Tim Clark Wins First Feature Late Model Race at New Smyrna Speedway
by Jane Smith
Samsula, Fla (May 10, 2003) With the Goodyear Challenge Late Model Series running at Charlotte County Speedway Saturday night, the Late Model division was a little short on cars but not on racing action.
Bobby Orr sat on the pole for the 15 lap feature but when the green was thrown, the flagman did not like the start and restarted the race sending Orr to the rear of the field for the restart. Tim Clark was the new pole sitter.
No cautions were thrown during the race with Clark fighting off Brian Bellaw every lap for the win. Bellaw could get close but not close enough to pass. Orr worked his way from the rear to third.
Clark took his first ever Late Model feature win followed by Brian Bellaw, Bobby Orr, Timmy Todd and Charlie Staats. Staats, who noramlly runs a Mini Truck in the Mini Stock division, debuted his new Late Model on his birthday and came home fifth.
Bobby Orr took the heat win for the Late Model division.
David Castello, the 2002 Mini Stock Champion, took time off from him new modified to run his old Mini Stock. Castello started on the pole and took the lead on the green but on lap 3, Ted "Mr Mini Stock" Vulipus was able to pass Castello and take over the point.
By lap 5, Castello now found his hands full of Tim "Missileman" McPhail who took over second putting Castello third followed by Wayne Clark and Troy Kruse.
Coming into the last lap right before the checkered, Clark slipped back out of the top five to sixth. Vulipus took the checkered followed by Tim "Missileman" McPhail, David Castello, Troy Kruse, and Rex Christensen.
David Castello took the heat win for the Mini Stock division.
Jeff Colburn had the pole for the Super Stock feature but it was Josh Wronkowski who jumped to the lead on the green followed by Colburn, Mike Amato, Ron Whaley and Charlie Collins. On lap 2, Wronkowski suffered a flat and slowly made his way onto pit road and was done for the night being pushed into the pits by the tow truck. No caution was thrown as Colburn took over the lead.
On lap 5, Amato slides up towards the turn 4 wall but does a heck of a job of saving the car. Colburn still holds the lead followed by Collins, Whaley, Amato and Rob Watford.
Lap 7, the yellow is thrown for debris on the track. Colburn hold the point on the restart but it is Charlie Collins who passes Colburn and takes the checkered. Following Collins is Jeff Colburn, Ron Whaley, Mike Amato and Rob Watford.
Colburn is dq'd because of failure to go straight to tech for weighing which changes the top five to Charlie Collins, Ron Whaley, Mike Amato, Rob Watford and Jason Faster.
Ron Whaley took the heat win for the Super Stock division.
Wayne Parker had the pole for the Super Late Model 25 lap feature but on his outside was David Rogers who was able to get the point on the green and never look back. B.J. McLeod, last week's winner, started in the rear of the field and by lap 2, was in third place. By lap 9, McLeod had takes over second putting Parker third.
Rogers took the checkered followed by B.J. McLeod, Wayne Parker, Guy Thomas and Mark Vandevender.
David Rogers took the heat win.
Joe Adams sat on the pole for the Sportsman division but it was Dusty Downer who quickily jumped to the lead on the green followed by Adams, Chris Pedulat, Steve Redditt, and Paul Colgan. Redditt moves to fourth putting Colgan to fifth.
On lap 4, while running in third, Chris Pedulat breaks. Downer moves to second with Adams in third followed by Ron Lufcy and Steve Redditt. Lap 11 sees the yellow come out for Cory Kaiser who is stuck at the back pit entrance and partly on the track. Kaiser is pushed to his pit and the race goes green.
Downer holds the point on the restart but is pushed up towards the turn 2 wall and does one really good job of keeping the car off the wall and going straight but loses the lead. Ron Lufcy takes over the point followed by Paul Colgan, Steve Redditt, Dusty Downer, and Jim Snyder.
Lufcy takes the checkered followed by Colgan, Redditt, Downer and Snyder. But Lufcy is dq'd in tech and the win is given to Paul Colgan with Steve Redditt in second, Dusty Downer in third, Jim Snyder fourth and Bill Love fifth.
Joe Adams and Dusty Downer took the heat wins.
Mark Vandevender sat on the pole for the Open Wheel Modified feature and took the lead on the green but before a lap could be counted, Sean Price spun in turn 2 which required a total restart.
On the restart, it is Vandevender and Jim "Hoot" Flynn going side-by-side for the lead which Flynn taking the point followed by Vandevender, Chad Pierce, Art Kunzeman and Paul Duncan.
Bobby Blake passes Duncan taking over fifth and looks to Kunzeman for fourth. Blake makes the pass and takes over fourth. On lap 4, Jim Coverdale brought out the caution as he spun in front of the pit road entrance. Coverdale straightens the car and the race goes back green.
Flynn holds the point but finds his hands full of Chad Pierce at the back door. Bobby Blake, now in third, is looking at Pierce for second. On lap 11, Pierce breaks giving Blake the second place spot. Blake tried but could not catch Flynn for the lead.
Jim "Hoot" Flynn took the checkered followed by Bobby Blake, Mark Vandevender, Paul Duncan, and Jim Coverdale.
Jim "Hoot" Flynn took the heat win.
Tim Edmundson had the pole for the Strictly Stock feature but it was James Smith who took the lead on the green and never looked back. On lap 4, Nick Boley gives the crowd a thrill as he goes sideways in turns 1 and 2 but is able to hold the car off the wall and correct. Smith had a good lead with the race being heated between the second, third and fourth place cars of Robert Ward, Barry Parks, and Tim Edmundson.
Jerry Hovencamp ran a very solid fifth place until lap 9 when he broke and his night was done. Nick Boley took over fifth and held it to the end. Following Smith to the checkered was Robert Ward, Barry Parks, Tim Edmundson and Nick Boley.
James Smith and Tim Edmundson took the heat wins.
Next Saturday night, May 17, at New Smyrna Speedway all FASCAR divisons will be racing heats and features and it will be DOUBLE points night.
OFFICIAL RESULTS - NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - MAY 10
SUPER LATES - 25 Laps
1. #11 David Rogers 2. #78 B.J. McLeod 3. #3 Wayne Parker 4. #2 Guy Thomas 5. #7 Mark Vandevender 6. #71 Russ Shaw
LATE MODEL - 15 Laps
1, #8 Tim Clark - first time winner 2. #77 Brian Bellaw 3. #30 Bobby Orr 4. #25 Timmy Todd 5. #9 Charlie Staats (Happy Birthday Charlie) 6. #48 Mark Smith
OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED - 15 Laps
1. #57 Jim "Hoot' Flynn 2. #75 Bobby Blake 3. #7 Mark Vandevender 4. #88 Paul Duncan 5. #1 Jim Coverdale 6. #8 Sean Price 7. #51 Chad Pierce 8. #9 Art Kunzeman
SPORTSMAN - 15 Laps
1. #31 Paul Colgan 2. #1 Steve Redditt 3. #09E Dusty Downer 4 #55 Jimy Snyder 5. #2 Bill Love 6. #70 John Nusbaum 7. #18b Bryan Duila 8. #6 Bruce McDonigal 9. #62 Joe Adams 10. #48c Butch Yancey 11. #48 Cory Kaiser 12. #28 Chris Pedulat 13. #18 Kenneth Lawton 14. #07 Run Lufcy (DQ'D) No Points, No Money
MINI STOCK - 15 Laps
1. #71 Ted "Mr Mini Stock" Vulipus 2. #7 Tim "Missleman" McPhail 3. #1 David Castello 4. #6 Troy Kruse 5. #v3 Rex Christensen 6. #15 Wayne Clark 7. #38 Ben Hutto 8. #60 Ray Martin 9. #33 Bob Delmastro
SUPER STOCK - 15 Laps (only partial list)
1. #23 Charlie Collins 2.. #2 Ron Whaley 3. #2x Mike Amato 4. #17 Rob Watford 5. #48 Jason Foster
#3 Jeff Colburn DQ'D
STRICTLY STOCKS - 12 Laps
1. #65 James Smith 2. #27 Robert Ward 3. #27w Barry Parks 4. #66 Tim Edmundson 5. #88 Nick Boley 6. #37 Steven Metts 7. #15 Mike Wofford 8. #8 Teresa Thrombley 9. #39 Jeremy Hovencamp 10. #92 Curtis Smith 11. #13 Ralph Jones
