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| GIMMLER GETS FIRST TBARA SPRINT WIN ON WILD NIGHT AT ORLANDO | by Dave Westerman
Gary Gimmler of Palm Beach Gardens won his first career TBARA sprint car feature event Friday night at Orlando Speedworld on a night that saw the point leader involved in two accidents and some wild action overall.
Jim Alvis outran Gimmler to win the first heat while white-haired veteran Sonny Hartley drove Dennis Hood's "Junkyard Dog" sprinter to the win in heat two. The third heat was a wild affair including an incident between TBARA point leader Wayne Reutimann, Sr. and visiting USCS hotshoe Kenny Adams. Going into turn one, the rear-end gears stripped in Reutimann's machine and he slowed abruptly. Adams had nowhere to go and he rode over Reutimann's sprinter and took a hard trip into the wall. Reutimann's crew went to work and got him ready for the feature while Adams' crew took some parts from teammate Red Stauffer's dirt car which was in the hauler and got him on track for the main just before the cars fired off. Keith Butler went on to easily win heat three.
Alvis was on the pole and sped to a quick lead in the 25-lap feature. New Daytona Beach resident Tommy Gainey, making his first start on asphalt, spun on lap four to bring out the caution. On the restart, Alvis' machine just wasn't running right and Gimmler blew by for the lead. Alvis dropped out three laps later. Gimmler opened up his advantage as Shane Butler worked his way into second just before caution flew again for debris on the track.
Gimmler appeared to have the horses to hold off Butler and the rest of the pack behind him but everything came to and immediate halt when Reutimann and Todd Schmidt tangled going into turn one with both cars hitting the wall with devastating force. Schmidt's car rode the wall on fire into turn two and he climbed from the machine before it stopped moving. Reutimann got out of his car and sat on the track for a few minutes to get his breath and walked back to the pits.
There were tire marks from Reutimann's car on Schmidt's helmet and later Schmidt began having dizzy spells in the pits. He was transported to the hospital by Orange County Fire-Rescue with a possible concussion.
The long red flag period didn't bother Gimmler as he held Shane Butler at bay the remaining eight laps to score a popular victory. Gimmler had won a number of TQ Midget races at Speedworld in the 1980's, but this was his first win in a sprint car.
Russ Conway, the former operator of the NESMRA Supermodified group in New England, flew down to watch his old friend Doug Heveron race and Heveron didn't disappoint him by coming home a strong third. Dude Teate was steady as always and took fourth with Keith Butler cutting into Reutimann's point lead by finishing fifth. Stan Butler, Kenny Adams (doing a great job after a quick rebuild following his heat race crash), Dave Pletcher, Bo Hartley and Kevin Cahill rounded out the top ten.
In other action, Doug Samion topped the Sportsman field while John Hodge won his first feature in the Super Stocks. Donnie Smith beat out his brother David in the Strictly Stocks and Tim McPhail picked up his sixth Mini Stock win of the year. Young Trisha Gray won her first career race in the Mini Stock heat.
1. Gary Gimmler, Palm Beach Gardens #29
2. Shane Butler, Bushnell #18
3. Doug Heveron, Jensen Beach #48
4. Dude Teate, Leesburg #0
5. Keith Butler, Tampa #19
6. Stan Butler, Bushnell #68
7. Kenny Adams, Malabar #2A
8. Dave Pletcher, Clearwater #75
9. Bo Hartley, Zephyrhills #3X
10. Kevin Cahill, Land O' Lakes #87
11. Sonny Hartley, Loughman #32
12. Ben Fritz, Ocala #16
13. Shane Miller, Lutz #78
14. Wendy Mathis, Ocala #80
15. Todd Schmidt, wesley Chapel #96 (DNF-Accident)
16. Wayne Reutimann, Sr., Zephyrhills #22 (DNF-Accident)
17. Jeff Daneau, Punta Gorda #4J (DNF-Mechanical)
18. Ricky Burnett, Plant City #5 (DNF-Mechanical)
19. Jim Alvis, Seffner #21 (DNF-Mechanical)
20. Tommy Gainey, Daytona Beach #45 (DNF-Water leak)
21. Bobby Rose, Howey In The Hills #56 (DNF-Mechanical)
22. Matt Mercer, Lakeland #10 (DNS-Blew engine in heat race)
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