Ford vs Chevrolet

It would be a Ford versus Chevrolet battle, as expected. However, it looked like Ford would have it its own way. The race would be fierce. Scott Pruett had shattered the 1m30s lap record, but Jack baldwin was right behind him, ready to fight. Both of them ran 5,0L engines, which made their effort even more impressive. Tommy Riggins were next, with Chris Cord and Dennis Aase putting the nifty Toyota Celica Tc in fourth place. Craig carter was next, followed by Gene Felton, who ran an Oldsmobile Toronado still uncompetitive. The race instantly belonged to Scott Pruett and Jack Baldwin, who took the lead right from the start. He would stay ahead for less than three laps, when Scott Pruett outbraked him. It was not over between the two of them, as they would run nose to tail for the next thirty eight laps. Tommy Riggins would stick to third place until he was forced to pit, with a fried wheel bearing. He would later jump into his teammate's car. Chris Cord also would lose some time, when his shift lever had a bolt come adrift. Bruce Jenner would then stick to third place, followed by Chet Vincentz-John Bauer Porsche 930S. Things would change on lap thirty eight when Scott Pruett pitted for fuel. Jack Baldwin suddenly found himself in the lead, but for less than 10s ! He hit the guardrail and exploded his front end. He would drive backward to the pit entrance and get a 30s penalty for that maneuver. He would get back to the race with no front end body panels, but with a vengeance. He would drive as hard as he could. He was now in seventh place. When the rain would arrive, he would gain some positions in the standings. John Bauer hit the sandtrap and Tommy Riggins spun a couple of times. He was one lap down Scott Pruett, but determined to unlap himself. Now in third place, he was strongly determined to close in on Bruce Jenner, who was in second place. He would have to settle for third however, as the chequered would fall three laps later. It was another 1-2 for Ford. The GTU part was some kind of economy run for Bob Earl's Pontiac Fiero. He could run the entire race without refueling. He was to be challenged by Tom Kendall in the beginning of the race, when the latter overtook Roger Mandeville and Amos Johnson. He would stay in Bob Earl's mirrors until he crashed in a sandbank after twenty eight laps. Roger Mandeville had stopped after ten laps when he had a puncture. He would be back and run great. Bob Earl was ahead, and Amos Johnson was the last Mazda opponent who appeared to be able to fight for the win. He would even take the lead when Bob Earl spun losing first place. He would be back, determined to catch Amos Johnson, who had not pitted for refueling. The heavy rain that came later would put him out of contention for the win. He lost his hood and had to stop for slight repairs, but he finished third in class, behind Roger Mandeville. Bob Earl, who didn't need to refuel, finally cruised to a somewhat easy victory.