VSP MEDIA

 
Barberville, FL (January 24, 2010)  To say the “January Jump-Start” at Volusia Speedway Park was a success would be actually an understatement.  The “January Jump-Start” was AWESOME from Friday night’s open practice to Sunday afternoon’s features.  Even the few dark clouds overhead could not, did not, spoil such an AWESOME weekend.
 
A sudden but brief rain shower interrupted the program but the track equipment was out as soon as the rain was over and it only took a short period of time to get the track back into running shape.   Plus it gave the fans some time to eat since once racing started, no one wanted to leave their seat.
 
The DIRTcar Modifieds were the first feature up with 30 laps of hot racing action.  Kyle Bronson had the pole and won from the pole leading every single lap.  As the green flag waved, it was Bronson on the point followed by Wayne Hammond, Rob Underwood, Jeff Matthews, and Jr Hotovy.  However it did not take Kyle Owen any time to work his way into the fourth place spot putting Matthews fifth and Hotovy sixth. 
 
Obviously Hotovy did not like Owen’s move and came back to retake fourth followed by Owen putting Matthews sixth followed by Larry Burkins in seventh, Hollywood Owen in eighth, Kent Corbin in ninth and Jared Allison tenth.  Lap 3 saw Don Rollison, Jr. have problems ending his day very early.   P.J. Wiggins brought out the first caution on lap 5 as he spun at the bottom of turn 4’s pit entrance. 
 
With Bronson on the inside and Hotovy on the outside, the race went back green as Bronson once again takes the point over Hotovy, Matthews, Underwood, and Wayne Hammond.  By lap 10, Bronson is a good ten car length ahead of the field and sailing away.  Underwood takes over second followed by Matthews in third, Kyle Owen in fourth and Larry Burkins in fifth.  Lap 11 sees Wayne Hammond end his day as the caution comes out for a second time for Jr Hotovy.  Hotovy and  Matthews were racing hard for second as they touch on the backstretch sending Hotovy into a spin.
 
Bronson takes the inside with Matthews on the outside for the restart as Bronson once again shows his muscle and takes the point over Matthews, Underwood, Burkins, and Kyle Owen.  Just as the racing gets going hard and heavy again, the caution comes out on lap 14 for Jared Allison who has lost a motor.  Allison, who is new to dirt racing and the 2009 Orlando SpeedWorld Super Late Model Champion, sees his new engine with only four races on it go up in smoke.
 
Double file restart is in order since the halfway point is not quite there as Bronson takes the inside and Matthews the outside.  Bronson quickly takes the point over Matthews, Underwood, Rodney Wing (in Jeff Matthews’s back-up car), and Kyle Owen.   Suddenly P.J. Wiggins takes his machine to the pits also down for the afternoon.  Bronson continues to lead the way over Matthews, Underwood, Wing, and Kyle Owen.
 
By lap 18, Bronson has a fifteen car lead over the field and is sailing away.  Lap 19 sees Rodney Wing, from Mississippi, exit th e field after working his way from the rear to the front in Jeff Matthews’s back-up car thus changing the top five to Bronson, Matthews, Underwood, Kyle Owen and Larry Burkins.  Right behind Burkins is Mikle Spatola who is working his way up front fast.
 
Lap 21 sees Jerry Morgan retire his machine to the pits as Spatola passes Burkins and takes over fifth.  But Spatola is not finished moving up yet as he sets his aim on Kyle Owen in second.  Owen tries to defend his spot but Spatola proves he is the better man as he takes over fourth leaving Kyle Owen in fifth.
 
Bronson takes the checkered for his first win of 2010 at Volusia Speedway Park followed by Jeff Matthews, Rob Underwood, Mike Spatola, and Kyle Owen.  Bronson takes home a cool $1500 for his afternoon’s work.
 
Street Stocks were out in force with 29 car signed in and 22 racing for their 40 lap feature and $2500 to win.  Just as in the Modified feature, it was the pole sitter who led almost every single lap and took the win.  Returning after a long absence was Joe Belkley, II behind the wheel of the #119 who took the win.  Belkey quickly took the point on the green over Kevin Duren, Pat Buckley, Trevor Gamble, and William Medders.  But it was a short green as on lap 2 the caution came out for Bud Chancey who spun at the bottom of turn 4.
 
With Belkey on the inside, Durden on the outside, the race goes back green as Belkey takes the point over Durden, Gamble, Grady Christian, and Buckley.   However Buckley is not in the clear as he see Patrick Williams in his rearview mirror.  Williams waste no time and passes Buckley taking over fifth as Buckley goes to sixth.  Belkey, who has about a fifteen car lead over the field is looking good.  Christian passes Durden for second as Durden goes to third followed by Gamble and Williams.
 
Suddenly Buckley is showing some smoke from his car but continues on as Belkey leads the way over Christian.  Lap 11 sees the caution come out for Robert Sirmons who has spun in turn 4 and finds himself pointed straight into oncoming traffic.  Sirmons takes his ride into the pits along with George Richards in the #0 car.  Sirmons returns to the field just in time for the restart as Belkey is on the inside and Christian on the outside.  Belkey takes the point over Christian, Durden, Gamble, and Williams.
 
Gamble puts the heat on Durden and takes over third as Williams follows Gamble taking over fourth and Durden settling into fifth.  The caution comes out on lap 14 for Bud Chancey as he has spun on the bottom of turn 4.  Belkey on the inside, Christian on the outside, Belkey takes the point over Christian, Williams, Gamble, and Durden.  Christian looks on the inside of Belkey for first but Belkey quickly shuts the door on Christian, something he is definitely not use to. 
 
Just as Patrick Williams is about to take the point, the caution comes out for Wally Schneider who has spun at the bottom of 4.  Williams now has to try again for the point as Belkey takes the inside and Christian takes the outside for the restart.  This time Christian gets the jump on Belkey as he takes the point over Belkey, Williams, Gamble and Durden.  Belkey wastes no time as he comes back and retakes the point from Christian putting Christian back in second place.
 
Lap 20, halfway, sees a couple of cars get together between turns 3 and 4.  Involved was Alan McCafferty, Jody Wells, and Jeff Miller.  McCafferty is against the turn 3 wall but is fine and able to continue racing as the three rejoin the field in the rear.  Since it is halfway now, the field goes to a single file restart with Belkey on the point.  But just as fast as the green came out, the yellow comes out for Grady Christian who has spun in turn 4, something seldom seen from this driver.  Christian lucks out and no one hits him as the field comes barreling towards him.  Christian is fine and rejoins the field in the rear.
 
Belkey takes the point for the restart followed by Williams, Chad Scranton, Gamble, and Durden.  Chris Heaney breaks but is able to take his hurt car off the track without having a caution thrown.  Belkey continues to lead the way over Williams, Gamble, Scranton, and Bubba Christian who has passed Durden for fifth.
 
Lap 24 sees the caution for Jody Wells and Wally Schneider who have gotten together at the bottom of turn 4.  Gamble, who was running third, exits the track also for a flat tire.  Wells takes his machine into the pits as Schneider needs alittle help from the push truck getting out of the mud.
 
Once again Belkey leads the way over Williams but it is another very short green as Bubba Christian brings out the caution for a spin in almost the same spot as his uncle Grady spun in turn 4.  Bubba, who celebrated his 17th birthday today, rejoins the field in the rear.  Belkey once again leads the way on the restart over Williams, Scranton, Charlie Macnichol, and Durden. 
 
Grady Christian is working his way back up from the rear passing Durden for fifth.  Once again Grady Christian spins in turn 4 this time hitting Pat Buckley who had no place to go.  Christian goes to the rear again for the restart as Buckley keeps his damaged car on the track. 
 
Lap 27 sees the restart but one lap later the yellow is out again for William Medders who has spun in turn 4.  Medders rejoins the field in the rear as Belkey leads the way over Williams, Scranton, Macnichol and Durden.
 
Belkey continues to build a good fifteen car lead over Williams as Belkey takes the checkered followed by Patrick Williams, Chad Scranton, Charlie Macnichol and Bubba Christian.  Belkey is protested after the race but is found legal and the win stands.
 
Since the skies are beginning to look gray again, it was decided to postpone the Victory Circle photos and interviews until after the last race.  Rain is definitely on it’s way and the program needs to tighten up before it begins to rain again.
 
Sportsman are up next for their 40 lap feature and $2500 to win.  Alan Peacock has the pole and takes the point on the green over Stanton Mills. David Clegg, and Paul Shead.  Clegg gets really, really sideways in turn 4 on the green but somehow saves the car without bringing out a caution or causing a wreck.  Peacock leads the way over Mills, Augie Burttram, Paul Shead, and David Clegg.
 
Lap 3 does see the yellow come out for Shane Williams and Kyle Chappell who have gotten together at the top coming off 4.  Both join the rear for the restart as Peacock takes the inside and Mills the outside.  Peacock once again gets the jump on Mills and takes the point over Mills, Shead, Clegg, and Burttram.  However it is a short green as Shaun Daugharty brings out the caution on lap 4 as he spins in turn 2.  Peacock takes the inside, Mills the outside as Mills takes the point on the green but not for long as the caution is out for Ronnie Ponce who has spun at the bottom of turn 2.
 
Peacock takes the inside, Mills the outside as Mills takes the point over Clegg, Peacock, Shead, and Bobby Richardson.  Richardson wastes no time and takes over fourth as Shead settles into fifth.  By lap 6, Clegg has the point but Mills fights back.  The caution comes out on lap 6 for Scott Lagasse who has spun in turn 2. 
 
With Clegg inside and Mills outside, Mills retakes the point over Clegg, Richardson, Aaron Barsness, and Peacock.  Clegg and Mills are now side-by-side for first as Mills takes it followed by Clegg, Barsness, Richardson, and Daugharty.  Just as racing is getting hot, Scott Lagasse brings out the caution again as he spins high in turn 4.  With Mills on the inside and Clegg on the outside, Clegg takes the point over Mills, Barsness, Daugharty and Shead.  Mills and Barsness are going side-by-side for second as Barsness wins the battle and takes second.  In the meantime, the pole sitter Alan Peacock seems to be having problems and is slowly going backwards on the field.
 
Clegg continues to lead the way over Barsness, Daugharty, Mills, and Richardson.  Richardson is now on the move and takes over third as Daugharty takes over second from Barsness.  It is now Clegg, Daugharty, Richardson, Barsness, and Mills.  Lagasse is on the move from the rear and now sits in eighth position.  Matt McGillivray shows his muscle and takes fifth from Mills as Mills finds himself now in sixth.
 
Lap 18 sees Lisa O’Connor withdraw from the field and retire to the pits.  One lap later, lap 19, Lagasse retires to the pits as Clegg continues to lead the way over Daugharty, Richardson, Barsness, and McGillivray.  Lap 21 sees Richardson take over second as Daugharty goes to third.  Lap 23 sees William Northrup climb the banking in turn 2 stopping high in the turn and bringing out the caution. 
 
Clegg once again leads the way over Richardson, Daugharty, Barsness, and McGillivray  Daugharty tries the high line to pass Richardson and retake second but Richardson holds his postion.  In the meantime, Clegg builds his lead over the field by a fifteen car lead by lap 30 and sees nothing but clear sailing.  Clegg keeps up the pace and takes the checkered over Bobby Richardson, Shaun Daugharty, Aaron Barsness, and Matt McGillivray.
 
The Thunder Stocks were cut to a 15 lap feature instead of 20 due to the rain coming in fast.  The skies were ready to open up anytime.
 
Randy Strehle had the pole but it was a complete restart as Scott Mooers, Richard Calmes and Mike Barr got together in turns 1 and 2 on the start.  On the second try, it was Chris Fontaine who took the point over Raymond Wheeler, Randy Strehle, Dean Jarvis, and Eddie Lake.  Wheeler wastes no time and takes over the point from Fontaine as Strehle takes over second and Fontaine settles into third.  But Fontaine does not want third and retakes second.  Lap 4 sees the leader Ray Wheeler go into the pits giving the point over to Dean Jarvis followed by Strehle, Fontaine, Donnie Nobles, and Lake.
 
Lap 5 sees the caution come out for Ryan Lisak who has spun at the bottom of 4.  In the meantime, Dave Burttram is being pushed in by the push truck.  With Jarvis on the inside and Strehle on the outside, the green comes back out again as Jarvis leads the way over Fontaine.  By lap 6, Fontaine is back in front but Jarvis fights back and retakes the point putting Fontaine back in second.  As Jarvis and Fontaine are fighting for the point, Jarvis taps Fontaine as Fontaine brings out the caution in lap 8 for a spin in turns 3 and 4.  Fontaine rejoins the field in the rear for the restart.
 
Jarvis on the inside, Strehle on the outside, Jarvis takes the point over Strehle, Mooers, Kelly Schneider, and Donnie Nobles.  By lap 11, Fontaine has worked his way back up to eighth and is coming towards the front.  Courtney Eubanks brings out the caution as she spins in the top of turn 3.  Since the halfway point has been met, it is a single file restart.  But before the green is really even out, the yellow comes out for Scott Mooers who has spun in turn 2.
 
Lap 11 seems to be a hard lap to get off of and the rain is coming in fast, one more restart is in order but another caution comes out just as the green is thrown for Eddie Lake and Chris Watson who have spun at the top of turn 3.  Both go to the rear for the restart.
 
With no more cautions, Dean Jarvis finds it clear sailing to the checkered to take his first win in the Thunder Stocks at Volusia Speedway Park.  Following Jarvis to the checkered was Randy Strehle, Donnie Nobles, Kelly Schneider, and Chris Fontaine.  Remember, the Thunder Stocks are Volusia’s newest division and when 2009 began, there were only a handfull of drivers for the races.  If Sunday’s afternoon show is how 2010 is going to be for this class, you can be sure to see a lot of action out of these guys for 2010 and plenty of cars.
 
The next event for Volusia Speedway Park begins February 2nd with the 39th Annual DIRTcar Nationals.  Racing will continue until February 13th.  For more information on the 39th Annual DIRTcar Nationals and Volusia Speedway Park, go to www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.  Volusia Speedway Park is located 15 miles west of Ormond Beach, FL on State Road 40
 
 
 
MODIFIED
 
 1. #40H Kyle Bronson
 2.  #33 Jeff Matthews, Seffner
 3.  #09 Rob Underwood, Umatilla
 4.  #89 Mike Spatola
 5.  #2K Kyle Owen
 6.  #54B Larry Burkins, St. Augustine
 7.  #41D Darron Smith, Jacksonville
 8.  #9S Ronnie Schron
 9.  #OK Kent Corbin, Bunnell
10. #7S Ronnie Chance, Elkton
11. #1H Hollywood Owen, II
12. #77A Wayne Allen, Jr., DeLeon Springs
13. #21 Jerry Morgan
14. #33X Rodney Wing, Mississippi
15. #13 Jr Hotovy
16. #18A Jared Allison, Cocoa
17. #410W P.J. Wiggins
18. #11M Chuck Gustafson, Jr., Howey In the Hills
19. #48 Wayne Hammond
20. #88 Don Rollison, Jr., Pomona Park
21. #21J Josh Sanford, Interlachen
22. #67 Garrett Stewart, Fruitland Park DNS
23. #40 James Smith, St. Augustine DNS
24. #5W Dan Arnold, Detersburg DNS
25. #Z06 Larry Mott, Leesburg DNS
26. #10X David Ponton, Lake City DNS
 
SPORTSMAN
 
 1.  #P4 David Clegg, Bunnell
 2.  #45 Bobby Richardson, Eustis
 3.  #00 Shaun Daugharty, Deleon Springs
 4.  #11 Aaron Barsness, Springfield, MO
 5.  #95 Matt McGillivray, Sorrento
 6.  #2 Chris Vogel, St. Augustine
 7.  #88 Sammy Dale
 8.   80 Paul Shead, Deland
 9.  #21S Stanton Mills, St. Augustine
10. #46 Richard Wells, Jr., St. Augustine
11. #5 Alan Peacock, Deland
12. #18M Shane Williams, Deland
13. #17K Marc Kinley, Osteen
14. #05 Dan Lane, Sr., Astor
15. #57 Karl Haas, Pierson
16. #40 Steve Branton, Deland
17. #66C Kyle Chappell
18. #60 William Northrup
19. #21L Scott Lagasse, Jr., St. Augustine
20. #61 Lisa O’Connor
21. #29S Drew Smith, Jacksonville
22. #58 Dave Burttram, Jr., Anthony
23. #57P Ronnie Ponce, St. Augustine
24. #17H Blaize Hetznecker, Holly Hill
 
STREET STOCK
 
 1.  #119 Joe Belkey, Deleon Springs
 2.  #56W Patrick Williams, Archer
 3.  #17S Chad Scranton, East Palatka
 4.  #12 Charlie Macnichol, Deland
 5.  #04 Bubba Christian, Altoona
 6.  #54 Tim Hughes, Ormond Beach
 7.  #36 Grady Christian, Altoona
 8.  #56 Kevin Durden, Archer
‘ 9.  #1 Alan McCafferty, Clermont
10. #17M William Medders
11. #11W Jody Wells
12. #32 Bud Chancey
13. #57S Wally Schneider, Summerfield
14. #94 Robert Sirmons, Leesburg
15. #34 Pat Buckley, Deland
16. #64 Trevor Gamble, Deleon Springs
17. #28 Jeff Miller
18. #5H Chris Heaney, Edgewater
19. #17 D.J. Nobles, Bunnell
20. #0 George Richardson, Groveland
21. #K3 David Kinsey, Ocaa
22. #24B Martin Butcher
23. #66V Greg Vandergriff, Deltona DNS
24. #2H Cory Hupp, Apopka DNS
25. #2s Mick Kulak, Deleon Springs DNS
26, #14P Dell Powell DNS
27. #71 Rick Davis DNS
28. #26 David McCormack DNS
29. #18E Mike Eubanks DNS
 
THUNDER STOCKS
 
 1.  #44 Dean Jarvis, Ocala
 2.  #24 Randy Strehle, Deland
 3.  #17 Donnie Nobles, Bunnell
 4.  #24K Kelly Schneider
 5.  #47 Chris Fontaine, Lakeland
 6.  #10 Scott Mooers, Osteen
 7.  #15 Luke Sadler, Hollister
 8.  #96 Eddie Lake
 9.  #118 Ron Adams, Holly Hill
10. #81 Courtenay Eubanks
11. #8 Chris Watson
12.  #12 Don Horiski
13. #6 Wally Douglass
14. #07L Ryan Lisak
15. #33D Donnie Dobbins
16. #1 Jamie Anderson, Pierson
17. #XX Dave Burttram, Jr., Anthony
18. #1W Raymond Wheeler, Anthony
19. #V1 Delbert Boyer
20. #07 Richard Calmes, Sanford
21. #1X James Lanatry DNS
22. #35 Mike Barr DNS