Five Take Wire to Wire Wins at Putnam County Speedway
By Tera Gunter
Despite challenges from several racers, Davey Cline took a lead he would not relinquish in the Street Stock feature. Tim Dowling was the first to try to unseat Cline until Kevin Mills snagged second from Dowling with Marc Kinley following two laps later. Cline, Mills, Kinley, and Dowling gained ground over the rest of the field until cautions tightened the field back up.
Mills’ exited the speedway on lap 6 with mechanical problems, handing second to Kinley. Kinley gave Cline his biggest challenge of the evening as Kinley raced Cline hard, often side by side with the race leader. Cline held on and took the checkered ahead of Kinley, Dowling, Richard Adams and Jacky Bennett. An official call disqualified Dowling, with Joe Willis moving into fifth.
Shan Smith of Zephyrhills returned to the speedway and quickly showed he meant business in the Late Model division. David Crews set his sights on Smith but Crews quickly found his attention diverted first by Al Larson then by Billy Costello, the speedway’s 2006 champion. Costello took second on lap 4 and set off after Smith but Smith was untouchable as he placed distance between his ride and the rest of the field.
Crews, Larson, and Clyde Herron jockeyed for position behind Costello before Smith took the checkered with Costello, Crews, Herron, and Chuck Adkins rounding out the top five.
Ron Frank, one of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office’s finest challenged Jeremy Cline for Cline’s lead in the Hobby Stock feature. Cline and Frank flew side by side before Frank gained the lead out of turn 3. Cline tried his best to shake Frank down to regain the lead and would close in on Frank in the turns only to see Frank pull out on the straightaways.
David Miller Jr., Randy Moody, and Bruce Birkett pulled into contention and the race leaders gained ground over the field. As the race wound down, Cline placed hard charges on Frank until the white flag lap when Cline got loose coming out of turn 4, handing Miller the opportunity to snatch second. Frank took the checked over Miller, Cline, Moody, and Birkett.
Several of East Bay Raceway’s finest returned to play at Putnam in the Modified division. Roger Crouse took the lead over David Boerner and Jeff Matthews. Matthews worked Boerner before using turn one to his advantage to dispatch Boerner. Matthews set off after Crouse but Crouse maintained his lead.
Joey Meyers took third from Boerner on lap 6 and held onto third before his night ended on lap 16. Several cautions later, Crouse led Matthews, Garland Spangler, David Crews Jr., and David Vandevander under the checkered.
Chad Scranton took the initial lead in the Pure Stock feature and held on despite challenges from Jody Wells and Luke Sadler. Matthew Holbrook moved into contention from deep in the field and after unseating Sadler, Holbrook proved to be Scranton’s biggest worry.
Holbrook worked Scranton before taking the lead in turn 4 on lap 11, with Zach Permann unseating Scranton for second two laps later. Holbrook took the checkered over Permann, Scranton, Dustyn Tyre, and Jimmy Dowling.
Jay Farris of St. Augustine showed he was back on his game this year as he took the lead over Art Souther in the Mini Stock feature. David Hamm had one of his best nights this season as he took second behind his teammate. Jay’s son Jamie pulled into third making it 1-2-3 for the Corndog Racing team. Jamie’s ride failed him handing third to Brack Gill. Farris took the checkered over Hamm, Gill, Joey Froehlich, and Bobby Cable.
The Box Stock King Shawn Pawlak showed he was back in form as the 2006 champion took the lead in his feature. Mark Wolcott briefly unseated Pawlak before Wolcott’s night ended too early handing the lead back to Pawlak. Hal Cochran and Casey Feaster dueled for position before contact between the two put Feaster into the turn 3 wall and ended the night for both. The race ran out of time after the field was red flagged three times: for Sandy Davis who broke the rear axle, for Jack Miller who flipped between turns 1-2, and for Stephen Katz, who flipped in turn 4. Amazingly, once back on his wheels, Katz was able to continue and Pawlak took the checkered over Kenn DeVane, Dustin Childers, Katz, and Joe King.
Racing resumes Saturday with an appearance by the fast, speeding bullets of the Florida Mini Sprint Association. Grandstands open at 5pm. For more information, visit the speedway’s website at www.putnamcountyspeedway.com or call 386-649-5372.
