As reported Sunday, August 3, 2003 In the Daily Southtown
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dssports/pro/033sd2.htm
By Tony Baranek
Staff writer
SCHERERVILLE, Ind. — A yellow flag with five laps remaining allowed Dave Weltmeyer to make up some important ground on race leader Mike White in Saturday night's late-model feature at Illiana Speedway.
A yellow flag with four laps remaining prevented Weltmeyer from completing what looked to be a certain pass for the top spot.
Four laps, however, was still enough time for Weltmeyer to bounce back and ring up one of his most satisfying victories of 2003.
Weltmeyer passed White with an inside move as they roared out of Turn 4 to complete lap 28. He completed the pass as they hit Turn 1, and went on to beat White to the finish line by two car-lengths.
The victory helped Weltmeyer protect his slim points lead over White in their two-man battle for the Illiana late-model division crown.
"We've had a good car the last couple of weeks, but I didn't think we were ever going to win another one," Weltmeyer said. "We're improving, and we're catching up with the other guys.
"Mike raced me clean and hard. I appreciate that. We're in a tight battle (for points), me and him. And if we keep each other racing hard like this, the best man will win."
Saturday's main event saw the first 24 laps run without a yellow flag. This would ultimately prove to be the undoing of fast qualifier Eddie Hoffman, who took a pre-race "last to front" challenge for extra money and found himself mired in the back of the pack for most of the race.
Weltmeyer, meanwhile, started eighth, but slipped back a couple of spots at the start, while White charged from sixth to take the lead from early leader Pat Kelly (who wasdriving Mike Pockrus' No. 50) on lap 7.
But as time ticked away, the "Dyer Flyer" gradually moved up. He took second place away from Kelly on lap 16, and then began to slowly reel in White.
By lap 24, the distance was about five car-lengths, and time was running out.
"The way I figured it, I'd have caught him on the white-flag lap," Weltmeyer said. "As hard as he is to pass. I'd have had to do some real thinking to get by him."
A yellow flag for a spun-out Brian Muick in Turn 2 brought out the yellow that Weltmeyer needed. And on the restart, he immediately tested White on the bottom. They were side-by-side in Turn 1 on lap 26 when Muick spun again, this time in Turn 4.
Weltmeyer had to start all over again.
"Whoo! I'll tell you what. It's hard to pass Mike White once, let alone twice in one night," Weltmeyer said. "But I watched his car as I was catching him, and he'd roll off the corner high. I was hooking up on the bottom, so I knew I'd have the spot once I got there."
That's exactly how it played out, with Weltmeyer once again gaining the inside advantage on White with two laps remaining, and pushing through for the win.
"We were a little tight off the corner," White said. "I just couldn't keep the thing down there. I got a little bit of a push and he got the nose under me. Hey, congratulations to Dave, and we'll get 'em next week."
Hoffman made the most of the last two yellow flags to move up to third, just ahead of Ron Breese Jr.
"Guts and no yellows," Hoffman laughed. "That's about it. They do this (go without yellows) out here every five weeks or so. I guess this was the week."
Kelly finished fifth, followed by John Nutley.