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| 9th Annual Powell Memorial Set for June 4, Friday at Citrus | by Jane Smith
Samsula, Fla. (June 1, 2004) The ninth annual Powell Memorial will run this Friday night at Citrus County Speedway with the Sunbelt Super Late Model Series. The Sunbelt Super Late Models were scheduled to race on June 12th at Citrus but both Citrus and Team FASCAR promoters got together and decided this was the perfect time to combine the Memorial with the "best of the best" Super Late Model Series in the state. Racers will now go for 150 laps and $5,000 to win.
The 2004 race will mark the 9th running of the Powell Memorial which began in 1996 to honor family members of James Powell III who were lost in a plane crash in 1995. Lost in the plane crash were James Powell's parents, his twin daughters and his aunt and uncle.
J.H. (Buddy) Powell owned and operated Ocala Speedway, which was dirt at the time, where his son learned to wheel a racecar on the 3/8's dirt track. Since both his father and himself had been around racing all their lives, James Powell established the Powell Memorial to honor his family.
When the first race ran at Ocala Speedway in 1996, NASCAR Busch Series driver Jeff Purvis took the checkered. In 1997 it was NASCAR All Pro Series racer Freddy Querry. David Reutimann won in 1998 with Wayne Anderson taking home the honors in 1999. Mike Franklin, a close friend of Powell's, won the honors in 2000 with Wayne Anderson taking his second win in 2001. Mike Fritts won in 2002. In 2003, the race was divided into a two night segment with Wayne Anderson winning at Ocala Speedway and James Powell winning at Citrus County Speedway.
This year all 150 laps will be run at Citrus County Speedway on Friday, June 4. A huge field of cars is expected with only the best of the best in the field. Among the contenders will be Fain Skinner of Live Oaks who currently leads the Sunbelt Super Late Model Series with 348 points.
Wayne Anderson of Wildwood, two time winner of the Powell Memorial, runs second in the Sunbelt Series with 318 points and is not only looking for his third win in the Powell Memorial but also gaining the points lead back in the Sunbelt.
Jonny Kay of Deerfield Beach and Daniel Keene Jr. of Weekiwachee are only 3 points apart with Kay at 282 points and Keene Jr. at 279. Both have experience at Citrus and both will be looking for a win.
Scotty Crockett of Land O'Lakes runs fifth in points followed by Mike Bresnahan of Inverness in sixth with 209 points. Citrus County Speedway is Bresnahan's home track where he has won many races and expected to be hard to beat.
"King of the Short Tracks" Dick Anderson of Wildwood comes home seventh with 206 points followed by Michael Williams of Mims in eighth with 189 points. Barry Willoughby of Port St. Lucie and Jacob Warren of Orlando round out the top ten for the Sunbelt Super Late Model Series with 164 points for Willoughby and 159 points for Warren.
Along with the 150 lap Powell Memorial Sunbelt Super Late Model event will be the Citrus County Speedway Hobby Stock , Thunder Stock 25 and Figure 8. Grandstands open at 4 p.m. with qualifying for the 9th Annual Powell Memorial at 7 p.m. Racing action begins at 8.
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