Cleveland Speedway
McDowell earns $4,000 in Grant Adcox Memorial
From track and correspondent reports
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (Oct. 20) — Starting outside the front row, Dale McDowell of Rossville, Ga., led all 40 laps of the Grant Adcox Memorial for another of many career victories at Cleveland Speedway. But it wasn't just like old times for McDowell at the Monty Morrow-promoted track.
�"It's been a long time since I've been able to race here, and Monty has really changed the way to get around this place," McDowell said, referring to the high-line groove that helped him earn a $4,000 payday.
McDowell made a last-minute decision to race at Cleveland and ended the night in victory lane joined by Herb Adcox, Grant's father and the owner of Chattanooga's Adcox Chevrolet. Anthony White of Clinton, Tenn., finished second while polesitter Randy Burrows of Chattanooga, Tenn., Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., and consolation winner Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn., rounded out the top five.
As the field set to take the green, 21st-starting Derek Ellis' wheel came off during the warm-up laps, sidelining the Chatsworth, Ga., racer before the green flag waved. Also, provisional starter Glen Vanover pulled off prior to the start, leaving 22 starters to take the green flag.
After a failed initial start, McDowell rolled into the lead with Burrows, Steve Smith, Mark Martin and White giving chase. With McDowell pulling away from the field, White and Martin went at it for fourth on lap four, banging off one another as the White got the position. Smith scraped the wall in using every inch of the track in trying to get second from Burrows.
White took third from Smith and began to pressure Burrows by running the low groove. White moved up to second by the 15th lap while Skip Arp, winner of Cleveland's previous special event, lost his top-five run when he dropped out along with Martin.
Near the race's midpoint, Smith brought out a caution in turn one, then Jake Knowles crashed on the restart. All the while, McDowell stayed in control and finished off his victory.
Notebook
McDowell's No. 17m Rocket Chassis has a Racetek engine and sponsorship from Petroff Towing, Childress Vineyards and Dover Cylinder Heads. ... The Grant Adcox Memorial is a race in tribute of the Chattanooga NASCAR and ARCA racer who was killed in a 1989 racing accident at Atlanta Motor Speedway. ... Local racer Todd Morrow, son of promoter Monty Morrow, took a hard lick in time trials when right-front failure on his car sent him hard into the first-turn wall. He was taken to a Chattanooga hospital and released early Sunday morning. ... Cleveland's next event is Nov. 16-17 weekend. On Friday is the $2,700-to-win Joe Lee Johnson Memorial followed by Saturday's Gobbler 75, an O'Reilly Southern All Star-sanctioned event paying $5,000 to the winner.
