The Seventh Annual Joey Coulter Charity 200 Race Weekend proved to top all previous events in money raised but there was a bit of déjà vu as well as victory lane was occupied by a familiar face in Steve Darvalics.
The charity race was held to help three families in need including, for the second time, the Hopkins family. The very first race was held to help young Tommy Hopkins who is now in remission from a form of Leukemia. However, it is now his mother, Shelly, who is battling a cancerous brain tumor. Also receiving assistance from this years event are the family of six-year-old London Peoples who has a very aggressive form of brain cancer and the family of three-year-old Kanarius Wood who has stage four Neuroblastoma cancer.
Race organizer Rick Bristol could not have asked for better weather as his long-time labor of love ran for the first time at the quarter-mile Auburndale Speedway and received incredible support from track owners Rex and Collette Guy and their staff.
Several sponsors stepped up to the plate as well to insure the event would be a success including Aaron’s, Blackwater Integration and Florida Suncoast Unclaimed Freight Sales. The Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Que on nearby Recker Highway hosted a Thursday evening charity meal night with a percentage going to the charity.
Local fifteen-year-old Truck racer Dylan Martin, with help from his friend “semi-retired” Truck racer Kim Scheffler, worked tirelessly to promote the event in the Lakeland-Auburndale-Winter Haven area and himself raised at total of $6,000.
For the first time ever the race was broadcast over the radio as Jerry Daniels put together a two-hour live event on Orlando’s 740 AM “The Game.” Long-time area broadcasters Tracy Dent and Dave Westerman provided the play-by-play with color analysis from event host and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Joey Coulter.
The broadcast was sponsored by Orlando Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram and their Stew Smith provided a beautiful 2013 Dodge Ram truck to pace the racing.
Action began with qualifying on Friday evening and it was young Jessica Murphy of Groveland who set fast time over 22 other trucks. Murphy then drew an eight pill for the inversion and that placed eighth quick Brent Huber of Venice on the pole for the 100-lapper. The only glitch in qualifying came when third fast qualifier and 2012 Florida United Promoter’s Series Truck champion Gerald Campbell was disqualified for a weight infraction. Campbell shrugged off the penalty and started the big race from the back of the grid.
Following an on-track autograph session and pre-race ceremonies, 23 trucks were ready to take the green flag. Huber wasted little time taking the lead from his front row spot as outside pole sitter James Glover settled into second. Murphy’s pill draw probably proved to be her undoing as she brought out the first caution flag on lap four with a spin in turn three as several trucks got bunched up. Murphy was forced to restart from the back of the field.
Steve Darvalics made quick work of Glover on the restart and began pressuring Huber. Following two more caution periods, Darvalics made the move for the lead on the low side and, before he could recover, Huber slid all the way back to fifth place.
A total of seven caution flags kept things from flowing smoothly during the first fifty laps of racing but it appeared Darvalics had the truck to beat. An extensive red flag period stopped the action just past halfway as a transmission seal broke on the Burkhalter Racing truck driven by Lakeland’s Keith Lilley coating the track with fluid.
Once the race restarted, Darvalics was simply in a different zip code as he led at will slowed only by several more cautions for minor spins and another extensive clean-up when the engine let go in Randy Leonard’s machine late in the going. The race had a 90 minute time limit to insure that it would finish during the radio broadcast and eventually would be cut seven laps short of the 100-lap distance, but it only quickened the inevitable as Darvalics easily took the victory, his third in the event to go along with winning last year and in 2008. Under normal circumstances, Darvalics would have been competing in his newfound form of racing, Sprint Cars, at Showtime Speedway in St. Petersburg, but passed up that event and dusted off his truck to run an event that he says he would not miss for the world.
Bruce Bennett, Jr. started tenth and drove to an impressive second place finish while Huber recovered late to take third. Glover held on for fourth while 12th starter Dustin Chisholm took fifth. Joseph Mursuli improved ten places from his 16th spot on the grid in coming home sixth with Bobby Mobley, Dylan Martin, Bryan Bernhardt and Brad Bowman completing the top ten.
Although Michael Pilla did not have the best of nights, finishing 17th, by starting the race he became the only driver to have competed in all seven Charity Truck events.
In other racing action, Dakota Baggette scored the Legend Car win on Friday night over Jordan Black, Brandon Thomson, Anthony Cataldi and Chase Fitzgerald. Saturday it was Black taking the victory over Thomson, Baggette, Drew Carter and Cataldi.
The Southeastern Champ Karts brought an impressive group to the speedway with Tara Henderson topping Wesley Gonzalez and 19 other karts on Friday evening. Darin Coker did what is virtually impossible in Champ Kart racing on Saturday night as he led every lap of an incredibly close contest, just nipping Henderson at the line for the win in a race that featured 20 starters.
Clyde Tucker won the Bandolero feature both nights while the Auburndale Scramblers and the Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association also spiced up the Friday night action.
As of this writing, with money still coming in, over $27,000 had been raised through the event. This amount beats the record total (set last year) by over $2500.
” I am once again blown away by the kindness of the racing family and fans. Each year they come and they support it, many return each year, and we gain new people as well. They catch the vision we have and the cause that is greater than any of us to help those in need. I cannot say enough, thank you so very much to all the sponsors, drivers, crews and fans for making this event successful. Thank you to Auburndale Speedway owners Rex and Collette Guy and staff for their hospitality. I am blessed by God to be able to do this deal. He has been so good to me and I can never forget that. I just want to show God’s love to others,” stated event organizer Rick Bristol. ” I am so thankful to have Joey Coulter as a friend and his family who have supported us for seven years, fielding trucks in the first six, and sponsoring the last six years. But Joey, who I approached about making this event his, has been so kind and has brought great and added credibility to the event. Joey is one of the great young Florida drivers who has made it up the NASCAR ranks, but above that he is a great young man and is the kind of face and name I wanted as part of this event. I have told him this is his event now, I will just continue to manage it and run it for him. We look forward to growing it bigger every year” he added.
“I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and pray special blessings on all those that supported us in 2012, God Bless”.
” I am happy to be able to put my name on such a worthy cause and great event” stated NASCAR Camping World Truck series driver Joey Coulter. “My family and I believe in the event Rick has built and have supported it for all seven years of racing and giving, it was easy to put my support and name on it. Thank you to all the sponsors, drivers, crews, volunteers and fans for showing your support and making it a great success. We look forward to the Eighth annual event in 2013 and want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” he added.
OFFICIAL FINISH: SEVENTH ANNUAL JOEY COULTER CHARITY TRUCK RACE (100 Laps – Cut to 93 Laps – Time)
1) #41 Steve Darvalics, Venice
2) #24 Bruce Bennett, Orlando
3) #64 Brent Huber, Venice
4) #3 James Glover, Pinellas Park
5) #7C Dustin Chisholm, Seminole
6) #8 Joseph Mursuli, Holiday
7) #29 Bobby Mobley, Eagle Lake
8) #7 Dylan Martin, Lakeland
9) #69 Bryan Bernhardt, Clearwater
10) #2 Brad Bowman, Clearwater
11) #2X Gerald Campbell, Sebring
12) #14 Sam Scott, Naples
13) #59X Becca Monopoli, Lakeland
14) #65 Brian Harbin, Bartow
15) #26 Jessica Murphy, Groveland
16) #84 Mica Williams, Lakeland
17) #4 Michael Pilla, Midland, NC
18) #31X Rodney Haddock, Hilliard
19) #21 Randy Leonard, Lake Placid
20) #77 James Dellea, Jr., Port Charlotte
21) #31 Keith Lilley, Lakeland
22) #74 Ralph Bowman, Clearwater
23) #77X James Dellea II, Port Charlotte