Rain Delays FASTRUCK's Debut at Citrus County Speedway
by Larry MacMillan
(Inverness, Fl. 2/22/03) Weather presents some good news and bad news at Citrus County Speedway Saturday night. First the bad news! Severe weather delayed the first appearance of the Star Wars Pro Tour FASTRUCK race scheduled for a 50-lap feature run at the reconfigured 3/8ths mile, Citrus County Speedway. Thunderstorms and severe weather pretty well wiped out most racing activity on the West Coast of Florida.
Now for the good news, the delay will only be for a week and will make up a super race program for next Saturday night. Promoter Bobby Diehl for the FASTRUCK pro tour fortunately had an open date on March 1st, which will end the first four weeks of the local season with a really big show at the 48-year old venue. The FASTRUCK series will be back to try it again with time trials at 5:30 to qualify for the 50-lap feature event.
Late Models are scheduled to start their point season next week and that will be added to the program with seven divisions to make up the super race card before the three week layoff for the Citrus County Fair activities. Late Models will have a limited season in 2003 with only 19 races on the schedule plus four Super Late Model races to include the reopening of the season on March 29th with the Sunbelt 125. Also on the schedule is the second leg of the Powell Memorial 130 on June 7th, the second leg of the Florida Pro Series August 16th and wrapping up the season with the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown Late Model 125 on November 8th.
Sportsman, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Thunder Stocks will try to get week three of their point’s season in before the three-week break in the action. A lot of racers are still putting their cars together and will make their first appearance after the Fair break only three weeks behind in the race for the crown. Car count should pick up big time after the break.
Practice will be set for Friday February 28th for this weekend’s race card. Gates will be open at 4 and warm ups will be starting at 5 until 10 p.m. which should give the drivers a good idea of how to set up their cars for the Saturday night race under similar conditions. The FASTRUCKS have had no time on the 3/8ths mile racecourse and it will give them some time to get acquainted with the facility despite some of the drivers having had experience on the former ¼ mile in other divisions over the years. The FASTRUCK series has two more races on the 2003 schedule, May 10th and July 26th.
Other traveling series scheduled to appear at Citrus during the season are the Figure 8’s with 5 appearances starting April 19th, Pro Modifieds with three more races after last week’s appearance. Two more TBARA Sprint car races and FAST Sprints with 2 races on the schedule to round out the most versatile season that Citrus County Speedway has offered in its 48 years of operation. A menu that should satisfy the racing preferences of any short track racing enthusiast.
