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| Super Street & Mini Stock 50 Go for BIG Bucks at Citrus | by Larry MacMillan
(Inverness, Fl. 5/19/04) Not only is it a special night for Super Street and Mini Stock drivers but the grandstand fans will cash in on $5.00 grandstand admission and .50 cent beer night Saturday at Citrus County Speedway. It’s a special night for the racers and the fans so set up the VCR’s for the NEXTEL Showdown and come to where the local action is, Citrus County Speedway.
The Super Street Stock division is building rapidly and they are getting faster and more competitive as the season progresses. John Makula logged his first win of the season last week moving him into second in the early going of the point’s race in the division.
Point leader Jo Jo Viverito chased him to the checkered flag scoring his 5th top five of the season and is still looking for his first win. The competition is going to get even more fierce for the 50 lap special which will bring in some outside talent going for the $750 win purse.
If the field draws 28 cars or more there will be a $200 bonus for the winner. Time Trials will set the feature lineup with the fast qualifier will pull a pill to invert 10, 12 or 14 of the fast qualifiers.
Mini Stocks will also go for 50 laps and a $750 win purse on the line and a $200 bonus to the winner if 28 cars or more qualify. Local racers will be chasing Steve Griffin and Chris Hooker who come into this week’s action in a tie for the point lead at 1242 points. Chris has 3 wins, 3 top five finishes and 1 top ten to Griffin’s 1 win, 5 top fives and 1 top ten out of 7 weeks of racing.
This has been a heated battle from the get go and consistency, as usual, has paid off for the two regulars. Some heavy hitters from through out Florida will be joining them this weekend. A new rule became effective this week allowing a 75lb. weight break for 2300cc powered Mini Stocks and will remain in effect for the balance of the year.
The Hobby Stock division continues to grow with 46 cars in the running for the 2004 point’s crown. Tommy Smith had a DNF last week and his point lead was reduced to just 16 points. Bobby Taylor has had 6 top five finishes to close in on the point lead with a total of six drivers within 77 points of the top of the ladder. Hobby Stocks will take on the 3/8ths mile in heats and a 20 lap feature.
Thunder Stocks are also averaging 28 cars a night with 48 cars in the running for the point’s championship. Lee Keller locked in his fourth win of the season from the back of the 26 car starting field last week and continues to lead the standings by 40 points over another hard charger Rick Badessa. Jerry Hoover, Louie Cioe and John Sullivan round out the top five but there is plenty of new talent on the way up. Thunder Stocks will be looking at heats and a 20 lap feature Saturday.
Rounding out the Saturday night action at Citrus this weekend will be the 4 Cylinder Bombers which is adding new drivers every week in this beginner’s division. Fourteen cars have entered the point’s race thus far in the early going and more are still in the garage being built.
Harold Barup made it two consecutive wins which moved him up to 4th on the point ladder. Consistency has been the key to Clark Pittsley point lead making him one of three drivers to win 2 races and pairing it up with three top five finishes. John DeGeorge has only missed one race and has scored 6 top five finishes out of seven races in the early going.
Jeff Pittsley holds out in third but has moved up to Mini Stocks. Justin Durbin has raced in the regular season twice and holds out in fifth win 2 wins. 4 Cylinder Bombers go into week 8 in heat and feature action.
It’s fans $5.00 and .50 cent beer night at Citrus County Speedway this Saturday night located 2 miles South of S.R. 44 on U.S. 41 at the Citrus County Fairgrounds in Inverness. Pit gates open at 2, Grandstand gates open at 4 and time trials start at 6 P.M.
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