| David Steele Makes It Three Out of Four in TBARA | By Curtis Whalin
 After a 4 day break, the TBARA pavement pounders regrouped at Desoto Super Speedway on Saturday, February 19, 2005. Some of the cars had still not repaired the damage from the previous weekends racing, but there were still 25 at the track for the event.
The pole starter for the first heat race opted to go to the rear of the field giving the pole seat to Shane Butler in the 18 car with Ray Bragg in the 66 car alongside on the front row. The race got away cleanly and Shane Butler took the lead.
The only retirement from the race was J J Dutton in the 6F who pulled in on lap 3, and Shane kept the lead to take the checkered flag in the number 18 car with Ray Bragg finishing in second. The 5W took the pole seat for the start of the second heat.
The outside lane was taken by Doug Berryman in the 1R, who took the lead at the start of the race but pulled in after only one lap giving the lead to the 22 car driven by Doug Heveron who had started the heat in fourth position. Doug caught up to and lapped some of the back markers and took the checkered flag followed by the 19 of Keith Butler.
The third and final heat had the 29T driven by Jim Alvis on the pole with Joe Rebman in the 77 alongside. The 29T made the better start and took the race lead. The number 4 car driven by Troy Underwood was smoking on lap 5 and brought out the caution flag. He was pushed into the infield and the race got back underway.
There was a close battle between Joe Rebman in the 77 car in second place and Wayne Reutimann Sr in the 99 car in third place. Wayne Sr had tried to pass the 77 over the next 3 laps and a couple of times the cars had touched, and Wayne Sr brushed the front straightaway wall on lap 6.
On lap 7, as the two cars came past the front straightaway and into turn one, with the 77 still in front and the 99 right behind, the cars came together and the 77 went into the wall at turn 2. The race was red flagged while the car was picked up the wrecker and removed from the track.
The car was too badly damaged to run in the feature. The track got back to green with only one lap to go.
Jim Alvis in the 29T took the checkered flag. Wayne Reutimann Sr finished second, but was later disqualified from the event giving second place to Troy DeCaire in the 118 car.
Under the top twelve-point inversion system used by the TBARA, the 29T of Jim Alvis sat on the pole for the start of the 30-lap feature event. The 5W of Randy Woodall started the feature in second place.
The 29 driven by Gary Gimmler stopped on the back straight after the warm up laps with a power steering failure and he did not make the start of the feature. The 29T took the lead as the cars took the green flag at the start of the race. He appeared to be holding up the field as the leaders bunched up behind him, but it took them 19 laps to find away around him.
While they were waiting to find a way around him, the 6 car of Skeeter Faulconer pulled in on lap 5, the 6F of J J Dutton followed on lap 8, then the 75 of Curtis Sutton on lap 10, the 90 of David Retzlaff on lap 13 and finally the 6X driven by Frank Scimeca on lap 16.
Meanwhile the 29T was passed on lap 19 when the 91 driven by David Steele and the 18 driven by Shane Butler both passed him coming out of turn 4 one on the high side.
Steele went on to grab his third feature out of four TBARA races in 2005.
The next TBARA event is at Charlotte County Speedway on March 5.
HEAT 1
1) 18 Shane Butler
2) 66 Ray Bragg
3) 42X Sport All
4) 91 David Steele
5) 37 Hank Lower
6) 33 Lee Cipray
7) 80 Wendy Mathis
8) 6F J J Dutton
9) 6 Skeeter Faulconer (DNS)
HEAT 2
1) 22 Doug Heveron
2) 19 Keith Butler
3) 29 Gary Gimmler
4) 5W Randy Woodall
5) 6X Frank Scimeca
6) 90 David Retzlaff
7) 75 Curtis Sutton
8) 1R Doug Berryman
HEAT 3
1) 29T Jim Alvis
2) 118 Troy DeCaire
3) 00 Wayne Reutimann Jr
4) 42 Paulie Milum
5) 77 Joe Rebman
6) 14 Charles Ladner
7) 4 Troy Underwood
The 99 driven by Wayne Reutimann Sr was disqualified from the event.
FEATURE
1) 91 David Steele; 2) 18 Shane Butler; 3) 42X Sport Allen; 4) 19 Keith Butler; 5) 118 Troy DeCaire; 6) 29T Jim Alvis; 7) 37 Hank Lower; 8) 33 Lee Cipray; 9) 1R Joe Rebman; 10) 42 Paulie Milum; 11) 5W Randy Woodall; 12) 4 Troy Underwood; 13) 66 Ray Bragg; 14) 14 Charles Ladner; 15) 22 Doug Heveron (DNF); 16) 80 Wendy Mathis (DNF); 17) 6X Frank Scimeca (DNF); 18) 90 David Retzlaff (DNF); 19) 6F J J Dutton (DNF); 20) 75 Curtis Sutton (DNF); 21) 6 Skeeter Faulconer (DNF); 22) 29 Gary Gimmler (DNS)
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