Bobby Parsley Wins 37th Annual Anderson 400

Shepherdsville, Kentucky’s Bobby Parsley won the biggest race of his 11-year racing career by capturing the prestigious 37th running of the Anderson 400 Presented By Great Deals Coupon Magazine at Anderson Speedway Saturday, July 12. The win was the second Sunoco Super Series win for Parsley in 2003 and his second career win with the series. The 400-lap event was filled with side by side racing action from the drop of the green until the checkers flew for Parsley.

“Wow, this is really exciting,” remarked Parsley. “I have to thank my mom and dad for all their support over the past seasons, we have worked hard and it’s finally paying off! I want to thank Junior Hanley for building me a great racecar and for racing me clean tonight. I didn’t know if I could hold him off on the last restart, but we did it, what a great win!

Yockey Motorsports Marketing Fast Qualifier Bull Baker took the early lead from his pole starting position after slight contact with outside pole sitter Andy Ponstein, which resulted in Ponstein hitting the outside retaining wall. Baker held the early lead until lap 41 when Sunoco Super Series veteran Jeff Lane caught Baker and made an impressive pass in lap traffic to take the lead.

The red flag flew on lap 83 for the nights hardest wreck, when former series champion Brian Rievley slammed hard into the third turn outside retaining wall, after something broke on his car, flying into the air, bouncing back on the track right in front of another former series champion Scott Hantz. With no where to go Hantz made hard contact to the rear of Rievley’s badly damaged car, the hit dislodged Rievley’s fuel cell from his racecar. The Anderson Speedway safety crew was quickly on the seen to assist both drivers and keep the spilled fuel from igniting. After a lengthy clean up the Anderson 400 resumed with out Rievley and Hantz.

Lane’s lead did not last long as his badly overheating car started to slow allowing veteran Sunoco Super Series driver Junior Hanley to take the lead charging to the front from his seventh place starting position. Hanley’s lead lasted until a restart on lap 194 when 2000 Anderson 400 winner Kenny Tweedy got under Hanley to make the past for first place. Tweedy was the leader at lap 200, halfway, which earned him a $200 bonus from Kingen Interstate Express.

J.R. Roahrig was able to move past Tweedy on lap 210 to take the lead for a short time until pit stops under yellow shuffled the line-up. Brent Downey was the leader when racing resumed fighting off a very persistent Jim Crabtree Jr. Tweedy battled back to pass Crabtree and then Downey to take back his lead. Tweedy was leading, but everyone was watching Bobby Parsley, who had slowly worked his way up from his thirteenth place starting position and had saved his tires for a run to the front.

Parsley went from tenth to fourth in 15 laps. Parsley was in second by lap 270 and really began pressuring race leader Kenny Tweedy on lap 325. Parsley battled Tweedy for several laps before making the pass on lap 351. Parsley’s lead was not safe because Junior Hanley was making a late charge to the front after an extra pit stop to get his right front fender off the tire. Hanley soon caught Parsley and began applying pressure. Parsley made slight contact with the lap car of Tom Smith, which had failed to get out of the leaders way in time. That last yellow set up Hanley’s last chance to get Parsley, but Parsley handled it like a pro. Parsley got a great restart and kept Hanley at bay to grab the victory.

J.R. Roahrig finished third. Kenny Tweedy held on to finish fourth while early leader Bull Baker came home fifth, the last car on the lead lap. Brent Downey finished sixth, the only car one lap down. Chuck Barnes Jr. finished seventh which earned him the Hubler Automotive Group / Blake Carburetion Rookie Of The Race Award. Rievley’s lap 83 bad luck was Barnes’s good luck. Barnes was able to fix a broken drive shaft, which happened on lap 81, during the red flag condition and only lost two laps. Terry Fisher Jr. finished eighth, Tom Smith ninth and Jim Crabtree Jr. tenth.

Chris Gabehart, making his first ever start with the Sunoco Super Series, was the Lane Automotive /ISKY Racing Cams Hardcharger Award winner. Gabehart finished twelfth after starting twenty-ninth, the last car in the starting field. Gabehart did not get to qualify for the Anderson 400 on Friday because of damage suffered in a practice crash. The team took the car back to their shop, made repairs overnight, and returned Saturday and was able to start the Anderson 400.

For additional information, contact Anderson Speedway at (765) 642-0206.