By Robin Smith Meiser

Almost a quarter of century ago a group of stock car fans took a drive up U.S. 41 to Bradenton. This was long before I-75 came anywhere south of Tampa and the ride took close to two hours to get where they were going. This group of fans had heard rumors of a new racetrack being built in Manatee County; its name was DeSoto Speedway and it was on the same grounds as what was then called DeSoto Dragstrip. Little did this car load of stock car lovers know what a small world we live in the racing family.

This group of fans included my now ex-husband, several of our neighbors, my oldest racing buddy Randy Fox and a very pregnant me. This was long before Randy ever drove a racecar himself. It's kind of funny to think about but I actually drove a race car before Randy did in a couple of Powder Puff Derbies at the long gone but not forgotten Suncoast Speedway in Punta Gorda.

We were all squeezed into our old Rambler and unbeknownst to any of us, I was expecting twins. This was also in the days before ultrasounds. I tell you this because it is my favorite memory of Randy Fox. He was sitting next to me and my stomach was jumping like crazy from the movement of my babies. Randy put his hand on my belly and said "Dang, girl, what are you having, an octopus?" We all laughed and that memory will stick with me forever.

We finally got to State Road 64 in Bradenton and headed east. We got to the sign for the dragstrip just before dusk and turned down the side road beside it and there it was, the newly paved banked oval that is called DeSoto Speedway. We got out of the car and walked the entire perimeter of the racing surface, marveling at how nice it was. We were used to the very small Suncoast Speedway and Collier County Speedway, which is now a bunch of mini-warehouses in Naples on Radio Road. They both were the old style tracks with a wooden flagstand and an open announcer's both. The concession stands sold hot dogs, soda and beer. That was about it. DeSoto Speedway was luxury compared to them and the buildings weren't even in place yet.

Several months later and quite a few pounds lighter for me since I had delivered my twin daughters by then, we went to the opening night at DeSoto Speedway and fell in love with the place. We returned time and time again as spectators through the years and several owners. We were there in the Tom Stimus days when he brought in NASCAR stars including Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Rusty Wallace, Kyle Petty, Michael Waltrip, Ricky Rudd (all on the same night, mind you, but it was many years ago before Winston Cup racing was on television every week). I met Davey and Bobby Allison there several times and the high point of my memories of DeSoto was the night my youngest daughter sat next to "The King" Richard Petty and had her picture taken with him.

Eventually my ex-husband got back into racing as a driver after our daughters were in school and he loved to race at DeSoto Speedway. There are very few drivers or fans out there that I know who do not love DeSoto Speedway. The drivers love DeSoto because it is so fast! The fans love it for the same reason. It has always been billed as "The South's fastest short track".

On June 9, I made the odyssey to DeSoto Speedway for the first time since John and Camille Sarppraicone purchased it. I was impressed with Camille from the moment I talked to her on the phone. I introduced myself but she sounded like she already knew who I was and welcomed us to come see their show. I had already been told by several of "my" drivers that race there for special events that Camille has a habit of calling new drivers on the Monday following their races at DeSoto, thanking them for coming and asking them to return and for their feedback. What an excellent example of good public and driver relations that many could learn from.

We got to the track in time for qualifying for the 100 lap limited late model race that was the main event of the evening. Chief scorer, Karen Woodruff, is one of my racing buds and she had her hands full qualifying 16 limited late models that included "my drivers" from my neck of the woods, Lee County, Mike "Hobo" Hovis and Jeff Dufresne. Edward Howell, a driver I have admired for many years, set the fastest qualifying time and Dufresne was second fastest. After pills were pulled for position, Sarasota's Tommy Younkman sat on the pole and another driver from the "old days", Johnny Shields of Bradenton was on the outside.

The Legends Series were the only division to run heat races. They had 22 cars and ran three heat races on the 3/8 mile, 12 degree banked track. Later in the evening, they came out for a 20-lap feature race that had five cautions. During the heat race, the car of James Rodriquez of West Palm Beach had been involved in wreck that caused extensive damage to his car but he was able to start the feature in the 19th position. We watched as he made his way up through the field to finish in third position behind race winner Jason Reisman of Leesburg and second place driver, Charles Butler.

Actually the first feature race was the pure stock division 20-lapper. Keith Thorbin started on the pole of the race and before the field could even make it through Turn One there was a five-car wreck. Thorbin maintained the lead for several laps, getting sideways once trying to hold off Randy Radley of Bradenton and saving it and keeping the lead while Bill Osborne was sneaking up on the outside. Osborne and Radley both got around Thorbin but eventually, Radley spun into the infield and Osborne went to the pits after leaking axle grease. Mark Gill who had been running third inherited the lead and took the win with Thorbin finishing second and Danny Anderson of Bradenton third.

The Comcast Street Stocks were then next race and it included the KARNAC.com sponsored car of Bruce Sherwood of Bradenton who started eighth. Another of my Southern race buddies, Mike Wiseman of Cape Coral was racing at DeSoto for the first time so I was glad I had two cars to cheer for. Bruce Ahlers of Bradenton started on the pole and led until a three-car wreck caused him to hit the wall hard in the eighth lap. Meanwhile, Sherwood had made his way up to fifth with Dennis Wilson, Jr. of Bradenton banging on his back bumper for several laps until he finally spun the KARNAC.com car out and both cars went to the rear of the field. Wilson immediately began banging his way back up but was only able to muster a sixth place finish while Sherwood settled for tenth behind Wiseman. The winner of the race was Jamie Cassidy of Sarasota who had taken a wide lead after Ahlers hit the wall. Rich Clouser of Grant who started in the back of the field finished second and Casey Hall of Sarasota was third.

The Manatee Lumber Modified Mini Stocks included several more of "my boys", Frank Welch of North Fort Myes who is currently first in points in the Florida Mini Stock Challenge Series in his mini truck and Punta Gorda's Travis Kuykendall, who I have known since he was knee high to a grasshopper. Matt Watts started on the pole with Kuykendall beside him. The entire pack raced the first laps side by side and Jeff Guilbault took the lead on Lap 4 as Kuykendall was trying to hold off Welch for fourth while Jimmy Warram was trying to pass them both. Steve Gill soon entered the fracas and made it an exciting four-way battle until Warram and Welch collided and both went to the rear of the field. Guibault, racing for his first time in the division, continued to lead Chip Gaines and Watts around the track while the mad dash for fourth place continued. The race ended with Guibault taking the win, Gaines and Watts rounding out the Top Three. Kuykendall held on for fourth, while Welch snuck up from ninth position to finish fifth coming out of Turn Four on the last lap.

The 15-car Selective HR Solution Sportsman division were next on the track for their 25-lap race including my far South racing buddy Cliff Bifaro from Naples. Sitting on the front row was Jeff Anderson and Brian Teeters with Teeters taking an early lead until Gus Coorsen came knocking on his bumper. The two raced side-by-side until Coorsen finally passed for first position on Lap 8. Further back in the field "Jumping" Johnny Casady of Arcadia, who earned his nickname after flying over the wall in the inaugural late model race at Charlotte County Speedway over a decade ago, was making his way through the field, as points leader Lonnie Miller and Teeters battled for second. On the 16th lap calamity struck when a huge wreck between most of the front-runners brought out the yellow flag, leaving eight cars to finish the race. During the caution, Wallace Ramsey's throttle stuck and he drove through the infield Figure 8 in an effort to keep moving under yellow. Coorsen continued to lead until Lap 19 when Hal Vickery took first after battling side-by-side. Vickery took the win with Coorsen and Casady taking second and third.

Fan participation races took place during intermission and the final round was between a Corvette and Mazda with the Corvette taking the win. Also during the intermission, the Street Stock Experience took fans for rides around the track. Although the intermission was a bit lengthy, it was very orderly and there was no lag time.

The Callaghan Tire Open Wheel Modified division saw Barry Carlson of Largo and Steve Perez on the front row, with Carlson taking an early lead. On Lap 3, current champion Teddy Nelson of Pinellas Park hit the wall on the front stretch hard after contact with Bradenton's Rocco Ranallo, another old name from the past for me from the early DeSoto days. Both cars went in on the wrecker but Ranallo was able to return late in the race. After the restart, current points leader D.J. Hoelzle of Dunedin began his quest for the lead, taking it from Carlson on Lap 7 and said "See ya" to the rest of the field. Another name from the past, Mopar Man himself, Pat Nanney of Bradenton, moved into second but was never able to come close to Hoelzle who took the win. Bill Davis, another familiar name from my days at CCS finished third.

The last race of the evening was the Turner Tree and Landscape Limited Late Model 100-lapper. Shields led the first three laps until Sonny Hughes, who I remember in his old mini stock days when his nickname was "Gumby", overtook him. By lap six, hot shoe Joe Boyd had moved to second but I must admit my eyes were on fifth and sixth place where "my boys" Dufresne and Hovis were racing in fifth and sixth. Hughes started lapping traffic by Lap 18 and Dufresne moved to third on Lap 20. A wreck on the 22nd lap involving several cars including Hovis brought out the caution for the first time. Soon Boyd was all over Hughes, trying to take the lead while Dufresne gained ground on them both. On Lap 44, Boyd took the lead as Hughes and Dufresne battled for second and lapped traffic became a factor in the race. Both cars started getting loose and Dufresne finally spun coming out of Turn 4, which brought out the caution flag for the second time. Dufresne went to the rear while Hovis moved to third behind Boyd and Hughes. Calamity struck Hughes as his car broke late in the race, moving Hovis up to second, Shields to third, Younkman to fourth and Dufresne to fifth. The rest of the race was all green flag as Boyd took a wide lead and Hovis held second. With five laps to go, Dufresne was gaining ground on Shields and passed him with three laps to go. Boyd took the win leaving Hovis, Dufresne and Shields to finish in Top Four.

Boyd's car pulled onto the front stretch without a scratch on it.


Hovis and Dufresne fell in behind him, both showing body damage from their evening's battle. I had a tear in my eye as I hugged Jeff Dufresne because I was thinking of how proud his mother, Gloria must be of him. Gloria passed away last month when Jeff was racing in Lakeland and it had been a hard month on the family and crew. She was a very dear woman who spent many years as the head scorer at Hialeah Speedway, which kind of brings full circle to this story. She used to score the racecars of Bobby and Donnie Allison at Hialeah. Bobby and Donnie Allison were the first big name drivers I ever met and it was at DeSoto Speedway. It really is a small world especially in our racing family, no matter what track we race on.

By Robin Smith Meiser

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