TOBIAS DASHES TO GAMBLER'S SLINGSHOT VICTORY

Barry Angstadt

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TOBIAS DASHES TO GAMBLER'S SLINGSHOT VICTORY
by Barry Angstadt

Atlantic City, NJ - Rich "Toby" Tobias, the creator of the Slingshot racecars, showed his customers how to get the job done in a thrilling drive from the back of the pack on Saturday night in Atlantic City. Tobias grabbed the lead with a little more than one lap remaining, then dashed to the checkered flag to score a big victory in the 25-lap Gambler's Classic for the Slingshots at Boardwalk Hall.
"It's pretty special," noted the veteran of dirt modified and USAC Silver Crown competition. "These kids are tough. Before the race, we were joking about our poor starting position. But then I started passing cars and kept on passing cars...I actually didn't know I won at first. I just kept passing cars until I saw the checkered."
A qualifying crash on Friday night forced major front end repairs to Tobias' No. 64x, normally driven by his nephew, Paul Lotier, Jr. When the green flag dropped on the A-Main presented by SoBe Life Water, Richie found himself mired in the 22nd starting spot.
As pole-sitter Bobby Butler, from Milford, NJ, set the pace, Tobias struggled to move up through the talent-laden field. He spun in turn two just before ten laps were recorded, forcing him to restart at the rear. That is when he really sat up in the seat, brought his elbows up, and began to rumble toward the front of the pack.
Meanwhile, the action up front was hot and heavy. With 2007 Linda's Champion Marc Daniels chasing Butler in the early laps, two-time and defending Boardwalk race winner Ryan Smith battled his cousin, Joel Smith, for the fourth position. The first yellow, for a spinning Mike Carman, appeared with six complete.
On the restart, Daniels held off a determined Mike Glass for the runner-up spot as Butler maintained the point. A couple more caution flags, including the one for Tobias, set the stage for a race-changing altercation in turns one and two.
As the green waved after Tobias' spin, the back end of Daniels' car suddenly snapped around, collecting Glass (who was running third), Joel Smith (who was fifth at the time), and sixth-place Dave McCollough. Ryan Smith, fourth at the time of the incident, squeaked through the melee to inherit the runner-up position.
"Glass got me; he nailed me from behind and sent me around," lamented Daniels afterward. "Oh well," he smiled, "that's just Atlantic City. It's hard, though, because I really had a great car down here this year. I was just waiting for my opportunity to pass Butler." Marc was able to restart, soldiering to a 12th-place finish.
With Ryan Smith now in second, nipping at the leader's heels, and the laps beginning to wind down, things got very interesting throughout the top ten positions. Jamie Yannone, wheeling the Anthony Perrego No. 00, weaved his way into third. Last season's Briggs & Stratton National Tour Champion Billy VanInwegen, Jr., made his presence known, blasting into fourth, while Ford Focus Midget and former Slingshot hot-shoe Steve Intravaia raced into fifth.
As VanInwegen, Jr. snatched the third position away from Yannone, the huge crowd noticed a white, No. 64x suddenly enter the picture. Tobias was flying, slipping past Yannone and then VanInwegen. "Toby" was now third, with his sights firmly set on runner-up Smith.
With five to go, Tobias made the move for second, sliding under Smith on the backstretch. He stalked the leader for a couple of laps, then charged to the low side of Butler on the back chute. Entering turn three, Tobias had a wheel in front as the pair made contact.
Butler slid high in three and four, allowing Smith to follow Tobias past him. Richie was now in front as Warren Alston waved the white flag and the massive crowd cheered in appreciation of his great drive. Smith was not able to muster a challenge on the final circuit, settling for runner-up honors while Tobias celebrated in victory lane.
Bobby Butler, who led 23 of the 25 laps, finished a disappointing third. VanInwegen Jr. and Intravaia rounded out the top five.
Slingshot Notes: The finish was still "pending" late Saturday night, as a protest was filed against the winner. According to observers, the protest specifically mentioned an illegal engine component AND the fact that Tobias did not immediately cross the scale after the race. Several hours after the checkered fell, race officials continued to sort through the details of the protest and an inspection of the engine. The dispute was eventually resolved, Tobias was declared the winner, and the order of finish deemed official.
Butler was understandably disheartened by his third-place finish, but he was also happy to run so well and relieved that he even finished the race. "I lost the brakes early; probably after lap two or so," he reported. "The rear brake pad is gone. I was just actually hanging on, taking it as easy as I could while I was leading."
Commenting on Tobias' race winning pass, Butler said, "Oh, it was fine. He didn't rough me up or anything. It was just an 'Atlantic City pass'. And once he got me up high, I knew Ryan would get by me, too."
Trying for an Atlantic City three-peat, Smith took his runner-up finish in stride. "We were decent, but it was tight in the middle. That's how Richie got under me. He's good; he can drive, obviously."
Ryan, from Kunkletown, Pa, was biding his time while running second to Butler. "I was going to go for it with a couple laps to go," he stated. "I saw he was having some problems getting into the turns. I was going to get under him and rub him if I had to. But then Rich got by me and that was it."
Victorious in Friday's qualifiers were Matt Carman, Gary Hieber, and Tiffany Wambold.

SLINGSHOT FINISH:
A-Main (25 Laps): 1.Rich Tobias 2.Ryan Smith 3.Bobby Butler 4.Billy VanInwegen, Jr. 5.Steve Intravaia 6.Matt Carman 7.Jamie Yannone 8.Bill VanInwegen, Sr. 9.Ron Smykla 10.Joel Smith 11.Ray Woodall, Jr. 12.Marc Daniels 13.Gary Hieber 14.Mike Carman 15.Dave McCollough 16.Mark Hartman 17.Michael Glass 18.Scott Goodrich 19.Vernon McLaughlin III 20.C.J. Faison 21.Tiffany Wambold 22.Kyle Rohner 23.Jeff Hartman 24.Kevin Van Valkenburg 25.Rob Marino.

Written and Published with Consent By:
Barry Angstadt