Super Late Model 6 Pack Series Returns To Punta Gorda

From Linda Jericka

The first Goodyear 6 Pack Challenge Series race will he held this weekend March 5th at Punta Gorda Speedway.

This is one race you do not want to miss: Super Late Models for 100 Laps.

This weekends schedule:

Friday open practice for Super Lates and all divisions 4:00 PM til 8:30 PM.

Saturday Pit Gates open at 12:00 noon.
Front Gates Open at 5:00PM.
Qualifying 6:00 PM.
Racing starts right after qualifying.

Saturday Races: Super Late Models for 100 Laps.

Legends, Bandoleros, T.Q. Midgets, Road Warriors, Pro 4 and Fab 4.

All that racing for a $10.00 ticket.
General Admission: Adults $10.00 Seniors $8.00 Children 12 and under FREE.
Bleacher seating or bring a lawn chair and sit on the hill.

No coolers allowed.

Full concession open, so come hungry.

Call the speedway for more info at 941-575-7223 or visit the web site at www.puntagordaspeedway.com.

8655 Piper Road Punta Gorda, Fl 33982

Exit 161 Jones Loop

By Scott|2011-03-02T10:06:39-05:00March 2nd, 2011|Front Page News, Punta Gorda Speedway, Series|Comments Off

Legendary Driver Gene Bergin Passes

Buddies Leo Cleary, Bill Harmon and Gene Bergin

Gene Bergin passed away early this morning February 27th after suffering a major stroke in June. He had been hospitalized since June. Arrangements are unknown at this time.

Gene Bergin was one of the most versatile drivers in New England auto racing history, having driven Modifieds, Midgets, Sprint cars, Indy cars, and Grand National cars in his career.

Bergin first started racing in the early 50’s at the Riverside Park Speedway collecting many feature event wins and the 1962 Modified track championship.

He then in 1964 moved on to the Stafford Motor Speedway winning several features on the still dirt surface driving Sharkey Gaudiosi’s #44, and also holds the distinction of being one of only two drivers to win a feature event on both the dirt and asphalt surfaces at Stafford, ( The other being Ernie Gahan).

Gene also holds the honor of being the first Modified track champion on the asphalt surface at Stafford when he drove Beebe Zalinski’s M6 to the 1967 crown.

In yet another groundbreaking moment Bergin was the first driver to win a NASCAR event at Stafford in a Pinto bodied race car when he drove Bob Judkins # 2x to victory lane in 1971, thus ushering in the Pinto revolution.

Other car owners who Gene drove for were Bob Garbarino and his Mystic Missile #4 and Billy Simons and the Excavator Special #9.

He was successful in the NEMA Midgets with wins at Thompson in Aug. 1969 and Aug. 1973 at the old Lakeville Speedway in Massachusetts. Gene also attempted several USAC Champ Car races in 1968.

In 2008 Gene was also inducted into the Hartford Public High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments on both the Football and Baseball Teams.

Special thanks to SpeedwayLineReport.com

By Scott|2011-03-01T20:42:29-05:00March 1st, 2011|Featured|Comments Off

Ocala Speedway Opens 2011 Racing This Friday

By BJ Cavin-Ocala Speedway Media

OCALA, FL- Florida’s oldest speedway will open the 2011 regular racing season this Friday, March 4th, with the United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series headlining the night in a $3000 to win feature event. Ocala Speedway’s own Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks and Gladiators will also hit the clay in the first points races of 2011, rounding out a full evening of heated racing action.

Ever since the asphalt surface at Ocala was covered in top quality gumbo clay, the United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series has been a regular staple on the yearly schedule, and per the usual tradition will open the racing season both for Ocala Speedway, and for the racing series itself. 2010 Champion Mark Whitener was at the track this past Saturday getting the Big Frog Motorsports ride dialed in for Friday’s race, and so were a number of other regionally well known late model teams. Whitener drove the 58 machine to both the UDLMCS and the Ocala Speedway championships and would love to repeat that feat, but the other racers and their crews have other ideas about that. Whitener easily had the fastest car in the Saturday practice session, and looked to be ready to face all challengers when the green flag waves on Friday.

Fans got a sneak preview of the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks in action in February as they raced in a $500 to win, Sunday night affair that saw Jason Gamble make a return to Victory Lane. But this time around there will be points scored toward the season championship, so the necessity of getting off to a good start will have Gamble looking over his shoulder. The Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks have earned the reputation of being a tough and rugged bunch at Ocala, and the use of fenders and bumpers will probably be as prevalent in 2011 as it was in 2010. So racers and fans are expecting yet another physical affair to crank up the points season, while Jason Gamble, and a host of others, look to unseat Scott Mooers as the division champion.

The Ocala Speedway Gladiator division will have a different look this season as some heavy hitters have moved up and moved on, leaving room for others to fill the top rungs of the season points ladder. That suggests a quick scramble as those still left in the division, plus some newcomers, all vie for those spots on the opening night of racing, and that should result in a hard fought race. But while some top names have left the division, others are still out there and ready to take on all comers, and the potential is there for the Gladiators to provide the tightest points race of any division again in 2011.

The Ocala Speedway grandstand gates will open at 5PM on Friday evening, with hot laps and Late Model qualifying to follow. Heat races will begin at 8PM. Special event pricing will be in effect for Friday’s races, so fans should check the season schedule at www.OcalaSpeedway.com for further information, or call the track at 352-622-9400.

By Scott|2011-03-01T12:34:11-05:00March 1st, 2011|Bubba Raceway Park, Front Page News|Comments Off

Campi’s Patience Pays off with Icebreaker Win

By Rick Anges

Bradenton, Fl. The Icebreaker race has been a main stay at ASA sanctioned DeSoto Super Speedway for over thirty years and it would be fitting that this race would be the kick-off for the new Florida United Promoters Late Model Series.

Twenty-five of some of the best late models lined the infield for qualifying for the 100-lap feature. When the final checkered flag fell for time it was local favorite Jessie Dutilly topping charts with fast time. Dutilly would run in the top five early in the feature but a front brake problem would send him into the pits. He would return and battle back for a twelfth place finish. Steve Dorer, Tim Russell, Anthony Campi and Justin Larson would round out the top five.

When the green dropped it was Steve Dorer out front but it wasn’t long before Jeff Scofield would muscle his way around on the outside and take over the top spot.

Several laps later Dorer would pull into the infield and the crowd gasped as his car suddenly burst into flames. Although there was a lot of fire Dorer was able to quickly escape and the flames were extinguished. Dorer would end up twenty-second on the night.

Tim Russell would use the same outside groove and get by Scofield for the lead. Russell would pull away to almost a ¾ of straightaway lead as Scofield and Campi battled for second. Campi would eventually make the pass and set his sights on Russell.

Several cautions would put second place Campi on the outside of the leader Russell for the double file restarts but each time the crafty Russell would be on his game and get a good jump to hold onto the top spot.

With just a handful of laps left the yellow came out for the last time and this time Campi would stay right with Russell on the start. The top two would go into turn one side by side and when they came out of two Campi was the new leader and would hold on to take the win. Russell would finish second and in his post race interview said he had spun the tires on the final restart. Jeff Scofield in the familiar #92 of Dick Anderson came home in third. Anderson was the winner of the first Icebreaker in 1980. Anthony Sergi came from his ninth starting spot to finish fourth and in fifth would be Justin Larson.

The Florida United Promoters Late Model Series next race will be Auburndale Speedway on March 19^th.

Icebreaker 100 – Florida United Promoters Late Model Series – Feature

Pos Driver Car #

1 ANTHONY CAMPI 81

2 TIM RUSSELL 36

3 JEFF SCOFIELD 92

4 ANTHONY SERGI 20

5 JUSTIN LARSON 88

6 JAMES GLOVER 70

7 JOE BOYD 5

8 JAKE PERKINS 59

9 JOE WINCHELL 64

10 ZACH HARRIS 54

11 RAY BLACK 19

12 JESSE DUTILLY 30

13 SCOTT MILLAR 20X

14 DAVID KING 22

15 JAMES CARTER 21

16 STEVE GILL 5X

17 JONATHAN GUY 42

18 COLE POWELL 25

19 JOSHUA TODD 89

20 CODY BLAIR 15

21 ALAN CURRELI 2

22 STEVE DORER 10

23 LB SKAGGS 71

24 AMANDA FERGUSON 7

25 RYAN LISAK 17

QUALIFYING

Pos Driver Car #

1 JESSE DUTILLY 30

2 STEVE DORER 10

3 TIM RUSSELL 36

4 ANTHONY CAMPI 81

5 JUSTIN LARSON 88

6 JEFF SCOFIELD 92

7 STEVE GILL 5X

8 ALAN CURRELI 2

9 ANTHONY SERGI 20

10 COLE POWELL 25

11 LB SKAGGS 71

12 JAMES CARTER 21

13 SCOTT MILLAR 20X

14 JOE BOYD 5

15 JONATHAN GUY 42

16 JOSHUA TODD 89

17 ZACH HARRIS 54

18 JOE WINCHELL 64

19 JAKE PERKINS 59

20 CODY BLAIR 15

21 JAMES GLOVER 70

22 RYAN LISAK 17

23 RAY BLACK 19

24 DAVID KING 22

25 AMANDA FERGUSON 7

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED – FEATURE

Pos Driver Car #

1 KYLE BOOKMILLER 03

2 LB SKAGGS 71

3 TRAVIS ROLAND 10

4 STEVE ARNOLD 19

5 JAMES GLOVER 20

6 MIKE BIRK JR 10

7 LJ GRIMM 25

8 RALPH BOWMAN 2

9 DALTON BALDWIN 4

10 MICKEY “MARY” WRIGHT 6

11 VERNON HART JR 48

12 KEITH LILLEY 87

13 ERIC RUDD 12

14 DAN PARTELO 9

15 KYLE MAYNARD 127

16 WAYNE JEFFERSON 1O2

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED – HEAT 1

Pos Driver Car #

1 ERIC RUDD 12

2 LJ GRIMM 25

3 LB SKAGGS 71

4 KEITH LILLEY 87

5 TRAVIS ROLAND 10

6 KYLE MAYNARD 127

7 DAN PARTELO 9

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED – HEAT 2

Pos Driver Car #

1 WAYNE JEFFERSON 1O2

2 KYLE BOOKMILLER 03

3 JAMES GLOVER 20

4 STEVE ARNOLD 19

5 DALTON BALDWIN 4

6 RALPH BOWMAN 2

7 MIKE BIRK JR 10

8 VERNON HART JR 48

9 MICKEY “MARY” WRIGHT 6

PURE STOCKS – FEATURE

Pos Driver Car #

1 ROBERT CRISP 2

2 DARRIN ELLIS 71

3 DUANE BEST 3

4 GEORGE BARTIMAC 21X

5 KEITH THORBIN 88

6 KENNY GIBSON 43

7 DEAN BUTRUM 93

PURE STOCKS – HEAT

Pos Driver Car #

1 DARRIN ELLIS 71

2 DUANE BEST 3

3 ROBERT CRISP 2

4 KEITH THORBIN 88

5 GEORGE BARTIMAC 21X

6 KENNY GIBSON 43

7 DEAN BUTRUM 93

BOMBERS – FEATURE

Pos Driver Car #

1 MICHAEL CROOKS 33X

2 RANDY SPICER 22

3 JOHN STEWART 02

4 JIMMIE BEST 67

5 STEVE ELDER 42

6 JEFF FIRESTINE 93

7 ALEX PATTEN 81

8 KYLE BEST 3X

9 MARK PETTY 43

10 KEN (PAUL) SMITH 11

11 MARK MILTHALER 29

BOMBERS – HEAT 1

Pos Driver Car #

1 MICHAEL CROOKS 33X

2 STEVE ELDER 42

3 JIMMIE BEST 67

4 ALEX PATTEN 81

5 KEN (PAUL) SMITH 11

6 KYLE BEST 3X

BOMBERS – HEAT 2

Pos Driver Car #

1 JEFF FIRESTINE 93

2 JOHN STEWART 02

3 RANDY SPICER 22

4 MARK PETTY 43

5 MARK MILTHALER 29

DS TRUCKS – FEATURE

Pos Driver Car #

1 NICK HERNANDEZ 37

2 DAVID DAVIS 6

3 DENNIS COLLETTI, JR 4

4 DENNIS COLLETTI SR. 75

5 JOEY LOGAN 4X

6 CORY FRANCE 38

7 JIM ALTERIZIO 3

DS TRUCKS – HEAT

Pos Driver Car #

1 NICK HERNANDEZ 37

2 DAVID DAVIS 6

3 DENNIS COLLETTI, JR 4

4 DENNIS COLLETTI SR. 75

5 JOEY LOGAN 4X

6 CORY FRANCE 38

7 JIM ALTERIZIO 3

By Scott|2011-03-01T12:28:04-05:00March 1st, 2011|DeSoto Speedway, Front Page News, Race Results, Series|Comments Off

DAUBACH AND DAVIS AMONG THE VICTORS ON AUBURNDALE SPEEDWAY OPENING NIGHT

By Dave Westerman

  A great crowd and very unusual warm February weather helped
Auburndale Speedway kick off the 2011 racing season Saturday
night as seven divisions took to the track for a great night
of racing.

  Young Lance Daubach may well be the driver to beat this year
in the Sportsman class as he simply dominated things all night
taking the heat race win then surviving a rash of caution flags
to win the 25 lap feature race in flag to flag fashion. Sporting
a new ride, Brandon Duchscherer worked his way up to second by
the checker but had no real answer for Daubach's fleet machine.
Subbing for veteran driver Dave Dunkin, James Wright III came
home third ahead of Richard Elkins, Jr. and 2010 Modified Mini
Stock champion Scotty Sharpe who turned in a stellar performance
in his first outing with his new Sportsman.

  Lee Davis was as impressive as Daubach in taking both the heat
and feature over a quality field of Modified Mini Stocks. Jason
Rendell kept Davis honest but had to settle for the runner-up spot.
Sharpe came home third in this one just ahead of Chris Spring who
turned in a great run in his first Mod Mini feature after moving
up from the Mini Stock class where he was last years champ. Fifth
spot went to Nathan Florian who got to the track late but made
the proper adjustments to his car between the heat and feature
and passed a number of cars to net his top five.

  Although a number of Street Stock machines are still getting the
final touches put on them for the beginning of the year, James
Wright III had his machine ready to go even though his numbers had
to be put on the car after practice was over.  Wright then passed
heat race winner Cody McDuffie on lap 14 and raced to the Street
Stock feature victory.  McDuffie held on for second trailed by
Brian Harbin, Sammy Cressman and Jeff Waterman.

  The biggest field of Scrambler cars in more than a year put on
some wild racing as Richie Acres and Jeramiah Frere split heat
race wins. Acres led the feature in his Saturn from start to finish
as the action was "bump and grind" behind him.  George Gorham, Jr.
eventually grabbed second spot while Frere took the checker third
then lost that position in tech allowing Ronnie Sorensen to inherit
the third place finish ahead of the brother act of Shane and Bill
Bennett. Defending champion Kim Gullett had a rough night getting
the rear bumper of her car knocked off in an early incident then
having to pit to replace a flat tire later in the race.  She still
managed a ninth place finish.  Several new car and driver combos
were in action in the class with several sporting classy paint jobs.

  The Mini Stocks were short on cars but the fans had plenty to
cheer about as 15 year old Jason Swilley picked up his first career
feature victory in the class leading green to checker.  Mark Wells
had a career-best second place run while Sonny Miles took third.
Heat winner Eugene Davidson did not start the feature.

  Apparent V-8 Bomber heat and feature winner Bobby Mobley was 
DQ'd in tech for unapproved guide plates on the push rods of 
his car's engine allowing Alan Seay to take the win after starting 
deep in the field. Matt Bozeman brought his new car home second in 
front of Preston Davis, Larry Chumney II and John Smith.

  Little 10 year old Kristin Clements did it again in the Kids Club
as she held off Dakota Hunt and Justin Cribbs for the victory, and,
as usual, her win was a very popuar one with the crowd.

  This coming Saturday night the Open Wheel Modifieds, Legend Cars
and Bandoleros have their season-openers and will be joined by the
Sportsman cars, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, V-8 Bombers and 
Scramblers. Racing starts at 7 PM. For more information call 
863-551-1131 or log on to www.auburndaleracing.com.

By Scott|2011-03-01T11:51:50-05:00March 1st, 2011|Auburndale Speedway, Front Page News, Race Results|Comments Off

Top Gun Sprints Race Report 2-26-11

From Curtis Whalin

Top Gun Sprints

Hendry County Motorsports Park, February 26, 2011

Heat #1

1) 1* Tim George (Venice, FL)

2) 14 Ryan Partin (Orlando, FL)

3) 83 Mark Ruel Jr. (Jacksonville, FL)

4) 43 Terry Witherspoon (West Jefferson, NC)

5) 6 Mike Schroeder (SouthWestRanches, FL)

6) 0 Jimmy Ballew Jr. (Riverveiw, FL)

7) 59 Danny Statter (Deltona, FL)

Heat #2

1) 24 Danny Martin (Sarasota, FL)

2) 4C Tyler Godwin (Tampa, FL)

3) 14W Danny Jones (Valrico, FL)

4) 27 Johnny Gilbertson

5) 36 Ken Laureno (Port Charlotte, FL)

6) 01 Rebecca George (Venice, FL)

7) 8 Rich Alexander (Tampa, FL) DNS

Feature

24 Danny Martin; 2) 14 Ryan Partin; 3) 43 Terry Witherspoon; 4) 83 Mark Ruel Jr.; 5) 1* Tim George; 6) 27 Johnny Gilbertson; 7) 0 Jimmy Ballew Jr.; 8) 6 Mike Schroeder; 9) 36 Ken Laureno; 10) 01 Rebecca George; 11) 8 Rich Alexander; 12) 14W Danny Jones; 13) 59 Danny Statter; 14) 4C Tyler Godwin

Commentary

The Top Gun Sprints made their first visit of 2011 to the Hendry County Motorsports Park in Clewiston on Saturday February 26, 2011. There were 14 cars at the track to give fans two heat races and a 25 lap feature race.

The heat races are lined up using a pill pull system, and Mark Ruel Jr. in the 83 had the pole for the start of the first heat race with Tim George in the 1* on the outside, Tim George took the race lead at the start and held on to take the race win. Johnny Gilbertson had the pole for the start of the second heat race in the 27 car with Danny Martin in the 24 on the outside, Danny Martin took the initial race lead and went on to take the heat win.

Using a passing points system to line up the feature race and a six car inversion, Terry Witherspoon in the 43 car had the pole for the start of the feature race, with Ryan Partin in the 14 car on the outside. The race got underway and Lap 1 seen first caution with Tyler Godwin clipped big tire in turn four, with broken parts was done for the night. On the next complete restart Danny Martin come from the 4^th position and took the race lead and never looked back taking the win. Ryan Partin in the 14 finished in second place, followed by Terry Witherspoon in the 43, Mark Ruel Jr. in the 83, with Tim George in the 1* car finishing out the top 5. The KSE Hard Charger Award went to Jimmy Ballew Jr. in the 0 car.

The Top Gun Sprints will be at North Florida Speedway March 19, 2011

By Scott|2011-03-01T12:36:59-05:00February 28th, 2011|Hendry County Park, Race Results, Series|Comments Off

Putnam Speedway Results From February 26, 2011

From Shawn Kosier

Sportsman:

1.) 7 Marc Kinley, 2.) 7j Gene Dibble, 3.) 61 Lisa O’Connor, 4.) 17k Bill Kinley

Street Stock:

1.) 98t Michael Tovet, 2.) 66 David Dowling Sr., 3.) 9 Bruce Birkett, 4.) 2s Mick Kulak, 5.) 6 Rick Ferraro, 6.) 42 Randy Strehle, 7.) 26 Kevin Carter, 8.) 5 Chris Lane, 9.) 41 Ron Frank

Modified:

1.) 1s Ronnie Chance, 2.) 94 Jeff Bagent, 3.) 5j Donnie Hall, 4.) 7 Dalton Lanich, 5.) 83 Shawn Taylor, 6.) 19 Paul Sizemore, 7.) 8b Joey Brinson, 8.) 429 Tim Brown, 9.) 8c Charles Howard, 10.) 3 Josh Sanford, 11.) 1k Scott Kurtzner, 12.) 1L Bobby Layman, 13.) 68 Mike Kibbey, 14.) 96 Kyle Arvin, 15.) 42 Reed Withers

Thunder Stock:

1.) 42 Dalton Strehle, 2.) 01 William Martin, 3.) 2 Jack Miller, 4.) 88 Jimmy Dowling, 5.) 01x Anthony Lignore, 6.) 05 Alan Lane, 7.) 19 A.J. McKay, 8.) 1 Jamie Anderson, 9.) 32 James Shaw

Gladiators:

1.) 21 Art Souther, 2.) 64 Mike Budka, 3.) 20 Casey Feaster, 4.) 30 Reid Christensen, 5.) 75 James Strehle, 6.) 126 Robert Granham, 7.) 23 Tiffany Shaw, 8.) 15 Ashley Taylor, 9.) 89 Brandy Jones, 10.) 12pac Nathan Rhodes

By Scott|2011-02-28T12:25:01-05:00February 28th, 2011|Putnam County Speedway, Race Results|Comments Off

Calvin Cook Wins Biggest Payday of Career In $3,000 World Street Stock Championship

By Russ Calabrese

Tampa, FL -February 26, 2011- The 24 year old driver from Pace, FL won his biggest payday since he has been racing. “Man, I’ve won some $1,000 to win and a couple $2,000, but nothing this big before” Calvin Cook stated.

Calvin Cook started twenty third which was the final starting spot for the $3,000 to win 50 lap A-Main Saturday night at East Bay Raceway Park. “Man I didn’t think we had a chance, but I decided to go for it” Cook said.

The top six were locked into the A-Main via the points system accumulated over the past two nights. After hot laps for the top six, they all stopped on the front stretch to pull pills to see where they started. The Okeechobee driver, Tim Powers was the point leader after finishing second on Thursday night and winning on Friday night. Tim pulled the number six starting spot. The number two man in points was Charles Christian, Jr and he pulled the pole position. Third in points was Thomas Pratt and he started fourth. Next to pull was Andrew Gipson and he started third, Billy Carlbert, Jr started second and Donnie Reed started fifth.

At the drop of the green flag, Carlbert, Jr and Christian, Jr battled side by side for several laps before the Christian, Jr spun out in Turn two and bringing out the first caution of the night. Donnie Reed quickly took over the top spot with Carlbert, Jr in second and Pratt in third.

After starting in the fourteenth position, Tim Gay from Tampa took the lead on lap fourteen. A lap later the caution was waived as the Carlbert, Jr spun out in Turn two bringing out the second caution. Top three were Gay, Reed and Tim Powers.

On the restart on lap fifteen Donnie Reed quickly jumped into the lead and four laps later Gay had a right rear flat sending him to the pits on caution number three. Reed was the leader followed by Cook and Powers.

On the lap twenty, several cars crashed in Turn one taking out several contenders. Pratt, Roger Crouse, Andrew Gipson, Kevin Durden, and the pole sitter Christian, Jr.. That brought out the red flag so that safety officials could get the track cleared for racing once more. The top three were Reed, Cook and Thursday nights winner Jimmy Sharpe.

On the restart, Cook wasted no time taking the lead away from Reed and did so on lap twenty one. One lap later, Reed cut down his right rear sending the defending East Bay Street Stock Champion to the pits. With Cook in the lead, Sharpe held down second, and Michael Cherry came up to fill the third position.

On lap thirty two Sharpe drove by Cook on the outside where his car seem to work better as Cook stayed on the bottom. “My car seemed to work on the low side” Cook stated.

For the next fourteen laps, Cook and Sharpe battled side by side, never touching each other and swapped positions several times during that run. Caution came out once more as Reed had some more problems. Cook was still holding down your top spot with Sharpe still in second with Powers now in third.

Battling to gain his lap back, Tim Gay was driving hard to gain it back and did. But with a few laps remaining, Gay went charging into Turn one hitting the cushion and riding the wall nearly rolling over. But with great car control, Gay never lost it and the caution never came out leaving Cook and Sharpe still battling each other.

When the checkered flag dropped, it was the man who started in the twenty-third spot picking up the win in just his third time out here at East Bay Raceway Park. Finishing second by a narrow margin of just .008 seconds at the line was Tim Powers, with Jimmy Sharpe finishing third.

In Victory Lane, Cook had several people to thank, including Rodney Wing, the 2-Time Open Wheel Modified Winternationals Champion here at East Bay. “ I spoke to him and asked about tires, he said you just gotta go for it.” He also thanked his wife Cassie, car owner Danny Palmer of Auto Finance. His dad, Tim, Bo, Warren, and Greg James. Also, Nine Mile Machine Shop with Clint Holmes, Cook Motorsports, and Slay’s Mobile Home Service. “ This is a brand new car I just built and only had these three races. I still can’t believe this, I am just so happy” was a grinning and jubilant young man.

Kevin Durden finished fourth while Del Powell rounded out the top five. Thomas Pratt, Greg Valdez, Roger Crouse after getting in the crash came home eighth, Michael Cherry, and Alan McCafferty rounded out the top 10.

Also, Cook was the seventeenth different driver in seventeen nights of racing here during the 35th Annual Winternationals here at East Bay Raceway Park. President Al Varndore said he doesn’t recall that ever happening here.

Opening night here at East Bay will be March 4th for the Go-Karts, and March 5th is opening night for the cars featuring the Late Models, East Bay Sprints, Street Stocks, Outlaw 4’s and the 4 Cylinder Bombers. Gates open at 5:00 pm and hot laps around 6:00 pm with racing to get underway at 6:30 on Saturday night.

By Scott|2011-02-27T11:42:48-05:00February 27th, 2011|East Bay Raceway Park, Front Page News, Race Results|Comments Off

Citrus County Speedway Results From February 26, 2011

Open Wheeled Modifieds		Feature
Car-#	Drivers Name	Home Town	Winner
53	Doug Miller	Largo	1
12	Jay Coleman	Tarpon Springs	2
98	Robbie Cooper	Bronson	3
88	Bobby Ervien	St. Pete	4
70	Jeremy Gerstner	Wesley Chapel	5
8	Michael Stalnaker	Ocala	6
3	Ricky Coffin		7
31	Jeff Sloan	Crystal River	8
2	Steven Hise	Inverness	9
43	Gator Hise	Inverness	10
94	Dalton Nelson		11
121	John Carter Jr.	Bellview	12
6	Billy Bechtelheimer	Dover	13
42	Richie Smith	Hernando	14


	Sportsman		Feature
Car-#	Drivers Name	Home Town	Winner
99	Cody Stickler	Pinellas Park	1
13	Aaron Williamson	Mulberry	2
21	Tommy Schnader	Largo	3
55	Ernie Reed	Lakeland	4
77	Joey Catarelli	Pinellas Park	5
32	Charles (Shelton) Bowers	Cheifland	6
73	Mark Peterson	Sarasota	7
83	Dennise Neighbor Sr.	Largo	8
65	Shane Nichols	Anthony Florida	9
31	Mike Souaub		10
90	Cody Johnson	Ocala	11
6	David White	Spring Hill	12
23	Edward Allen	Georgia	13
4	Richie Smith	Hernando	14
01	Tom Posavec	San Antonio	15
51	Christopher Harvey	Summerfield	16
7	Clint Foley	Port Richie	17
56	Brandon Morris	Mulberry	18
42	Gary Miller	Ocala	19


	Street Stocks		Feature
Car-#	Drivers Name	Home Town	Winner
53	Kyle Peters	Ferndale	1
7	Michael Stalnaker	Ocala	2
3	Curtis Flanagan	Inverness	3
19	Jeff Stalnaker Jr.	Ocala	4
85	Tim Wilson	Floral City	5
98	Tom Bubba Martone	Floral City	6
10	Kenny May	Spring Hill	7
33	Bill Ryan	Bushnell	8
55	Ernie Reed	Crystal River	9
121	Dustin Strott	Pinellas Park	10
12	Jhana Hughes	Hernando	11
68	Austin Hughes	Hernando	12
26	Bradley Lyon	Brooksville	13
88	James Peters	Ferndale	14


	Pure Stocks		Feature
Car-#	Drivers Name	Home Town	Winner
0	Steve Stineduf	Weeki Watchee	1
35	David Walls	Summerfield	2
15	Levi Roberts	Spring Hill	3
411	Mathew Harris	Brooksville	4
17	Jesse Veltman		5
36	Michael Dubbs	Bushnell	6
9	Tyler Stickler		7
44	Glen Colyer	Homosassa	8
62	Erick Sharrone	Floral City	9
13	Charles Herne	Homosassa	10
06	Wayne Alexander	Spring Hill	11
20	Chris Ickes	Brooksville	12
39	Carl Peters	Winter Garden	13
55	Daryl Veltman		14
37	Rick Selvage	Dade City	15


	Mini Stocks		Feature
Car-#	Drivers Name	Home Town	Winner
77	Kevin Knox	Wesley Chapel	1
84	Ashlee Williamson	Mulberry	2
46	Shannon Kennedy	Summerfield	3
71	Sonya Heater	Homosassa	4
98	Kevin Stone	Dade City	5
11	Travis Daniels		6
32	Jeremy Sharrone	Floral City	7
35	Kenneth Watkins	Summerfield	8
29	Chris Snow	Inverness	9
31	Chris Hennessy Jr.		10
50	Jessey Mallory	Summerfield	11


	Pro Figure-8s		Feature
Car-#	Drivers Name	Home Town	Winner
39	Robbie Hage	St. Pete	1
65	Bobby Towe	Pinellas Park	2
6	Joey Catarelli	Pinellas Park	3
59	T. J. Sharrone	Floral City	4
94	Charlie Meyer	Pinellas Park	5
74	Dwane Fults	Hernando	6
14	Wayne Calkins	St. Pete	7
13	William Standsbury		8
34	James Crawford	Pinellas Park	9
85	Thomas Peet	Floral City	10
3	Cliff Rousseau		11
0	Jimmy Thompson	Pinelles Park	12
83	Neil Herne	Homosassa	13
49	Jaried Meyer		14


	South East Champ Kart Series		Feature
Car-#	Drivers Name	Home Town	Winner
7	Dustin Chisholm	Seminole	1
29	Ron Sanford	Lake Worth	2
8	Doug Schmidt	Treasure Isle	3
87	Kenner Brown	Jacksonville	4
31	Rusty Chancy	Palm Bay	5
99	Camron Ray	Homosassa	6
32	Dennis Mace	Palm Bay	7
37	Alan McKinney	Tampa	8
15	Chris Ellis		9
26	Caylyn Brown	Jacksonville	10
47	Wesley Gonzalez		11
97	Scott Stevens	Jacksonville	12
98	Scott Hailey	Orlando	13
08	Rance Williams	Lithia	14
16	Paul Letoumeau	Riverview	15
77	Phil Harp	Largo	16
33	Mitchell Stevens		17
66	David Harp		18

By Scott|2011-02-27T11:35:55-05:00February 27th, 2011|Citrus County Speedway, Race Results|Comments Off

Opening at Punta Gorda Speedway Brings Night of Excitement

From Linda Jericka

Photos by R. E. Wing Photo

Punta Gorda, FL -February 26, 2011- A record out crowd witnessed the opening of the 2011 racing season at Punta Gorda Speedway. The track which has recently undergone major improvements in both structure and format has gained a reputation as a family friendly venue for exciting racing entertainment. The first event of the 2011 season lived up to that reputation.

The racing card premiered with the Fab 4 class in an exciting 20 lap feature. There were three lead changes in the first seven laps as hotly competitive drivers, Zac Campilonga and David Patterson exchanged positions before giving up the lead to Carl Garrard on lap seven. Once Garrard took the lead he was never challenged again. Paul Richards, Jr. took second while Linda Badali finished third.

In the Outlaw Modified Division the race was highly competitive with three time champion Raymond Jones leading the first several laps of the race. NorthPort driver, Mike Endee kept pressuring Jones until he passed him on lap ten and never looked back. Endee stretched his lead to half a lap by the end of the 25 lap feature. Second place was secured by Jones and Doug Hopper finished third.

The Rookie truck division had seven cautions in the 15 lap feature, one of which resulted in a top contender, James Bullard ending with a wrecked car. The race was an exciting battle between Kelli Burns, Michael Atwell, and Chad Chastain with the three of them exchanging positions until Burns took the top spot and held off her challengers. Atwell finished a strong second with Chastain pressuring Atwell to the end of the race.

The Road Warriors division always brings thrills to the Punta Gorda Speedway crowd and opening night was no exception. The father-son team of Shane and Logan Leonard was a race within a race. The two competed for third place before making contact sending Shane into a spin. Then just a few laps later Shane was following Logan into turn one when Logan lost his steering and his dad was caught up in the resulting wreck. Neither car was able to finish the race. Leader Chris Scott was challenged throughout the race by Richard Nelson who finished second. Randy Kile edged out Rick Reed, 2010 champion, for third.

The Dwarf Cars ran the Tommy Bowles classic and despite numerous cautions leader Bo Bass led the race from green to checkered. The race is run annually to honor race driver Tommy Bowles who lost his life at the track in 1999. This year’s classic was led the entire way by Bo Bass although he was first challenged by Andy Prior and Mike Belazar. Belazar who was put to the back of the pack following an early spin out raced his way back to fifth position by the end of the race. Andy Prior finished second behind Bass while third place went to Larry Hubbard Jr.

The Pro Truck series started out to be quite a battle between Stephen Darvalics and Josh Williams who raced side by side around the track in each of several restarts. On the 15^th lap of a scheduled 35 lap event, a six car pile-up on the front stretch brought out the red flag. The crowd was silenced as it watched for a few anxious moments as veteran driver Phil Morrison was shaken up and slow to get out of his car. Fortunately, all drivers involved, including Morrison were uninjured. Their cars were not so lucky. All six cars had to be towed from the track. The officials called the race giving the cars leading at the time an official finish. At the time of the accident Steven Darvalics was leading and was awarded first place. Josh Williams was given second place while Mike Smith was awarded third. One of the drivers involved in the accident was guest celebrity Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem from FM 102.5. While his car was being towed, he entertained and pleased the crowd by signing autographs.

The Sportsman class was a clean race with only two cautions in the 25 lap event. The lead was held by Brian Richardson for the entire race but second and third positions were hotly contested throughout. Following Richardson at the checkered flag were Greg Krom in second and Bill Vandevender in third.

The final race of the night was in the Pro 4 Division. Fans that stayed until the end of the evening were treated to a hard fought battle where Ryan Collver held off challengers Wally Smith and Dylan Bigley for the win. Bigley never gave up and passed Smith for second at the checkered flag. Smith ran third.

By Scott|2011-02-27T11:11:55-05:00February 27th, 2011|Front Page News, Punta Gorda Speedway, Race Results|Comments Off

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