Valentine's Challenge presented by PIzza Hut - The Shrine Desert Road Course

February 18, 1999

Round 12 of 16

SORCE WINS VALENTINE'S CHALLENGE RACE

-Surprising Final Four thrills fans-

wauwatosa, WI (Feb. 18, 1999) - Out with the old and in with the new at the annual Valentine's Challenge­ Presented by Pizza Hut here at the Shrine road course Thursday. The top three drivers in the PPPG Cup standings were nowhere to be found in the Final Four. Instead, the pilot of the Leinenkugel's car, Chad Sorce, was winning his second race of the season, both coming on this the oldest track in the series. Sorce came from third on the grid to move into the lead about a quarter of the way through the race, then easily racked up a ten­ lap lead and coasted to the win over his own teammate, Dan Margetta in the Miller Lite car.

Said Sorce, "I don't know what it is about this track, but I love it. The crew gave me a great car tonight and everything just worked out."

Margetta, who like Sorce won his heat race, took the early lead but it was clear by the five-minute mark that he would be no match for Sorce on this night. "We had more speed on the straight than Chad," explained Margetta, "But this track doesn't have much straight, so it didn't do us a whole lot of good here." But the second-place finish moved Margetta to within four points of third place in the standings with four races remaining on the schedule.

Phil Marich pushed his Swift/Ford into the Final Four for the first time in his career, making his first career podium in third place here. Asked what it was like to be in his first Final Four he commented, "I'm just happy to be here. It's means more to me than you'll ever know." Marich seemed to be destined for a fifth-place finish, when late in his heat race the leader of the round, Phil Cianciola suddenly crashed into the trees in the tough Keyhole turns, gathering a DNF with about a minute to go in that round. It was the points leader Cianciola gathering only fifth place instead. But combined with his pole and the poor showing of Jim Kaehny, Cianciola actually increased his PPPG Cup points lead from 10 to 16 points.

Kaehny, who remains in second in the standings, qualified second and was running away with his heat race before jumping the car into the catch.fencing in Turn Two on lap 39. He refused comment after the race. Witnesses said the veteran was seen throwing his hat in disgust after ruining a great opportunity to catch Cianciola in the standings late in the season.

Rounding out the top four it was rookie Larry Rotter bringing home the Pennzoil machine in fourth. It was quite an amazing story, considering Rotter had just been released from the hospital after spending a week there getting treatment for a liver condition. "I could have done better but we had the rear-end give out on the car and it started overheating," he explained. After contact with the wall late in the race, tans could hear the Penske/Toyota growling around the track with a chipped gear tooth causing the problem.

Tom Spehert finished sixth in the Harley-Davidson Reynard/Ford. John Baas went into the exact same spot in the fence where his teammate Kaehny did, and Baas ended up finishing in seventh, with Kaehny in eighth.

Ev Kamikawa, third in the standings, failed to qualify for the event, finishing ninth, but holding on to third in the standings. The team rolled a brand new Ferrari off the truck, a car Kamikawa said was very fast, "But you don't need a car this fast on a tight track like this," he said.

Mike "Poncho" Prelozni rounded out the field in tenth, once again failing to make the grid.

No records were set at the race, but there was one interesting 'unofficial' mark set. The entire racing program was concluded by 9:15 p.m., a record early ending. And the broadcast team raised some eyebrows when Bobby Unser did a controversial feature segment during the Final Four called "Driver Asses." Unser described the ass of each driver as the camera zoomed in during competition.

The next stop on the series will be at H.O. Road America for the March 4th Miller Lite 250. With four races left in the season, Cianciola holds a 16 point lead over Kaehny.

RACE PREVIEW: THE VALENTINE'S CHALLENGE-

Presented by Pizza Hut

0     WHAT: The 6th-annual Valentine's Challenge-Presented by Pizza Hut

0    WHERE: The Shrine            Wauwatosa, WI

0    WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 18th 6:30 p.m.

0  DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jim Kaehny

0    DEFENDING POLESITTER: Phil Cianciola

0    TRACK LAYOUT:Permanent road course

0    RACE LENGTH: 20 min. Final Four

0    RACE RECORDS: Qualifying- 119 laps, Phil Cianciola, 1996

Race- 305 laps, Phil Cianciola, 1997

0    RACE#: 12 of 16

0    NEXT EVENT: The Miller Lite 250

Thursday, Mar. 4th

H.O.R.A.  Franklin, WI

0    INSTANT REPLAY

Last season, Jim Kaehny fought his way through numerous grudge matches to finally take Phil Cianciola out in the final round and take the win. Kaehny had to endure 13 rounds in five different grudge matches. His win moved him within three points of the lead in the championship.

THE VALENTINE'S CHALLENGE HISTORY

Year

Race Winner

Pole Winner

1994

JIM KAEHNY

PHIL CIANCIOLA

1995

JIM KAEHNY

DAN MARGETTA

1996

PHIL CIANCIOLA

PHIL CIANCIOLA

1997

PHIL CIANCIOLA

PHIL CIANCIOLA

1998

JIM KAEHNY

PHIL CIANCIOLA

Things to watch for this year .

As you can see, Phil Cianciola has been on the pole here for the last three years and always seems to be in the thick of things at Valentine's time. Jim Kaehny is the only other man to have won this race, and those two will have plenty on the line again this year as they fight for the top position in the standings, with five races left in the season.