2003 ROAR carpet oval nationals Wizards of Ozite

Radio Control Car Action, Sep 2003 by Bergschultz, Kenny

In the chill of a late Wisconsin spring, more than 100 drivers arrived at S&N's Trackside Hobbies in Milwaukee determined to be crowned ROAR National champion. Trackside Hobbies' track is renowned for its momentous racing events and its lively host, Scotty Ernst. Scotty is no slouch when it conies to color commentary, and he draws even the most blase spectators trackside to watch a two-car spec race be managed and called as if it were a NASCAR event or a World Soccer championship game.

RACING CLASSES

The Nationals boasted five classes: the exhibition class of Trackside Winston Cup (TWC); 4-cell Stock; 4-cell 19-turn; 4-cell Open Modified; and 1/12-scale, 4-cell Open Modified. The TWC class basically follows 4-cell Stock rules, except for the full bodies, NASCAR-style paint schemes and the absence of wings.

A-MRIN ACTION

TWC. Nineteen drivers competed in this highly competitive class. When the dust had settled, Craig Schmal had earned the TQ spot by posting a 45/4:02.92 in the third round of qualifying.

After the first two A-mains, the winner was still undecided; Marty Hageman and Chris Schmal each had one A-main win, and Dan Dolbert and Craig Schmal each scored a second-place finish. Despite Craig's hard-charging efforts, Marty won the final A-main and the national championship.

1/12-SCALE MODIFIED. After four rounds of qualifying, Danny Bartholomew was sitting on top with his first-round TQ run of 54/4.00.37. Dwight Smith, Sonny Brown and Kevin Koback finished first, second and third, respectively, in the first A-main, but Bartholomew took the win in the second Main, while Koback and Smith settled for second and third. It all came down to the third and final A-main, and it was obvious that Bartholomew was aware of this because he got the holeshot and never looked back. Bartholomew was the clear winner with Koback and Smith taking second and third.

4-CELL STOCK. More than 50 drivers battled for the elusive national championship in this class, but Scott Johnson's name appeared at the top of the roster when the qualifying rounds had concluded. Jeff Skomski, Dusty Kemp and Phil Beardshear finished in that order after the first A-main; Kemp came back to win the second, with Terry Warner and Butch Thompson rounding out second and third.

The third and deciding Main for the championship title resulted in a run among Kemp, Johnson and Skomski. Skomski was the early contender and potential winner, but he hit the pole going through turns 3 and 4, and that allowed Kemp to go by and take the win-and the championship. Johnson and Skomski ended in second and third, respectively. Skomski and Warner went home with second- and third-place trophies.

OPEN MODIFIED. Danny Dettlaff was the man to beat after posting a TQ run of 56/4:00.25. TJ Domark and Kevin Koback were working through traffic in the first Main when Koback bumped Domark's car during a failed attempt at an inside pass. Every car behind them crashed except for Danny Bartholomew's. With his competition out of the way, Bartholomew cruised past the checkered flag, with Jimmy Likeric and Bobby Flack finishing second and third. In the second A-main, Dettlaff and Bartholomew battled throughout the first half of the race until Dettlaff rammed into a pipe on the front straightaway, and that allowed Bartholomew to squeeze by to take the win and the national championship. With the championship decided, the remaining drivers ran the third A-main. Koback and Monti "The Mangler" Panzica finished second and third in the last A-main, leaving Dettlaff and Koback in second and third place overall.

19-TURN. Rick Talbot beat out 27 drivers to earn the TQ spot in this class. He put on a good run in the first Main and battled for the lead with TJ Domark during the entire race. Not until the final 30 seconds was Domark able to pass Talbot out of turn 2 to take the lead and the win. Talbot finished in second, while Jason Hack claimed third. Domark led the way in the second Main until an unfortunate tangle with one of the back markers. Domark slipped to second and stayed there. Eli Ezrow stepped up to the front and took the win, while Domark had to settle for second; Corey Heft finished third. Domark, Ezrow and Tatbot put on an accomplished display of racing in the third and final Main. Talbot took the win in the third Main, while Ezrow and Sean Cochran finished in second and third places. After the points had been tallied, Talbot ended up ahead on points and was declared the national champion. Domark ended up with the second-place trophy, and Ezrow took third.

WRAP-UP

It's clear that oval racing is rebounding and gaining speed! With the popularity of NASCAR, the ranks of oval racing should be growing daily. The introduction of new and exciting racing classes is certain to attract more contestants, and it looks as though ROAR is on the right path. We congratulate all of the newly crowned national champions, and we tip our hats to the folks at S&N Trackside Hobbies for their brilliant management of the event. We look forward to the next ROAR Carpet Oval Nats, and hope to see you all there!