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2001
NEWS ARCHIVE
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| Double Header Weekend: A Great One For The Fans | (Part One of Three Part Series)  Despite the rainy weather both nights at East Bay Raceway this past weekend were a smashing success with fans from all over the state making the trip to South Tampa for the Friday night affair. Announcer Dave Westerman from Orlando finally got a break from the microphone to catch some of the sprint car action he loves. Fans and drivers from Thundercross, Sunshine Speedway, DeSoto Speedway showed up, and a whole contigent came up from Charlotte County. The Friday night show had been building anticipation and controversy with sprint car fans well before the green flag flew for the Sprint 'Hot Shoe' race. Drivers in the Pure Stock race were planning their strategies for the Enduro type rules and savoring a $1000 winner's check and the prestige of winning the first Pure Stock event at East Bay. Street Stock drivers were running for double money and more importantly, double points.
 Bubba The Love Sponge was going to be in his new sprint car and Gene Lasker was going to be driving the pace truck. That probably means nothing to the average race fan, but is one of the more novel 'soap operas' in Florida. Bubba The Love Sponge drove Lasker's second car before Lakser's recent suspension. And of course Bubba is a radio personality in the Tampa market and Gene was a frequent guest and Gene likes to talk.....anyway it all led to a whole lot of pre-race hype.
The 'Hot Shoe' race is a yearly event at East Bay created by owner Stan Kolan. It is a non-points race to determine who rules the roost in the East Bay Sprint Car Series, the only weekly dirt sprint series in Florida. Just before the 'Hot Shoe' event got underway, Lasker gave an apology to the fans for his actions which lead to his suspension "I just want to be a race car driver, sometimes the adreneline gets in the way". As the fans cheered the 'bad boy' Stan Kolan and Race Director Randy Burnett presented Gene Lasker and his wife with a special Gene Lasker 'Bark Control' Dog Collar.
 Last year Gene Lasker and Kenny Adams were the two big contenders. Two months ago it looked like they might sqaure off again, but Kenny Adams, had another engagement with the USCS Sprint Car Series. And then Gene Lasker, the 'bad boy' of East Bay Raceway, got himself suspended for the second time this year, leaving the door open for someone to challenge Sport Allen. Sport has won everything but the 50/50 at East Bay this year. Greg Leonard, also a top gun in the East Bay Sprint Car wars, turned down the opportunity to vie for the title for business reasons that still have some people still shaking their heads. The two closest to Allen in the points chase this year are young teenagers Casey Johnson and Danny Martin Jr, and then Johnny Gilbertson, who had been at the butt end of a few jokes on Bubba The Love Sponge's morning radio show earlier in the year.
As it turned out things didn't go so well for Bubba, his car was not working right, and at one point he rode the top of the inside wall doing a heck of job to keep it all going and not wreck the car. But he eventually had to retire. One joke with maybe more truth than fiction attached had Bubba saying 'he was too tight" referring to the safety belts, while his crew made adjustments for the handling of the alcohol burning monster sprint.
On Friday night Sport Allen set the record straight; "Awesome" was about all Sport could say after he lapped the entire field except for his team mate Taylor Andrews, a former Champion himself. Sport Allen started on the pole and The "Hot Shoe" trophy this year was already looking to be his as in three laps he was flying away from the field. That's when the show got real interesting as owner Stanley Kolan ordered the field inverted. Even Lasker (drivng the pace car) had no clue this was going to happen. Rick Anges just happened to be riding with Lasker and when Lasker realized the field was going to be inverted he started screaming and pounding on his chest. The purse was raised by another $1000 if Sport Allen could take the checkers from the rear of the field.
He did!
Allen breased through the sixteen car field and all the way up to third place four laps later when Robbie Smith took a wicked spill, barrel rolling and smashing into the wall between turn one and two, tearing out 15 feet of the concrete. The crowd held their breaths and when Robbie climbed out of the mashed up Sprint car, you could hear the collective sign of relief. Another lap or two after the restart Bob Auld duplicated Smith's roll, this time into the front straight cabled fencing and wall, after he made contact with aniother car coming out of turn four. Both drivers were unhurt but had severely damaged racecars. From then on Sport Allen was the show as he quickly jumped into the lead and then begin steadily lapping the field. As the checkers flew he was creeping up on the only car on the lead lap. Some drivers were unhappy about the field being inverted but Sport made it perfectly clear, he is the East Bay Raceway 'Hot Shoe' for 2001.
The evening actually started with the biggest field of cars at East Bay, the Street Stocks having over 40 cars on the track every week. This was the second Street Stock Double trouble event of the year, and the points lead was on the line.
Terry Bronson from Brandon, Florida outdueled Steven Johnson and Jason Bronson in a very tight race to hold onto the points lead in the division. In the second feature Danny Paris of Thonotosassa won the second race and moved into fourth place in the points race.
The final feature of the night was the advent of the new Pure Stock division at East Bay and one contestant had to be the favorite. Robert Ray has won a ton of Euduro events and that was the way the rules are set for this class, leaving cars sitting where they spin or get stuck. Ray had a tough racer to beat this evening in the form of Charlotte County Road Warrior Terry Price. Price started sixth and in the early stages of the 35 lap race (for $1000) grabbed the lead and for the next 20 laps or so he was chased by Ray. Robert Ray gradually caught up with Price, but as Ray began to make his move at lap 28, Price was able to use the lapped traffic and driving like a man possessed maintained and began to widen his lead on Ray.
At lap 31 Price mysteriuosly slowed in turn three and was tagged by a lapped car propelling Price into the turn four inside wall. Price ended up with his number 27 pointing skyward atop the wall, as Ray took the lead and 4 laps later took the checkered flag unchallenged.
Later Price admitted that he thought the race was only 30 laps long. He thought he had won, and was last seen on his knees begging the gods or any official around that he had won a 30 lapper. Price is one of the more exciting drivers we have seen in the lower classes, having been on his hood more than once down at Punta Gorda. He said he will be back for the next Pure Stock race at East Bay. This series should really take off at East Bay Raceway judging from the fans reactions and the extra thrills provided by drivers having to avoid cars left on the track and no cautions. Robert Ray has said he is retiring but we expect to see Robert back at East Bay the next time the class runs for a $1000.00.
Up next: Rain Or Shine Racin' At East Bay
-Jack Smith
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