car on the track, and after the caution period, set out to take the lead from Rice. On lap 147, Dudley made his move, but got caught up with the lapped car of Mike Langston and ended up in the front stretch wall, his night over.

Rice continued to lead, but David Hole was on his way, and Brown was on his way, backwards. Hole moved into second on lap 158, and moved past Rice for the lead on lap 170. He was about to lap Brown when the caution came out for debris on the track, allegedly Brown's water bottle.

Brown and Turner were able to pit for fresh tires, with Turner's crew again doing their job getting the defending series champion out ahead of Brown. Once back under green, it didn't take the pair long to go to the front. Turner took the lead from Hole on lap 186, bringing Brown with him. The two ran nose to tail for a few laps with Brown trying to find a way past Turner. Lapped cars slowed his progress, but once past the lapped traffic, Brown made his bid for the lead. Coming out of turn four on lap 194, there was contact between the two. Turner ended up in the wall; Brown ended up with the lead.

Brown pulled away after the restart to take the win, becoming the 10th different winner in 14 races. Hogan battled back from two laps down to finish second. Hole was third, followed by Rice and Sanders. Sixth through tenth went to Marc Burleson, Lee Carter, Turner, Johnny Wall, and Donald Long.

The series moves to Lanier National Speedway next Saturday for a 150-lap event.

Results

1. Darrell Brown
2. Jason Hogan
3. David Hole
4. Jeremy Rice
5. Ronnie Sanders
6. Marc Burleson
7. Lee Carter
8. Ricky Turner
9. Johnny Wall
10. Donald Long
11. Freddie Query
12. J.R. Dudley
13. Mike Langston
14. J.R. Norris
15. Keith Thorpe
16. Larry Raines
17. Wes Loyd
18. John Wilkinson III
19. Wayne Willard
20. Tony Walls