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| 8/30/03 The first Hot August Nights 250 was held on a rather cool evening, August 30, 2003 at Pocket Rocket Raceway in Horseheads, NY. The race held for Fray-legal Aurora Thunderjet cars attracted six top T-Jet drivers from Central NY. Mark Burdick, winner of the previous three 250 lappers at PRR, was forced to miss this event. As a result the heavy pre-race favorite was Jeff "Hoss" Phoenix. Phoenix had never won a T-Jet race of more than 100 laps at PRR, but had finished second more than any other. Hot August Nights 250 Entry List Driver, Hometown - Entrant - Car Dan "LD" Hungerford Jr., Elmira, NY - Dan Hungerford Sr.; Jeff "Hoss" Phoenix - BRP Ford GT40 Dan Hungerford Sr. - Elmira, NY - Self - BRP Ford GT40 Matt Metcalf, Corning, NY - Matthew Metcalf Racing; Captain Underpants Racing - BRP Ford GT40 Jeff "Hoss" Phoenix, Camillus, NY - Self - BRP Mangusta Scott Walker, Horseheads, NY - Pocket Rocket Raceway; web site: www.linkny.com/~jimbo/horacing2.html - BRP Ford GT40 Larry "Lawrence Of Moravia" Weaver, Moravia, NY - Kanga Kars - BRP Ford GT40 QUALIFYING The qualifying round consisted of a six minute run, 2 minutes in three lanes, for each of the drivers. As expected, Phoenix emerged on top. His Mangusta was hooked up and he looked to be the class of the field. Larry Weaver gridded second with an impressive 55 lap run, just one behind Phoenix. The local master of skinny rubber tired T-Jets had been testing his Fray car, and the work was paying off. Scott Walker qualified third. Fourth was Dan Hungerford Sr. It had been two years since Hungerford had entered his own machine in a T-Jet race at PRR, and this was an impressive return, made all the more impressive by the fact that he had just decided to build his race car in the early afternoon! Matt Metcalf showed impressive speed, but a series of errors saw him grid in 5th. Dan Hungerford Jr., borrowing one of Phoenix's backup cars, struggled with mechanical trouble to sixth. Semi-Final Round The drivers were gridded according to qualifying for the semis. Once again they would face six minutes, with the top four advancing to the final. The first semi featured Phoenix, Walker and Metcalf. At the start Phoenix immediately began to pull away. Walker hung on gamely for a couple laps before his tires went off and he dropped back. He still managed to stay in front of Metcalf, who was having a difficult race. With nearly a 3/4-lap lead nearing the end of the first segment, Phoenix threw it away with two costly spins. Walker, driving a sterling race with a car clearly not up to the task, was in position to take advantage of the errors and led at the end of the segment. Three laps into the second segment Phoenix caught and re-passed Walker for the lead after a brief battle. When Phoenix went off again a couple laps later, Walker was back in the lead. Moments later it all became academic. Phoenix's car quit when the front screw came loose and the car lost it's guide pin. By the time he rejoined the race Phoenix had lost 5 laps. Walker cruised to the win and a berth in the final, while Phoenix would have to wait and see if his 49 laps would be good enough to make the cut. Semi #2 featured Weaver and the two Hungerfords. Hungerford Jr. was now coming to grips with the well-prepared Phoenix machine, sporting one of the Gulf liveried BRP GT40s used by Team Wizzard to win the 2002 New Jersey Shootout. He battled hard with Weaver throughout the first segment but then had to give best to the veteran. Still his performance was easily enough to make the final. Hungerford Sr.'s hard work was rewarded as he too made enough laps to qualify for the final, the first PRR Major final for the PRR veteran. His 51-lap run eliminated pre-race favorite Phoenix. Hot August Nights 250 Final The Hot August Nights 250 had shaped up to an intriguing final. Of the four finalists, only Walker had ever won a PRR Fray Major. When the final started it soon became apparent that we were in for a classic battle. Hungerford Jr., Weaver and Walker battled for the lead early before Hungerford Jr. began to stretch the lead and the legs on the Phoenix machine. Weaver hung on desperately, but soon Walker found himself fighting to stay on the lead lap after a couple of costly spins. At the end of the first segment Hungerford Jr. led Weaver by nearly a lap, with Walker a lap down in third. Hungerford Sr. was four laps down in fourth. In the second segment, Hungerford Jr. continued to show good speed. At the end of two he was up a lap on Weaver and two on Walker. The race appeared set, but the two veteran racers were not about to hand it to the teenager. Both mounted a furious comeback in the third segment while Hungerford Jr. struggled in yellow. After unlapping himself, Weaver took the lead with 2 minutes remaining in the segment and proceeded to pull away to a 3/4-lap lead. Walker hauled himself back onto the lead lap and finished the segment mere inches behind Hungerford. This marked the first time in PRR history that the final segment of a Major would begin with the top three drivers on the lead lap. As the final segment began Hungerford seemed to have regained his confidence and he slowly began to pull away from Walker. Walker let it all hang out in a last ditch effort to make up ground, but he was now overdriving the car a couple of mistakes put him out of reach of the others. Weaver could see Hungerford inching closer, but held steady. Which would come first - the race's end or Hungerford's pass for the lead? The race was drawing to a nail-biting conclusion when Weaver made his first mistake of the segment. Hungerford was now close and two laps later he took the lead back with now only 20 laps to go. Weaver pushed hard but could not retaliate. Weaver went off in his pursuit and nearly lost second to Walker. At the finish Hungerford led Weaver by half a lap, with Walker a further two feet behind. The closest three-way final in PRR Major history and the first time three drivers have finished on the lead lap. Hungerford Sr. was happy with his 4th as well as his son's win. Thus another PRR Fray race went into the books with a new winner. Hungerford, the youngest PRR Major winner ever, also became the third different driver to win a PRR Fray Major in 2003, a new record. Next Major Race At PRR: 9/27/03 – Thunderjet 40th Anniversary Showdown (Rules TBA.) PRR's weekly HO racing series runs every Friday evening with races beginning at 7 PM. Current classes are Fray T-Jet and Super G+ Formula 1. Call or e-mail for rules. PRR's weekly 1/32 racing series runs every Saturday afternoon* with races beginning at 4 PM. Current classes are Fly/GB Track Classics any wheel/tire and Carrera 1/24 Le Mans. Call or e-mail for rules. *Next 1/32 race will be 9/13/03. Pocket Rocket Raceway 2117 Grand Central Ave. Horseheads, NY 14845 Web Site: www.linkny.com/~jimbo/horacing2.html E-mail: prrho@juno.com Look for a new PRR web site soon! Stop, visit and try your hand at slot car racing on PRR's 1/32 Watkins Glen layout at the Zippo US Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, NY September 5-7. For further information contact Scott or Cindy Walker at: (607) 796-2168 or prrho@juno.com | |||||||||||||||||
| The drivers (L-R) - Scott Walker, Jeff "Hoss" Phoenix, Larry Weaver, Dan Hungerford Sr., Dan Hungerford Jr., Matt Metcalf | |||||||||||||||||
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| The Grid - Larry Weaver's 67 Indy 500 Pace Car Camaro leads the field. | |||||||||||||||||
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| The Finalist's cars - 1st - Dan Hungerford Jr.'s BRP GT40; 2nd - Larry Weaver's BRP GT40; 3rd - Scott Walker's BRP GT40; 4th - Dan Hungerford Sr.'s BRP GT40 | |||||||||||||||||
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| The Podium (L-R) - Dan Hungerford Jr. gets his first PRR Major win; 2nd - Larry Weaver; 3rd - Scott Walker, (holding Allan Scott Walker;) 4th - Dan Hungerford Sr. | |||||||||||||||||
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