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Keith Nosbisch wins "2nd annual Battle on the Blacktop" at Charlotte County Motorsports Park
By:Melanie Beckner
Punta Gorda, FL...The United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series returned to the Charlotte County Motorsports Park, for the second annual battle on the blacktop. Fifteen cars showed up for the fifty lap race with fourteen of them taking the start.
Rich Pratt had fast time in qualifing with a lap time of 15.011 and pulled the number four pill, which put Keith Nosbisch on the pole for the race.
Once the green flag dropped, Nosbisch took the early lead and started to pull away from the rest of the field when the first caution came out on lap nine. Officals noticed that something was spilling out of the back of Rich Pratts car and wante to check it out for safety purposes. Nosbisch still held the lead as the race continued with Jason Fitgerald closing in on Nosbisch when the second and final caution came out on lap thirty five.
Dennis William had been battling all race long a very loose race car and it finally got away from him coming out of turn two and he looped his car around. With fifteen laps to go the field was given the green flag and Jason Fitgerald was hot on the heels of Keith Nosbisch.
Fitzgerald made a few attempts to get around Nosbisch for the lead, however every attempt failed. Keith Nosbisch went on to claim the victory with Jason Fitgerald finsihing a close second and last years winner Jonny COllins came in third.
Brent Null lead the field for the start of the twenty five lap Fab 4 feature. Jeremy Perkins took the lead with the first caution coming out after the first lap was completed.
Shane Moore Jr got hit the frontstretch wall hard. Moore Jr was ok, but his car ended the evening on the back of the tow truck. Perkins' held the lead once the race got restarted. The class would only get in one lap before the next caution came out on lap two for spinning car of Janene Ellwell.
Kenneth Badali had gotten into the back of Ellwell's car going into turn four and causing her to spin and then collecting Mike Goss who then had nowhere to go except to hit the back of Badali's car. All three cars where able to continue.
Josh Cole took over the lead from jeremy Perkins on lap seventeen and held on to the lead for the remainder of the race, to take the win. David Doty was second while Kyle Cassidy came across third.
In tech Kyle Cassidy was disqualified for being three hundred pounds to light, so third place went to Brent Null.
It was a great race in the twenty five lap Junior's Trim Shop Road Warrior feature with Jon Prescott sitting on the pole. Terry Price jumped to the front with the first caution coming out on lap three.
Chris Loney was challenging Terry Price for the lead in turn four when Loney got into the back of Price's car which put Price in the spin cycle. Lap four seen the next caution for Chris Scott, who had hot the backstretch wall hard and kept it going until he got to the frontstretch, where the car came to a stop.
John Stewart went agriculture racing on lap five, which put water onto the bottom of turn three and the race had to be stopped to dry the water off. Bryan Boxell had gotten into the way of the leaders on lap six. Terry Price was trying to lap Boxell when he got into Price and sent him spinning into the backstretch which also collected Jeff Firestine and Jeff Rumbold.
Terry Price was able to continue and held on to the lead, however the contact did bust Rumbold's radiator and it ended his evening. Steve Elder challenged Terry Price for the lead on lap ten and successfully completed the pass the following lap.
With two laps remaining Terry Price spun out in turn two making it a green, white and checkered finish. After coming from the back of the pack Chris Loney had made his way back to second and with one lap remaining Loney gave Elder a bump in turn three. The bump was hard enough to send Steve Elder spinning.
Loney was once again put to the rear of the field while Steve Elder was given back the lead. Steve Elder held on to win the race with Jeff Firestine in second and Randy Spicer in third. However after the race was completed Steve Elder and Randy Spicer were both disqualified in tech. This gave the victory to Jeff Firestine with Mike Crooks in second and Logan Leonard was third.
The Pro 4's ran the only caution free race of the evening with Derrick Horton leading the class to the green on the twenty five lap feature. Brandon Scott lead the first eight laps before Cody Benoit took over the top spot from Scott. Benoit remained out front until lap fourteen when John Pummel Jr grabbed the lead from Benoit. John Pummel Jr car was a rocketship and took home an easy victory. Codey Benoit had to settle for second with David Amelotte in third.
The last race of the evening was the fifty lap, Florida Suncoast Outlaw Street Stocks. Earlier in qualifying Shane Leonard posted the fast time of 17.454 and started in the fourth position. Jeffery Waterman sat on the pole, but it was Shane Leonard who grabbed the lead once the race got started.
The first caution came out for debris on lap eight on the frontstretch. On lap twenty three, Terry Price blew a motor and spun out in turn four. Once Price's car came to a stop his car errupted in flames under the hood. Price's escaped out of the car unharmed and the track safety team was able to put out the fire.
Logan Leonard brought out the final caution with six laps remaining when a tire flew off his car on the backstretch. When the tire came off his car he went spinning and ultimately hits the backstretch wall and pancaking the passenger side of his car. Shane Leonard claimed another victory with Danny Daniels Jr and Jeffery Waterman completing the top three spots.
Brandon Scott won the "King of the track" fan participation race.
