Allison tops Mini Stoc ks, Foster wins Super Stock at New Smyrna Speedway
What a great night we had here at New Smyrna Speedway! The crowd was welcomed by none other than Jesse the Pig and Sarah Burleson the Volusia County Fair Queen.
The fans got a real treat as Rusty Marcus, General Manager from Orlando Speedworld, gave rides around the track in the Crash-a-Rama bus. The kids then all got together on the front stretch and went after what Easter eggs they could find. Next years hunt will be even more spectacular as Terry Roberts is no longer in charge of how many eggs to fill!!!!!!
The Mini Stocks took to the track in what looked like would be a repeat of last week. A hard crash in turn four occurred on lap one and involved three cars. The 10 of Michael Seay and the 5 of Joseph Gerard had only minor damage but the 6 of Jamie Dixon had to call it quits for the night because of major front end damage. On the restart, the 92 of Jared Allison passed cars before reaching the line and was penalized a spot. The very next lap the 15 of Jeff White spins in turn four bringing out the yellow. Again on the restart, the 92 jumped ahead and this time the 07 of Steven Simpson followed. Both were penalized a spot. The action up front is heated as the 71 of Ted Vulpius, the 07, and the 92 race door to door. Suddenly the 71 falls off the pace and pulls in. The guys get some good green lap racing in before 07 spins. This sets the finish up for a green, white, checkered. However, track conditions cause havoc and six more cars are done for the night. With only the 92, 07x of Dick Lazslo, 10, and 20 of Jeff Pittsly cars remaining, the checkered is thrown while still under caution.
The Super Stocks make it exciting right from the start, taking it three wide into turn one. The 86 of Johnny Brown takes the lead with the 18 of George Spears and the 49 of Jason Foster fighting hard for second. Meanwhile, the 2 of Ron Whaley is charging his way to the front from the very back of the pack. 49 finally secures second place and sets his sights on the 86. It doesn’t take long before he catches him and they swap the lead several times, with the 49 coming out on top. The 3x of James Frisbie spins, sending him to the rear from his fourth place position. The top five are now 49, 18, 86, 2, and the 31 of J.T. Tippins. By turn two of the restart, 3x has passed five cars and is determined to get to the front. The 2 has managed to work his way around the 86 but doesn’t have enough time to challenge the 49 and 18. The 3x was closing the gap, but has to settle for fifth. Wow, what a run he had going! By the way, did the 3 of Jeff Colburn break again?!!
The Pro Trucks had only four drivers tonight, but they sure did put on a show. The 33 of DeWayne Barrus charges to the front but clips the 29 of Tim Gertsch as he takes the lead. This upsets the 29 truck enough that the 60 of Chad Akins gets by. The 29 gathers it up before the 62 of A.J. Factor can make his move. The battle is heated between the 33 and 60 as they race side by side. The 33 gets in to the corner to hard and washes up the track, giving the 60 the break he needs in order to take the lead. The race between the four of them is nose to tail as they cross the finish line. The 60 shows off the moves his Daddy taught him by celebrating with tire-smoking donuts on the Front Stretch!
The Goodyear Challenge Series ran the best race of their season, giving the fans edge of their seat excitement for 100 laps. The story and results can be found on the Goodyear Challenge page.
There was some confusion as to whether the Modifieds were on the schedule to run tonight. But we like racing so much that when four of them showed up, we wanted to see them race. They didn’t disappoint. The 9 of Art Kunzeman lead the way into turn one. It looked like it might be his night, but something went wrong as he fell off the pace. The 4B of Alan Bruns is able to keep the 90 of Robert Anderchek at bay lap after lap. The 16 of Patrick Mennenga is staying right with the leaders. It looks as if this is going to be the finishing order, when all of the sudden the 90 gets an incredible burst of speed going down the backstretch. He easily passes the 4B for the win. Can you say nitrous oxide or was Fritts really behind the wheel?!! The saga continues……..
The Sportsman are next to take the track. Unfortunately for the 90 of Bill Christen, it would be short lived as he hits the wall hard in turn one. On the restart, the 99 of Kevin Auger loses his driveshaft on the front stretch, effectively ending his night. They line up again, only to see the 07 of Ron Lufcy and the 4 of Travis Towell get to when the green drops. The 07, after having a tough time even making it to the track, is too heavily damaged to continue. The 4 is a bit luckier and starts from the rear. He manages to work his way up to fourth, but the 63 of Dale Howard, the 30 of Dale Clouser, and the 16 of Patrick Mennenga are to far ahead to catch by the time the checkered waves.
The Strictly Stocks did an outstanding job tonight. They are a fun group to watch! When something happens and they spin or wreck, they just turn the car in the right direction and keep going. I can’t give you a play by play, as I had the privilege of enjoying the race seated next to the one and only Marvin Panch. For those of you to young to remember, he was the winner of the 1961 Daytona 500.
It just doesn’t get any better than this!!!
Official Results April 15, 2006
Mini Stock: 1. 92 Jared Allison 2. 07x Dick Laszlo 3. 10 Michael Seay 4. 20 Jeff Pittsly 5. 07 Steven Simpson 6. 43 Tom Rose 7. 09 Bob Kelchner 8. 5 Joseph Gerard 9. 15 Jeff White 10. 23 Wayne Wells 11. 71 Ted Vulpius 12. 6 Jamie Dixon
Super Stock: 1. 49 Jason Foster 2. 18 George Spears 3. 2 Ron Whaley 4. 86 Johnny Brown 5. 3x James Frisbie 6. 15 Mike Wofford 7. 31 T.J. Tippins 8. 311 Ricky Lindner 9. 4 Russ Noyes 10. 07 Richie Laszlo 11. 68 Alvin Morris 12. 21 Mike Dahm 13. 44 Bruce Wingate 14. 3 Jeff Colburn
Pro Truck: 1. 60 Chad Akin 2. 33 Dewayne Barrus 3. 29 Tim Gertsch 4. 62 A.J. Factor
Modified: 1. 90 Robert Anderchek 2. 4B Alan Bruns 3. 16 Patrick Mennenga 4. 9 Art Kunzeman
Sportsman: 1. 63 Dale Howard 2. 30 Dale Clouser 3. 16 Patrick Mennenga 4. 4 Travis Towell 5. 23 Mike Pletka 6. 6 Bruce McGonical 7. 07 Ron Lufcy 8. 99 Kevin Auger 9. 90 Bill Christen
Strictly Stock: 1. 17x Jay Mullins 2. 43 Skip Wager 3. 911 Paul Kittner 4. 29 Scott Cecil 5. 009 Alan Tanguay 6. 6 Dave Werning 7. 48 Holli Barr 8. 88 Nick Boley 9. 8 Duane Eisaman 10. 4 Arnold Parent 11. 44 Jared Zeblee 12. 22 Eric Kottwitz
