The drought is over for Jonny Kay. The veteran driver out of Deerfield Beach finally hit the winners circle again in Punta Gorda, as he cruised to victory in Saturday nights Limited Late Model 100-lapper at Charlotte County Motorsports Park.
Back in the late 90s, Kay was on a roll in Punta Gorda, winning in the SARA Late Model and Triple Crown series.
He also won points in both series.
Before Saturday, the most recent win at the Punta Gorda 3/8-mile paved oval came four years ago.
Kay came close in some more recent outings at Charlotte County, but in racing, you have to finish the deal.
Kay had no problem doing that Saturday night, as the yellow No. 48 car sponsored by A Best Forklift, Designs by Chris and Herff Jones Rings was a rocket ship.
Kay, who started fifth, was the class of the 26-car field, as no one could touch him. He zoomed to the lead on the very first lap and stayed comfortably ahead of challengers Steve Arnold in the 19, Bobby Shelton in the 8 and Randy Fox in the 4.
Kay collected $3,000 for his work. The fans gave him a big hand for smoky doughnuts and a victory dance.
Shelton ran second from lap 22 up to lap 96, when Fox made a move for the pass.
Shelton ended up third ahead of Mike Franklin Jr. in the 12 car.
Franklin took track owner Bobby Diehls challenge of starting all the way in the back for a $1,000 bonus if he won.
Franklin charged up to third, passing Fox on lap 33. But the car got away from Franklin as the race wore on and he had to settle for fourth.
The winner of the April 100-lapper Mike Hovis did not make this months race. The second placer in the April event Cory Collum got caught up in a chain-reaction wreck on a restart on lap 5 and suffered significant damage.
In other racing action Saturday night at Charlotte County Motorsports Park, Ryan Pancoast was a double winner, climbing from one vehicle to the next.
Pancoast first piloted his No. 47 car to victory lane in the 25-lap Super Stocks feature. The next race was the 25-lap Thunder Truck feature. Subbing for the injured Larry Ballard Jr., Pancoast went out and made it two straight.
In the Super Stock race, Dan Scott was the early leader. Codey Benoit pushed for the lead, but went down on the infield dirt and spun out Scott. Benoit was sent to the back.
Pancoast passed Scott and held on ahead of runnerup Brian Richardson. Scott was third.
In Thunder Trucks, Pancoast kept a determined Ray Jayne at bay. Jayne placed second in the No. 35 Ford. Randy Kile came on strong at the end for a third.
The highly competitive Road Warrior division saw another exciting race. Dan Benoit continued to be a force, as he kept his No. 20 car ahead of hot guns Terry Price in the No. 3 and Shane Leonard in the 18. Donnie Ollie Jr. was also in the mix, but he fell from second to fourth on lap 15.
The Fastrucks ran a 35-lap non-points feature. Young Ross Chastain continued to impress in the 36 truck, winning for the sixth straight time at Punta Gorda. The 14-year-old out of Alva kept his ride ahead of runnerup Patrick Fox another teen from Alva.
The Florida TQ Midgets returned to the slightly banked asphalt track. Ernie Teed Jr. and Ted Dupree staged a two-car war, with each passing each other. Teed had a late burst for the feature win. Dupree was second in the 26 car. Mike Elder was third.
