Engine woes spoil dominating performance at Rome Speedway
July 17, 2006 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Rome Renegades News Release
Rome, GA - The Murphy Motorsports team and driver Todd Murphy had fans on their feet Sunday night at Rome Speedway. After starting from the fifth position in the first of two heat races, Murphy took the Rome Renegades/Big Time Products # 20 Rayburn Chevrolet Monte Carlo to the bottom of the track and blasted by the field. Murphy passed early race leader Jake Herrell of Villa Rica on lap four and won the heat in convincing style. This would put Murphy on the outside pole for the feature event. When the green flag dropped, Murphy wasted no time taking the race lead entering turn one. He would stretch the lead to a full straightaway before a caution would slow the field. Murphy dominated the race and still held a commanding lead when the final caution waved on lap 18. The engine had begun overheating and losing power on lap 15. During the final caution period, the engine temperature continued to escalate. Murphy elected to stay on the track for the restart, but gave up the race lead to Bobby Tucker of Canton when the green flag waved. With the engine still sputtering, Luther Jenkins of Woodstock passed for the second position on the final lap. The Murphy Motorsports team had planned to visit the Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe, Alabama next Saturday for the $2,000 to win Alabama Steelhead Challenge event, but now must evaluate engine damage and needed repairs.
"Everyone knew we were the car to beat once we ran the heat races. I really wanted to win on a night the event itself was also sponsored by the Rome Renegades," said driver Todd Murphy. "The track was very racy tonight and we had a strong run going. It's terribly disappointing and frustrating to have problems like that at the end, especially when we just had the motor rebuilt." "We were only a quarter of a lap from taking the white flag and I knew I had enough of a lead to win even with the motor losing power. When the caution came out, the temperature went up another 15 degrees and then I knew our night was over. But, I couldn't make myself pull in while leading and had to at least try it on the restart. We had the Renegades car out front most of the night and we'll be ready for the next event Labor Day weekend." The Rome Renegades are the American Indoor Football League 2006 Southern Conference Champions. 2007 season tickets are currently on sale at a 10% discount. For more information on The Rome Renegades and to view pictures from the Renegades recent visit to Rome Speedway, point your web browser to www.romerenegades.com.
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