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| Dempsey takes Last Model cash at Sunshine; Scofield takes Leo Musgrave Memorial | by Thom Watson
PINELLAS PARK, FL: Dwayne Dempsey, the points leader in the winner-take-all Late Model class at Sunshine Action Speedway, started one spot behind the second place car of Brian Leverock. If Dempsey could finish with Leverock in sight or ahead of Leverock, he would take home the $5,000 prize. Leverock quickly moved from his seventh place starting position and into fifth, while Demspey started eighth and stayed in that spot for much of the race. By the end of the 100 lap Memorial race, Leverock was third and Dempsey was fourth. That was enough to allow Dempsey to take the points championship and the cash.
Wayne "Rocket Man" Jefferson started on the pole for the Leo Musgrave Memorial and had the field covered for the first 75 laps. Jefferson and the second place car of Jeff Scofield continually pulled away from the pack, only caution flags allowed the rest of the field to catch up with them. On lap 76, Dave "Big Daddy" Pletcher went into the turn 3 wall, with a little help from behind from Leverock. His car's sheet metal was peeled away as he went into the wall violently hard. Wayne Bowman was also collected in the melee and both were done for the night. Pletcher was able to walk away and managed to walk over to turn one, where Leverock was parked because of the red flag caused by the extensive cleanup required. After a calm discussion between the two, Pletcher walked away to a nice round of applause from the crowd. For once tempers were cool and collected, from which many others at the track should take notice.
During the red flag, Jefferson developed a slow tire leak and had to come in as soon as the red flag was lifted. He could not get back on the track before the restart and went a lap down. He quickly developed another problem, came in and was done for the night. This gave Jeff Scofield the lead and he took full advantage of it as he quickly opened up a 3-car length lead and was headed to the checkers. Scofield was able to build up the lead to 6 car lengths before running into lapped traffic, but that did not cause him to slow down any. He went on to go around the lapped cars and won going away. Billy Mowery, who ran third for the first 75 laps, was able to hang onto second, with Leverock third, Dempsey fourth and Herb Newman rounding out the top five. Said Scofield from victory lane, " I don't know if we would have had anything for Jefferson, we had used up our brakes trying to run him down".
In the best race or the night Mike Birk, Jr. took the Mini Stock feature by a foot as the checkers waved. Birk, who has been a guest on the KARNAC Real Racing Talk Radio show, used his KARNAC KARMA to the fullest, as he needed every bit to take the win. Birk started in the fifth position and did not lead a lap until the money lap. Mark Moniz started on the pole and took the early lead. Moniz was able to hold on to the lead until halfway through the feature, when Tom Zimmerman jumped into the lead. Meanwhile Birk had quietly moved into third and was on the move. Birk worked on Dennis Valdez for four laps until he was finally able to overtake him on the outside groove in turn 4 on lap 15. Zimmerman was able to build a two-car lead on lap 17, but it began to shrink as Birk was charging hard towards to the front. On the white flag lap Birk had moved on to the rear bumper of Zimmerman and this time took the inside groove. Through turn two and down the back straight, Birk and Zimmerman were side-by-side. Coming off turn four, Birk was able to dive down low and cross the finish line just in front of Zimmerman. "I knew when I got to his bumper at the white flag, that I might have a shot. Coming out of 4, I just turned it and headed straight for the finish line. Zimmerman seemed to drift a little high and I was able to nip him at the checkers" said a jubilant Birk after the race. Valdez was able to hold onto the third spot.
Steve O'lone was able to take the lead at the halfway point and went on to win the Outlaw Late Model feature. Rick Haugh took the lead from his outside pole starting position on the first lap. Haugh was able to hold off the hard-charging O'lone from lap five until lap 10, when O'lone went inside of Haugh down the back straight. After that, O'lone had clear sailing for the checkers. On lap 12, Corky Craver was able to dive low in turn 4 and get by Haugh and went on to finish second. Points leader, Robbie McAuliffe, managed to finish in third place after a late race pass.
In the Figure 8 feature, previous KARNAC Real Racing Talk Radio guest, Bobby "Zeebo" Moctezuma, used the KARNAC KARMA to take his fourth feature win of the year and second in a row. On Double Points night, Moctezuma, solidified his top ten position in the points race. Pole sitter, Charlie Meyer and Moctezuma, who started on the outside pole quickly separated from the rest of the pack, with Moctezuma taking the point on the first lap. By lap six, Moctezuma and Meyer had pulled out to a 6-car length lead over the third place car of Joey Caterelli. At the halfway point, Wayne Calkins spun by himself in turn one and brought out the caution flag. This erased the huge lead Moctezuma and Meyer had built. On the restart, Moctezuma and Meyer again took off from the pack and built another huge lead. Meyer nudged Moctezuma on the rear bumper a few times in the final laps, but to no avail. Moctezuma was able to hang on for the win, with Meyer second and Ron Davis rounding out the top three. "Charlie gave me a few love taps in the closing laps, but that just made me more determined to win" said Moctezuma. A special KARNAC.COM prayer goes out to Zeebo's wife, who has just been diagnosed with a serious injury. This writer would like to ask all KARNAC.COM readers and race fans to please remember this couple in their prayers as they battle through these difficult times.
Captain Chris Robbins dominated the Open Wheel Modified feature as he led wire-to-wire. This from a man who has had two open heart surgeries in less than a year. It was a crowd pleaser to see him back in victory lane. Robbins never was seriously threatened for the lead as the real race was for second place. Ronald Campbell took over the runner-up spot on lap 1 before finally giving it up to Darrian Jackson on lap 14 as the two raced side by side. On a lap 15 restart, Campbell's car slowed and this allowed Pat Grimes to take over third. Jackson and Grimes were able to hang on for the second and third spots as Robbins was taking the checkers.
In a caution free Street Stock race, Lacey took the early lead and held it for the first 10 laps until David Cleary took the lead coming out of turn 4. Jeff Haven dropped to third and they would go the distance in those positions and finish 1-2-3. Cleary had once anxious moment on lap 16 as he was bumped from behind, got sideways, and managed to bounce off a lapped car and keep the lead.
DAYTON ANDREWS DODGE/LEO MUSGRAVE MEMORIAL
100 LAP LATE MODEL CHAMPIONSHIP:
#07 JEFF SCOFIELD
#73 BILLY MOWERY
# 5 BRIAN LEVEROCK
#15 DWAYNE DEMPSEY
#38 HERB NEWMAN
#22 SAMMY COGHILL
#12 RALPH BOWMAN
#90 AL LAWRENCE
#98 ROBERT YOHO
#21 DUANE HAINES
20 LAP OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED FEATURE:
#88 CHRIS ROBBINS
# 7 DARREN JACKSON
#00 PAT GRIMES
#56 ALLYN SUMMERS
#80 JIMMY HOULE
# 8 RANDY RHODES
#33 CHICO ALBERTO
#51 MIKE HINEGARDNER
#66 JOHN MOORE
#20 JOHN GERSTNER
20 LAP MINI STOCK FEATURE:
#10 MIKE BIRK, JR.
#55 TOM ZIMMERMAN
#40 DENNIS VALDEZ
#15 DOUG HOPPER
#21 ERIC CUCHTA
#72 DANNY SMITH
# 6 MACKY MONGOLD
#41 MARK MONIZ
#32 TROY MEREDITH
#51 TOMMY BOWER
20 LAP OUTLAW LATE MODEL FEATURE:
#20 STEVE O'LONE
#12 CORKY CRAVER
#56 ROBBY MCAULIFFE
# 6 ED KIDD
#69 TIM HENAULT
#77 RICK HAUGH
#27 PETE COON
# 7 TROY JOHNSON
#85 JIMMY BILLERA
# 1 SCOTT HOLLY
20 LAP STREET STOCK FEATURE:
#24 DAVE CLEARY
#61 DAVE OCHSENWALD
# 7 JEFF HAVEN
#22 MIKE HILL
#12 JAY COLEMAN
#98 ROGER WELCH
#75 CRAIG ROBINSON
#22X JAMES ELLERSHAW
#72 JACKIE ASHLEY
# 1 DAN RIEGER
20 LAP FIGURE 8 FEATURE:
#17 BOBBY MOCTEZUMA
#94 CHARLIE MEYER
#89 RONNIE DAVIS
# 3 CLIFF ROUSSEAU
#28 SHANE GRIGSBY
#11 ART CALKINS
#21 J.R. MEYER
#40 MARK THOMAS
#31 DONNIE THOMAS
# 7 WAYNE CALKINS
15 LAP HORNET DIVISION (FOR 16 TO 19 YEAR OLDS)
# 5 KEVIN FELGENHAUER
#84 RONNIE SORENSON
#13 D.J. CLARK
#10 ABBIE HAUGH
#68 RICHARD SCHIBLER
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