SATSUMA, FL (9/20) - Thrills, chills, and spills punctuated a memorable night of racing at Putnam County Speedway as the Winged Sprints joined the regular classes and good car counts graced most divisions.
Kenny Adams took the lead on the first lap and proved to be without equal this evening as he swept the Winged Sprint main by a comfortable margin. Danny Martin Jr. made the most exciting run as he successfully battled both Roland Johnson and Red Stauffer for position. Adams encountered heavy traffic late in the race, which allowed Martin to close up enough space to make things interesting before the checkers fell. The finishing order was Adams, Martin, Stauffer, Johnson, and Tommy Denton. Adams will need a similar show of strength on October 24 and 25 as the invading USCS series brings on their Fall Brawl. Some of the top sprinters in the country will do their best to leave Adams in their wake.
The Modified feature was largely a snoozer for the first 28 laps. Marion Sizemore bested Jason Lowe on the initial start and seemed to have things under control while the rest of the pack predominantly raced single file. With two laps to go, however, Sizemore’s mount gave out and ended his night.
Last week fate took away Robby Barris’ lunch money in a similar manner. This week fate returned to serve him a seven-course meal and Barris feasted upon the moment to earn a win that had slipped away just a few nights prior. Second through fifth were Richard Tipton, Chris Hammond, James Blackmer, and Paul Sizemore Jr.
The Pure Stocks gave the fans a little bit of everything as exciting door slamming racing was mixed with wrecks, flips, and fire which brought out many yellows and two red flags. Mike Tripp was battling Jake Hartley for the early lead when both made contact and were sent to the rear. A rapid succession of leaders followed but none could maintain their advantage until L. J. Klemons attained the throne on lap 18. Tripp battled back to challenge and upend Klemons on the 22nd circuit and hold on for the victory. Tripp builds on an already formidable points lead with the win. Klemons took runner-up honors and was trailed by Hartley, Hollywood Owen, and David Moody.
A small field of eight Limiteds took the green flag. Jeff Terrell led the race easily through the first half but subsequently received challenges from Gary Sexton and Rick Singler. Sexton and Terrell got involved in an incident in turn two, which took them out of contention. Singler, whose car looked lackluster in the heat and through the first ten laps of the feature, saw the track come back to him as he appeared to gain strength as the race wore on. He received no serious challenges towards the end and notched his second consecutive win. Wild Bill Kopka improved from last week’s outing to come home second. Jason Davis was third, Gary Flynn was fourth, and Travis Rhoden was fifth. The good news is that with the end of the racing season for neighboring tracks, several Limited drivers have made verbal commitments to join us at Putnam for the next few weeks and bolster car counts in this class.
Billy Costello jetted to an early advantage in Street Stocks, but couldn’t hold off John Reiter or Kenny Hall, as both were able to race past and open up considerable real estate. Hall and Reiter slugged it out for several laps before Hall asserted himself as the faster driver. From that point all of the action was for third as Costello, Tiny Greene, Timmy Dowling, and Mike Scranton raced closely enough to be coverable by a single blanket. After some attrition and bent fenders the race finished with Hall as the victor, Reiter second, Scranton third, and Kenny Durham fourth by a bumper’s length over Costello.
Next Saturday evening will see an all-locals show as the four regular divisions run their heats and features. Gates open at 5 PM and racing commences at 7 PM.
