IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

April 29, 2008 Johnny Kay races to the winners circle in Late Model 100 at CCMP By Melanie Beckner It was a full weekend of racing at Charlotte County Motorsports Park, that started Friday night with the rigs pulling in for open practice and staying for the big races on Saturday. After Qualifying and heat races the first feature was up at 6:15 for the T.Q midgets who ran all 25 laps with out cautions with the 26 of Ted Durfee the winner and the 3 of Geoff Styner second and Freddie Stutz third. The Tag karts were visiting and put on a 12 lap expo to promote the new CCMP Kart racing program that took place all day Sunday. The Fastrucks took the field next with Stephen Nassie of Pinellas park on the pole, who would also drive 100 laps in his Late Model later on, and fast qualifier Tyler Laing of Fort Lauderdale outside. Nassie jumped out to the lead and never looked back. The race for the following spots behind him made it one of the exciting races of the night with the 64 of Brent Huber of Venice second and Mark Evans third. With just three laps into the seventeen car field of Sportsman the rain came and delayed things for a while so with the track mostly dry the Road Warriors came out for there 25 lap featured that was shortened to twenty laps due to time. The 29 of Don Jericka out of Port Charlotte started on the pole but on lap one the 7 of Blaine Baer had the lead with the 29 of Jericka in second trying his best to hold off Jeff Firestine. Firestine was trying everything he had to take over that second spot for ten laps until Jericka got loose in the turn and spun and had to retire to the pits which gave way to the venice boys once again taking home the win as Jesse Dutilly finished first Jeff Firestine second and Blaine Baer of Port Charlotte third. With the 11:30 curfew working against the track the Late models were brought out to run there 100 lap feature, and what was lacking in car count this time with only 12 cars taking the green made up in exciting side by side on the edge of your seat racing. The race started with Blake Koch of west Palm Beach on the pole and Bobby Shelton of Delray Beach outside and fast qualifier and the last race winner Wayne Morris was third row back outside. It was Koch first and Shelton second for the first 34 laps till the caution came out and on the restart the 36 car of Gary Padulla which was driver by Johnny Kay in memory of his dad Joe was on a mission to find his way to the winners circle to dedicate the race to his father and he did just that and had the fans behind him in support. It was the restarts that Kay found the power to over take for the second time the lead from Koch on lap 68 and go on for the win, but there were battles going on in every spot behind him to even the back two of Ross Chastain who also drove in the Fastrucks, had the 19 of Kevin Macy behind him for twenty five laps trying to beat his way past as the young Cody Pitts who made his way to second and had to hold off Wayne Morris for the same last twenty five laps. So the win went to Johnny Kay from Deerfield, second was Cody Pitts of Auburndale, third was Wayne Morris and the 34 of Blake Koch had to settle for fourth due to lap traffic. So its ten forty five and the Sportsman return to the track and they pick up on lap three with the 91 of Ander Jackson of Punta Gorda in the lead the 42 of Dennis Wilson second and the 86 of Bill Vandevender third. It was not so easy for Vandevender to take over the lead with Jackson doing what he could to keep that first place spot until lap fifteen when the 86 got by Jackson taking the 42 with him putting the 91 of Ander Jackson in the third spot which is how they took it to the checker. The battle was for that fourth place spot which saw Ryan Pancoast of Buckingham and the 28X of Maxx Bennett who was also in the Fastruck race go side by side back and fourth at the line from lap eighteen to the finish with Bennett finishing fourth and Pancoast fifth. The only DQ in tech all night was the 42 sportsman of Dennis Wilson which moved everyone up one spot. Then some officials turned around and came back out for the New CCMP Kart racing Sunday from 9 to 4 with a good turn out of Karts who will be racing under the lights Friday night May 2nd. Visit the web site for the entire list of results and all scheduling and updates at www.Charlottecountyracing.com Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! or Email KARNACto send a letter to the editor!