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-	Biffle wins race, Busch win Nextel Cup
-	3-Hour Figure World Championship 2004

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Bruce Tunny (r) and Curtis McMurtrey (l) battle on the opening lap

As the cars took the green flag for the 28th Annual 3 Hour World Figure 8 Championship fireworks lit up the sky behind the back straight stands and a full house roared just as loud as the 28 starters cars heading into turn 1. The 3 Hour Rush was on! To get an idea of what it was like, imagine running a red light every 10 seconds for three hours straight and not colliding with the other traffic. You have to be smooth and time the crossover perfectly every lap. As said above the rules are few, but one rule for this race is that 28 cars start the race, as a car pits for repairs or whatever reason another car enters the track!

This means you also need to keep an eye on who is on the track, you have to know if they are an aggressive driver or not, whether they will give you a break or try to break you and make you decide to let up. Watching these guys run through the crossover, squeaking between cars and not touching the brakes is just unreal. Most of the drivers have driven figure 8 cars for many years and their skill is unbelievable. Over the roar of the engines you hear the crowd oohh and ahhh at the near misses. The full house crowd is rarely quiet with the action that is non-stop, even under caution. There were no less than three collisions during cautions this year.

Mark Tunny #17 chases Curtis McMurtrey

Pole sitter Bruce Tunny took the early lead followed by Curtis McMurtrey. Bruce had won the 2000 Figure 8 World Championship and Curtis won it in 2002, Bruce had won 5 Late Model track championships while McMurtrey is the 2004 Late Model track champion. The battle was on! Not far behind was Bruce Tunnys son Mark, his brother and former winner Bill Jr. and nephew Ben. Mark and Ben both ended up sidelined due to rear end failures and Bill Jr. was knocked around like a pinball. The last two hits were from Jeff Shackleford, who couldnt avoid the spinning car and knocked the front end out of Bill Jrs. car. The wreck ended the night for 2001 champion Bobby Douthitt who had hoped for a solid finish. Also out early was fan favorite Rodney the Rocket Sizemore. Rodney and his family have never been able to bag the big one". The "out -of -towners" havent had too much luck either. Don Eslick of Washington tows out here every year only to head home without a win. It isnt for a lack of trying. In 2001 Don had the misfortune of rolling over in turn 1. They towed the car to the pits and he repaired the front end and came back out to rejoin the race. This year he started 16th and finished 23rd.

John LaValle #87 of Florida has a close call.

The battle this year though was between Bruce Tunny and Curtis McMurtrey who swapped the lead numerous times on the track and when pitting. As the clock drew down to minutes Curtis was right on Bruces back bumper for a restart. As the two headed towards turn three Curtiss car suddenly slowed. He turned straight into the pits and did not return. Bruce suddenly found himself alone at the top, all he had to do was keep his nose clean, and pray his car didnt suddenly develop a problem. Hed been bitten before in this race, his brother Bill Jr., his son Mark and nephew Ben were all sitting in the pit stands watching him. Suddenly, with about 10 minutes to go the familiar number 17 pulled back on to the track, it was Bruces son Mark! Mark decided that even though his car wasnt running right he wanted to be out on the track if and when his father won. Mark managed a few laps and then pulled off to a safe area where he waited out the last few minutes and got a front row seat as his father won his second 3 Hour Figure 8 World Championship.