Denny Norton, the owner of Performance Unlimited, gets ready for a Big 8 class stock car race in Rockford Sunday.  Though he didn't finish first, he did win the title for moving up from 23rd place, at the start of the race, to 8th place at the finish.

Denny Norton, the owner of Performance Unlimited in Ringwood, didn’t win the 39th Annual Spring Classic race but, after a long hiatus from stock car racing, he did win the war of attrition on the quarter-mile oval track in Rockford Sunday. The Big 8 race that finished two days of qualifying and racing, was won by Michael Bilderback in the No. 2 car. For Bilderback, it was a successful start in his effort to defend his Big 8 Late Model Series championship from 2015. He has also won the Spring Classic before.

Norton finished eighth out of 24 cars that started the race. That was a major accomplishment as he won the $100 Powersource ‘Power Mover of the Race’ title by moving up from 23rd at the start of the race.

Mechanical troubles claimed several of the 13 cars that failed to finish the 88-lap race. Collisions, however, claimed more than a few. In particular, a five-car pileup occurred right in front of Norton in the middle of the turn on the east side of the track.

“I wasn’t able to avoid the wreck entirely,” said Norton. “But I did avoid full participation, so to speak. I was able to keep racing.”

The Performance Unlimited car 96 runs in the straight of way at Rockford Speedway Sunday. Of 24 cars, driver Denny Norton finished 8th in his debut return to the sport. More than a few of the cars fell out of the race due to mechanical difficulties. It was a testament to the Performance Unlimited team's mechanical ability that car 96 went the distance - 88 laps - without a hitch.

Norton’s right fender and the hood were banged up but he was able to continue racing. That was not the case for the No. 66 car that was in the middle of the wreck. For the driver of the No. 66 car, it was the third accident of the day. The car was involved in two accidents in one qualifying race earlier in the day. In those wrecks, the other cars were eliminated from the competition.

“Rockford is a short track. With 24 cars, it’s really crowded,” said Norton. “You have to expect a fender bender or two.”

One car that finished the race was disqualified after the race, apparently, when it was determined that the car’s carburetor was improperly modified.

Norton said he was generally happy with his performance but hopes to do even better in future races. “It’s been a while,” he said. “I’m still knocking the rust off, so to speak.”