Chapman Holds Off Warner

By Ken de la Bastide

(April 5, 2011) – The early battle lines for the 2011 Figure-8 championship at Anderson Speedway last Saturday with Curtis Chapman and Nick Warner showing they were ready to take the place of champion Rod Phipps.

Chapman led the entire 25-lap distance to record the first feature win of the season and was doggedly chased by Warner for most of the race. Josh Tharp, who was running second early in the race, was forced to the sidelines with an apparent transmission problem.

Warner looked high and low to find a way to get around Chapman, who would not surrender the preferred line. James Peterson came home in third followed by Bruce McFall and Larry Swinford.

In the heat race, Warner got past Chapman on the second lap and went on to record the victory. Chapman finished second with the duo again followed by Peterson, McFall and Jeff Hopkins.

Tharp, who qualified third quick, failed to complete a lap in the hear race and both Danny Stanley Jr. and Dale Phillips had mechanical woes that kept them out of the feature.

Warner set quick time during qualifications with a lap of 20.103-seconds with move Chapman and Tharp within an eyelash of that time.