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Johnny Rumley Wins Lucas Oil
250
By Paul
Warner
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Jennerstown, Pa.—Hard work does pay off.
Johnny Rumley and Mark Huff reunited this season
with one goal in mind: win races.
After going winless in their first stint
together in 1999 and 2000, Huff and Rumley won
two poles in the first three races this season,
but their first win together was still just out
of reach. Tonight, the seemingly unobtainable
victory finally came.
Rumley, driver of the No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford, took
the lead away from Brian Ross, driver of the No.
42 U.S. Truck Insurance Group Ford, on Lap 142
and checked out on the field, beating Jeff Agnew
to 6.596 seconds and picking up his first ProCup
win in the Lucas Oil 250 presented by Murray’s
Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star at
Jennerstown Speedway on Saturday night.
"Relief!" shouted Mark Huff in Lance Kelly
Designs’ Victory Lane. "It’s been a long time
coming. We’ve had a lot of opportunities to win
races, but it didn’t work out that way. Tonight,
it did."
Rumley echoed Huff’s sentiment.
"With about 40 to go, I was praying that we
didn’t have a caution," said Rumley, who also
won $1,000 for being the Advance Auto Parts Pole
Award winner. "That’s something that I never do,
because I take that seriously. I needed it to
finish under green, and it did. I just need to
thank God for that one."
Rumley needed the race to finish under green
because Jeff Agnew was turning comparable times
to Rumley in the second half of the race. But
after a bad pit stop, Agnew, driver of the No.
73 NGA/Hooters Tour Chevy, restarted fifth with
111 laps remaining.
"The pit stop definitely cost us tonight," said
Agnew, who led the first 133 laps of the race.
"It’s too hard to get behind all of these cars
and then come to the front. They will race you
harder for 10th than they will for the lead."
They also race hard for third.
Agnew moved into fourth on Lap 142, but Benny
Gordon, driver of the No. 66 Predator
Performance Ford, wasn’t going to give up third
easily.
Agnew started pressuring Gordon for the podium
spot with 100 laps to go and finally made it
past on Lap 172.
By that time, Rumley held a seven-second lead
over Agnew. Agnew tracked down Eric Corbett,
driver of the No. 75 Larry and Sons Ford, and
moved into second on Lap 192, but Rumley was
gone.
"I finally got to second, and Johnny was like
six seconds ahead," said Agnew, who picked up
$1,000 for being the Lucas Oil Products Halfway
Leader. "I couldn’t catch, so I was just hoping
for a caution."
It never came.
Gordon made his way around Corbett to take third
at the finish. Corbett finished a season-best
fourth. Kertus Davis, driver of the No. 68 N-ergy
Beverage Ford, also picked up his best finish of
the season, coming home in fifth.
J.J. Pack, driver of the No. 06 Phillips
Seafood/Naturally Fresh Chevy, posted his best
finish of the season. Pack finished ninth and
grabbed $1,000 from Miller Lite for being the
Rookie of the Race.
Complete Race
Results |
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