Fry Slips Past Voigt for Season-Opening Win

Tommy Fry opened the 2001 racing season at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night with a last-minute victory in the Advantage Ford 100 Super Late Model main event in front of 5,460.

For 39 of the final 40 laps in the 100-lap race, defending Super Late Model champion Greg Voigt of Santa Barbara held off Fry and rookie Nathan Wulff, but on turn two Voigt lost the rear axle of his Chevrolet, allowing Fry to slip past and take the checkered flag.

Charles Utts finished third, followed by pole sitter Sean Woodside. Voigt managed to cross the line in fifth place.

“I wasn’t sure I could catch him,” Fry said. “I figured we were going to finish in that position. All of a sudden he slowed up and went high as I did, and I got by him.”

The race was temporarily stopped after a spectacular collision on lap 34 involving three cars. Tony Bruncati and Bobby James bumped into each other, then Bruncati’s car slid into the wall and collided with David Gilliland’s car, which went flying over Bruncati’s car, destroying the front end.