Chanler snatches Boothill's O'Reilly SUPR victory

GREENWOOD, LA (July 31, 1999) - Jeff Chanler stuck to his guns in the O'Reilly Southern United Professional Racing (SUPR) 40-lap feature and claimed his second win on the circuit. Chanler was the GRT Top Qualifier as he drove the Osbon Welding/David Peterson Contracting/PTS Racing Engines Barry Wright chassis to the front of his heat race after starting 7th. Chanler of Minden, Louisiana grabbed the highside of the track in the feature and never wavered on his way to the victory. Duke Whiseant elected to run the low groove and his decision paid off early as he started fifth and after falling back on the start, he mounted a furious charge to the front. He regained fifth on the second lap before shooting up to second the next time by. Duke pressured Chanler for several laps before moving by on lap six. Whiseant then held the top spot until lap 20 when the track conditions changed and Chanler moved back in front for good. Chanler admits to being concerned when Duke went by but, when he tried the low groove it didn't suit his car, so he moved right back up top and "waited and the race track finally come to me."

Once Chanler regained the lead on lap 20 his attention was focused on the pressure he was receiving from Doug Ingalls who move in behind Chanler on lap 18. Chanler was strong when running on a clear track but when lapped traffic came into play late in the race Ingalls closed in. "I was worried about Doug" who was putting his nose up underneath Chanler's car entering the turns. "I was scared he was going to slip by me. He hung me one time going down the front straightaway."

The first words out of Doug Ingalls after the race was "That was a hell of a race." But despite his best efforts, he was unable to take the top position. "When I got up there with him in lapped traffic, I wanted to be a little more aggressive but I was having brake fading trouble again." Still in reviewing his two runner-up finishes this year at Boothill Ingalls says "I'm not complaining, two seconds over here in two races, we'll take home some good money and my car ain't tore up."

The change in track conditions shuffled the line up significantly as several drivers were running the bottom when the top came around. Whiseant dropped from first to third in one lap and dropped another position the next lap before moving up top himself. David Ashley was running as high as sixth place after starting 13th and falling back but when the top groove came around he lost 3 positions in just one lap before finishing back in 13th. Duke's 3rd place finish coupled with Ashley's 13th tightened the O'Reilly SUPR point standings considerably as a mere 29 points separate Ashley and Whiseant.

27 Late Models were on hand and Marlon Wild started the night off by claiming the first heat race. Doug Ingalls made a bid for the GRT Top Qualifier award as he started 6th in his heat and claimed the win with a last lap pass for the win. The race ended under a red flag as Dave Siegert rolled his GRT onto it's roof in turn one when the A frame snapped. Siegert was okay and his car was repaired and ready to go in the feature. Chanler won the third heat from the rear and then Rusty Cummings dominated the final heat from the pole. Ronnie Poche, making his SUPR debut in the Edge Motorsports Team car won the first last chance race with Bubba Mullins overcoming brake problems to claim the second last chance race.


Official Results:
1. Jeff Chanler
2. Doug Ingalls
3. Duke Whiseant
4. Mark Andrews
5. Kenny Merchant
6. Ronny Adams
7. Lee Davis
8. Marlon Wild
9. Odie Green
10. Ronnie Poche
11. Waylon Morris
12. Rusty Cummings
13. David Ashley
14. Rob Litton
15. Tom Wiggins
16. Jay Blair
17. Dave Siegert
18. Bubba Mullins
19. Donald Watson
20. Ricky Ingalls
21. Wade Cleveland
22. Jon Mitchell