| Tuesday, February 27, 2001 | |
| BITTERSWEET START TO SEASON AT CHARLOTTE COUNTY SPEEDWAY | by Robin Smith Meiser
February 24 marked the beginning of a new season at Charlotte County Speedway. Race fans packed the stands on a beautiful Saturday evening with the flag flying at half mast for fallen race hero Dale Earnhardt, Sr. It was a bittersweet night for most of the drivers who were glad to be racing again but had sorrow in their hearts for more than one reason.
Thirty Lee's Auto Repair Road Warriors were ready to race so two qualifying races were held with 15 cars in each. Wayne Wilson and "Domino" Del Beckner (Naples) took the qualifying race wins, which started them on the front row for the 24-car feature. Beckner was a man on a mission, zigzagging to the lead on Lap 1. Scott Barnes and Bob Williams raced for second, as "Tipover" Terry Price made his way through the field. Yellow Fever hit the track as the caution flag flew time after time. When the checkered flag fell, Beckner took his second win of the evening, racing in memory of the Intimidator. Williams, Barnes, Wilson and Joe Bossey rounded out the Top Five.
In the Big Wheels Mini Stocks, driver Keith Risinger raced with a heavy heart after the death of his own father several weeks ago. He took the lead on Lap 3 and before long Johnny Allen was banging on Risinger's bumper repeatedly. Risinger was able to hold him off until the 16th lap but Allen got around him and took the win, forcing Risinger to settle for second. Brian Richardson finished third, coming out of nowhere on the last lap, while Jesse Dutilly finished fourth and Billy Ray, Jr. fifth.
KIX Country Sportsman Champion "King" James Dubose started on the pole for the their feature race and never looked back. Rookie Danny Yates followed behind in second in his first ever sportsman start. Meanwhile, Mark Chapman was making his way up through the field and moved into second position on Lap 17. Raymond "Super Frog" Jones and Jerry Bryant were battling for position further back while young Bryan Beckner was trying to make his way up as well. Dubose took the win, followed by
Chapman, Jones, Yates and Bryant.
In a repeat of last season in the Hendry's Mango Maniac Cowboy Cadillac division, Don Vanacker battled 2000 champion Cheryl "The Pearl" Weaver in his Ford pick up truck. Vanacker was also a man on a mission and he took the win, dedicating it to Walt "The Mustang Man" Gilbert, an ardent Ford fan who was killed in an auto accident several weeks ago in Fort Myers. Weaver settled for second with Wally Smith, Buck Wilson and Justin Bryant following behind.
Elbert Butts and Danny Caylor battled in the unsponsored pure stock division. When the checkered flag flew Butts took the win with Caylor right behind in second. Ray Jayne, Mike Loney and Billy Vandevender rounded out the Top Five finishers.
In the new Rebel road warrior division, Jeff Firestine took the lead early on and went on to win. Leo Powley, Conrad Molter, Chuck Stevens and Dennis Hale followed him.
A multi-car wreck on the start of the Oldies 95 Open Wheel Modified feature sent several cars to the pits.
Chris "Big Fish" Turner took an early lead after passing Kent McLean. The yellow flag flew repeatedly but Turner maintained his lead with McLean following close behind. Turner took the win, McLean was second and Dan Atwell, Steve Duerr and Jeff Dalva also finished in the Top Five.
Johnny "Action" Jackson dominated the Cat Country Limited Late Models with a three-car freight train composed of 2000 champion Glenn Morris, Richie Anderson and Chris Libak following behind. By the midway point of the race, Jackson was lapping cars and when new flagman Greg Roeback threw the checkered flag he took his first win for the season. The race for second proved more exciting as Morris and Libak came through Turn 4 side by side for a photo finish in which Libak was second and Morris third. Anderson finished fourth after coming back from the rear while current pure stock champion and limited late model rookie driver Chuck Sweet finished fifth.
Danny Yates pulled double duty in the new modified mini stock division after competing in the sportsman division earlier in the evening. Yates took the lead in his black #3 car, making moves the Intimidator would have been proud of. Current mini stock champion Frank Welch followed behind in his Grim Reaper mini truck. Ronnie Allen was banging his way up through the field and was involved in more than one racing altercation. Allen even managed to hitch a ride with Welch after his front wheel got caught in Welch's truck bed. Several laps later Allen was disqualified for ramming another car under caution. Yates and Welch battled for the lead but Yates never gave it up, taking the win for Dale Earnhardt while waving the #1 sign skyward as he crossed the start/finish line for the last time. Welch, Paul White, Jason Kuykendall and Mike Giniatt followed.
Saturday's feature race results from Charlotte County Speedway:
OLDIES 95 OPEN WHEEL MODIFIEDS
#95 Chris Turner
#8 Kent McLean
#55 Dan Atwell
#93 Steve Suerr
#74 Jeff Dalva
#2 Kevin Brinkley
#72 Vince Koch
#31 Kurt Riley
#80 Chris Dean
#125 Bill Brewer
#22 Scott Adema
#6 Kevin Williams
#25 Scott Kleiber
CAT COUNTRY LIMITED LATE MODELS
#1 John Jackson
#64 Chris Libak
#43 Glenn Morris
#51 Richie Anderson
#81 Chuck Sweet
#36X Al Fradette
#62 Buzz Martin
#55 Charlie Lee
KIX COUNTRY SPORTSMANS
#67 James Dubose
#24 Mark Chapman
#8 Raymond Jones
#22 Jerry Bryant
#76 Joe Reese
#27 Bryan Beckner
#18 Craig Amboyan
#40 Jeremy Goddard
#Eagle 38 Ralph Goddard
#107 Jim Keating
#23 Butch Murray
#6 Joe Barbera
#39 Philip Johnson
#35 Calvin Fillingame
PURE STOCKS
#31X Elbert Butts
#7 Danny Caylor
#18 Ray Jayne
#33 Mike Loney
#84 Billy Van Devender
#38 Joe Reese
#49 Christine Gibson
#91X John Plakiotis
#71 Scott Moran
#12 Eric Solomon
#43 Tim McDowell
#11 Doug Spitzer
#4 Dave Bennett
#66 Arthur Brown
#99 Mark Collins
#8 George Tanner
#50 Joe Williamson
BIG WHEELS MINI STOCKS
#98 Johnny Allen
#94 Keith Risinger
#56 Brian Richardson
#30 Jesse Dutilly
#41 Billy Ray Jr.
#51 Rick Nastan
#17 Mike Johns
#6 Marshall Parr Sr.
#31 Harlan Wilson
#1 John Trotta
#4 Marshall Parr Jr.
#2 Roger Garrett
#16 Chase Goodson
#5 Glenn Travis
LEE’S AUTO REPAIR ROAD WARRIORS
#72 Del Beckner
#MOO Bob Williams
#31 Scott Barnes
#88 Wayne Wilson
#28 Joe Bossey
#27 Terry Price
#79 Leigh Elliott
#11 Robert Hendry
#29 Derek Ficarra
#82 Billy Lentz
#1 Jesse Gargus
#59 Jim Kaczynski
#61 Chris Oncken
#21 Andy Wood
#3 John Boyer
#10 Mark Regner
#73 Michael Collins
#63 Gerald Bates
#00 Jody Collins
#912 Larry Moree
#52 Donna Connoly
#35 Ron Dushek
#12 Kevin Mehl Jr.
#67 Rick Caperton
#9 Gary Miller
#66 Dan Klein
#46 Alan Collins
#36 Brian Verhaagh
#14 Ricky Gill
#7 Jonathan Abraham
#81 Jom Bachmann
COWBOY CADILLACS
#33 Don Van Acker
#37 Cheryl Weaver
#16 Wally Smith
#46 Buck Wilson
#24 Justin Bryant
REBEL ROAD WARRIORS
#93 Jeff Firestine
#20 Leo Powley
#55 Conrad Molter
#74 Chuck Stevens
#77 Dennis Hale
#15 Clint Synder
MODIFIED MINIS
#3 Danny Yates
#96 Frank Welch
#90 Paul White
#99 Jason Kuykendall
#98 Mike Ginaitt
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