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Jimmy Norman tops Semi-Pros at Orlando's Winternationals
FLIPS, CRASHES AND FLARING TEMPERS HIGHLIGHT SPEEDWORLD WINTERNATIONALS ON WEDNESDAY
by Dave Westerman
After Tuesday’s scheduled first round of the INEX/600 Series Racing Winternationals was washed out, the weather Wednesday put a damper on things in the beginning. But the cold front finally passed and racing got under way by mid afternoon under bright sunny skies as fans were treated to a pair of complete racing shows. Action began with all of the Tuesday racing first and it would set the stage for a very crazy and long day. Five divisions of RaceCeiver Legend Cars were on tap led by the always exciting Pro Division. Heat winners Kyle Beattie and Speedworld track champion Kory Abbott led the field to the feature green flag after winning their respective heats. Beattie quickly assumed the point and was leading the way when the first caution came out for Craig Goess, Jr. who spun out of third place in turn one. Beattie continued to hold the point but saw the race slowed again on lap 13 when a right front spindle broke on Jordan Anderson’s machine and he slammed into the turn three wall. Anderson was OK but out of the race. Nick Pistone began to work over Beattie after the restart and got past him for the lead bringing Beattie’s teammate Jesse Bunnell and Abbott with him. The race ran green the rest of the way as Pistone took the checker just in front of Bunnell, Abbott, Beattie and Daniel Hemrick. Rounding out the top ten were Chelsea Schillig, Nick Johnson, Goess, Cameron Patrick and Matt Stover. The evening race would not be quite as tame as its daytime counterpart was. In fact, the Pro drivers looked anything but that in this race. Pistone and Goess took heat races and led the field to the start. Pistone nabbed the early advantage only to see caution early on lap two as Schillig spun in turn four. Two laps later Bunnell looped his mount in the same spot. Pistone continued to set the pace, but the cars behind him seemed faster. Goess and Jordan Anderson (whose crew did an incredible repair job after his crash in the first feature) were fighting for second when they got together going down the back stretch causing Goess to go for a wild spin. Tempers flared at that point. With his car unable to continue, Goess exited his car in turn three and threw his helmet at Anderson. Goess was disqualified and had is helmet confiscated by track officials while Anderson was sent to the tail of the field for the restart. As the field went green, Abbott began to put on the pressure and passed Pistone for the lead. Just one lap later, a multi-car tangle in turn two slowed the action again and sent Matt Stover to the pits minus a wheel and tire. On the restart, Abbott’s car suddenly slowed and Kyle Beattie sped past into the lead. The red and checkered flags were displayed on lap 17 when John Hilliker crashed into the turn two wall and rode the wall all the way to turn three. Hilliker was unhurt. Beattie would claim the apparent win, three laps short of the scheduled distance over Pistone, Bunnell, Anderson and Schillig. Parker Hammons was sixth with the remainder of the top ten James Edsall III, Cameron Patrick, Nick Johnson and Hilliker, who was credited with tenth as the feature finish reverted back to the last lap completed by the full field. There was some confusion over the actual finish and results were not considered official as this story went to press. There was plenty of action in the Legend Masters division starting with the “big one” on the opening lap of the Tuesday make-up feature. No one was really sure just what triggered the wreck but when it was over 13 cars had been involved and littered the back stretch. The cars of Frank Johnston, Kevin Yeatts, Rodney Pucak, Spike Shultze, Cy Harvey, Gary Bursey, Roger Austin, Stephan Mitcham and Doug Dugger were all damaged too badly to continue. Will Cagle, Scotty Edwards, Doug Hall and Mark Esposito made repairs and rejoined the race. As the race finally got under way, Hair grabbed the lead and everybody figured that would be it as Hair has won tons of races here in previous Winternationals. But veteran Larry Friddle had other ideas and quickly assumed the point on lap two. Tim Brockhouse then moved in and was attempting to pass Hair when the two tangled on lap three sending both to the rear for the restart. Two laps later it was yellow flag time again as Hoyt Dennis spun out of third spot. The remainder of the race ran under green and Friddle was not to be denied. Friddle, who has raced in every Winternationals since its inception without much luck, took a popular win trailed by Dennis Knox and Cotton Spry. Hair and Brockhouse raced back through the field to take fourth and fifth while Edwards came back from the opening lap melee to claim six with Dennis, Doug Hall, Rick Wetmore and Darrell Vance rounding out the top ten. Heat races were won by Friddle, Brockhouse and Hair. The nightcap saw Spry, Hair and Gary Bursey take heat race wins. Spry jumped out to the early lead with Hair and Brockhouse on his bumper. The trio ran that way until lap 15 when Spry got a bit loose going down the back stretch. Brockhouse, who had passed Hair for second, tried to get underneath but Spry’s car came back across, then up and over the front of Brockhouse’s car. That sent Spry tumbling upside down. His car slid on its roof from the middle of the back stretch all the way into turn three where it slammed into the wall, still upside down. The grizzled veteran climbed from his car unhurt and vowed to be back with his back-up machine on Thursday. Brockhouse would hang on for the remaining five laps to claim the win. Following the Minnesota driver were Hair, Hoyt Dennis, Dennis Knox and Scotty Edwards. Completing the top ten were Roger Austin, Kevin Yeatts, Darrell Vance, Rick Wetmore and the afternoon winner Friddle. The Tuesday make-up race for the Semi-Pro class was a lesson in futility that finally saw the race cut to 15 laps. Local driver Alex Kempf led the first four circuits before Michael Brown took the point. Then it was time for plenty of crashes and spins that slowed the action numerous times. After a lap 14 altercation and two more aborted restarts, track officials decided to wave the green and white flags together for a one lap dash to the finish. Brown claimed the victory over Chad Hackenbracht, Tyler Kivett, Dustin Davis and Currie Pierce. Filling out the top ten were Gene Kirila, Zach Alspach, Kara Clarke, Tanner Berryhill and Ryan Moore. Heats went to Kempf, Hackenbracht and Cody Blackburn. Evening Semi-Pro heats went to Clarke, Hackenbracht, and local favorite Jimmy Norman who was in a back-up car after crashing his primary car in the daytime feature. Clarke grabbed the early lead only to get spun into the wall on lap four. Norman took the point and set the pace through three more caution periods to claim the win, only the second of his career. Ryan Moore crossed the stripe in the runner-up slot trailed by Chad Hackenbracht, Shaughn McCormick, and Gene Kirila with Mike Alcaro, Kempf, Cody Blackburn, Zach Zimmerly and Kevin Eskew completing the top ten. In Legend Young Lions action it was Dylan Presnell scoring back to back wins. Presnell won the heat for the Tuesday make-up then led all the way to take the win over Bryce Walker, Justin Grimes, Austin Leitner, and Ronnie Bassett, Jr. Presnell had a much tougher time in the evening event as he had to battle Nick Stroupe over the final laps before securing the victory. Stroupe actually led laps 15-17 but Presnell got back by him and Stroupe found himself slipping back to third behind Bryce Walker while Devin Jones and Austin Leitner were fourth and fifth. Ronnie Bassett, Jr. won the heat. It was also a double set of victories for Ryan Schlusne in the Legend Chargers. Schlusne topped Johnny Love, Joe Goaf, Bailey Freeman, Dave Simile, Jack Davenport and Fred Goaf in the opener. He came back to win the nightcap in front of Freeman, Love, Davenport, Joe Goaf, and Fred Goaf. Both heat race wins went to Love. Bandolero action saw three drivers all claim back to back wins. Kyle Benjamin topped both Bandit features taking the Tuesday make-up race over Mason Massey, Critter Saile, Blake Jones and Brady Boswell. Rounding out the finishers were T.J. Michael, Mike Hilliker, Kyle Weatherman, Dillon Bassett, Clayton Weatherman Riley Halverson, Daniel Conlin and Layne Clifton. Massey and Bassett won the heats. Bassett and Clifton were heat race winners for the evening program and Bassett set the pace for the first half of the feature before Benjamin tracked him down and sped off to his second win of the day. Bassett, Massey, Jones and Saile trailed the winner with Clifton, Boswell, T.J. Michael, Kyle Weatherman, Clayton Weatherman, Conlin, Hilliker and Halverson the remaining finishers. In the Young Guns, Chad Finchum dominated all but one event, the afternoon heat race which was won by Sean Shalvoy. Finchum would claim the Tuesday make-up win over Matthew Linker, Shalvoy, Donovan Ponder, Meghan Dillner and Brad Eddy. Finchum also ran off with the evening race taking the measure of Linker, Ponder, Shalvoy and Dillner at the checkered flag. Jesse Bunnell also scored a pair of wins in Thunder Roadster competition. Bunnell won over teammate Steve Carter and Tom Clarke in the afternoon race while Clarke and Carter reversed their positions in the nightcap.