Posted (03/19/1999) -
P
lanet Earth Motorsports started the 1999 season the same way they started the 96, 97, and 98 season, with a win. This was the team's second win at the historic Sebring International Raceway.
Young Blood
The most interesting story of the weekend was the fact that the win came at the hands of drivers other than Joe Nonnamaker and Bill Pate. Not since 1995 has the team won without the two of them driving. The new talent in the cars was the 1996 Rising Star, 26 year old Will Nonnamaker, and his 20 year old brother 1997 NEOHIO SCCA SSA Champion, Wayne Nonnamaker.
The Competition
With 14 cars in the class competition was fierce. The team was challenged by Acura NSX's, Honda Preludes, and Nissan 240's. Some of the stiffest competition came from within the team though as the #41 Mazda driven by the Nonnamaker Brothers was challenged by the #43 Mazda MX-6 of Dick Starita and John Wymore, from the father son duo of Brett and Sam Shanaman
. Brett and Sam were making their driving comeback after a four-year absence from the Street Stock Endurance Series.
The Race
During the race the Planet Earth Motorsports Mazdas could not keep up with the blistering pace that the Honda's and Acura's set. The team went a lap down 45 minutes into the race, and pitted the #41 and #40 car to put Will Nonnamaker and Sam Shanaman
in respectively. The #43 Mazda of Starita stayed out to pursue a different strategy.
An hour and twenty minutes into the race a Pontiac Firebird caught fire and the fire caused the race to be red flagged for 40 minutes. The team was able to get the lap back for both the #43 and #41 car through good pit strategy and some hard driving from Dick Starita and Will Nonnamaker. Wymore took over the driving duties for Starita after the red flag.
The end of the race was very exciting, as many of the other teams still had to make their pit stops. The #41 car took the lead with only 15 minutes to go in the race, when the leading Honda had to make a stop for a splash of fuel at the end. The Honda went on to finish 2nd, the #43 car finished 3rd, and the #40 car finished 6th. After the race the 2nd place Honda was unfortunately disqualified from the race, which moved the #43 car up to second, and the #40 car up to 5th.
Look for the team to repeat their performance at the Road Atlanta race in April.
Click here for full results from the race
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