The 2000 racing season began in St Augustine with a new name and a new sanction. The new name is Florida Speed Park and the new sanction is the American Racing Association, which is a weekly racing series and a touring late model stock series. The weekly series will complete for a track championship as well as a national championship based on a points system like that used in theTOP GUN Challenge last year.

1998 and 1999 Sportsman Division Champion Kenny Hall started the season at FSP right where he left off, by winning the first point event of the new year with a first place finish. He will be challenged this year by Todd "Secret Agentman" Ponce, Nick Pilinko, and Jason Garver, who finished third in his new car.

Late Models will be back as Larry Osteen will defend his 1999 Track Championship. If Speed fest 2000 was any judge Osteen will have a lot of challengers this year. Look for young guns such as 19 year old Scott Lagasse, Jr., Donnie Oden , and Dustin Chamber to challenge the "Old Man" Osteen for the trophy.

George Thrift, III may not be back to defend his 1999 championship so that leaves the door wide open for a new track champion in the Florida Speed Park Modifieds, which will be the support race for this Saturday's USAR Hooters ProCup event. The half mile speedway, with it's unique 'D' shaped lay out, also features Thunder Trucks, Mini Stocks and Hobby Stocks with returning veterans, along with some new faces for 2000.

Special events planned for 2000 are sure to add a lot of extra excitement to regular battles for FSP's track championship. April 1st brings the charm and enthusiasm of Speedo the Clown, America’s one man racing clown show. Speedo not only is a big favorite with the younger fans, but also has a way of bringing out the 'kid' in race fans wherever he turns up. The following week the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro series heads the racing bill, and on the 22nd of April the power of the Southern Pro Trucks, the fastest trucks in the south, make the first of two 2000 appearances at the speedway. Also included in the 2000 schedule are the Southern Automobile Racing Association (SARA) Late Models, T.B.A.R.A. winged sprints on Labor Day, Florida Pro Late Models, Dwarf cars, in addition to the two stops made by the up and coming Hooters ProCup events with their Busch style cars and the most competitive short track series in the country.

A new feature for the fans of short track stock car racing on the east coast of Florida will the live radio broadcasting on WFLY of all the races at FSP. General Manager Louis Smith expressed the renewed enthusiasm at the speedway this year, "It's thrilling to see a lot of people in the community get real excited about the season and the things we're doing out here. It takes time, we've really had to turn a big ship around, with that kind of support it's going to make it a lot easier." The radio station, heard on 1240 AM, will also be airing "lunch with the drivers" live every Saturday from Noon to 12:30. The show will feature interviews with two or three FSP drivers live from the Oasis Restaurant, a favorite St Augustine spot for locals as well as tourists. Following the show fans can eat lunch and hang out with the drivers, and get to know them a bit.

On the new American Racing Association sanctioning Louis Smith stressed the importance of promoting the drivers in the community. "The biggest thing in short track racing, time and again from talking to drivers, is you can be the best stock car driver in the world but if you're not in the right place at the right time you're always going to be racing Saturday night. For a lot of the guys that's all they care about, they love being out here racing, to help them get promoted in the community and racing itself they're tickled to death about that, but some of these guys are serious about a racing career. We feel this can help put them in the right place and kind of open the timing window for them. That's what we're trying to do as much as anything is to expose the drivers who are serious about a career in racing, to promote them. We can't do it for them, but to give them as many opportunities as we can for them to do it for themselves".

The 2000 Florida Speed Park schedule combined with the sanctioning from the new American Racing Association, along with the increased community involvement, and a management style that emphasizes promoting the racers who put on the shows could well lead to a banner year for racing in the St. Augustine area.

This Saturday night the awesome power of the USAR Hooters ProCup racing series takes to the pavement at St Augustine for their second event of the year. Many Florida drivers are expected to see action including the 1997 ProCup champion Mario Gosselin, Derrick Kelley, winner of two ProCup races in 1999, Jason and Jeremy Bowser of Clearwater, Jonathon Brown of Sarasota. Rookie of the year contender David Pletcher of Pinellas Park had an outstanding sixth place finish in the first race of 2000, and longtime Florida short track veteran Bobby Gill who was last year's champion is set to defend his title. Along with the Florida stars of the ProCup scene, expect to see many veterans of the Carolina-Virginia late model wars vying for a spot in Florida Speed Park's Victory Lane. Jon Wood, grandson of Leonard Wood of legendary Wood Brothers fame, surprised most observers with his second place finish behind Andy Thurman in the first race.

Racing action begins at Florida Speed Park with ProCup qualifying at 5:00 PM and the race getting underway at 7:30 PM. The FSP Modifieds take to the track at the conclusion of the 250 lap Hooters event.

Full race reports, photos and video of the race will be available on the KARNAC Hooters ProCup Report Sunday.

-Jack Smith


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