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Steven Wallace Wins Bobby Isaac Memorial
Story by: Chris Romano/Contributor to RACE22.com
Photos by: Debra Slater-Manter
Newton, NC(September 27, 2009) -- Nationwide Series regular Steven Wallace had the car to beat the field at Hickory's annual Bobby Isaac Memorial 200, but he had to come from the back to do it.
After setting fast time in qualifying Wallace shot out to a commanding lead, with Lucas Ransone and Coleman Pressley giving chase. The first yellow came out on lap 33, and track officials ruled that Wallace jumped the restart. He pitted under green three laps later for a stop and go and rejoined dead last in the twenty-one car field.
Ransone pulled away from Pressley, who was challenged by Jesse Lefevers and Roger Lee Newton when the yellow flew again on lap 46. This time Pressley pitted and would join Wallace in coming through the pack.
Ransone continued to lead from Lefevers, Newton dropped back and Kyle Moon began a strong run to the front in third. Moon moved to second in time for the next yellow and restart on lap 79. That was good enough to give him the lead with twenty laps to go in the first segment. Ransone had his hands full holding off Lefevers while Wallace had worked his way back to fourth.
Candace Muzny spun on lap 100, just in time for the halfway break, and by then Wallace had moved around Ransone to second.
After a ten minute break the final 100 laps restarted but quickly went to yellow when Josh Wimbish spun. Ransone was strong on the restart, getting by Wallace and by lap 109 he was back in the lead. Moon's car went away and the field began to go by him when the caution flew again on lap 118 for a spin by James Goff.
The longest green flag run followed with Wallace and Ransone running side by side for much of it. Brandon Dean moved to third while Newton raced back and challenged him for that position with Pressley close behind.
By lap 148 Wallace took the lead from Ransone and never looked back. With twenty five laps to go Dexter Canipe, Jr., recovering from a miserable first half, worked his way to second. The best dice on the track by this point was for fifth between Grant Wimbish and Dean.
At the checkers it was Wallace by ten car lengths followed by Canipe, Jr. Ransone just held off Pressley while Wimbish got fifth by a nose.
Ransone was happy with third. "We were racing side by side and he got up close to the wall," said Ransone of his duel with Wallace. "I didn't want to wreck him so I got into the wall a little bit. I didn't think I did that much damage but after that it got tight, but I'll take it. This is the first time we've run the Late Model here, and I love running these cars. We're getting ready for Rockingham and we'll be testing the ProCup car here on Wednesday, and I look forward to racing at Myrtle Beach."
Canipe dealt with a bad tire for most of the night. "Yeah we had a bad left rear tire," said the man who has won the last two Late Model runs at Hickory. "It checked out fifteen points higher than any of the other three on there. The car was good but the tire was bad, so we just stuck it on there and took off."
But it was Wallace's night. He took the penalty for jumping the start in stride. "I just jumped the start I guess. You know everything I've ever raced the leader starts the race. I didn't know where the flagman was so I simply jumped the start, but we had a real good car." Wallace placed well in the final points race at Hickory two weeks ago. Asked if that race helped he said, "Oh yeah it helped a lot and we've tested here a lot too."
Limited Late Models were on the card too, with twenty cars starting the fifty lap event. 2009 Track Champion Kyle Mansch survived many restarts to win the feature.