IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

July 19, 2009 Brazil tops TBARA at Desoto Super Speedway by Marty Little BRADENTON, Fla. - There were strange happenings Saturday night at DeSoto Super Speedway but Larry J. Brazil thought things were just fine as he sped to his first TBARA feature victory of the season in the 30 lap sprint car headliner. Young Dakotah Stephens set the early pace from his pole position with Brazil hot on his tail as they blasted around DeSoto's banked 3/8 mile oval. There was mad slicing and dicing throughout the 22 car field but a yellow waved on lap 17 for the stalled mount of Dude Teate on the back chute. The field regrouped with Stephens leading Brazil, Joey Aguilar and Mickey Kempgens. Brazil got past Stephens on lap 18 for the lead and on lap 19 Aguilar made a banzi move under Stephens for second spot and the two touched with Stephens' No. 19 going hard into the outside wall in turn 4. A red flag waved immediately and safety crews rushed to Stephens' demolished racer. The youngster was helped out of his car, shaken but uninjured. Aguilar drew a black flag for rough driving and was finished for the evening. On the restart Brazil easily kept his mount on the point ahead of Blaze Martin and Kempgens with the action slowed again for a spin by Dustin Perez on lap 22. The field closed once again but Brazil was not to be denied this night as he rocketed ahead of the field again and crossed the stripe first for the checkers over Martin, Kempgens, Troy DeCaire and Shane Butler. David Steele, Wendy Mathis, Ben Fritz, Dave Shotsberger and Tommy Nichols rounded out the top 10 finishers. Heat race wins fell to Shotsberger, DeCaire and Stephens. - 30 - First heat ( 8 laps) - 1. Dave Shotsberger, 2. Joey Aguilar, 3. Ben Fritz, 4. Tommy Nichols, 5. David Steele, 6. Little Jimmy Alvis, 7. Traci DeCaire. Jim Alvis DNS. Second heat ( 8 laps) - 1. Troy DeCaire, 2. Larry J Brazil, 3. Wendy Mathis, 4. Blaze Martin, 5. Dude Teate, 6. Steve Heilser, 7. Jason Bradford. Third heat ( 8 laps) - 1. Dakotah Stephens, 2. Mickey Kempgens, 3. Shane Butler, 4. Greg Leonard, 5. Stephen Bradley, 6. Dustin Perez. Todd Schmidt DNS. Feature (30 laps) 1. Brazil, 2. Martin, 3. Kempgens, 4. Troy DeCaire, 5. Butler, 6. Steele, 7. Mathis, 8. Fritz, 9. Shotsberger, 10. Nichols, 11. Bradley, 12. Perez, 13. Bradford, 14. Little Jimmy Alvis, 15. Stephens, 16. Heisler, 17. Teate, 18. Leonard, 19. Traci DeCaire, 20. Jim Alvis, 21. Schmidt. Aguilar DQ. Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! or Email KARNACto send a letter to the editor!