Bradenton, Fl. Halloween was in full effect at “The South’s Fastest Short Track” as a great night racing was in store for the packed house featuring School Bus Figure 8, Turner Tree and Landscape Limited Late Models and the TBARA Winged Sprints.
TBARA Winged Sprints The packed house was on their feet as the four wide salute to the fans passed by on the front stretch. This would just be the prelude to some wild side-by-side racing as 22 cars took the green for the 35-lap feature.
Several spins marred the early stage of the race one of those was for Heat Race winner Keith Butler who is third in a tight points race. Butler bounced off the wall and looked like his night was over. Surprisingly the car was pushed off and he rejoined the tail of the field.
The fans were in for a great show once again from “the Super Man” Dave Steele as made his way through the field from his starting position on the outside of row six. Steele powered the familiar Lenny Puglio owned number 91 to the front of the pack to the cheers in stands. Once Steele took over the top spot he was never challenged again for the top spot.
The man on a mission though was Butler as he weaved his damaged racecar around traffic and with Steele taking the checkers Butler took a well-deserved second spot. A good run gave Troy DeCaire third, fourth went to driver point’s leader Bo Hartley and in the fifth spot Shane Butler.
Heat wins went to Bo Hartley, Mark Gimmler and Keith Butler.
Turner Tree and Landscape Limited Late Models Doug Moff once again showed the way in qualifying as he took the top spot over point’s leader Steve Dorer, Justin Larson, Steve Gill and Lonny Miller.
The field was started straight up from qualifying and Moff wasted no time pulling away from the field and dominating the 100-lap feature.
Behind Moff was where the real action was as Dorer and Larson went at in the closing laps for the second spot. Lap after lap Larson would try for the spot going high and low attempting to get around Dorer but each time the door would be slammed on him.
As Moff took the green flag Larson made one more shot at Dorer as they came out of turn one Dorer’s ride slipped and Larson was able to make the pass at the line. But then when it looked like Larson would finish second he slowed coming out of two and lost several spots on the run to the checkers. Later his crew would say a stuck throttle was the problem.
Moff would take his second win in a row, Dorer was second, third went to Steve Gill, fourth was Tate Pierce and dropping back to fifth was Larson.
School Bus Figure 8 In a wild 25 School Bus Figure 8 race that saw a bus flip, a huge fire and crazy side by side racing Paul Maness came out on top, Ernest Helfrick finished second, third was Mark Jackson, fourth went to James Volk and fifth Scott Brown.
Clear Channel Bombers Pos Driver Car # 1 RANDY JOHNSON 73 2 MICHAEL CROOKS 33 3 JAMES CRAWFORD JR 34 4 JOHN STEWART 02 5 BOBBY FRISCH 92
Pyramid Employers Pure Stocks Pos Driver Car # 1 DUANE BEST 67 2 DARRIN ELLIS 71 3 JIMMIE BEST 35 4 TYLER LAU 1 5 DUANE CAMPBELL 27
International Contractors Street Stocks Pos Driver Car # 1 DENNIS WILSON 42 2 WAYNE LEWIS 28 3 JOEY BARNES 19 4 DEREK LUCAS 88 5 ALEX ABBOTT 17
Cowboy Caddys Pos Driver Car # 1 DUANE CAMPBELL 77 2 ALLEN BRAGG 89 3 CHRIS BETZ-R 73
