Bithlo, Fla (August 15, 2003) It was clear skies and a moon overhead for Orlando SpeedWorld Friday night. This year Mother Nature has been the biggest winner with weekly rainouts but finally the Racing Gods shown down on Orlando SpeedWorld and let us race Friday night.
With heats and features plus the rained out feature of the Open Wheel Modifieds from several weeks ago, fans and drivers got rite of some of the racing blues. Shane Held had the pole for the rained out Modified feature and quickly jumped to the point over Dave Riely, Matt Wheeler, Jason Boyd, and Lynn Dicandio.
Boyd passed Wheeler, then Riley and was looking for the lead when he and the leader Shane Held got together with Held spinning. Both were sent to the rear for the restart with Dave Riley as the new leader.
But it was Matt Wheeler who passed Riley and took the checkered followed by Dave Riley, Lynn Dicandio, Jason Boyd and Shane Held.
Dalton Zehr had the pole for the Bandolero Young Guns and quickly took the point on the green followed by Scott Jarrett, Kevin Henry, Brandon Thomson, and Blake Diecks. The first and only caution came out when Chelsea Schilling spun coming off two on the backstretch. Zehr held the point on the restart and took the checkered followed by Kevin Henry, Scott Jarrett, Blake Diecks, and Chelsea Schilling. Dalton Zehr took the heat win.
It was Chad Akins who took the Bandolero Bandits win from green to checkered after he had the pole. Following Akins on the green was Derrick Wood, Josh Williams, Gerald White, Jr., and Hunter Robbins. The caution came out when Gerald White, Jr. spun in turns 1 and 2. Akins held the point on the restart and took the checkered followed by Derrick Wood, Josh Williams, Matt Bowers and #06, Blake Eden, who was running in fifth, spun right before the finish line. Chad Akins took the heat win.
Ray Sasser had the pole for the Legends but it was Patrick Conrad who jumped to the point on the green followed by Sasser, Jason Reisman, Kevin Abbott, and Sam Watts. Jason Reisman quickly took over second from Sasser and aimed for Conrad. Reisman took the point from Conrad just as the caution came out for Kevin Abbott and Sam Watts who spun on the frontstretch. Both cars were sent to the rear of the field for the restart.
Reisman held the point on the restart but Patrick Conrad came back and took over the point only to see Reisman fight back hard and retake the lead. Reisman crossed the checkered taking the win followed by Patrick Conrad, Ray Sasser, Nick Keeling, and Jeremy Colangelo.
Ray Sasser and Patrick Conrad took the heat wins.
It was time for the "Big Boys" to come. Rusty Ebersole had the pole for the Super Late Models and quickly took the lead on the green followed by Chris Fontaine, Eric Deffendall, Ricky Wood, and B.J. McLeod. Wood brought out the caution when he spun down the frontstretch going into the mud and the water but was able to drive out.
Ebersole holds the point on the restart with Chris Fontaine, B.J. McLeod, Eric Deffendall, and Ricky Wood in the top five. Robert Jenkins brought out the second and last caution when he spun up in turn 2.
Ebersole again takes the point on the green and crossed the checkered followed by Chris Fontaine, B.J. McLeod, Eric Deffendall, and Ricky Wood. Rusty Ebersole took the heat win.
R.J. Arnone had the pole for the Mini Stock feature and took the point on the green followed by Chad Ashley, Robbie Storer, Sean Bass and Charlie Brown. Storer passed Ashely then Arnone and took the lead putting Arnone second, Ashely third, Brown fourth and Tim "Missileman" McPhail fifth.
Arnone slipped back to fifth with Ashley taking over second, Brown in third and McPhail in fourth. Suddenly in turns 3 and 4, Charlie Brown, Tim "Missileman" McPhail, Dick Laszlo, R.J. Arnone and Donald Hall are all involved in a massive pile-up. The race was red flagged. All cars were able to continue except for Hall who had to be towed into the pits.
On the restart, Storer holds the point followed by Ashley, Laszlo, Jerry 10, and McPhail. Randy Blakeslee spun on the frontstretch bringing out the yellow. On the restart, the line-up was not right and a second restart was in order with Storer taking the point and the checkered followed by Chad Ashely, Dick Laszlo, Jerry 10, and Tim "Missileman" McPhail.
Robbie Storer and Sean Bass took the heat wins.
Lynn Dicandio had the pole for the Modified feature but it was Shane Held who took the point over Jason Boyd, Lynn Dicandio, Jerry Artuso, and Matt Wheeler. Held and Artuso get together in turns 1 and 2 with both going to the rear of the field for the restart.
Boyd takes the point followed by Lynn Dicandio, Matt Wheeler, Glen Bradley and Ricky Moxley on the restart. Wheeler passes Dicandio and takes over second but can't take Boyd. Jimmy Crowe, Jr. moves into fifth sliding Moxley back.
Boyd takes the checkered followed by Matt Wheeler, Lynn Dicandio, Jimmy Crowe, Jr. and Shane Held Jason Boyd took the heat win.
Bill Hall had the pole for the Sportsman feature but it was Richard Hight who took the point on the green followed by Hall, Tony Wilson, Donnie Smith (with his new modified from the heat race) and Charlie Vest.
Smith takes over second with his new modified putting Wilson third, Vest fourth and Hall fifth. Vest spun on the frontstretch bringing out the yellow and joining the field at the rear for the restart. Hight holds the point on the restart and takes the checkered followed by Donnie Smith, Tony Wilson, Justin Hall, and Bill Hall. Richard Hight took the heat win.
Donald Springer lead from green to checkered in the Strictly Stock feature. Following Springer on the green was Roger Benton, Danielle Ward, Bobby Crites, and Richie Laszlo. Crites hits the front wall with Ward in the mud as Crites and Laszlo fight for the same spot. The race restarts with Crites and Laszlo in the rear and also Ward.
Springer holds the point and takes the checkered followed by Roger Benton, Bobby Crites, Richie Laszlo, and Danielle Ward. Roger Benton took the heat win.
Next week, August 22, DOUBLE points night at Orlando SpeedWorld.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
RAINED OUT MODIFIED FEATURE:
1. #96 Matt Wheeler 2. #05 Dave Riley 3. #20 Lynn Dicandio 4. #2x Jason Boyd 5. #55 Shane Held 6. #4 Glen Bradley
LEGENDS
1. #25 Jason Reisman 2. #2 Patrick Conrad 3. #8 Ray Sasser 4. #15 Nick Keeling 5. #05 Jeremy Colangelo 6. #30 Sam Whiting 7. #99 Jeff Johnson 8. #73 Sam Watts 9. #7 Mike Verhaagh 10. #27n Bob Wilson 11. #9 Mitch Verhaagh 12. #31 Jarrad Cowley 13. #6 Kenny White 14. #98 Kevin Abbott
SUPER LATES
1. #47 Rusty Ebersole 2. $47x Chris Fontaine 3. #78 B.J. McLeod 4. #26 Eric Deffendall 5. #33 Ricky Wood 6. #4 Rick Bates 7. #112 Scott McKinely 8. #17 Robert Jenkins
OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED
1. #2X Jason Boyd 2. #96 Matt Wheeler 3. #20 Lynn Dicandio 4. #89 Jimmy Crowe, Jr. 5. #55 Shane Held 6. #05 Jerry Artuso 7. #4 Glen Bradley 8. #38 Ricky Moxley 9. #56 Ken McCracken 10. #721 John Bennett
SPORTSMAN
1. #23 Richard Hight 2. #48 Donnie Smith 3. #71 Tony Wilson 4. #50 Justin Hall 5. #56 Bill Hall 6. #26 Charlie Vest
MINI STOCK
1. #9 Robbie Storer 2. #07A Chad Ashley 3. #07 Dick Laszlo 4. #10 Michael Seay 5. #7 Tim "Missileman" McPhail 6. #11 Charlie Brown 7. #88 R.J. Arnone 8. #45 Gary Green 9. #77 Randy Blakeslee 10. #61 Rick G. 11. #31 Donald Hall 12. #28 Sean Bass
STRICTLY STOCKS
1. #66 Donald Springer 2. #14 Roger Benton 3. #B2 Bobby Crites 4. #07 Richie Laszlo 5. #92 Danielle Ward
