Great weather greeted both competitors and fans alike Saturday night as nine classes hit the track for action at Orlando Speedworld.
RE/MAX Legends Car heat race action saw big problems for defending track champion Kory Abbott. Abbott was leading the first heat when he suddenly did a snap spin in turn three and backed hard into the wall. With Abbott on the sidelines, last weeks feature winner Andy Logan took the win in heat one while Jimmy Norman led all the way to win heat two.
Alex Kempf had the pole for the 25 lap feature with Norman on the outside pole and Logan starting third. Norman jumped out to an early lead only to see caution out on lap two. Gary Verdier tagged the turn two wall hard while trying to avoid other cars that checked up trying to get by two other cars that had tangled but kept going.
Norman set the pace on the restart but it was Darren Coker moving to the point on lap three bringing Logan with him around Norman. Logan slipped by Coker for the lead on lap eight just before the caution flew on the next lap as Randy Garven spun in turn one. Josh Williams was now on the charge and he passed Logan for the point on lap 11. Caution was out yet again one lap later as Rick Wetmore got turned around in turn four.
Following the restart, Kory Abbott, who started deep in the field in a back-up car, was on the move as he quickly passed car after car and settled into second behind Williams. Mark Bibeau slowed the action with a spin in turn three on lap 19. On the following restart, much of the field must have felt like they wanted to be like their NASCAR counterparts at Talladega as it was "the big one."
Cars started crashing on the front stretch with Wild Willie Wilson flipping on his roof and skidding wheels-up all the way into turn one before the car rolled back on all fours. Also involved were Eric Eichelberger, Troy Mahrt, Gerald White, Jr. and Dalton Bergman. No one could continue.
Williams and Abbott began to duke it out for the lead with Abbott actually forging ahead at the line on lap 22 before Williams drove back to the front. On the final lap Abbott made his move and took the lead taking his third checkered flag of the year. A frustrated Williams lost his second place finish when he failed to go to post-race tech moving Coker up to second at the finish. Logan was third ahead of Norman and Alex Kempf who scored his best ever finish in fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Mike Verhaagh, James Rodriguez, Shaughn McCormick, Randy Garven and Bryan Beland. Completing the finishers were Bibeau, Wetmore, Bergman, Eichelberger, Wilson, Mahrt, White, Verdier, Chelsea Schillig and Williams.
Many time Speedworld Bandolero champion Gerald White, Jr. won his first-ever Legends Car feature in the Charger main event leading all the way from his pole starting spot after winning the heat. Dallas Ingram stayed within striking distance but had to settle for second ahead of Gerald Campbell who was competing in his first Legends Car race. Tim Osterlund was fourth ahead of Charlie O'Melia and Brent Tyler. White then took up the option of the Charger winner being able to tag the back of the regular RE/MAX Legends feature. However, he probably wished he hadn't after being involved in the big wreck on lap 19.
A good field of Florida Open Wheel Lites had barely taken the green flag when Mike Belasar lost a wheel and spun in a shower of sparks. Fortunately everyone missed Belasar's machine and a complete restart was ordered.
Billy Gise was unstoppable in the 25 lapper as he led pretty much at will despite several caution periods. The guy putting on the show however was Mad Max Howe. After finishing second in his heat, Howe discovered a problem with his machine and moved to a back-up car for the feature. After starting dead last, Howe raced all the way to second at the checker with John Bailey in third ahead of Phil Krauthoff and Rick Lundeen. Robert Johnson was sixth in front of Sammy Mancuso and David Kellogg. Sonny O'Sullivan crashed hard on the final lap but fortunately was unhurt and still credited with ninth spot ahead of Jason Stout, Jeff Wolfe, Nick Shadid, Roger Wolfe, Roy Fresk and Belasar, who were all DNF's. Gise and Bailey won the heats.
In Hearndon Construction Bandolero action there were four different leaders in the Bandits feature before Critter Saile took over to win his third main event of the year. Saile came back from a hard collision with heat winner Dillon Bassett early in the race to pass Shawn Hooven with two laps remaining.
Hooven held on for second over Zoey Guignardi, Zach Harris, Justin Bechtold, Coty Bibeau, Bassett and Daniel Conlin.
The Young Guns feature was total domination for North Carolina visitor Ronnie "The Little Bulldog" Bassett as he led both the heat and feature races wire to wire. Donovan Ponder made a late race pass to take second away from Mark Hooven while Josh Williams and Gerald Campbell were fourth and fifth driving team cars to Bassett. Campbell was loaned a car from the Bassett family after his own car blew an engine in practice.
Simeon Spagnuolo took the lead at the drop of the green and led all the way to win the Classic Car feature. Heat winner Ron Gustafson stayed on Spagnuolo's bumper the entire race as only one caution was displayed for Dave Nunes' blown engine on lap nine. Gustafson took home the second spot while John Smith was a close third trailed by Derrick Wood, Brad Norburg, Andrew Gustafson, Greg Helton and Nunes.
Matt Covington and Anthony Robinson traded the lead back and forth in the Outlaw Strictly Stock main event but neither were around at the finish due to engine problems. Robert Remus took over at that point and held off a furious charge by the "Rudedog" to take the win which came in front of his sponsors from Scruffy Duffers Bar & Grill in Sanford who joined him for the victory lane photos. Bobby Jones took third ahead of Rick Marcus, Robinson, heat winner Covington and Gilbert Steele.
Rob Reynolds led all the way in the ABC Towing Hurricane feature for yet another win. Mark "Hello" Walls was second ahead of Miguel Barrenchea, Ray Hindman, Brian Townson, Gary Thomas and Richard Barrenchea.
Wes Railing, Jr. and Jason Rosarius were the Junior Stock winners.
1 04 Ronnie Bassett 2 8 Donavan Ponder 3 17 Mark Hooven 4 04x Josh Williams 5 6 Gerald Campbell
CHARGERS
1 38 Gerald White Jr 2 33 Dallas Ingram 3 39 Gerald Cambell 4 49 Tim Osterlund 5 48 Charlie Omeilia 6 12 Brent Tyler
RE/MAX LEGENDS
1 5 Kory Abbott 2 00 Darin Coker 3 1FL Andy Logan 4 2 Jimmy Norman 5 99 Alex Kempf 6 7 Mike Verhaagh 7 19 James Rodrigues 8 34 Shaughn McCormick 9 69 Randy Garveir 10 6A Bryan Beland 11 65 Mark Beebo 12 06 Rick Wetmore 13 37 Dalton Bergman 14 47 Eric Eichelberger 15 23w Bob Wilson 16 71 Troy Mahrt 17 38 Gerald White Jr 18 44 Gary Verdier 19 75 Chelsea Schillig DNS 20 6 Josh Williams DQ'D
CLASSICS
1. 21 Simon Spagnuol 2. 38 Ron Gustafson 3. 34 John Smith 4. 21X Derrick Wood 5. 75 Brad Norburg 6. 9 Andrew Gustafson 7. 3 Greg Helton 8. 20 Doug Johnson
OPEN WHEEL LITES
1 1 Billy Gise 2 59 Max Howe 3 45 John Bailey 4 2 Phil Krauthoff 5 04 Rick Lundeen 6 72 Robert Johnson 7 21 Sam Mancuso 8 28 Dave Kellogg 9 0 Sonny O'Sullivan 10 27 Jason Stout 11 83 Jeff Wolfe 12 68 Nick Shahid 13 85 Roger Wolff 14 88 Roy Fresh 15 82 Mike Belasar
OUTLAW STRICTLY STOCKS
1 16 Robert Remus 2 3 Rude Dog 3 8 Bobby Jones 4 9 Rick 5 38 Anthony Robinson 6 7 Matt Covington 7 24 Gilbert Steele
HURRICANES
1. #A1 Rob Reynolds 2. #6 Mark Walls 3. #22 Miguel Barrenechea 4. #27 Brian Cosier 5. #76 Gary Thomas 6. #89x Ray Hindman 7. #22 Brian Townson 8. #20 Richard Barrenechea DNS
