Rodney Eary of Orlando, FL has laid claim to his second consecutive Florida region Classic Auto Racing Series championship.Eary becomes the first driver to win the title twice since the series began in 1996.

Sponsored by his own trim carpentry business along with help from GTO Custom High-Performance Airboats of Ocala and Hugh Cotton Insurance of Orlando, Eary started all 20 features during the season and visited victory lane eight times, the most of any driver. Eary also finished second on three occasions, was third five times and had a single fourth and fifth place finish - a total of 18 top fives in 20 races.

Eary also won the "King of Dirt" award as well, winning three of the four races held on dirt tracks during 2000. Despite his incredible record, Eary had to deal with fellow Orlando driver Ed Yates in the battle for the points championship during the entire season. Yates also scored 18 top five finishes in 20 starts scoring a pair of wins and an unbelievable nine second place finishes to go along with two third, four fourth, and one fifth place finish. Yates finished a mere 30 points behind Eary after all was said and done. Eary and Yates were the only two drivers to compete in every C.A.R.S. event during the season.

Sophomore driver Dan Hammerbeck of Clermont did not win during the season but was steady with ten top five finishes to get third in the overall standings followed by Palm Harbor's Bud Spencer. Spencer had a lot of bad luck during the season but never gave up, eventually taking seven top five finishes although he was unable to find his way to victory lane. Just ten points behind Spencer and fifth in the final rundown was Orlando's Eddie Thornton who scored a single victory to go along with several finishes in the top ten.

Rounding out the top ten in points were Danny Shearer, Jim Rahman, Simeion Spagnuolo, David Nunes, and George Hall, Jr. Spagnuolo took the Rookie of the Year crown which included 13 Big Daddy's Towing "Rookie of the Race" awards and a victory at Ocala Speedway in October. E.B. Carr was second in the Rookie battle.

Other winners during 2000 were David Nunes with three, Jim Rahman with two, and single wins for Danny Shearer, David Marsh, and Maryville TN driver Larry Gibson.

The next event for the Florida Region of the Classic Auto Racing Series is the 2000 season Awards Banquet to be held on Saturday evening, December 9th, at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Orlando. The series is still seeking a Title Sponsor for the 2001 season. Any interested parties are urged to contact the Classic Auto Racing Series at (407) 574-8082. For more information on the series a website is available at www.classicautoracing.com.

TOP 15 IN POINTS - 2000 SEASON

1. Rodney Eary, Orlando 1036
2. Ed Yates, Orlando 1006
3. Dan Hammerbeck, Clermont 856
4. Bud Spencer, Palm Harbor 818
5. Eddie Thornton, Orlando 808
6. Danny Shearer, Melbourne 801
7. Jim Rahman, Clermont 793
8. Simeion Spagnuolo, Vero Beach 751
9. David Nunes, Orlando 736
10. George Hall, Jr., St. Pete 704
11. George Hall III, St. Pete 700
12. E.B. Carr, Okeechobee 694
13. Frank Conrad, Ft. Pierce 589
14. Tim Beach, Orlando 353
15. Michael Albert, Winter Springs 288

by Dave Westerman

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