by Dave Westerman
Action was hot and heavy during night two of the 2004 Winternationals at Orlando Speedworld, but five drivers were still able to pick up where they left off on Tuesday by winning the features in their respective divisions on Wednesday.
Clay Hair of Mt. Pleasant, NC, picked up his second straight RE/MAX Legends Masters Division victory leading the entire 20 lap distance although he was challenged the whole way by Legends Car "legend" Cotton Spry of Salisbury, NC who had to settle for second.
The Masters feature only needed one yellow flag period when U.K. Champion Derek Hales and Troy Van Allen got together going into turn one near the end of the race. The caution allowed Spry to close back in on Hair, but Hair was up to the task claiming the win over Spry, Canadian Cy Harvey, Brian Weimer, and Dwight Pilgram.
Masters heat races went to Hair and Harvey.
Thirteen year old Sam Watts of Winter Springs, FL took advantage of his pole starting spot and sped to his second consecutive RE/MAX Legends Semi-Pro win.
Three caution periods slowed the action over the 25 laps, the most serious being on lap nine for a multi-car tangle that saw Wesley McLeod pop the wall quite hard ending his evening prematurely.
Watts was never seriously challenged in this one, speeding to an easy win over Scooter Hillis, Jake Crum, Chris Wilson, and Daren Jon Vanderley.
Watts and Jeremy Colangelo were the Semi-Pro heat winners.
Just like the night before, the RE/MAX Legends Pro 25 lapper was easily the best race of the night with nearly the entire field running under the proverbial "blanket."
Clermont, FL driver Patrick Conrad, driving for the first time in the Pro division, grabbed the early lead and was looking strong before a lap six caution for a Brent Seeley/James Inscoe tangle bunched up the field.
Conrad continued to show the way, but Berryville, VA driver Jason Miller was hot on his tail pipes and made the pass for the lead on lap thirteen. Conrad was forced out of the groove and quickly fell back to sixth place.
Conrad was trying to get back into the racing groove when he tangled with Chris Haack to bring out the yellow on lap 15. With Miller still at the point, caution flew again on lap 19 as Conrad, Haack, Tim Woodlee and James Inscoe got tangled up in turn one with Inscoe taking a pretty wild ride in the process.
Once the track was cleared, Concord NC's Josh Waring began to apply the pressure to Miller, making the pass for the lead on lap 22. Just as the field was about to get the white flag, Fred Hardwick's engine came unglued in turn one starting a wild melee that would send the cars of Woodlee and Jason Urso to the pits on the hook.
Waring was able to hold off Miller in the last dash to the checker with Kayne Hickman right behind them in third. Jesse Smith again started deep in the field but brought his "Spam Can" home fourth while Beau Slocumb took fifth. Night one winner Tolliver Smith could never really get on track in this one and finished well back in the field.
Legends Pro heats were claimed by Conrad and G.E. Chapman.
Bandelero Bandits action saw Chris Akins again the dominant car as he led all the way for his second win in a row. Gerald White, Jr. passed Josh Williams with two laps to go to finish in the runner-up spot ahead of Williams, Blake Eden and Ryan Rust.
Derrick Wood of Orlando, FL took the heat race for the Bandelero Young Guns, then was involved in a bad crash in his heat in the Legends Semi-Pros, getting T-Boned in the drivers door by Justin Petcosky. Wood complained of a sore elbow, but wanted to compete in his Bandelero race.
Since he appeared to be a bit disoriented, track officials allowed him to compete, but he was required to start at the back of the field.
Jake Crum of Statesville, NC, led all the way to win the Young Guns feature for the second consecutive night. Wood raced up to second, but his dad eventually took him to the hospital for a check-up after he said he couldn't remember much about running in the race. Nick Wesenick took the checker in third just ahead of the only Bandelero Outlaw competitor, Marci Bristol.
Matt Lassiter of Grifton, NC again dominated the Thunder Roadster action leading all the way as the 20 lap race went green to checker. Georgia driver Jim Gresham was second just ahead of Bill Manfull, Jim Fluharty, and Doc Eriksen.
Brian Ball was leading the Dan Webster for U.S. Senate Classic Car feature when the red flag was displayed on lap five for a grinding crash involving Bill Posey and Allen Cullum.
Cullum tagged Posey coming out of turn two and got him loose. Posey attempted to correct the car on the flat Bandelero track, but his machine came back up the speedway and clipped the left rear corner of Cullum's car before slamming head on into the turn three wall and catching fire. Cullum slid to the high side of turn four and hit the wall backwards.
Safety crews got the fire out and pulled Posey from his destroyed machine. Posey was transported to the hospital complaining of lower back pain. He was still being evaluated as of 1AM but was in good spirits and did not appear to be seriously hurt.
Rain began to fall during the red flag period, so the Classic Car race will be resumed as the first event on Thursday's show with five of the scheduled 15 laps completed.
With so many Baby Grand racers already at the speedway, they have been added to the Thursday show as well to go along with their scheduled Friday and Saturday races.
RESULTS - 2004 WINTERNATIONALS - ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD - 2/11/04:
RE/MAX LEGENDS MASTERS (20 Laps):
1) Clay Hair, Mt Pleasant, NC #29
2) Cotton Spry, Salisbury, NC #16NC
3) Cy Harvey, Halifax, NS #37
4) Brian Weimer, Cummings, GA #40
5) Dwight Pilgram, Stockbridge, GA #73
6) Rick Losh, Joppa, MD #00
7) Jim Mayrand, Jr., S. Deerfield, MA #15
8) Hermann Greinig, Addison, IL #78
9) Robert Brierton, Calcium, NY #74
10) Larry Friddle, Greenville, SC #8
11) Tommy Jordan, Hartsville, SC #1SC
12) James Rodriguez, West Palm Beach, FL #19
13) Bob Wilson, Beverly Hills, FL #27W
14) Delacy Peavy, Havana, FL #59
15) Ed Evans, Kirkwood, NY #53
16) Derek Hales, Horfolk, UK #1
17) Steve Kidwell, Duck Key, FL #3
18) Jesse Carter, Nashville, TN #20
19) Nancy Hardwick, Dandridge, TN #16
20) Doc Eriksen, Elizabeth, KY #0
21) Troy Van Allen, Concord, NC #2X
22) Bob Merino, Plano, TX #42
23) Butch Wills, Covington, Ohio #12
RE/MAX LEGENDS PRO (25 Laps):
1) Josh Waring, Concord, NC #13
2) Jason Miller, Berryville, VA #94
3) Kayne Hickman, Soddy-Daisy, TN #H3
4) Jesse Smith, St. Louis, MO #91
5) Beau Slocumb, Juliette, GA #8
6) Gene Conley, Lewisville, TX #27TX
7) G.E. Chapman, Concord, NC #29
8) Jason Davis, Clarksville, TN #23
9) Patrick Conrad, Clermont, FL #2
10) Tony Harbury, Owego, NY #45M
11) Danny Jackson, Loveland, OH #5
12) Brent Seeley, Dallas, TX #2T
13) Tolliver Smith, High Point, NC #21
14) Ricky Losh, Joppa, MD #24
15) Gary Bales, Sunbury, OH #69
16) Jason Reisman, Mooresville, NC #25
17) Jason Urso, Binghampton, NY #99J
18) Fred Hardwick, Dandridge, TN #2H
19) Tim Woodlee, McMirrville, TN #0
20) James Inscoe, Douglasville, GA #10
21) Craig Haack, Lewisburg, TN #8Ball
RE/MAX LEGENDS SEMI PRO (25 Laps):
1) Sam Watts, Winter Springs, FL #73
2) Scooter Hillis, Lebanon, TN #16
3) Jake Crum, Statesville, NC #1
4) Chris Wilson, Crossville, TN #10
5) Daren Jon Vanderley, Chunchula, AL #2D
6) Greg Floyd, Owensboro, KY #13
7) Jeremy Colangelo, Longwood, FL #05
8) Keith Breasbois, Gainesville, GA #41
9) Steven Meador, Hixson, TN #5
10) Darin Coker, Palm Beach Gardens, FL #00
11) Kyle Hall, Bashwood, MO #69
12) Jeff Deggeller, Palm City, FL #91
13) Wesley McLeod, Altamonte Springs, FL #22 DNS Derrick Wood, Orlando, FL #33 DNS Justin Petcosky, Vestal, NY #77 DNS Jeremy Lax, Sunbury, OH #99
THUNDER ROADSTER (20 Laps):
1) Matt Lassiter, Grifton, NC #26
2) Jim Gresham, Hampton, GA #7-11
3) Bill Manfull, Myakka City, FL #48
4) Jim Fluharty, Concord, NC #15
5) Doc Eriksen, Elizabeth, KY #1
6) Gene Davis, Myakka City, FL
#02 DNS Trick Standing, Virginia Beach, VA #15X
BANDELERO BANDITS (15 Laps):
1) Chad Akins, Daytona Beach, FL #60
2) Gerald White, Jr., Lakeland, FL #38
3) Josh Williams, Port Charlotte, FL #6X
4) Blake Eden, Deland, FL #17
5) Ryan Rust, Port St. Lucie, FL #18
6) Donovan Ponder, Orlando, FL #8
7) Conner Elliott, Meridian, ID #6
BANDELERO YOUNG GUNS (15 Laps)
1) Jake Crum, Statesville, NC #1
2) Derrick Wood, Orlando, FL #33
3) Nick Wesenick, Orlando, FL #7
1) Marci Bristol, Sharpsburg, GA #54 (Outlaw winner)
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