| Full Race Card Outstanding at Citrus | by Larry MacMillan
Hobby Stocks kicked off a seven-division race card at Citrus County Speedway Saturday night with 21 of 22 registered cars taking the green in their main event.
It took two restarts to get this one on a full green flag run and seven cautions later, the checkered flew for Sport Wilson who started dead last and took over the lead in lap 15, using the outside groove, making three deep passes and taking advantage of every caution flag to move up. Seventeen of the 21 starters finished with Curtis Neumann coming from 20th to second to outrun early leader Roy Perkins to the flag for second.
Newcomer John Eliason made a late pass on defending champion Richie Smith to finish fourth in the wild race. Perkins and Dean Lawyer won the heat races.
Street Stocks had sixteen cars take the green flag and put on a super show for 20 laps that had the fans on their feet as Danny Cretty got his new motor dialed in. Cretty came out of his ninth starting spot and picked off one car at a time before taking the lead in lap 19 when he made the pass on the leader, Owen Leigh who got pushed to the outside and a three-car crash took out Owen who led the race for 18 laps. The crash also ended the night for James Green Jr. and Daniel Webster who were racing for position.
Mike Veltman took over the driving chores for Ernie Reed in an effort to help Reed hang on to his ten-point lead in the run for the championship crown. Veltman started in the back of the pack and made his way through a mass of traffic that saw nine-cars pull out before the checkers flew.
Cretty led the four car, nose to tail, finish across the line for his second win of the season putting him in the lead for the Street Stock point race. Veltman finished second followed by Mickey Burns who battled with Joe Viverito for fourth.
Outside pole sitter Ray Lyon had his best finish of the year to round out the top five. Cretty added another 10 points to the top spot with his heat win and Owen Leigh took the first heat.
Three’s were wild in the run for the 30 lap Late Model flag and Ricky Carlton in the #3 came off the pole to win the drag race into turn one against Wayne Anderson.
arlton took the flag to flag win while Anderson held on to the second spot until Mike Bresnahan in the #3X snatched it away from him on the run for the flag, taking the spot by inches at the line.
Dale Sanders ran a solid fourth all the way with Herb Neumann Jr. charging hard from the rear of the pack after being sent back twice during the race for mishaps during the race. Richie Smith and Rex Struble took the wins in the heat races.
Mike Veltman locked on to his third Sportsman win of the season and put some cushion in his point lead over the short division. Thirteen cars took the green and Veltman showed power plus from the get go. Stephen Anderson took the early lead and gave it up in the final five laps of the twenty lap feature run.
]
Johnny Gann has been struggling over the past few weeks but came on like gang busters for a third place finish over Bill Oesterreicker. Rounding out the top five was Mark Dominique sporting a new car and paint job. Heat winners were Anderson and Veltman.
Chris Hooker and Robbie Yoakam kicked off the Mini Stock action with heat wins. When the green dropped for the 20-lap feature Hooker took the point with Daniel Keene Jr., George Neumann and Yoakam in pursuit. The four hot shoes swapped spots by lap ten in the non-stop run for the flag with Neumann winning his first feature of the season.
Yoakam was driving for Dustin DesChamps who is nursing a sick racecar and trying to salvage his fourth place in the point battle. Robbie did him proud with the second place finish over Phillip Joyner Jr., Chris Hooker and Mark Sowell who was driving for Rob Wheatley who is trying to salvage his fifth place in the point run while he repairs his racecar.
Sixteen Figure 8’s showed up for their second race of the 2003 season with only 12 able to take the green for their 20 lap main event. Robert Aaron took the point on the start and set the early pace which was the not the place to be for the second race in a row for Robbie.
Robbie Powell came from the rear of the pack to move through traffic and was attempting to make the pass on Aaron when they got together, turning both cars around at the intersection. Donnie Thomas tried to drive through the blocked intersection and took the whole rear end of Aaron’s car off.
Aaron went on the hook and Powell went to the pits and changed a right front flat tire without losing a lap. Ethan Nistok inherited the lead on the restart and Ken Crews was unable to close the gap to the checkers but held out for second. Robbie Powell came from the back of the pack to capture third over Bob Hage and Ronnie Schreifels to round out the top five.
Point leader Pat Quick was the big gun again in the Thunder Stock feature taking both her heat and her fourth feature win of the year, adding more points to her lead.
Lee Keller had to make his way from 18th to second at the finish. Robert Jordan was subbing for Derek DeSomma and out ran Jared Kessler and Bob Wilkins in their 20 lap main event. Michael Long won his first ever heat at Citrus.
Next Saturday night will feature all six regular divisions in week 11 of the 2003 season. Pro Modifieds will move into the spotlight on May 31st with the Late Models taking the night off in preparation for the June 7th, 2nd leg of the Powell Memorial 150 for $5,000 to win. The first leg will be run at Ocala Speedway on Friday, June 6th.
Citrus County Speedway Results 5/17/03
Late Model Feature 30 Laps – 16 Cars
1. #3 Ricky Carlton
2. #3X Mike Bresnahan
3. #84 Wayne Anderson
4. # 1 Dale Sanders
5. #98 Herb Neumann Jr.
1st Heat Winner - #42 Richie Smith
2nd Heat Winner - #69 Rex Struble
Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps – 12 Cars
1. #55 Mike Veltman
2. #48 Stephen Anderson
3. # 9 Johnny Gann
4. # 0 Bill Oesterreicher
5. # 7 Mark Dominique
1st Heat Winner - #48 Stephen Anderson
2nd Heat Winner - #55 Mike Veltman
Street Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 20 Cars
1. #01 Danny Cretty
2. #55 Mike Veltman
3. #22 Mikey Burns
4. #72 Joe Viverito
5. #33 Ray Lyons
1st Heat Winner - #24 Owen Leigh
2nd Heat Winner - #01 Danny Cretty
Mini Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 13 Cars
1. # 3 George Neumann
2. #8X Robbie Yoakam
3. #86 Phillip Joyner
4. #1X Chris Hooker
5. # 5 Mark Sowell
1st Heat Winner - #1X Chris Hooker
2nd Heat Winner - #8X Robbie Yoakam
Hobby Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 22 Cars
1. #94 Sport Wilson
2. #01 Curtis Neumann
3. #07 Roy Perkins
4. # 8 John Eliason
5. #42 Richie Smith
1st Heat Winner - #07 Roy Perkins
2nd Heat Winner - #19 Dean Lawyer
Thunder Stock Feature – 20 laps – 20 Cars
1. #55 Pat Quick
2. #21 Lee Keller
3. #28 Robert Jordan
4. #10 Jared Kessler
5. #15 Bob Wilkins
1st Heat Winner - #35 Michael Long
2nd Heat Winner - #55 Pat Quick
Figure 8 Feature – 20 Lap – 12 Cars
1. #27X Ethan Nistok
2. #81 Ken Crews
3. #25 Robbie Powell
4. #78 Bob Hage
5. #64 Ronnie Schreifels
6. #40 Donnie Thomas
7. #69 Ronnie Powell
8. #13 Tim Sharrone
9. #21 James Nocella
10.# 6 Robert Aaron
Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board!
<news@karnac.org>or send a letter to the editor!
|
