IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

March 17, 2008 Abbott tops Legends at Orlando SpeedWorld by Dave Westerman After rain put a damper on Fridays scheduled season opener at Orlando Speedworld, Saturdays weather in contrast was warm and breezy and there was plenty of great racing to thrill the crowd. In Legend Car action, Dallas Ingram notched the Charger feature win over Roger Englund and Daniel Conlin, Sr. and earned a transfer spot into the 25 lap Legend A Main. Shaughn McCormick and Kory Abbott posted heat race wins for the Legends and it was McCormick, sporting new graphics on his car that he designed on his own computer, taking the early advantage. But defending track champion Abbott wasted little time getting to the front as he snared the top position on lap three and never looked back to take the win. Just three minor cautions slowed the race pace but the final one proved costly to Rusty Chancey as he looped out of fourth place just as the field took the white flag. Abbott claimed the victory ahead of McCormick, Alex Kempf, Tony Sansom and David Tart with Gerald White, Jr., Dalton Bergman, Chancey, Rick Wetmore and Mark Bibeau rounding out the top five. Leonard Hearndon, Dave Gleason, Eric Eichelberger, Ingram and Mason Ketterman completed the finishing field. The visiting Outlaw Modifieds were a little down on car count but certainly not lacking action as they provided the best feature race of the night. Heat race winners John Parrish and Robbie Bean thrilled the fans as they raced nearly the entire feature side by side swapping the lead back and fourth before Parrish finally surged ahead in the closing laps although Bean finished right on his tail at the checker. While all that was going on, Cliff Steinmann was racing his way from eighth on the starting grid to third at the finish with Robert Campell fourth and Marty Niekens fifth. The remaining spots were filled by Tom Meyer, Ric Voisey, Matt Delaney, Ric Mills, Doug Hopper and Colin Cabre. The Pro Challenge cars and trucks did battle in a pair of 25 lap events. In the first feature, Young Georgia driver Brandon Williamson and Florida veteran J.L. Snowden tangled with three laps to go handing the lead and eventual win to Ryan Rust in his Adopt A Marine special. Making his first Pro Challenge start in some time, Brad Sanders clawed his way to second place ahead of a resurgent J.L. Snowden, Bruce Gibson and Jarrett Snowden. Rounding out the finishers were Gene Dibble, Williamson, Harvey Johnson, Paul White, Rowdy Gordon and Sam White. Williamson and White got together on lap three of the nightcap collecting Rust. All continued but White’s car had quite a bit of body damage. Gordon led the first three laps of this race before being passed by Dibble who led a pair of circuits before J.L. Snowden powered by and set sail for an easy win. Sanders again took the runner-up spot ahead of Williamson, Rust and Jarrett Snowden with Gordon, Paul White, Dibble, Sam White and Harvey Johnson the remaining finishers. Gibson did not start the second feature. J.L. Snowden captured the preliminary heat race. There was quite a bit of action in the Hearndon Construction Bandoleros even before the races began. Jake Perkins was in the staging area for the Bandit heat race when a loose tooth he had began bleeding. His dad, who is a dentist, extracted the tooth in the staging area and “No Brake” Jake responded by taking second in the heat race behind winner Critter Saile. Saile would also prevail in the feature race as he took a close win over Shawn Hooven, Daniel Conlin, Perkins, Cameron White and Coty Bibeau. Young Guns action saw some great racing between Mark Hooven and Donovan Ponder before Hooven prevailed at the stripe. Carl Haag claimed third over Zach Harris (in his first Young Guns race since moving up from the Bandits)and Kaleb Hearndon. Hooven also won the heat race. Bobby Rogers, driving a retro-painted machine that looks like the Junior Johnson/Neil Bonnett/Budweiser Winston Cup car from the ‘80’s, took the measure of the Florida Mini Cup Racing Association field taking the heat race win and then driving away for the feature victory over Phil Beede, Don Mays, Mark Pick and Doug Marshall. Vinnie Page did not start the main event after a hard hit into the wall in the heat while J.T. Dunn was also unable to make the call for the feature start. Mark Walls picked up the win in the ABC Towing Hurricanes topping Devon Cuddy, Gary Thomas, Brian Cosier and Scott Tyler. Rounding out the top ten were Glen Rhodes, Tim Walters, Jr., Brian Townson, Tim Burr and Brenda Taylor. Walls also won the heat. The Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association brought a nice group of cars to the track in three classes. Dale Miller’s Chevy II powered Roadster topped the Midget field as he took the win ahead of Richard Yurewitch, Bill Wendt and Bill Rynd. Miller also won the heat. The Sprint Cars saw Jay Yahnke the victor over Jack Sapp, heat winner Dave Jarrett, Sue Yahnke, Don Bigelow and Ken Jeffers. Gene Viteillo drove a former NASCAR Tour-Type Modified to the Stock Car win ahead of heat winner Joe Farnsworth, Shirley Morden, Keith Grant, Gordy Bird, Larry Larivee, Dot Farnsworth, Jeff Yoder and Gordie Wood. OFFICIAL RESULTS ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD MARCH 15, 2008 BANDOLERO BANDIT 1. #12 Critter Saile 2. #27 Shawn Hooven 3. #20 Daniel Conlin 4. #4 Jake Perkins 5. #38 Cameron White 6. #65 Cody Beebo BANDOLERO YOUNG GUN 1. #17 Mark Hooven 2. #8 Donovan Ponder 3. #48 Carl Haagh 4. #54 Zach Harris 5. #53 Kaleb Hearndon LEGENDS 1. #5 Kory Abbott 2. #34 Shaughn McCormick 3. #99 Alex Kempf 4. #56 Tony Sanson 5. #3 David Hart 6. #X Gerald White, Jr. 7. #37 Dalton Bergman 8. #31 Rusty Chancey 9. #06 Rick Whitmore 10. #65 Mark Beebo 11. #53 Leonard Hearndon 12. #07 Dave Gleason 13. #47 Eric Eichelberger 14. #33 Dallas Ingram 15. #22 Mason Ketterman CHARGER 1. #33 Dallas Ingram 2. #51 Roger Englund 3. #11 Daniel Conlin, Sr. OUTLAW MODIFIED 1. #9 John Parrish 2. #28 Robbie Bean 3. #23 Cliff Steinmann 4. #10 Robert Campbell 5. #70 Marty Niekens 6. #4 Tom Meyer 7. #69 Ric Voisey 8. #8 Matt Delaney 9. #21 Ric Mills 10. #15 Doug Hopper 11. #71 Colin Cabre MINI CUP 1. #12 Bobby Rogers 2. #40 Phil Beede 3. #27 Don Mays 4. #04 Mark Pick 5. #11 Doug Marshall 6. #44 Vinnie Paige 7. #33 JT Dunn PRO CHALLENGE RACE #1 1. #18 Ryan Rust 2. #05 Ron Stanly 3. #40 JL Snowden 4. #33 Bruce Gibson 5. #4 Jarrett Snowden 6. #7 Gene Dibble 7. #20 Brandon Williamson 8. #2 Harvey Johnson 9. #25 Paul White 10. #1 Sam White 11. #24 Rowdy Gordon PRO CHALLENGE RACE #2 1. #40 JL Snowden 2. #05 Ron Stanly 3. #20 Brandon Williamson 4. #18 Ryan Rust 5. #4 Jarrett Snowden 6. #24 Rowdy Gordon 7. #25 Paul White 8. #7 Gene Dibble 9. #1 Sam White 10. #2 Harvey Johnson 11. #33 Bruce Gibson DNS DAARA STOCK 1. #99 Gene Viteillo 2. #92 Joe Farnsworth 3. #A1 Shirley Morden 4. #73 Keith Grant 5. #7 Gordy Bird 6. #711 Larry Lervier 7. #61 Dot Farnsworth 8. #61 Goeff Yoder 9. #96 Gordy Wood DNS DAARA MIDGET 1. #1 Dale Miller 2. #41 Richard Yurewitch 3. #71 Bill Wendt 4. #56 Bill Rynd DAARA SPRINT 1. #7 Jay Yahnke 2. #77 Jack Sapp 3. #9 Dave Jarrett 4. #14 Don Biglow 5. #7 Sue Yahnke 6. #63 Ken Jeffers OUTLAW STRICTLY STOCK 1. #7 Robert Remus HURRICANE 1. #6 Mark Walls 2. #4 Devon Cuddy 3. #76 Gary Thomas 4. #27 Brian Cosier 5. #26 Scott Tyler 6. #63 Glenn Rhodes 7. #29 Tim Walters, Jr. 8. #22 Brian Townson 9. #64 10. #24 Brenda Taylor 11. #24D Andrew Clark 12. #48 Mano Ezequias 13. #17 Blaize Fisher DNS Have an opinion on this story? 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