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| “Smokin” Joe Sumansky takes S.A.R.A. 100 at DeSoto | by Rick Anges
Bradenton,Fl.(KNS)Round number three of the S.A.R.A. Gagel Auto Parts Late Model Series took to the high banks for 100 laps on the “South’s Fastest Short Track”. Wayne “the Mulberry Flash” Morris #56 blistered the track with 14.88 second lap to take fast time for the evenings event.
With a roll of the dice by two lucky children from the stands the first two runs were inverted which put a fast Martin Pierce #75 on the pole. Martin knows his way around the high banks of DeSoto Speedway having scored several wins here.
The action started on the drop of the green flag with Pierce jumping out front and Sumansky diving down behind him for the second spot. The racing was hot and heavy behind the leaders as drivers were scrambling for positions. #77 Tony Amico got tangled up in a mid-pack scramble that sent him hard head-on into the turn two wall, destroying the front end of his machine and ending his night early. Amico was able to roll the #77 machine into the infield and a caution was avoided.
Pierce was out to a commanding lead in the early portion of the race. Morris meanwhile was in a heated battle with the #67 of Chad Allman. The two battled each other lap after lap Morris looking for the perfect line to get by and just when it looked like he may get by Morris’s ride went up in a cloud of smoke grenading his engine down the front stretch on lap 17.
Meanwhile the #10x of young gun Brad Barkis was cruising through the field after having to start from the rear of the pack. Barkis was sent to the rear for the start of the race for coming up a few pounds light in post tech inspection after qualifying. But this did not seem to bother the young driver from Ft.Meyers as he was picking his way through the field and was in the top ten before the half way mark.
Points leader Steve Dorer #10 had his handsful all night scraping the front stretch wall sending sparks flying into the night air and then getting tangled up with the #63 of DeWayne Bryan sending both cars sliding into the infield bringing out the yellow. Both cars were sent to the rear of the field for the incident.
A scary moment happened with five laps to go when Allman lost it coming out of turn two while running in the fifth spot. The car spun up towards the wall and appeared to be out of harms way when it shot down the racetrack, Joe Boyd #5 slammed hard into Allman and his car went airborne almost flipping. Unbelievably both cars were able to continue.
Sumansky who had moved himself into the second spot got a good jump on the restart and slid under Pierce who had lead from the drop of the green, Pierce appeared to have a tire go down as he slid back in the pack.
Sumansky was able to hold off the hard charging Barkis to take his first ever S.A.R.A. Late Model win. Barkis who later told me he thought he might have had a tire going down towards the end of the race followed across the stripe in second in one of the best runs of this young season. Richard Kelley jr. in the #12x ran a good steady raced and brought it home in third. Veteran Edward Howell #62 was able to hold to fourth spot and Martin Pierce was able to hold on to fifth.
The Southern Automobile Race Association moves north to Opp, Alabama for race number four April 6th.
SARA LATE MODELS
12 JOE SUMASKY
10X BRAD BARKIS
12 RICHARD KELLEY
62 EDWARD HOWELL
75 MARTIN PIERCE
74 RICHIE HENRY
5 JOE BOYD
67 CHAD ALLMAN
29 TRACY RAVEN
01 TRAVIS McCOY
21 KENDRICK GOMEZ
63 DAWAYNE BRYAN
46 TOMMY CAVANEY
39 DANIEL O'CONNELL
10 STEVE DORER
22 LARRY OSTEEN
07 JAY DUNHAM
56 WAYNE MORRIS
26 DAN CROWE
77 TONY AMICO
7 GEORGE COUSE
TOP ROOKIE - KENDRICK GOMEZ
HARD CHARGER - BRAD BARKIS
HALFWAY LEADER - MARTIN PIERCE
In other action:
Open Wheel Modifieds`
Fourteen high-powered Open Wheel Modifieds took to the track for their feature event and what a barnburner it was. Steve Perez jumped out to the early lead but the action was behind him as Bill Davis #15 and Rocco Ranallo #67 ran side by side for most of the 35 lap feature to the cheers of the fans. Lap after lap the two battled neither of the competitors giving an inch either way. Lapped traffic eventually came into play as the two came out turn two the #7 of Thomas Troyer slid high and with no where to Davis jumped over his tire but avoided a serious altercation and was able to stay in the gas barely missing a beat. But this was all that Ranallo needed as he got by Perez. Davis was still in the game but with the lapped traffic was unable to get by as Ranallo cruised to his third feature win in a row, Davis took second. Perez came across the stripe in third ahead of Chris Dean #80 in fourth. Rounding out the top five was Tommy Moore #57.
Results:
67 ROCCO RANALLO
15 BILL DAVIS
92 STEVE PEREZ
80 CHRIS DEAN
57 TOMMY MOORE
3 TONY MEEHAN
59 ANDY DYNDUL
0 JAY STEELE
09 STEVE HARBUCK
35 BOB PARKER
7 THOMAS TROYER
40 MARK CHAPMAN
59X JOHN SHIELDS
Desoto Trucks
Brian Donahue #3 avoided the carnage behind him and roared to the checkers in the DeSoto Truck feature, Andy Breedlove #50 took second, #70 James Glover was third, Jeff Firestein #93 fourth and fifth went to #06 Bill Carlbert jr.
Results:
DESOTO TRUCKS
3 BRIAN DONAHUE
50 ANDY BREEDLOVE
70 JAMES GLOVER
93 JEFF FIRESTEIN
06 BILL CARLBERT JR
98 JIM ALTERIZIO
29S TIM SHAFFNER
94 SHANE RUSS
7 BILL DAVIS
6 AL SAPP
29 JEFF GUILBAULT
97 KURT HAYWOOD – DNS
Street Stocks
Dennis Wilson jr. #42 took advantage of a late race caution to take the lead and the win in the Street Stock feature holding off Scott Woodland #77 who was all over the bumper Wilson. Chet Roberts brought the #69 home in third after building a big lead and looking like he was going to take it all until the late race caution cost him the lead. Todd Wozniak #10 took the fourth spot and in fifth was Ford of #6 Danny Anderson.
Results:
STREET STOCK
42 DENNIS WILSON JR
77 SCOTT WOODLAND
69 CHET ROBERTS
10 TODD WOZNIAK
6 DANNY ANDERSON
68 GARY McFALL
78 RODNEY McCLAFLIN
10X MATT SCHEFFLER
4 TOMMY HUFFSTUTLER
Mod-Minis
Randy Koon #22 took the trophy in the Modified Mini-Stocks over #3 Matt Watts, #65 Joey Catarelli, Corbin Gibbs #2 and #8 Tim Hartman.
Results:
22 RANDY KOON
3 MATT WAHS
65 JOEY CATARELLI
2 CORBIN GIBBS
8 TIM HARMAN
99 JASON KUYKENDALL
9 ANDY WHITTED
1 BRENT YODER
12 TERRY WESCOTT
44 CLOY JOSEPH
86 FRED PARAVICINI
5 STEVE GILL
74 PAUL HUFFSTUTLER
1C DAVID CARLBERT
82 JIMMY WARRAM
Mini-Stocks
Shane Whitbeck #22 ended the winning streak of Jessie Dutilly #30 and took the min-stock feature. Dutilly came back to take the second spot after being sent to the rear of the pack for an early race altercation. Arlin Pope #98 who was involved in the spin with Dutilly and was also sent to the rear came back for third. Chip Gaines #05 held off Micheal Gayle #23 for fourth.
Results:
MINI STOCKS
22 SHANE WHITBECK
30 JESSE DUTILLY
98 ARLIN POPE
05 CHIP GAINES
23 MICHAEL GAYLE
9 JEANNE WHITTED
5 STEVE BOOTH
14 JON BAILEY
8 STEVE GLOVER
69 BILL ALDEN
31 HARLAN WILSON
56 BRIAN RICHARDSON
38 JOHN DUTILLY
4 BRIAN WAGNER
97 TODD FREED JR
6 ED JASPER R
51 RICK NASLAN
34 ERIC ANDERSON
Pure Stock:
Rookie Tim Garrod #5 was the winner in the Pure stock division over Jody Collins #18, last weeks winner #6 Mark Picklesimer, Peggy Hurst #3 and Bob Petrilli in the #4.
Results:
PURE STOCK
5 TIM GARROD
18 JODY COLLINS
6 MARK PICKLESIMER
3 PEGGY HURST
4 BOB PETRILLI
74 PAUL HUFFSTUTLER
23 JASON ESPOSITO
30 JOE WENGERD
68 KEITH THORBIN
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