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Miller and Bagwell Score Big

Topics: Peggy Torbert Memorial 150

Miller and Bagwell Score Big

Devon Holder/ISCARS PR
June 8, 2008

(Photo courtesy of Dale Roberts Official Photographer) Team Sponsor Tommy Torbert celebrates the race win and Championship

Timmonsville, SC - Joey Miller won the first of two twin 75’s at Florence Motor Speedway last Friday night in the 3rd Annual Peggy Torbert Memorial 150. The victory was the first career ISCARS Dash Series win for the North Carolina native. Miller started from the pole in his M2 RV/Boat Storage Pontiac sport compact and led all 75 laps in the first feature. Miller was challenged only by outside pole sitter Danny Bagwell, who clinched the 2007 ISCARS DASH Touring Championship with his second place finish. The second Twin 75 saw a role reversal among the top two finishers of the first race as Danny Bagwell picked up the victory over Joey Miller. Bagwell’s 5 Brothers Produce/Torbert Trucking Mercury held off Miller on a green-white-checker restart to give the 2007 ISCARS Champion a victory in the second feature of the 3rd Annual Peggy Torbert Memorial 150 at Florence Motor Speedway.

The green flag waved on the field to start the first twin feature with Joey Miller on the pole. However, the yellow flag was displayed on the first lap due to a spin in turn four. Chelsea Schillig, making her first career ISCARS start, spun her Toyota as she exited turn four. The 16 year old from Apopka, FL was forced into the pits for repairs due to brake problems. One lap after the restart the Eric Wilson wiggled exiting turn four allowing Scott Krehling and Randy Humphrey to slip by for third and fourth respectively. The slip by Wilson allowed Miller and Bagwell to pull away at the front of the field. However, Wilson quickly recovered and regained third spot on the track. After passing Krehling and Humphrey, Wilson began to reel in Danny Bagwell. As the laps wound down Wilson began to put more and more pressure on Bagwell for second. As Wilson tried to pass Bagwell on the low side exiting turn four, Wilson’s Pontiac broke lose causing him to spin out. Wilson’s car came to rest against the inside wall bringing out the yellow with 25 laps to go.

At the restart Miller was leading, followed by Bagwell, Humphrey, Wilson, and Ned Combs rounding out the top five. At the entrance of turn three on the first lap following the restart, Eric Wilson attempted to pass Randy Humphrey on the inside. The two made contact and both cars ended up spinning. Wilson limped to the pits. With damage to front of the car Wilson was forced to retire from the race. Humphrey made a quick pit stop and returned to action. This set up a restart with only 14 laps remaining. At the restart it was Miller, Bagwell, Combs, Krehling, and rookie Brad Queen in the top five. As the laps wound down Miller and Bagwell broke away from the field. In the closing laps the best battle on the track was between Scott Krehling and Randy Humphrey for third spot. Joey Miller took the checkered flag followed by Danny Bagwell, Krehling, Humphrey, and Brad Queen in the top five.

Race winner Joey Miller was ecstatic in victory lane saying, “I’ve got so many people to thank I don’t know where to start… I couldn’t really think of a better track (to get my first win) because I like this place.” Danny Bagwell finished second in the race clinching the 2007 ISCARS championship. After the race Bagwell stated, “It’s a little late, but better late than never…It feels good to win the points championship.”

In the 75 lap finale the action started before the green flag ever fell. The redraw had the Mercury of Ned Combs on the pole with Brad Queen alongside. However, before the field completed one pace lap, the Mercury of Queen began sparking from the right front suspension assembly. Unfortunately the right front lower ball joint broke ending Queen’s race before it even started. As the green flag waved Floridian Scott Krehling jumped out over Ned Combs to take the lead. As the field exited turn two the powder blue machine of Combs got extremely loose forcing the veteran driver to fall to sixth position. On lap three the first yellow flag came out after Chelsea Schillig spun off the track in turn one. Schillig had fought brake problems for most of the day. At the restart it was Krehling leading, followed by Joey Miler, Eric Wilson, Randy Humphrey, and Danny Bagwell. After the restart Joey Miller quickly fell from second to fifth, getting passed on the outside by Wilson, Humphrey, and Bagwell. However, a few laps later, Humphrey got loose off of turn two allowing Bagwell and Miller to pass to the inside on the backstretch, dropping Humphrey to fifth.

As Scott Krehling continued to lead, Danny Bagwell began to put pressure on Eric Wilson for second. Bagwell was able to pass Wilson exiting turn four on the low side for second. Bagwell then set his sights on the Cypress Corp. Pontiac of Krehling. Bagwell passed Krehling for the lead off of turn four using the same low line he used to pass Wilson for second. With Bagwell in the lead, Joey Miller and Eric Wilson began to put pressure on Scott Krehling for second. However, as the leaders made their way off of turn four, Eric Wilson lost control of his Pontiac and spun out. This brought out the caution and erased Danny Bagwell’s eight car length advantage over the field. Wilson made his way to pit road for a track bar adjustment and an air pressure adjustment. Ned Combs and Randy Humphrey also took advantage of the yellow flag to make adjustments to their machines.

On the restart with 32 laps to go it was Bagwell, Krehling, Miller, Humphrey, and Wilson in the top five. Bagwell pulled away at the restart while four drivers battled for second behind. Joey Miller raced side by side with Scott Krehling, as Randy Humphrey and Eric Wilson were side by side directly behind them. With 25 laps to go Miller passed Krehling for second. Shortly after, Humphrey passed Krehling for third. Krehling seemed to have lost the handle on his car late in the going and was passed by Eric Wilson for fourth. Krehling spun in turn four. This set up a green-white-checker restart with Bagwell, Miller, Humphrey, Wilson, and Krehling in the top five. However, no one had anything for Alabama native Danny Bagwell who captured the checkered flag in the second twin 75 feature. Bagwell was followed to the line by Joey Miller, Randy Humphrey, Scott Krehling, and Eric Wilson in fifth.

Bagwell, who was not happy with his car’s handling in the first race, was able to adjust his car before the second race, “I think we went the right way. I hate to complain after winning but we still got a ways to go… We just had it to tight to start with and we loosened it up a bunch but it’s still tight…We improved and that’s the big thing.”

Notes and Quotes: “He just got into us a little bit and I’m sure it wasn’t intentional… Its one of those things, just a racing deal, it happens,” commented Randy Humphrey in making reference to the contact shared between he and Eric Wilson. Brad Queen was excited after scoring a top five finish in his first career ISCARS start, “I’ve got to thank Lab Rescue of North Carolina and Rau Products, we wouldn’t be here without them… Its just amazing we came out of here with a top five.”

After the second race, Miller said, “It was a fun race with a lot of dicing going on. Just used my stuff up a little bit the first race cause I really wanted to get that first win.” A disappointed Brad Queen had this to say after the race, “Broke the right front lower ball joint and that was the end of it… It is what it is and we will have a whole new set of ball joints on there come next time.” Chelsea Schillig, who fought brake problems and radio problems for much of the day at Florence Motor Speedway in her ISCARS debut, was up beat after the race, “I thought it was fun. I mean it was great experience. Unfortunately we didn’t have the best luck, but everybody has their bad days.”

The ISCARS Dash Series returns to action for Saturday July 12th at Dillon Motor Speedway in Dillon, South Carolina.