Rob Warren ran away from the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS) pack like a scared cat to claim his first Black Kat Klassic Tuesday night.
“The car just kept getting better and better and I just tried to be smooth and avoid the Armco and the light poles,” said Warren
Warren, the defending SUPRS Gold Crest Non-Wing Champion, started from the outside row and led all 50 laps, winning the race by a huge margin over 2-time Black Kat Klassic winner Ray Sand, Jr. who came from last starting spot to claim second.
“Congrats to Rob on the win,” said Sand, Jr. “I just didn’t have any car left, but I had a blast out here tonight, there was some great racing.”
Third place finisher and 2006 Black Kat Klassic winner, “Steady” Steve Callahan lived up to his nickname after dropping all the way to last, then methodically working his way back into a third place finish. Callahan was the last car on the lead lap.
Bob Gangwer, Domenic Gioia, and Dave Brigandi rounded out the field with Brigandi and Gioia both running near the front for better than half of the race before experiencing near catastrophic accidents. Gioia had all but a third place sowed up until he slammed the wall coming out of turn four and Brigandi ended his night after a hard hit into an infield light pole.
Warren’s win keeps a 12 year streak of never having a driver win the first two consecutive races of the season alive and propelled him into third place in the point standings.
SUPRS heads south to the Tar Heel state for the 12th Annual North Carolina Swing next week. The drivers will run for three nights on five different tracks.
RACE RESULTS
Black Kat Klassic
Track: Decatur Speedway
Laps: 50
Position | Car | Driver | Results | Best Lap | Laps Led |
1. | 35 | Rob Warren | 11:52.416 | 13.181 | 50 |
2. | 18 | Ray Sand, Jr. | +7.453 | 13.206 | 0 |
3. | 55 | Steve Callahan | +10.290 | 13.187 | 0 |
4. | 25 | Bob Gangwer | +1 Lap | 13.218 | 0 |
5. | 9 | Domenic Gioia | +1 Lap | 13.304 | 0 |
6. | 52 | Dave Brigandi | DNF | 13.350 | 0 |