Track kingpin Billy Pauch of Frenchtown, NJ, really got down when the purse went up Wednesday [Aug 20th] at New Egypt Speedway , beating a bevy of the Northeast’s best short-track stars, plus visiting celebrities Dave Blaney and Mike McLaughlin, to hit for a $6,000 score before a huge crowd in the Down & Dirty Modified 100, sponsored by CARQUEST Auto Parts. The 12-lap Challenge of Champions pitted current NASCAR Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart and Dave Blaney against some of the most storied dirt-track stars in Modified history. In the sprint, Stewart proved he hadn’t forgotten his roots, stamping the gas on the Team Goewey XST #20 to get the jump on polesitter Danny Johnson. With all the top hotshots chasing him, Stewart kept the pedal to the metal as the fans roared their approval. Doug Hoffman drove like a bat out of hell to catch Stewart, chewing away at his lead as the laps wound down. On the last lap, Hoffman pulled alongside the leader but Stewart shut the door coming down for the checker, and took the $1,000 victory in the winner-takes-all match race. Hoffman was second, less than half a car length back.”When I come out to play, I give it everything I’ve got,” Stewart told the appreciative crowd after his dirt-track triumph. “I was giving it all I had – I had nothing left.” During the evening, Stewart met fans and signed autographs to benefit Zippy’s Crusade for Kids , a charity created by his Winston Cup crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, to assist children experiencing medical, financial or social trauma. New Egypt fans donated $8,800 to the cause, with a big check being handed to Zipadelli’s father, Chick, as Stewart looked on. Stewart graciously added his $1,000 Challenge of Champions winnings to the pot, raising the total to $9,800. See full story at the South Jersey Dirt Racing site .(8-23-2003)
