BUTLER MOTOR SPEEDWAY RESULTS
FALL CLASSIC  OCTOBER 20 & 21, 2000
Report by Jim Fisher

THREE FIRST TIME WINNERS DURING FALL CLASSIC

Drivers in all three divisions captured their first Butler Motor Speedway feature victories during the Fall Classic, as the track closed out the 2000 season. Phil Hendershot won the late model division feature, with Jerry Bezuin winning in the modifieds and Renton Hurley in the street stocks.

Hendershot, in just his second ever appearance at Butler, led all 40 laps on his way to victory. A 6-car pileup on the initial try forced a complete restart, with Hendershot pulling ahead on the second attempt from his front row starting position. Tom Beam, which started on the outside of the front, settled into second, with Jeff Kohn, John Grega and Rich Neiser making up the remainder of the early top five.  Kohn, which won the track's last late model feature, spun on lap five after a spirited battle for third with Neiser. Hendershot used a good restart, and another two laps later, to remain out front. On lap 18 Neiser ducked low in turn three and went under Beam for second, but a caution flag nullified the move, putting him back to third for the restart. Neiser made the same move a lap later, but the caution again flew for a spun car. Under the caution, Neiser retired to the pits with mechaical woes, taking a 19th place finish.
Hendershot remained in command out front, with Beam back to second and Grega in third. Grega made his way to second on lap 27 and heavy traffic allowed him to cut into Hendershot's lead on lap 34. Two laps later the lapped
traffic nearly took its toll, with a car spinning directly in the path of the frontrunners. Both were able avoid the mishap, and Hendershot used another strong restart once the race resumed and drove to the win.  Grega was second, with Beam third, Bill Bray fourth and Randy Archer fifth.  Jamie Campbell was sixth, with Bob Dooley seventh, Marv Burroughs eighth,  Terry Sroufe ninth and Todd Schroyer tenth. Friday night heats went to Kohn, Beam, Sroufe and Hendershot. Neiser won the dash. Saturday's 'B' Mains were won by Dooley and Eric Chant.

Bezuin used a last lap pass to gain the modified feature win, ducking under Jim Schieber on the backstretch for his first trip to Butler's victory lane.  James Coil, Jr. started on the outside front row for the 35-lap feature and would lead the first 32 laps. Schieber was the man on the move in the race, moving to fifth on lap 20, fourth on lap 21, and then third on lap 23.  Schieber got around Curt Spalding for second on lap 26 and spent the next seven laps looking for a way around Coil. Schieber looked to the inside in turn four on lap 32, but Coil held the Indiana driver at bay. But a lap later
Schieber went to the outside in the same turn, driving by for the lead.  Bezuin, who had spent the entire race in the top three, went by Coil with two laps remaining and then closed on Schieber after the cars had taken the white flag. Schieber seemed to get loose coming out of turn two, with Bezuin driving by for the win.

Schieber was second, with Tim Dalman third, Myren Delong fourth and Joey Fowler fifth. Coil dropped to sixth at the finish, with Bob Kingen seventh, Jerry Reefer, Jr. eighth, Gerry Wittington ninth and Jeff Sayles tenth. Jimmy
Hale and Dalman were modified heat winners, with Coil taking the dash. Chris Vandewiele won the 'B' Main.

Former Butler street stock champ Randy Nichols jumped out front in the 30-lap street stock feature and commanded the first 28 laps until falling to the wayside with mechanical gremlins. Jim Billitt ran in second until he was involved in a lap 18 crash, with fourth-starting Hurley moving to second, and later to first with the departure of Nichols.  Chaney Newland came from a fourth-row starting spot to second at the finish, with Mark Tejki, Jim Abbott and Josh Scott making up the remainder of the top ten. Jeff Beaty was sixth, with Don Kittle seventh, Bill Howard eighth, Eric Vanderivere ninth and Randy Nichols tenth. Friday's heats went to Tim Abbeg, Nichols, Billitt, Newland and Abbott. Eric Wilson was the dash winner. 

Saturday's 'B' Main winners were Beaty, Hotovy, Mike Zichty and Mike
Overholser.

BUTLER MOTOR SPEEDWAY RESULTS - FALL CLASSIC
LATE MODELS
FT: Brian Ruhlman 16.625
Dash Winner: Rich Neiser
Heat Winners: Jeff Kohn, Tom Beam, Phil Hendershot, Terry Sroufe
B Main Winners: Eric Chant, Bob Dooley
Feature Finish: Phil Hendershot, John Grega, Tom Beam, Bill Bray, Randy
Archer, Jamie campbell, Bob Dooley, Marv Burroughs, Terry Sroufe, Todd
Schroyer, Terry Wilber, George Lindsey, Toby Lepper, Joe Johnson, Lynn
Beckwith, Logan Beckwith, Bill Hahn, Eric Chant, Richard Neiser, Jeff Kohn,
Eric Spangler, Rick Delong, Brian Ruhlman, Tracey Grimes
MODIFIEDS
FT: Jerry Bezuin 18:02
Dash Winner: Jim Coil, Jr.
Heat Winners: Jimmy Hale, Tim Dalman
B Main Winner: Chris Vandewiele
Feature Finish: Jerry Bezuin, Jim Schieber, Tim Dalman, Myren Delong, Joey
Fowler, James Coil, Bob Kingan, Jerry Reefer, Gerry Wittington, Jeff Sayles,
Curt Spalding, Chris Vandewiele, Jimmy Hale, George Grevele, Mark Hotovy,
Zack Olger, David Reay, Matt Corliss, Roger Goodan, Frank Stead, Chuck
Straight, Dan Smolder, Chris Derenne, Dan Ratajczak
STREET STOCKS
FT: Eric Wilson 19.311
Dash Winner: Eric Wilson
Heat Winners: Tim Abbeg, Randy Nichols, Jim Billitt, Cheaney Newland, Jim
Abbott
B Main Winners: Jeff Beaty, Hotovy, Mike Zichty, Mike Overholser
Feature Finish: Renton Hurley, Chaney Newland, Mark Tejki, Jim Abbott, Josh
Scott, Jeff Beaty, Don Kittle, Bill Howard, Eric Vanderiviere, Randy Nichols,
Bob Rendel, Tim Abbeg, Scott Reynolds, Larry Kulikowski, Jim Billitt, Mike
Overholser, Jeff Coffel, Mike Barchett, Eric Wilson, Mike Hoffman, Cameron
Spieth, Mark Hoffman, Mark Frost, Jacob Rendel