Bronson Motor Speedway is located 3 miles east of the one lonely stop light in Bronson, Florida. Bronson is one of those rural areas city folk like to call quaint. Maybe, but it's not how anyone would describe the competition at the Levy County stock car track.
No, there weren't a hundred and fifty cars there. Matter of fact, all four classes Saturday night sported a total of thirty or so racers strapping in. But, nearly a thousand race fans apparently enjoyed themselves, and they made it clear from the first green flag who their local favorites were. The racing card included heat races and features with Mini-Stocks, Pure Stocks, Super Stocks, and the 50-lap Late Model Sportsman main event.
Kevin Durden, who had the one of the larger cheering sections, changed his plans on Saturday afternoon after family members urged him to go to Bronson and "bring home the money" from the Late Model race.  After he got there, he found he would be starting dead last in the nine car field. But, around the Durden pit the crew seemed convinced it was their race to win despite their driver having the task of running through the field in 50 laps.
He almost did. Doc Batson in his black #b4 spoiled the hard charge by outrunning Durden the last 15 laps for the winner's share of the purse. In the first half of the race, Durden moved up to fourth and tangled with the 1x coming through the 'Bronson Dip' in turn four. Both lost their spots, with Durden in 6th on the restart.
He moved though the field again and had overtaken everyone except Doc Batson, who still had a full straightaway lead. But at lap 35, the 7x of Clint Foley lost a rear end coming down the front straight. Glowing metal parts bounced around the asphalt as he slid into the pit road in turn four with his car pouring smoke and flames. As the car was dealt with and the field bunched back up for the restart, it looked like it might be Durden's night after all.
In the first few laps, Batson had his mirror full of the black 56 of Durden; but, lap after lap, Batson extended his lead ever so slightly. With 5 laps left, it was clear only disaster was going to keep him from the checkered flag. He ended up pulling away and easily won the race, with Durden a distant second, and Arthur Conquest back in third place.
Batson's daughter, Krystal, started on the pole in the Pure Stock feature of 11 cars. On the start, she got a good jump, but before the field got the first lap in, the field was called back for a restart. The second time wasn't so good for Krystal Batson, as she struggled off the line, eventually getting tangled up with another car, and had to take her car in.
The racing in this class featured some pretty tough competitors with a lot of beating and banging around the high-banked speedway. After a couple of cautions, Micky Burns Jr. set the pace and drove the #22 machine to the finish line for the first place prize. 
The 15-year old Batson drove a pretty good race, only two weeks into her racing career, and was glowing as she greeted her dad as he pulled into tech, after winning the last event of the night. 
Bronson Speedway is one of those 'no frills' kind of places, where friendly folks and camaraderie abound, where the fans enjoy the simple fact that they have a place to watch stock car racing on Saturday nights.
Quaint?
Maybe, but there is certainly nothing quaint about the racing at Bronson Motor Speedway. The track features wide-banked turns with mounds instead of walls from turn one to turn three, and the drivers use every bit of the track looking for an advantage. Add some more cars to the classes, and it would be one of the better places to enjoy a great night of stock car racing.
This coming Saturday, the local area Boy Scouts will enjoy a night of racing on the house, with all the regular Bronson classes on hand.
Click on this link for: Finishing order and more on Bronson Motor Speedway
Also, check out The Billy Myers Story!
-Jack Smith
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