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| Season Fades - Action Intensifies | by Larry MacMillan
Inverness, Fla - The season's semi finale brought out
the best in the remaining players at Citrus County
Speedway. As the 2002 season comes to an end the most
important thought in these drivers minds is either
improving their positions in the top ten or defending
it from the top competitors in their division. Saturday
night brought out the talent to accomplish the job in
some tight racing in all seven divisions.
Jim Smith cashed in on a Late Model mishap that put the
two front runners to the rear of the 19 car field with
just ten laps to go in their 30 lap main event. Herb
Hoefler set the pace for the first 20 laps with Danny
Johnson in hot pursuit when theygot together on turn
four bringing out the caution flag. Smith inherited
the lead on the restart and was able to hold off Billy
Bechtelheimer and outside pole pitter Richie Smith for
the final ten laps to take his third win of the season
and picked up 54 points on point leader Rex Struble in
the run for the crown. It's ironic, that Smith and
Struble were battling for the Rookie of the Year honors
this time last year. Now there is a 62 point separation
in the race for the crown with the final decision coming
in next week's 30-lap finale. Struble managed to make
a last lap pass on Tom Haselmayer to salvage extra ten
points with a fourth place finish. Heat wins went to
Bechtelheimer, Smith and Haselmayer.
Bill Oestreicher made short track work of the twelve car
Sportsman field in defense of his second place position
in their point race. Oestreicher made his move to the
point in the third lap, moving around a determined David
White to hang onto the inside groove and stay up front.
Coming from the back of the field Mike Veltman still
has his eyes set on winning despite claiming his fourth
consecutive Sportsman corwn two weeks ago. Veltman
moved up eleven spots to take another second place
finish while David White had his best finish of the
season 1 third over Kyle Bookmiller and Mark Dominique.
Heat wins went to Terry Cater and Veltman.
With just sixteen points separating Mike Bell and
defending champion Travis Nichols in the Street Stock
race. Bell successfully put a little more cushion,
extending his lead to 38 points in their one two
finish. Ernie Reed held second place until the final
two turns on the way to the checkers and let Nichols
come on by. Reed settled for a third over Scott
Hendrickson and Joe Viverito. Danny Cretty and Bell
took the heat wins.
Rob Wheatley had to borrow a ride to protect his second
place finish in the Mini Stock point race. George
Neumann and Dustin DesChamps had a seesaw battle for
the lead going until they got together and had to
come back up through the field from the rear of the
restart. Jimmy Bartley gave everybody a tough time of
it through the whole 20 laps but Wheatley managed to
take over the lead on the restart to outrun Mark
Sowell and Billy Smith to the checkers. Bartley held
off first heat winner Glen Ervin in the race for
fourth. Phillip Joyner took the win in the second
heat.
Ritchie Smith has a lock on his second Hobby championship
but it doesn't prevent him from going from the back
of the 24-car frield to Victory lane for the fourteenth
time in 2002. He is double duty at the track as the
season comes to an end by getting seat time in his new
Late Model ride. Dean Lawyer chased him all the way
but just couldn't reel him in and settled for a second
place finish. Daniel Webster made a late run on the
front five and passed two to hold out for a third
place finish. Early leader Tim Whitehead held off Roy
Perkins for a fourth place finish. Heat winners were
Curtis Neumann and Perkins.
Lots of action in the Thunder Stock 20 lap main. Pole
sitter Alice Jacobson ran three laps before her night
ended with a one and a half roll into the infield that
left her on her top. She got her bell run but was
able to get out of her wrecked car to wave to the crowd
to assure them she was all right. Another one the
ladies showed the guys the way to Victory Lane as Robin
Bauer picked up her third win of the season over Dale
Shtlton, Stuart Madison, Tim Wilson, and Todd Downs.
Point leader Josh Teague got disqualifed for action
on the track and will open the door for Stuart Madison
to claim a 22 point lead in his quest for a second
Point's Championship.
The Figure 8 intersection stayed busy for 15 cars taking
aim at it for forty times. It got a little touchy at
times with slower traffic again challenging eventual
winner Peanut Higgenbotham who had a bad crash while
leading an early season race. This time he held out
over a hard charging Ron Schreifels who kept him
honest right down to the checkered flag. Travis Nichols
out dueled former winner Steve Thomas and Curtis
Youmans in the final Figure 8 race of the year.
Citrus County Speedway ends it forty seventh season
next Saturday with all the regular divisions in the
final point races of the year. Added to the program
will be an open Powder Puff Race and the ladies will
get their starting position based on the amount of
sponsorship money they raise that will go into the
driver point fund. Top sponsorship earner will get
the pole position and line up the rest of the cars
in the order of their dollar amount collected. The
finale of the season will come in a Demolition Derby
with a $500 win purse on the line and paying the top
three finishers.
The Winter Spectacular races are scheduled for December
14th, 2002 and January 11th, 2003 featuring 125 lap
Late Model races for $5,000 to win plus Street Stocks,
Mini Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Thunder Stocks in
feature action.
LATE MODEL FEATURE - 30 Laps - 19 Cars
1. #9 Jim Smith
2. #6 Billy Bechtelheimer
3. #42 Richie Smith
4. #3 Rex Struble
5. #13 Tom Haselmayer
lst Heat Winner - #6 Billy Bechtelheimer
2nd Heat Winner - #13 Tom Haselmayer
3rd Heat Winner - #9 Jim Smith
SPORTSMAN FEATURE - 20 Laps - 12 Cars
1. #0 Bill Oestreicher
2. #65 Mike Veltman
3. #6 David White
4. #03 Kyle Bookmiller
5. #7 Mark Dominique
lst Heat Winner - #1 Terry Cater
2nd Heat Winner - #55 Mike Veltman
STREET STOCK FEATURE - 20 Laps - 13 Cars
1. #17 Mike Bell
2. #2 Travis Nichols
3. #55 Ernie Reed
4. #21 Scott Hendrickson
5. #72 Joe Viverito
lst Heat Winner - #01 Danny Cretty
2nd Heat Winner - #17 Mike Bell
MINI STOCK FEATURE - 20 Laps - 13 Cars
1. #21 Rob Wheatley
2. #5 Mark Sowell
3. #00 Billy Smith
4. #6 Jimmy Bartley
5. #0 Glen Ervin
lst Heat Winner - #0 Glen Ervin
2nd Heat Winner - #86 Phillip Joyner
HOBBY STOCK FEATURE - 20 Laps - 24 Cars
1. #42 Richie Smith
2. #19 Dean Lawyer
3. #1 Daniel Webster
4. #35 Tim Whitehead
5. #07 Roy Perkins
lst Heat Winner - #01 Curtis Neumann
2nd Heat Winner - #07 Roy Perkins
THUNDER STOCK FEATURE - 20 Laps - 25 Cars
1. #97 Robin Bauer
2. #51 Dale Shelton
3. #2 Stuart Madison
4. #85 Tim Wilson
5. #7 Todd Downs
lst Heat Winner - #20 Josh Teague
2nd Heat Winner - #97 Robin Bauer
FIGURE 8 FEATURE - 20 Laps - 15 Cars
1. #5 Peanut Higgenbotham
2. #64 Ron Schreifels
3. #9x Travis Nichols
4. #1 Steve Thomas
5. #27 Curtis Youmans
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