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By Jack Smith
The track billed as the 'South's Fastest Short Track' was the place to be on Sunday afternoon as race fans and drivers from all over the Sunshine State came together for a day of great fun and lots of racing action. The day saw the birth of the Street Stock Nationals and the crowning of the first Triple Crown Champion in years.
Dennis Wilson, Jr. and race organizer Rick Anges
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Though the field for the Street Stock Nationals may have been a little short of expectations, the race itself was well received by drivers and fans alike. The 100 lap event started out with veteran Junior Purcell in the pole position, and with Wallace Ramsey right behind him it appeared as though the two would run away from the field. The first caution came out at lap 29 when the #38 car spun into the infield. But the first of the mechanical problems started showing up at lap 40 when Purcell's motor went up in huge cloud of smoke, then the same fate came to Wallace Ramsey.
From then on it was a bumper to bumper 30 laps with Dennis Wilson, Jr. and Bill Close fighting for dominance. It looked as though Close had the car to win, but Wilson never gave up. Close finally lost the battle when, with only a handful of laps left, he tapped Wilson coming out of turn four and spun himself into the grass.
A worn out Dennis Wilson, Jr. was beaming from ear to ear as he stood in the winner's circle with race organizer, Rick Anges. The 100 lap race took its toll on the cars as well, with 13 of the 21 starters falling out due to mechanical problems. Wilson was DeSoto Speedway's Street Stock Champion this year, and the race showed again that the fastest car isn't always the winning car. Having a car that would hold up for 100 laps was the most important factor.
Compared to the 16 cautions in the Late Models, the Street Stock race was a very cleanly run race, and each of the drivers showed great respect for each other, and for the track. With only one contact caution over the course of the race, the fans witnessed a great show of skill and endurance.
Rick Anges is eager to get things organized for next year's Street Stock National events, and announcements are expected within a month or so on the details. Dennis Wilson, Jr. will be a guest on this week's KARNAC.com Racin'Talk Radio show Wednesday night.
The final leg of the Triple Crown race, other than enough cautions for three races, kept the fans on the edge for all 125 laps. James Powell had his hands full with B.J. McLeod for nearly a hundred laps as the youngster from Wauchula stayed right on his bumper; several times making contact in an effort the make the pass. Powell did an outstanding job holding off McLeod. Meanwhile Dick Anderson, starting in the seventh position, worked his familiar #00 gradually to the front. When he got the second spot from McLeod, the handwriting was on the wall. When Anderson took the lead from Powell with 11 laps left, the crowd came to its feet and roared its approval.
One disappointing note, Mike Garvey, winner of the All American 400 at Nashville Speedway earlier this month, was not able to start the race due to mechanical troubles. Jonathan Brown of Sarasota was a surprise in the qualifying with the fastest time. Brown has raced in several USAR Hooters ProCup events and is another of the young late model racers.
The youngest driver in the race was fifteen year old, Shelby Howard. Howard, who lives in Indiana, made some headlines last year at New Smyrna's Speedweeks in the Open Wheel Modifieds. Mike Franklin, Jr.
who had to make a trip into the pits under caution to hold down the fourth finishing spot.
New Smyrna Speedway owner, Robert Hart, and Columbia Motorsports Park owner, Bert Ashelman, were in attendance. Also seen in his old familiar spot 'on the hill' was former track General Manager, Earl Savage. Earl is still making up his mind about his involvement in Florida racing for next year. It wouldn't be too much a surprise to see Savage in an ownership spot next year.
In other news from DeSoto Sunday, Track Rescue had a busy day keeping the drivers safe. Other than USA International Speedway, DeSoto is the only Florida facility that uses the nationally known Track Rescue for it's safety operations. Several times during the day's events, they showed their experience and professionalism, quickly extricating racers from severely damaged machines in both the DeSoto Trucks, and the Triple Crown late models. There were also several minor fires that were doused immediately.
New speedway owners, John and Camille Sarppraicone, were seen buzzing around taking care of all the thousands of details for their first big Sunday show at DeSoto Speedway. Things seemed to run pretty smoothly, all the staff was very upbeat. All in all it was a great day at the races, and it's always tough to beat a Sunday DeSoto show.
Next year, look for a lot of new features at DeSoto. Sarppraicone plans to open a Speedway Cafe at the track, retool the modifed racing division, bring in lots of special shows, and promises a lot of surprises.
If things next year go as smoothly and as fan friendly as Sunday's affair, DeSoto Speedway will be well on its way to regaining its former prominence in both the local community and the Florida racing community.
-Jack Smith
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