Plenty of Changes Highlight 2007 Season At Speedworld
Barbara Pierce To Return to Competition
By Dave Westerman
The 2007 racing season gets under way this coming weekend at Orlando Speedworld with full cards of action both Friday and Saturday night.
The feature event for the opening FASCAR race night on Friday will be the Brighthouse 50 for the Super Late Models which is also the Second Annual Bruce Everett Memorial.
Brighthouse Networks, in partnership with Advance Discount Auto Parts, will conduct the Brighthouse Super Late Model Challenge Series for the second year in a row with races for the 2007 season taking place at both New Smyrna Speedway (where all the races were held in 2006) and Orlando Speedworld. $10,000 is already in the points fund for this years Brighthouse Series.
Also on tap Friday are the FASCAR Modifieds, Sportsman, Mini Stocks, Super Stocks and Strictly Stocks. The Junior Stock classes will not race until March 30th following a "school" day on Sunday, March 25th.
The 2007 season will mark the return of former Speedworld and New Smyrna Sportsman champion Barbara Pierce who will return to full-time racing for the first time in five years with a new Sportsman car. Most insiders figure Pierce is the winningest female racer ever in the United States and even she isn't exactly sure of how many features she has won over the years.
Due to popular demand, fan races return beginning this Friday. Non-racers will be allowed to go one-on-one in a series of "drag races in the round." Cars must be street legal and, of course, the driver must present a valid drivers license before racing. With the drag strip next door also running street legal cars on Fridays, a driver has a chance to "get the best of both worlds" at the same location on the same night.
The Saturday program will see a few changes this year with the addition of the new Legend Car Chargers division, Thunder Roadsters and the new "Outlaw" Strictly Stock Class.
The Charger division will be made up of the less-experienced drivers in the RE/MAX Legends Car class giving them an opportunity to race with drivers of an equal skill level rather than being on track with more experienced drivers and spending much of the time "looking in the rear view mirror" waiting for the faster drivers to lap them. With the addition of the Chargers to the regular field of Pro, Semi-Pro, and Masters Division drivers, Legends of Florida Race Director Russ Thomson says he's looking at anywhere from 30-40 competitors on a weekly basis.
Among the new Charger drivers are Bandelero graduates Dalton Bergman, Gerald White, Jr., and Gerald Campbell.
The Thunder Roadsters, one of the three types of cars produced and sold by INEX/600 Series Racing out of Charlotte, NC, will be added as a weekly feature for the first time this year. Speedworld General Manager Rusty Marcus wants to get the class going and growing in the State of Florida and says the only way to do that is to give them a place to race which Speedworld will do in 2007.
The Outlaw Strictly Stock class will give a number of competitors with cars that don't particularly fit any current rules a chance to race again providing the bodies remain stock-appearing. Several cars that will be in competition formerly raced in the New Smyrna Speedway Strictly Stock class before, of course, being "outlawed." The Strictly Stock "Hurricane" class also returns for 2007 as well.
The Bandeleros will be back in action once again for 2007 in all three classes (based on age), Bandits, Young Guns and Outlaws. The Classic Cars have also been added as a weekly attraction while the Florida Open Wheel Lites, Florida Mini Cups, Outlaw Four-Cylinder Modifieds, and the Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association will make treks to the high-banked paved oval several times during the year. Half Midget cars may also be added this year as well.
Several new sponsors have come on board joining many returning sponsors. Pepsi is the new official soft drink at Speedworld and Advance Discount Auto Parts is now the official parts store. Other new sponsors include Florida No Fault/Cash Register/Direct Auto Insurance along with Distinctive Tile & Marble. Hearndon Construction is now the official sponsor of the Bandelero Classes while Action Gator Tire returns as sponsor of the Strictly Stocks on Friday night with ABC Towing back as the sponsor of Saturday nights Hurricane division.
Several new personnel will be filling jobs at the track this year. Rick Bristol is the new Race Director for both Friday and Saturday. Bristol has done virtually everything at Speedworld; race, flag, announce, promote, even work on the sweep crew and is looking forward to his new post.
Former Speedworld Mini Stock racer Carl Green will now be in charge of the tech inspections, while newcomer Eric Reynolds will take over the flagging duties. Also new to the track is Marty Carman who will handle much of the pit steward duties.
Grandstand gates open at 6PM both Friday and Saturday with racing at 8PM on Friday night and at 7PM Saturday.
