Tampa Fl. June 24 2006 Thunder, lightning, and heavy rains surrounded East Bay Raceway Park Saturday night forcing race officials but make adjustments to the evening’s schedule. It was decided to run a features only show to try and beat the looming storms and five laps were added to each main.
The Outlaw Fours were on deck first with twenty laps of action ahead of them and Austin Gillman made his way into the early lead. Gillman was able to hold off repeated challenges from several different drivers over the course of the race until the white flag lap. Pete Grantham found an open lane on the bottom of the track and was able to pull along side in turn one. Contact between Gillman and Grantham coming off turn two resulted in Gillman turning head on into the back straight wall and hard contact was made.
The red flag was displayed so safety workers could check out the young driver and after a few tense moments word came that he was ok. On the restart, Grantham lead the field to a one-lap dash to the finish in front of a smoking Chad Rose. Grantham won the race to the checkers but post race tech found tire issues and Rose was declared the winner. Travis Varnadore moved up to second spot, Steve Miller recovered from an early spin to wind up in third ahead of Kevin Haynes in fourth, and Zach Amundsen rounded out the top five.
Thirty laps of Late Model action were up next. Keith Nosbisch took over the ride normally piloted by Ted Erskine and made the best of it. Nosbisch started fourth in the seventeen-car field and worked his way to the front early. Several drivers were able challenge for the top spot on restarts but each time Keith held them off. Donnie Tanner was the late race charger but had to settle for second spot ahead of David Schmauss, Marshall Austin, and Phillip Cobb.
Greg Leonard continues his winning ways in the Limited Sprint class. Leonard started in the last row in this twenty-lap run and used every racing line on the track on his way to the front. Early leader Michael Smith seemed to have things going his way in the opening laps but his car faded as the race wore on. Tim George rode out a hard hit with the turn one gate and wall that put out the red flag to check on his condition but thankfully once again he emerged unhurt. The racecar was not so lucky requiring a ride on the rollback back to the pits. Leonard was in clear command over the waning laps and took the checkers well ahead of Rich Alexander, Donnie Maxwell, tenth starter Paulie Milum, and Michael Smith.
Street Stocks were out in force tonight and they came to race. Pole position starter Buckshot Mixner had problems early and the ensuing pile up jumbled the field for the restart. Buck Woodhouse led the field for many laps with furious racing going on behind him. Steven Johnson was picking his way to the front after starting eleventh and took the lead shortly after half way. Coming out of the last corner of the last lap Johnson’s car slid wide and Paul Gibbs was ready to pounce on the slip. Gibbs took the win by inches over Johnson, Woodhouse held on for third at the stripe with Joseph Luce and Cam Canova capping the top five.
Forest Gough returned to victory lane in the Limited Late Models. Gough’s racer needed major repairs after a hard meeting with the wall last week but no ill effects were evident tonight. Several different drivers had their time at the front of the field in this twenty lapper but would come to grief in one way or another as spins and mechanical woes were abundant. Timmy Bronson fought back from early problems to grab the runner up spot. Austin Sanders fought a wicked handling car to finish third. Shane Koperda had to make a trip to the pits but recovered for fourth, and last weeks winner Roger Crouse came back from an early race crash to finish fifth.
We are now in to our summer schedule. The next race on the Clay By The Bay will be held July fifteenth when we will host five classes of racing including the Gagles Open Wheel Modifieds, Limited Sprints, Street Stocks, Outlaw Fours, and Four Cylinder Bombers. Check out www.eastbayracewaypark.com for details.
