The only competitor in the 26-car field that could race with the polesitter Johnson was outside front row starting Steve Boley of West Liberty, IA, who led laps 3 through 13, before Johnson retook the lead on lap 14. At one point in the race, Johnson held a half lap lead on the second place car.

Through all of his regional dirt late model championships and victories, the win Saturday night was the first for Johnson on the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Late Model National Tour. Johnson stayed on the cushion all race long, except to dive to the bottom on a couple of occasions to work through lapped traffic. Late in the race, the wall kept getting closer, but Johnson never flinched.

"We were fastest on the high side, so that’s where we had to run," Johnson said. "As the race went on, the cushion kept getting higher and higher, the track got rougher and rougher, and the wall kept getting closer and closer."

Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI finished second in the Performance Roofing Systems Rayburn/Pro Power Monte Carlo after an exciting side-by-side duel with three-time HAT Champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior/Custom Mustang. Schlieper also ran the high side, while Bloomquist worked inside for a third place finish.

"Scott and I had a hard-fought battle there at the end, and I want to thank him for racing me clean," Schlieper said. "I’ve also got to thank Sanford Goddard at Goddard Performance. This was our backup car that we had to use after we had a mechanical problem with our primary car in hot laps yesterday. Sanford helped us get this car together on short notice."

Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI brought his brand new ParkerStores Mastersbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo home in the fourth spot, while HAT point leader Steve Francis of Ashland, KY finished fifth in the Valvoline Oil Rocket/Russell Baker Monte Carlo. Francis now holds an 87-point lead over Bloomquist in the HAT Championship battle.

Rick Aukland of Fargo, ND took the sixth spot in the Mastersbilt Race Cars Mastersbilt/Malcuit Grand Prix, and Bill Frye of Greenbrier, AR was the JE Pistons Hard Charger of Race, finishing seventh after starting his UniFirst Uniforms Wells/Custom Grand Prix from 19th.

The 1996 HAT Champion Freddy Smith of Knoxville, TN finished eighth in the Christenberry Trucking and Farms GRT/Custom Monte Carlo, while John Gill of Mitchell, IN took the ninth spot in the Elrod Grain Service Rocket/HP Monte Carlo, and Shannon Babb of Decatur, IL rounded out the top ten in the Mastersbilt Race Cars house car Mastersbilt/Gaerte Grand Prix.

Johnson took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Boley and Mars. The first caution flag came out on lap two when Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH stalled in turn three. After the single file restart, Boley dove to the bottom groove in turn two on lap three to pass Johnson for the lead.

By lap 10, Johnson tried the inside groove while Boley went to the topside of the speedway. Johnson could pull along side Boley, but couldn’t quite make the pass for the lead. On lap 14, Johnson once again got the high line and passed Boley for the lead coming off the fourth turn.

Johnson began to pull away, as Schlieper came from the sixth starting spot into third behind Boley. On lap 21 as Boley came off the second turn on the high side, the right-rear suspension of his Ron Alpen Ford Mastersbilt/Cornett Mustang collapsed, and Boley got the car stopped before making contact with the wall to bring out the second caution flag.

On the restart, Johnson led Schlieper, Mars, Babb, and Francis. On lap 23, Francis passed Babb and Mars on the outside to take over the third spot. On lap 30, it was Babb’s turn to try the outside to move around Mars and Francis for the third spot. Mars began working well on the inside of the track, and retook the third spot from Babb on lap 35.

With drivers beginning to groove hunt around the track, Aukland found one to his liking in the middle of the speedway, as he moved from sixth to fourth on lap 40. By lap 45, Schlieper running high, Aukland in the middle, and Mars running the inside were battling three-wide for second spot, as Johnson opened up a half-lap lead. Mars worked under Schlieper for second on lap 47.

By the halfway point, Johnson was coming off the second turn, as second place Mars was crossing the start/finish line on the front straightaway. Aukland took over the third spot, with Bloomquist methodically working his way through the field from the 12th starting to move into fourth, dropping Schlieper back to fifth.

Bloomquist was working the middle to the bottom of the track, and passed Aukland for third on lap 60. On lap 65, Schlieper came back to life on the cushion and bolted back up to third spot, bringing Aukland with him, and now Bloomquist fell back to fifth. Clayton Christenberry of Knoxville, TN brought out the third caution flag of the race when his car broke on lap 67.

After the restart, 1997 HAT Champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR moved up from the sixth spot to battle Aukland and Bloomquist for the fourth position. On lap 72 they went three-wide through turn three. Aukland and Bloomquist made it to turn four, but Moyer got squeezed out and ended up backwards in the track after spinning.

When the field went back to green, Mars tried to challenge Johnson for the lead by diving to the inside groove. Schlieper and Bloomquist stayed in the high groove and kicked Mars back to fourth, while Francis passed Aukland for the fifth spot on lap 75. By lap 85, Schlieper and Bloomquist were racing side-by-side for second spot.

The final caution flag of the race came out on lap 95 when Ray Cook of Brasstown, NC spun and hit the first turn wall. The restart saw Johnson pull out to a six car-length advantage while Schlieper and Bloomquist resumed their side-by-side battle for second, which was won by Schlieper at the checkered flag by a half car-length.

Babb was the fast qualifier on Friday night among the 50 entries with a lap around the 3/8-mile clay oval in 14.130 seconds for an average speed of 95.541 miles per hour. The four 20-lap Borla Performance Heat Races on Friday night were won by Johnson, Boley, Mars and Aukland. Mars was the Scott Performance Wires Bonus Award Winner.

On Saturday night, Wendell Wallace of Batesville, AR won the 25-lap Renegade Transporters 1st Consolation Race in the Monday Trucking GRT/Russell Baker Grand Prix. Eric Pember of Pittsville, WI brought the capacity crowd to their feet with an exciting high ride to win the 25-lap Polaris ATVs 2nd Consolation Race in the Procraft Racing Engines Mastersbilt/Procraft Grand Prix.

The next stop for the HAT 2000 Tour will be on Monday night for a $10,000-to-win 60-lap main event at PowerCom Park Raceway in Beaver Dam, WI. For race day information call (920) 887-1600. PowerCom Park Raceway is located ½-mile south of U.S. Highway 151 on State Road 33.

The Best Western Inn in Beaver Dam, WI will be the Official Hav-A-Tampa host motel for the Monday night HAT event at PowerCom Park Raceway. The special discount Hav-A-Tampa rate is $63.00 per night, and the Best Western Inn is located minutes from the track. For reservations call (920) 887-7171 and be sure to ask for the Hav-A-Tampa discount rate.

(Photo by Neil Miller)

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 34 AT CEDAR LAKE SPEEDWAY IN NEW RICHMOND, WI ON 8/5/00:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CAR LAPS $ WON
1. 1 1j Davey Johnson Greensburg, PA Chev. 100 $40,000
2. 6 s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Chev. 100 $15,000
3. 12 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Ford 100 $10,000
4. 3 28m Jimmy Mars Elk Mound, WI Chev. 100 $8,050
5. 7 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Chev. 100 $6,000
6. 4 12 Rick Aukland Fargo, ND Pont. 100 $5,000
7. 19 66 Bill Frye Greenbrier, AR Pont. 100 $4,500
8. 13 00 Freddy Smith Knoxville, TN Chev. 100 $4,000
9. 8 1g John Gill Mitchell, IN Chev. 100 $3,500
10. 5 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Pont. 100 $4,000
11. 11 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC Ford 100 $2,800
12. 9 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Pont. 100 $2,600
13. 17 6m Wendell Wallace Batesville, AR Pont. 100 $2,500
14. 16 71 Lance Mathees Winona, MI Chev. 99 $2,400
15. 22 B12 Kevin Weaver Gibson City, IL Chev. 99 $2,300
16. 21 25 Kerry Hansen Spencer, WI Pont. 99 $2,200
17. 15 28 Dennis Erb Jr. Carpentersville, IL Chev. 99 $2,100
18. 23 17g Mike Gault (R) Gaffney, SC Pont. 95 $2,000
19. 10 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Chev. 70 $2,000
20. 18 93 Eric Pember Pittsville, WI Pont. 65 $2,000
21. 24 CV3 Clayton Christenberry Knoxville, TN Chev. 64 $2,000
22. 26 54 Jim Bruggeman White Bear Lake, MN Chev. 62 $2,000
23. 25 27 Jerry Redetzke Eau Claire, WI Pont. 56 $2,000
24. 20 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Chev. 28 $2,000
25. 2 26 Steve Boley West Liberty, IA Ford 20 $2,000
26. 14 99 Donnie Moran Dresden, OH Pont. 6 $2,000

ENTRIES: 50

FAST QUALIFIER $1,000 AWARD WINNER: Babb, 14.130 seconds, average speed, 95.541 MPH

BORLA PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE WINNERS: Johnson, Boley, Mars (Scott Performance Wires Award Winner), and Aukland

PROVISIONALS: Gault (5) and Christenberry (5)

PROMOTER’S CHOICES: Redetzke and Bruggeman

LEAD CHANGES: 2 Among 2 Drivers

LAPS LED: Johnson, 1-2; Boley, 3-13; Johnson, 14-100

LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 89; Boley, 11

JE PISTONS HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Frye (started 19th and finished 7th)

CAUTIONS: 5