IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

May 16, 2004 FSCR Robert Ray Scores Citrus Modified Win by Larry MacMillan (Inverness, Fl. 5/15/04) Fourteen Modifieds took the spotlight at Citrus County Speedway Saturday night for their fourth 2004 appearance. Local race car builder and Enduro Hot Shoe Robert Ray has made the move to the Mod Squad and made the most of winning the pole at his home race track. When the green flew Kyle Bookmiller and Billy Bechtelheimer put the heat on from the get go. Bookmiller gave up second spot to Bechtelheimer with a second groove pass. Billy “B” chased Ray for 10 laps before he went wide and left the door open for Harold Cannon who was going for his third win of the season. Robert Ray held off Cannon for his first win in modifieds while Cannon had to settle for his second consecutive second place finish after winning the first two races of the year. Billy Bechtelheimer, John Grimm and Kyle Bookmiller locked in the balance of the top five. John Grimm and Chris Fadling won the heat races. The Super Street Stocks brought in 14 cars which was the largest field of the season for their 20 lap main event. Richie Smith and Jo Jo Viverito flexed their horsepower to take the heat wins. John Makula won the pole and when the green flew he rocketed off into Victory Lane in the only race of the night that didn’t see a caution flag. Joe Viverito had too little too late for the leader in the run for the checkers. He was followed by hard chargers Steve Olone and Steve Anderson who started from 13th and 14th spot to finish 3rd and 4th respectively. Richie Smith jockeyed from 6th to second and slipped back in the field to hold out for fifth at the finish line. Mini Stocks have been busy with series races around the state and a 12 car field made Citrus their track of choice this weekend. Twelve of the regulars took the green flag for their 20 lap main with Dustin DesChamps taking three laps to take the point. When the checkers flew Dustin logged his first 2004 win at Citrus followed by scratch starter Robbie Yoakam. Chris Hooker managed to close in on point leader Steve Griffin with a third place finish over Griffin’s fourth spot. Mike Lawhorn fell from the outside pole to hold out for fifth. DesChamps and Yoakam shared the heat wins. Twenty Six Hobby Stocks had a tough time making any long runs for their 20 lap feature event that was called in lap 16 after 8 caution flags. Four of those cautions were flown in the first three laps of the race. Despite the mayhem, Curtis Neumann came out of his 23rd starting spot to take his third win of the season. Point’s runner up Bobby Taylor launched from 24th to finish second over pole sitter Bill Ryan, Butch Patz and 22nd starter Tim Anderson. Jim Nocella, Ryan and Neil Herne won the heat races. Twenty five of 27 registered Thunder Stocks took the green flag that unbelievably went all 20 laps this week. After winning the first three features of the point season in a row, Lee Keller had no problem logging his fourth win of the season from his 9th starting spot. For the second week in a row Wayne Heater managed a second place finish from his 25th starting position only to loose it in post race inspection. Robert Jordan had his best finish of the year inheriting second after the D.Q. Louie Cioe led the early part of the race but lost his power advantage in lap 13 of the 20 lap main and slipped back to a third place finish. Steven Steindurf threatened to take the lead in the early going but had to settle for fourth over Jerry Hoover at the checkers. Cioe, Fred Henick and Ted Taylor won their heats. Harold Barup made it two for two after winning the heat race in the 4 Cylinder Bomber division Saturday night. John DeGeorge, Clark Pittsley, Festus Barup and Rusty Adams locked in the top five finish. Next Saturday will be $5 night for everyone on the Grandstand side with .50 cent beer being served in the early part of the evening. Super Street Stocks, and Mini Stocks will be going in 50 lap features. The rest of the card will feature Hobby Stocks, Thunders Stocks and 4 Cylinder Bombers. There has been a change in the date for the Powell Memorial 150 from Thursday June 3rd to Friday, June 4th. This will be a Sunbelt Series race, replacing the previously scheduled June 12th race at Citrus. Citrus County Speedway Results 5/15/04 Modified Feature – 30 Laps – 14 Cars 1. #19 Robert Ray 2. # 3 Harold Cannon 3. # 6 Billy Bechtelheimer 4. #72 John Grimm 5. #03 Kyle Bookmiller 1st Heat Winner - #3 Harold Cannon 2nd Heat Winner #19 Robert Ray Super Street Stock Feature – 14 Cars – 20 Laps 1. #27 John Makula 2. #72 Joe Viverito 3. #20 Steve Olone 4. #48 Steven Anderson 5. #77 Richie Smith 1st Heat Winner - #77 Richie Smith 2nd Heat Winner - #72 Joe Viverito Mini Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 12 Cars 1. #51 Dustin DesChamps 2. # 8 Robbie Yoakam 3. #1X Chris Hooker 4. # 3 Steve Griffin 5. #44 Mike Lawhorn 1st Heat Winner - #51 Dustin DesChamps 2nd Heat Winner - #8 Robbie Yoakam Hobby Stock Feature – 20 Laps (16 Laps Run) – 26 Cars 1. #01 Curtis Neumann 2. #66 Bobby Taylor 3. #33 Bill Ryan 4. #10 Butch Ryan 5. #88 Tim Anderson 1st Heat Winners - #21 Jim Nocella 2nd Heat Winner - #33 Bill Ryan 3rd Heat Winner - #13 Neil Hearn Thunder Stock Feature – 20 Lap – 27 Cars 1. #21 Lee Keller 2. #28 Robert Jordan 3. #88X Louie Cioe 4. #0X Steven Stinedurf 5. #30 Jerry Hoover 1st Heat Winner - #88X Louie Cioe 2nd Heat Winner - #60 Fred Henick 3rd Heat Winner – 77 Ted Taylor 4 Cylinder Bomber Feature – 6 Cars 1. #3 Harold Barup 2. #22 John DeGeorge 3. #64 Clark Pittsley 4. #69 Festus Barup 5. #67 Rusty Adams Heat Winner - #3 Harold Barup Have an opinion on this story? 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