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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1984)
After running to the back of Ross Beedle’s Camaro (71), Chet Fillip (72) looses control of his car on the high-banked oval at Texas World Sppedway during this past weekend’s Texas Race of Champions. Most of the stock cars driven to the limit HOUST a tor surp leaders by black ex-ci voter in tin minority f chairmans “Craig c bis annou ley, Harris chairman, ington’s a ciate thes| which is K pushed an “There’ intimidatii Washin Sunday t placed at day. Stanley County pi nority pie “ People licans vvh Washing! licans) tin Wide World of Sports ain’t for auto racing By TONY CORNETT Sports Writer Before last Sunday’s Texas Race of Champions, I had never been to an auto race. But, thanks to ABC’s Wide World of Sports, I knew that all auto racers grease back their hair, wear dark glasses and have big too thy grins. I thought all racers looked like Richard Petty. And, of course, they all hail from North Carolina. I Figured that the race would be a dull affair, but maybe there’d be a good spread of food and beverages in the press box. The only racer who had any kind of name recognition was Chet Fillip. Fi nip actually raced at Indy a couple of times. It’s great going to any sporting event with a press pass, but 1 think the guy from the Houston Post said it best when I asked him where a press pass entitled us to go during the race. “Anywhere,” he responded. “You got that press card and you’re the biggest bull in the woods.” As I expected, there was an abun dance of food in the press box and, judging from the breaths of many of the crusty old race reporters, there was plenty of booze, too. Where I screwed up was figuring that the race would be dull. I cleared off a space by the win dow anti sat down to see what auto racing was all about. I don’t care how many times you’ve seen great auto races on the Wide World of Sports. You just can’t get the feel for the excitement of the track until you’re there and have to hold your hands over your ears to drown out the deafening drone of 39 high performance engines whin ing at the start of the race. I had the unusual foresight to take my binoculars. Since I just bought my first pair not too long ago, I usually forget that I have them. Fortunately I didn’t. Texas World Speedway is a huge two-mile oval track with a road course thrown in. Something better than your own two eyes helps when you’re straining to see who just ran their car up who’s rear end. OK, I was set. Things got started a little late, but apparently race times are like concert times — they tell you to be there at a certain time just so they can taunt you and keep you from darting off to the bathroom. The starter said those immortal words about gentlemen and engines and the racers lurched forth. After a couple of parade laps, the race was on. I had gradually moved to the edge of my chair. As the cars screamed by the starting line, I sud denly realized why auto racing en joys the following that it does. It’s just a downright exciting sport. It’s an excitement that just isn’t made for television. And loud? Boy howdy! I mean to tell you it was loud. It wasn’t too bad once the cars got spread around the track, but those first few laps made me wish that I’d listened to my pho tographer and brought some cotton wadding for my ears. Frank’s a track veteran. The race went pretty well, like you would expect. Where can 39 cars go racK on a track that basically goes in an oval? I’ll tell you where. Car No. 17 didn’t even complete the parade laps. It had trouble mak ing it out of the pits for the start. That dilapidated box of bolts fol lowed the Corvette pace car off the track and into the pits, never to rear it’s ugly hood in the race again. Other drivers had trouble remem bering that the course had turns in it and slid off the track when they got to the first turn. After the first few revolutions, ev Photo by FRANK IR WIN TROC winner Freddy “The Beaumont Flyer” Fryar (49) erybody seemed to have figured it out. There was really no doubts as to who had the strongest car. Freddy Fryar, No. 46 and the eventual win ner, was burning up the track and surged into the early lead. Fryar won the Texas Race of Champions back in 1980. He obviously knew what he was doing. It lookea like he would lap the field several times at the rate he was going. Then, the very thing that I had brought the binoculars for hap pened. I was watching the No. 72 car starting to make his move going into the first turn on the 19th lap and thinking to myself. “Great galloping gallbladders,” I thought, “That guy is going to run up the other guy’s rear end.” And sure enough, Fillip, No. 72, hit No. 71 and promptly lost control of his car. I shot out of my chair. I couldn’t believe it. The guy (Fillip) who had raced at Indy had made a fool out of himself. He was the only guy who had a full page photo in the race program. With a $3,500 first prize purse, Fillip really didn’t need to risk everything with an “Indy style” drafting maneuver. Meanwhile, Fryar had lost his lead to No. 96, but regained it in lap 22. But by this time car No. 11, driven by Leroy Farmer, had crept up from the 33rd position to take third and then second. By lap 28, the race was down to 20 cars. Farmer and Fryar battled it out on every turn. Finally, the white flag, signalling only one lap remaining, came out. It was going to be close finish. Farmer and Freyer came out onto the oval and careened into the last turn. Fryar gunned it. Farmer stood no chance but gunned his too. It m m m m * m m * wwwwwwwww AGGIE BLOOD DRIVE AGGIESI DON’T FORGET ABOUT t.u.’s BLOOD DRIVE CHALLENGE TO US: LET’S BLEED THE HELL OUTTA t.u.!! NOV. 5-8 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Bloodmobiles at: MSC COMMONS SBISA ACROSS THE TRACKS • ANOTHER SERVICE OF: STUDENT GOV’T, OPA, & APO went down to the finish lineandtlit checkered flag. Fryar won by onlyi car length. I was out of my seat once; What a finish — the closest in tk history of the Texas Race of Chan- pions. Freddy Fryar “The Beaumoit Flyer” pulled into the winn'er’scirdt accepted the required hug fronuk pretty gal and collected $3,50(1 the $18,000 in total prize money. In the press conference af terward, Fryar disclosed lhatheliaii intended to race in California k stead of TWS, but when that rat was cancelled he decided to drive i: the Texas Race of Champions. "We only decided last weektte we were coming here," Fryar said “We were supposed to out to Cat fornia for a big race out there ak for some reason it was cancelled.'’ And how about that close ftnisi Freddy? "Leroy could have pinched meo6 (coming down the to the finish)I he’d wanted to,” Fryar said, “bulk drove a clean race. He gave me line and let me come on.” There were some warm-up race held earlier in the day for othti classes of cars. In the George Pharis Chevrole Showroom Stock Car Race, the wilt ner was George Pharis in a Camaro No kidding? Winning your o*t Uni DALI Texas a adopt a s Great A sored by ciety. Local i available smoker( lion” fc a gr :afei races. I’m a little deafer for theexpe rience but I’ll know better nextiime agreemei vide enci of smoke for a fri away the Televi known f( “Guns man for smokers ing up tl day. ACS v ticipatioi tant tar; smoke. Russe Smokeo 1 ' I think that George Pharis hastk right idea. Next year, it’ll be the Bat ali ( talion Sports Department Unlimited Class Modified Nitro-BurningOnl' Shuttle Bus Competition. Onlytk sports staff can enter. That way well win for sure. 'Ail members of Pi Beta Pfii lore invited to attend tk: t meetings of the Alumnae liub of Pi Beta Pfd. Fof ■ information, please telephone *822-5718 or 823-0356. irmagseBi THE SALIIET S offers NEW & CONSIGNED CLOTHING Clothing that refuses to go out of style - give us the second chance... 10% OFF W/STUDENT ID u Let us sell to you or for you' 4329 Wellborn Rd. Westgate Shopping Center Open Mon-Sat 10-6 846-3308 y Battalion Classifieds Call 845-2611