Zimmerly Wins Pro Challenge on Wild Night at Orlando SpeedWorld
by Dave Westerman
For the first time in recent memory, the RE/MAX Legends Cars and Bandeleros were missing from the Saturday night racing card at Orlando Speedworld. With the group away for a PBG Tour race at Desoto Speedway, The Pro Challenge cars became the headline class for a big 35 lap feature.
J.L. Snowden and Ryan Rust won the heats to earn front row spots for the main event with Snowden jumping out to a sizeable early advantage. The race ran under green until lap 18 when David Hall spun in turn two and was hit head-on by Bruce Gibson. Both drivers were OK but the cars weren't so lucky.
The caution allowed Zak Zimmerly to move in on Snowden with the two getting together on lap 23. Zimmerly spun while third-running Ryan Rust was forced high into the wall in turn four. Rust spun back across the track and was hit by the car of Bobby Robillard. Again, both drivers were just fine but their machines had seen better days. Snowden was penalized to the rear of the field on the restart giving the lead to Zimmerly who made no mistakes the rest of the way as he took his first Speedworld win.
Snowden came back to take second ahead of Mark Landis and Rowdy Gordon. Hall was able to return to the race after the second caution and finished fifth, five laps down. Rounding out the finishers - all DNF's - were Rust, Robillard, Gibson, Jarrett Snowden and Jim Hammond.
The Florida Mini Cup Racing Association feature saw a great three way battle for several laps before Corey White prevailed for his first win at the track. Devin McLeod came home second trailed by Brady Marshall, Ty Larsen and Don Mays. McLeod won the heat race.
The new Outlaw Strictly Stock class made its debut with six cars putting on a good show. Matt Covington took the lead from Anthony Robinson with five laps to go and grabbed the win with Robinson well in front of the third place car of "The Rudedog" and fourth place Bobby Jones. Joe Arnold was fifth and Robert Remus sixth. Covington was also the heat race winner.
Rob Reynolds drove his A-1 Shed Transport Mazda to yet another ABC Towing Hurricane win, leading all the way in the feature after also winning the heat.
Despite an overheating car, Dan Webb came home second ahead of Ray Hindman, Brenda Taylor, Brian Townson, Gary Thomas and Alex Fortune. It was not a good night for the Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association Stock Car division as four machines received heavy damage in two separate crashes.
In the second heat, Gene Virello good loose on the back stretch and spun up the track directly into the Chevy Nova LM of Hank Baker. Both cars were severely damaged but the drivers were unhurt.
In the feature, leaders Cory Lane and Scott Williams tangled and crashed hard into the turn one wall. Again, both Lane's Dodge Dart Late Model and Williams' Skeeter-type Modified were badly smashed up but the drivers emerged unscathed.
The race was called at that point with Joe Farnsworth in his ex-Richie Evans Modified declared the winner. First heat winner Keith Grant was second followed by Eddie Grant, Gordon Bird, Jim Kaserman, Larry Larabee, Lane, Williams and Richie Iversen. Farnsworth also won the second heat.
The DAARA Sprint car feature was won by Jack Sapp in Sam Morrow's Ollie Silva Tribute Sprinter over Jay Yahnke and Roy Campbell while the Midget main event saw Dale Miller take the win over Wild Bill Wendt, Vance Cunningham and Jerry Paquin.
Other winners were Wayne Skinner in the Classic Cars and Jason Rosarius in the Junior Stocks.
OFFICIAL RESULTS ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD - APRIL 14, 2007
MINI CUP
1. #19 Corey White 2. #00 Davin McLeod 3. #20 Brady Marshall 4. #27 Don Mays 5. #07 Tye Larson
PRO CHALLENGE
1. #33 Zak Zimmerly 2. #40 JL Snowden 3. #21 Mark Landis 4. #24 Rowdy Gorden 5. #22 David Hall 6. #18 Ryan Rust 7. #6x Bob Robilard 8. #4x Bruce Gibson 9. #4 Jarret Snowden 10. #6 Jim Hammond
CLASSIC
1. #03 Wayne Skinner
DAARA STOCK
1. #61 Joe Farmsworth 2. #73 Keith Grant 3. #8 Eddie Grant 4. #7 Yellow Gordon Bird 5. #21 Jim Kaserman 6. #811 Larry Larabee 7. #78 Cory Lane 8. #35 Scott Williams 9. #7 black Richie Iverson 10. #99 Gene Vitiello 11. #2 Hank Baker
DAARA MIDGET
1. #1 Dale Miller 2. #71 Wild Bill Wendt 3. #9 Vance Cunningham 4. #10 Jerry Pacquin
DAARA SPRINT
1. #0 Jack Sapp 2. #7 Jay Yanke 3. #10 Roy Campbell 4. #7 Sue Yanke
OUTLAW STRICTLY STOCK
1. #7 Matt Covington 2. #38 Anthony Robinson 3. #3 Rudedog 4. #8 Bobby Jones 5. #9 Joe Arnold 6. #16 Robert Remus
HURRICANES
1. #A1 Rob Reynolds 2. #104.1 Doug Webb 3. #89x Ray Hindman 4. #24 Brenda Taylor 5. #22 Brian Townson 6. #76 Gary Thomas 7. #8x Alex Fortune
