Royse City, TX (Feb 21) - Tim Donlinger, Rochester, Minn., earned $30,000 Sunday evening by winning the Fifth Annual Longhorn Roundup at North Texas Motor Speedway. Donlinger also won $30,000 in February 1996 when he won the 2nd Longhorn Roundup.
Almost 200 of the top IMCA type modified drivers in the nation traveled to North Texas Motor Speedway this week to participate in the five day event. Donlinger's qualifying feature victory on Friday night put him on the outside front row for the 50-lap main event Sunday evening. Sean Jones, Arlington, Tex. started on the pole position due to winning Thursday night's qualifying feature.
Ten cars from the qualifying nights lined up in the first five rows, with Paul White, Temple, Tex. starting on the sixth row after winning the B main. 25 cars took the green flag for the 50-lap feature.
On the opening green flag, Mike Trigg, Odessa, Tex. and Mike Bowers, North Little Rock, Ark. got their bumpers tangled in the first turn bringing out the yellow flag. Jones had taken the lead, with Don Pierson, Seagoville, Tex., moving up from the second row to second place ahead of Donlinger.
On the restart, Donlinger made sure that his Elcor Construction/ Action Engineering Nr. 36 owned by Steve Paulson of Dirt Doctor Racing was not left in the same position. He pulled even with Jones as the flag fell and took the lead coming out of the second turn. Wayne Brooks, Bald Knob, Ark. pulled into third with Pierson fourth and Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn. running fifth. In the early laps the top group stayed together, with Brooks taking over the runner-up spot on the eighth lap when Jones made an attempt to get around Donlinger on the outside on the back straight.
Back in the pack, the racing was two and three cars wide as drivers tried to get to the front. Randy Zimmerman, Fort Scott, Kan. earned a starting position in the feature as the second quickest in time trials Wednesday night. He started 25th and advanced 10 positions during the caution free race.
Up front Donlinger and Brooks built a small five car-length lead over Jones and Owens. The battle for fifth place fell back about ten car-lengths. That fight for position was side by side several times before Pierson spun on the 15th lap. He continued without bringing out the caution, but dropped out of the race.
That left Jeep Vanwormer of Pinconning, Mich. in fifth. Challenging him for that spot were George White, Fort Worth, Tex. and Bo Rawdon of Kennedale, Tex. White and Rawdon raced together to get past Vanwormer and began to close in on fourth place.
At the halfway mark, the top four were again bumper to bumper. Brooks made several attempts to get under Donlinger, but would not risk a collision. His best chance at victory came near the 35th lap as they lapped a slower car. Donlinger had to struggle to get under the slower car but held his position as the leader.
Despite traffic later in the race, Donlinger was perfect all the way to the checkered flag, a car length ahead of Brooks. Jones held on to third place, with White taking fourth with six laps to go. Owens rounded out the top five. Rawdon finished sixth, followed by Bob Sagen from Arthur, N.D. Vanwormer was eighth with Paul White and Doug Ingalls, Longview, Tex. completing the top ten.
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #218 | Curt Gelling | Aberdeen, S.D. |
| 2. | #971 | Rich Lewerke | Garner, Iowa |
| 3. | #153 | Buddy Duckett | Whitehouse, Tex. |
| 4. | #47 | Marty Thompson | Mineral, Ill. |
| 5. | #30 | Sean Doughty | Sunnyvale, Tex. |
| 6. | #470 | Joe Johnson | Gaylord, Mich. |
| 7. | #05 | Mike Mashl | DePara, Wisc. |
| 8. | #22 | Darrick Klima | Belleville, Kan. |
| 9. | #44 | Scotty Brown | Seagoville, Tex. |
| 10. | #53 | Edward Oaks | ? |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #85 | Neal Flowers | Hobbs, N.M. |
| 2. | #216 | Vernon Bridewell | Houston, Tex. |
| 3. | #222 | Keith Burnett | Palestine, Tex. |
| 4. | #151 | Dan DeMey | Denison, Iowa |
| 5. | #114 | Bobby Hoggie IV | Salinas, Calif. |
| 6. | #747 | George Hagman | Tulsa, Okla. |
| 7. | #041 | Carey Felkins | Arlington, Tex. |
| 8. | #771 | Gary Andrews | Muskogee, Okla. |
| 9. | #122 | Corky Ramm | Pryor, Okla. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #181 | Jon Schwartz | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2. | #37 | Neal DeBord | Amarillo, Tex. |
| 3. | #131 | Kendall Martin | Cave Springs, Ark. |
| 4. | #815 | Thomas Blackwell | Crandall, Tex. |
| 5. | #84 | Tom Lorenz | Red Oak, Tex. |
| 6. | #010 | Shawn Blees | Mountain Pine, Ark. |
| 7. | #08 | Jim Burford | Keachi, La. |
| 8. | #9 | Klint Pursley | Locust Grove, Okla. |
| 9. | #701 | Oren Dodgion | Caddo Mills, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #13 | John McNeil | Denton, Tex. |
| 2. | #125 | Mark Massongill | Broken Arrow, Okla. |
| 3. | #40 | Brad Warren | Texarkana, Tex. |
| 4. | #91 | Brad Demeree | Sperry, Okla. |
| 5. | #108 | Jimmy Goodwin | Garland, Tex. |
| 6. | #17 | Jay Anderson | Princeton, Minn. |
| 7. | #8 | Gene Boyter | Bossier City, La. |
| 8. | #187 | Marcus Sanders | Happy, Tex. |
| 9. | #191 | Kevin Simpson | Bonham, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #412 | Jason Hughes | Colcord, Okla. |
| 2. | #97 | Triston Dycus | Carrollton, Tex. |
| 3. | #15 | John Schwab | Liberal, Kan. |
| 4. | #136 | Ray Guss Jr. | Milan, Ill. |
| 5. | #197 | Billy Carroll | McKinney, Tex. |
| 6. | #278 | Gregg Buker | North Platte, Neb. |
| 7. | #02 | Rick Lechner | Rochester, Minn. |
| 8. | #23 | Kenny Bernard | Mesquite, Tex. |
| 9. | #777 | Rick McComb | Pueblo, Colo. |
| 10. | #14 | Bruce Bowers | Friendswood, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #18 | Tim Clonch | Quinlan, Tex. |
| 2. | #231 | John T. Skistimas | Joplin, Mo. |
| 3. | #82 | Steve Majek | Corpus Christi, Tex. |
| 4. | #152 | Joe Gomez | Princeton, Tex. |
| 5. | #113 | Raymond Berry | Hobbs, N.M. |
| 6. | #177 | Randy Kirkland | Mesquite, Tex. |
| 7. | #130 | Michael Richardson | Grand Prairie, Tex. |
| 8. | #09 | David Smith | Princeton, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #130 | Michael Richardson | Grand Prairie, Tex. |
| 2. | #10 | John VanDenBerg | Oskaloosa, Iowa |
| 3. | #182 | Max Eddie Thomas | Quinlan, Tex. |
| 4. | #176 | Rick Thomas | Ada, Okla. |
| 5. | #861 | Ferris Collier | Kimberling City, Mo. |
| 6. | #90 | Chad Chadwick | Oakley, Calif. |
| 7. | #15 | John Schwab | Liberal, Kan. |
| 8. | #511 | Rusty Trevathan | Garland, Tex. |
| 9. | #79 | Jeff White | Ector, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #128 | Randy Zimmerman | Fort Scott, Kan. |
| 2. | #124 | Dean Crowe | Monroe, La. |
| 3. | #422 | Steve Kosiski | Omaha, Neb. |
| 4. | #1 | Lonnie Coats | Wills Point, Tex. |
| 5. | #31 | Tim Taylor | Sunnyvale, Tex. |
| 6. | #157 | Gene Claxton | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 7. | #314 | Randy Trefz | Vinton, Iowa |
| 8. | #193 | Tommy Roberts | Greenville, Tex. |
| 9. | #129 | Bobby Ruffin | Crandall, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #41 | Randy Woodside | Wichita, Kan. |
| 2. | #4 | Jerry Hoffman | Orongo, Mo. |
| 3. | #03 | Ronnie Wallace | North Platte, Neb. |
| 4. | #19 | B.J. Baze | Sherman, Tex. |
| 5. | #711 | Dennis Zimmerman | Mabank, Tex. |
| 6. | #144 | Wesley Veal | Princeton, Tex. |
| 7. | #714 | Josh Landers | Princeton, Tex. |
| 8. | #190 | Chris Butler | Arlington, Tex. |
| 9. | #111 | Bobby Hoggie III | Salinas, Calif. |
| 10. | #021 | Bruce Spears | Bells, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #69 | John Logue | Boone, Iowa |
| 2. | #78 | Jeff Aikey | Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| 3. | #11 | Donnie Barnhart | North Little Rock, Ark. |
| 4. | #04 | Brad Waits | West Concord, Minn. |
| 5. | #816 | Eddie Martin | Stillwell, Okla. |
| 6. | #112 | Kelly Cross | Amarillo, Tex. |
| 7. | #26 | Bert Colon | Belleville, Kan. |
| 8. | #34 | Bill Pittaway | Corpus Christi, Tex. |
| 9. | #715 | J.P. Dowell | Kileen, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #400 | Bud Collett | Parsons, Tenn. |
| 2. | #12 | Johnny Bone Jr. | Pea Ridge, Ark. |
| 3. | #51 | Sammy Burkett | Grand Prairie, Tex. |
| 4. | #123 | Gary Chambless | Palestine, Tex. |
| 5. | #56 | Kevin Simpson | Flint, Tex. |
| 6. | #121 | John Anderson | Omaha, Neb. |
| 7. | #120 | James Lopez | Fort Worth, Tex. |
| 8. | #000 | Shawn VanLaningham | Beatrice, Neb. |
| 9. | #07 | Roy Don Mason | Hobbs, N.M. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #712 | Ronnie Sigman | Dallas, Tex. |
| 2. | #102 | Rick Rodgers | Ovilla, Tex. |
| 3. | #89 | David Trauernicht | Beatrice, Neb. |
| 4. | #52 | Keith Green | Waco, Tex. |
| 5. | #179 | Bill White | Ector, Tex. |
| 6. | #011 | Danny Riggins | Crosby, Tex. |
| 7. | #8-Ball | Leo Burkhardsmier | Bismark, N.D. |
| 8. | #96 | Johnny Saathoff | Beatrice, Neb. |
| 9. | #21 | Marc Robe | Wichita, Kan. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #3 | Kelly Shryock | Story City, Iowa |
| 2. | #171X | Robert Veal | Princeton, Tex. |
| 3. | #33 | Scott Hogan | Vinton, Iowa |
| 4. | #721 | Brian Mullen | Seymour, Wisc. |
| 5. | #86 | Victor Keelling | Princeton, Tex. |
| 6. | #561 | Bobby Skinner | Longview, Tex. |
| 7. | #801 | Billy Robinson | Blanchard, La. |
| 8. | #727 | Jeff Maasch | Vesta, Minn. |
| 9. | #315 | Nathan Mayes | Springdale, Ark. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #851 | Mark Dotson | Cameron, Mo. |
| 2. | #210 | Charlie Armstrong | Alexander, Ark. |
| 3. | #440 | Brook Phillips | Wichita, Kan. |
| 4. | #116 | Don Veal | Princeton, Tex. |
| 5. | #117 | Mike Saulding | Bemidji, Minn. |
| 6. | #88 | Bret Carpenter | Hutchinson, Kan. |
| 7. | #6 | Terry McCommas | Crandall, Tex. |
| 8. | #7 | Ron Jones | Zimmerman, Minn. |
| 9. | #39 | Paul Dutton | Wichita, Kan. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #01 | Bob Timm | Winona, Minn. |
| 2. | #65 | Tommy Myer | Blooming Prairie, Minn. |
| 3. | #001 | Mike Withrow | Muskogee, Okla. |
| 4. | #110 | Richie Tosh | Batesville, Ark. |
| 5. | #71 | Robert Broxton | McKinney, Tex. |
| 6. | #103 | Larry Killian | Greenville, Tex. |
| 7. | #77 | Dean Wray | Trenton, Mo. |
| 8. | #007 | Doug Hibbard | Colleyville, Tex. |
| 9. | #101 | Lyle Shepard | Manhattan, Kan. |
| 10. | #164 | Greg Vines | Midland, Tex. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #65 | Tommy Myer | Blooming Prairie, Minn. |
| 2. | #971 | Rich Lewerke | Garner, Iowa |
| 3. | #102 | Rick Rodgers | Ovilla, Tex. |
| 4. | #89 | David Trauernicht | Beatrice, Neb. |
| 5. | #37 | Neal DeBord | Amarillo, Tex. |
| 6. | #78 | Jeff Aikey | Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| 7. | #153 | Buddy Duckett | Whitehouse, Tex. |
| 8. | #231 | John T. Skistimas | Joplin, Mo. |
| 9. | #222 | Keith Burnett | Palestine, Tex. |
| 10. | #124 | Dean Crowe | Monroe, La. |
| 11. | #4 | Jerry Hoffman | Orongo, Mo. |
| 12. | #210 | Charlie Armstrong | Alexander, Ark. |
| 13. | #40 | Brad Warren | Texarkana, Tex. |
| 14. | #131 | Kendall Martin | Cave Springs, Ark. |
| 15. | #001 | Mike Withrow | Muskogee, Okla. |
| 16. | #171X | Robert Veal | Princeton, Tex. |
| 17. | #16 | Jared Webb | McKinney, Tex. |
| 18. | #51 | Sammy Burkett | Grand Prairie, Tex. |
| 19. | #97 | Triston Dycus | Carrollton, Tex. |
| 20. | #125 | Mark Massongill | Broken Arrow, Okla. |
| 21. | #03 | Ronnie Wallace | North Platte, Neb. |
| 22. | #440 | Brook Phillips | Wichita, Kan. |
| 23. | #12 | Johnny Bone Jr. | Pea Ridge,Ark. |
| 24. | #216 | Vernon Bridewell | Houston, Tex. |
| 25. | #11 | Donnie Barnhart | North Little Rock, Ark. |
| 26. | #33 | Scott Hogan | Vinton, Iowa |
| 27. | #422 | Steve Kosiski | Omaha, Neb. |
| 28. | #182 | Max Eddie Thomas | Quinlan, Tex. |
| 29. | #82 | Steve Majek | Corpus Christi, Tex. |
| DNS | #10 | John VanDenBerg | Oskaloosa, Iowa |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #100 | Paul White | Temple, Tex. |
| 2. | #501 | Mike Trigg | Odessa, Tex. |
| 3. | #147 | Doug Ingalls | Longview, Tex. |
| 4. | #60 | Mike Bowers | North Little Rock, Ark. |
| 5. | #171 | Brian Strand | Bemidji, Minn. |
| 6. | #74 | Mark Noble | Blooming Prairie, Minn. |
| 7. | #00 | Marc Kurth | Gaylord, Mich. |
| 8. | #251 | Randy Frailey | Chouteau, Okla |
| 9. | #85 | Neal Flowers | Hobbs, N.M. |
| 10. | #412 | Jason Hughes | Colcord, Okla. |
| 11. | #133 | Stephen Muilenburg | Sparta, Mo. |
| 12. | #69 | John Logue | Boone, Iowa |
| 13. | #128 | Randy Zimmerman | Fort Scott, Kan. |
| 14. | #218 | Curt Gelling | Aberdeen, S.D. |
| 15. | #3 | Kelly Shryock | Story City, Iowa |
| 16. | #400 | Bud Collett | Parsons, Tenn. |
| 17. | #156 | Troy Taylor Jr. | Grand Prairie, Tex. |
| 18. | #712 | Ronnie Sigman | Dallas, Tex. |
| 19. | #311 | Corey Dripps | Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| 20. | #18 | Tim Clonch | Quinlan, Tex. |
| 21. | #01 | Bob Timm | Winona, Minn. |
| 22. | #41 | Randy Woodside | Wichita, Kan. |
| 23. | #181 | Jon Schwartz | Omaha, Neb. |
| 24. | #13 | John McNeil | Denton, Tex. |
| 25. | #851 | Mark Dotson | Cameron, Mo. |
| Pos | Car | Driver | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #36 | Tim Donlinger | Rochester, Minn. |
| 2. | #0 | Wayne Brooks | Bald Knob, Ark. |
| 3. | #5 | Sean Jones | Arlington, Tex. |
| 4. | #118 | George White | Fort Worth, Tex. |
| 5. | #20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, Tenn. |
| 6. | #87 | Bo Rawdon | Kennedale, Tex. |
| 7. | #99 | Bob Sagen | Arthur, N.D. |
| 8. | #550 | Jeep Vanwormer | Pinconning, Mich. |
| 9. | #100 | Paul White | Temple, Tex. |
| 10. | #147 | Doug Ingalls | Longview, Tex. |
| 11. | #119 | Mike Sorenson | Rochester, Minn. |
| 12. | #501 | Mike Trigg | Odessa, Tex. |
| 13. | #74 | Mark Noble | Blooming Prairie, Minn. |
| 14. | #171 | Brian Strand | Bemidji, Minn. |
| 15. | #128 | Randy Zimmerman | Fort Scott, Kan. |
| 16. | #251 | Randy Frailey | Chouteau, Okla |
| 17. | #85 | Neal Flowers | Hobbs, N.M. |
| 18. | #00 | Marc Kurth | Gaylord, Mich. |
| 19. | #133 | Stephen Muilenburg | Sparta, Mo. |
| 20. | #10 | John VanDenBerg | Oskaloosa, Iowa |
| 21. | #60 | Mike Bowers | North Little Rock, Ark. |
| 22. | #76 | Don Pierson | Seagoville, Tex. |
| 23. | #79 | Jeff White | Ector, Tex. |
| 24. | #69 | John Logue | Boone, Iowa |
| 25. | #412 | Jason Hughes | Colcord, Okla. |