| Steve Arnold Wins Brian Davidson Memorial 150 | By Jack Smith
Charlotte Track Champ Collects Big $5000 Payday on Sunday
Seems anytime you put 20 or more Late Models on the short track in Punta Gorda fireworks can be expected, and today was no exception.
The 150 lap annual race in memory of the track owner's late son started off mildly enough but the stress of running a tight race on a tight track ended up with some seriously ruffled feathers and with fans craning their necks to watch the heated action in the pits with five laps remaining.
Wayne Morris (#56) sticks the nose under the 29X of Bobby Beauchemin in the early going Sunday afternoon.
A sparse crowd settled in to watch the twenty-two late models do battle on a gorgeous fall afternoon. The race was preceded by driver's introductions and a trophy presentation to fast qualifier Wayne Morris. During the introductions some touches of good humor were found, as when Mike Franklin, Jr. introduced himself as Randy Fox, driver of the number 88.
It didn't take long for any traces of humor to disappear once the high powered race cars began to tackle the tough short track of Charlotte County Speedway.
Amazingly the first caution didn't come out until lap 14, when Jim Keating lost the grip in turn three and spun around, no damage done. Since cautions were being counted, (which sent some fans to grumbling) the race resumed on lap 19 with pole sitter and last year's Memorial race winner Mike Hovis still in the lead with Steve Arnold in second.
Arnold had started in fifth and had quickly gotten by Randy Fox on the outside pole, Frank Welch and Scott Klieber. Wayne Morris had also gained some ground in the first few laps moving up to fifth spot from his tenth starting position, determined by a pill draw.
The field got going with Hovis pulling away for a good lead on Arnold, but 4 laps later (lap 23) the yellow was waving from the flag stand with the 88 of Fox and the 12 of Mike Franklin, Jr, involved in a minor scuffle in turn 4. Four more cautions in quick succession consumed 19 laps bringing the race to the 50 lap mark.
Hovis continued to dominate with Arnold trailing well back and for 30 laps the fans saw some tough tight racing all around the 3/8 mile speedway. Several wrecks were narrowly avoided as the late models banged each other fighting for positions in the turns. Young Sean Murphy got more than a tap from the #100 of Glenn Morris going into turn one, but held held as the car went sideways, brought into under control, got back on the gas, caught and passed Morris within one lap.
Furious charges were being made by Fox with Franklin shadowing him, while Hovis strengthened his lead on Arnold and Wayne Morris had his hands full holding off Brent O'Neill (#60), all of the front runners dealing with slower traffic.
Finally the long run came to and end with the caution coming out at lap 71 when Joe Winchell drove his number 57 into O'Neill in turn one, officials sending Winchell to the rear.
The single file field took off again at the halfway mark (lap 75) and settled in for another long run. By now Hovis was having serious brake problems and at lap 86 he turned the lead over to Arnold and began to drift backwards with the 56 of Wayne Morris having moved up to the second spot behind Arnold.
Randy Fox really got on a tear and jammed his white 88 inside the 29X of Bobby Beauchemin with Franklin following for the third and fourth spots respectively.
Randy Fox literally nose to tail with Wayne Morris, typical of the day's racing in the turns.
But all that momentum came to a halt just before the 100 lap mark with Glenn Morris and #49 Ron Lufquist tried to drive through the same space. Two more quick cautions and the field got on another long run from the lap 119 restart with the stage set for the real battle lines drawn.
Fox and Wayne Morris made hard contact in turn one, Fox got out of shape and moved up into the outside groove and began to go backwards with along with Morris doing the same opening the door for Franklin and Beauchemin. By lap 129 Fox had had enough and pulled off, having banged into or been banged up by one too many race cars.
With all the skirmishes going on behind them Charlotte County Speedway's 2003 Late Model Champion weaved his black and gold #19 through lapped traffic and pulled away from the rest of the field. Meanwhile Franklin and Beauchemin were going at it over the second spot and Steve Dorer and Brent O'Neill were warring over the fifth position.
Caution slowed down the Steve Arnold train at lap 144 when Dorer's lightning bolt emblazoned number ten got into it with O'Neill and the lapped #7. The seven was black flagged and the final laps were set to unfold with the question of whether Franklin, driving the former #12 ride of Joe Sumansky, could get by Arnold and collect the biggest paycheck in Florida for late models.
The ending of a pretty darn good race was almost upstaged by the on track and backstage antics that followed and showed a weak spot in the operation of the track.
The field took off and made one circuit around the track with Dorer hot on Wayne Morris, and as the pair slid into turn one Dorer tried to go under and get by Morris.
It didn't work and Dorer got into Morris hard enough to tear the sheet metal loose on the rear end of the 56 and spin him out. Wayne Morris, who would have kept his spot in fourth place with five laps to go, inexplicably took off after Dorer, on his way to the rear and chased Dorer around the track and though the 'x' in the infield, all the way to the pits where he tried to physically assault Dorer.
Numerous fans and more than one print media were inquiring why there was no law enforcement officers on duty at the track, a good question indeed.
As the cars lined up to take the green on the restart the fans who were still turned watching the pits got back into the on track action as Mike Franklin, Jr. gave it all he had, but fell a few car lengths short and Steve Arnold took the checkered flag with Bobby Beauchemin settled for third place.
"It's been unreal, unreal, you couldn't win a better race than this one", Arnold said in the winner circle. "There's a ton of people to thank, first of all my family, my wife and kids, my dad my mom my sister" Arnold continued "and we ended up winning the championship in our first year".
Arnold was asked about catching Hovis, and explained "We knew we we were going to get him, we knew he was having brake problems, and he started shoving up, I was biding my time, we were fast and we knew it".
The race paid $5000 to win this year and the fans saw a good race. There were 12 cautions which accounted for 45 laps, most were short and no long cleanups were needed and with the Morris-Dorer ending, there was a little bit of something for everyone.
The long runs produced some memorable hard tough racing, as good as any of the many big late model races that Charlotte fans have seen in 2003. This race was revived last year (2002) after LeRoy Davidson took back over the track's operation after a six year absence. Hopefully 2004 will see and even bigger field and perhaps some additional sponsorship to make it even better.
All it all not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
After the race Steve Dorer said "I tried to get off the gas but wasn't able to in time, and hit him", referring to the Morris incident late in the race. "I would have been sent to the rear and he would have got his spot back."
The popular Mike Franklin, Jr. will not be making a return to Florida late model racing, but is moving to Mooresville NC to work with the
X-treme Dirt Car Series, which is certainly their gain and a loss for Florida race fans.
January 18th late models return to Charlotte for a 100 lap season opener. Keep tuned to KARNAC.com for details.
OFFICIAL FINISH: (with starting position)
1. 19 Steve Arnold (5)
2. 12 Mike Franklin Jr. (8)
3. 29x Bobby Beauchemin (7)
4. 60 Brent O'Neil (9)
5. 62 Buzz Martin (14)
6. 57 Joe Wenchell (11)
7. 23 Cory Collum (13)
8. 105 Jim Keating (18)
9. 94 Scott Klieber (3)
10. 32 Sean Murphy (20)
11. 10 Steve Dorer (6)
12. 88 Randy Fox (2)
13. 36 Al Fradette (17)
14. 49 Ron Lufquist (16)
15. 100 Glenn Morris (15)
16. 29 Mike Hovis (1)
17. 77 Rob Kasye (19)
18. 96 Frank Welch (4)
19. 5 Rick Lyons (23)
20. 63 Dewayne Bryan (12)
Disqualified 56 Wayne Morris (10)
Disqualified 7 Jim Matthews (21)
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