| Wednesday, October 9, 2002 | |
| Citrus Format Changes for L.M. Drivers and Fans | by Larry MacMillan
Inverness, Fla 10/09/02 - Citrus County Speedway Late
Model drivers and the fans will benefit from recent
changes at the premier racetrack in the state of Florida.
With the Late Models coming in this week for the final
Citrus Show Down special the format has been changed to
a 75-lap race with time trials to qualify. The length
of the race has been shortened to allow local drivers
who felt they just didn't have the funds to finance the
loss of an engine and continue on for the point's race.
Points will be gained by those who are in the race for
the crown and the purse will be enhanced from the normal
$1,500 to $2,500 plus fast qualifier money and points for
qualifying as well as finishing in the top 24 positions.
Outside hot shoes have nothing to lose by entering the
race and it certainly offers enough of a purse to make it
interesting. They race for 125 laps in series races for
the same win purse with an entry fee that makes it
prohibitive for some of the locals.
The fans will benefit from the new family package being
offered at the front gate as of this week, and will
continue throughout the rest of the season. Promoters
Billy Hooker and Jimmy Wear announced this week that
special races, like this week, would offer a $30.00
package for a family of four. On regular race nights
the family of four are admitted for $25.00. This will
certainly be a big savings and will allow so many more
families to afford a Saturday night at the races.
This week's Late Model Show Down should pack some more
interest in the race for the crown. Jim Smith trails
Rex Struble by 30 points and Raymond Lovelady is just
42 points out of the lead. All three are capable of
getting to the winner's circle but Lovelady has
maintained his position on the basis of thirteen top
five finishes and is still looking for his first win.
He's due. Seven of the top ten have taken a checkered
flag. They only have 5 more races to find out who will
come out on top.
Another race that is far from over is the Street Stock
battle between Travis Nichols and Mike Bell. They are
only 6 points apart. Danny Cretty, Ernie Read and James
Green are by no means out of the running and have a
serious race going for third. Then there is Kathy Ray
who is having a ball showing the guys the way to the
winner's circle after chalking up number two last week,
and could become the spoiler in the race.
Thunder Stocks are in a torrid battle for the top spot
and Robert Jordan moved past Josh Teague after last
week's double feature. Defending champion Stuart
Madison is still intent on making it two in a row and
is just 30 points out of the lead. It has been a seesaw
battle up front for the past several weeks and will
probably go right down to the final Checkered Flag on
November 16th as the season comes to an end.
Mike Veltman pretty well has a wrap on his fourth
consecutive Sportsman crown. Bill Oestreicher logged
his 19th top five finish last week and needs a whole lot
of wins and luck to move up but he hashis hands full with
Mark Dominique chasing him with four wins and 7 top five
finishes to keep him in the running. Terry Cater and
George Neumann are locked in a brutal race for fourth
with only four points separating them.
Robbie Yoakam has had several tough weeks, holding on to
the Mini Stock lead but he is in a comfort zone that
allows him to have a couple of off weeks. Rob Wheatley
is just short of 500 points behind Yoakam and has a 378-
point lead on Jay McKenzie who has been running pretty
stout all season long. Two young guns round out the top
five with Phillip Joyner Jr. and Dustin DesChamps just
26 points apart.
Richie Smith is on his way to his second Hobby Stock crown
and looks like he is coasting to the finish line in the
final weeks of the season. Roy Perkins will have to put
some wins under his belt to catch inactive Tommy Smith
to make a run at second. Daniel Webster has shown a
strong rookie season and has Tim Whitehead chasing him
for Rookie of the Year honors.
With just six weeks left in the 2002 season, every race
is important for every driver if they are vying for a
top ten spot at the season's end. This is where the
point fund and the hard work pays off. With the fan
family bonus package being offered there should be full
pits and grandstands to bring the season to an end.
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