Jim Rouse, BRP Media (10-1-12) Ocala, FL – As October starts we start the final run with our Scorpion Racing Products Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, 1-800-ASK GARY Thunder Stocks, Barfield Law Group Mini Stocks, and Rent-N-Roll Gladiators. Points mean everything but there’s plenty of glory to go around with them.
Points have been hard to come by in the Scorpion Racing Products Modifieds as Kyle Bronson does not lose. With 11 wins in the 16 races so far in 2012 he has a massive lead over Dalton Lanich and Jeff Mathews. Mathews took a win earlier but Lanich is still chasing that big win at the oldest track in Florida. Other competitors such as 71-year old Buzzie Reutimann, Wayne Hammond, NASCAR driver David Reutimann, and Mark Whitener have also won in 2012. As the season continues on we’ve seen that Hammond Motorsports and Kyle Bronson have found the set-up and they ran with it. Garret Stewart continues to chase a win and, of course, Kent Corbin continues to regain his old ways and how amazing would it be for him to win at the track his father built! Never count anyone out in the Scorpion Racing Products UMP DirtCar Open-Wheel Modifieds.
Friend’s Racing and Sheffield Motorsports picked 2 heavyweights to go all out for the Hobby Stock title and the fans have been rewarded with quite a fight. Gamble and Wright continue to go back and forth as Gamble takes the quicker Friend’s Racing #12 to the front (4 points-paying times exactly) but Wright keeps the Sheffield #99 in the top 5 every week and has reeled off 6 wins so far. Mike Stalnaker, Hunter Gustafson, and Mark Maresca have a nice fight going on for 3rd-5th as Stalnaker keeps his under-powered #9 up front. Gustafson continues to improve and has become a well-rounded driver while Maresca finds new speed and new life every week. However, none of those drivers have won as the likes of Tim Powers, Josh Byrd, Tim Gay, Josh Bedenbaugh, and Kevin Durden spoil the party and show why they are some of the best Hobby Stock racers in the Southeast. In fact, every driver has shown that they can compete in the most competitive Hobby Stock division around!
As they tackle their 30th points-paying feature of 2012 we watch 2 drivers who had never won before lead the way in the 1-800-ASK GARY Thunder Stock division. Jonathan Appleby has been more dominant as he has won 6 features compared to the more consistent Brian Mullins who has just 1 win. Appleby has DNQ’d for a couple races in 2012 while Mullins has never finished lower than 16th in the 29 features contested so far. Jason Gamble has fallen off the title chase as he chases the Hard Luck Award. Gamble has had more than 3 drivers’ fair share of bad luck in 2012 but you can never count the TNT Automotive driver out. Bubba Durbin, Brandon Elwood, and John Thorpe have shown consistency over anything else in 2012 but only Durbin joins the top 3 as a feature winner. Chad Scranton, James Erickson, and Shane Nichols have dominated the races they’ve run in 2012 while others such as Grady Christian, Eddie Kilbury, Jr., Mark Trexler, Mike Tovet, Ray Wheeler, and Robert Ray have all broken into Coors Light Winner’s Circle this season. Count no one out in the highly competitive 1-800-ASK GARY Thunder Stocks.
Leave it to the Barfield Law Group Mini Stocks to entertain as Buddy Pope, Travis Staats, and Reid Christensen all chase a title. Pope and Christensen have been fighting all season but Staats has joined the mix as of late. Those 3 could swap spots the rest of the season while Nick Kerr and Charlie Staats chase them from the top 5. Pope has 5 wins on 2012 compared to Staats (and Shirlene Hammond who gives Hammond Motorsports an astounding 15 wins in 2012) who has just 3. Christensen has no wins to his credit but is the only driver to enter every race in 2012, a testament to his ability to stay out of accidents. Kerr took a coupld of big wins mid-way through the year while Zach Amundsen also won a feature over the course of 2012. The fight is on and you won’t want to miss the end of the Barfield Law Group Mini Stocks season.
It’s up to 4 now as Tony LaPorta, Steve Johnson, Brandon Haseleu, and Jordan McMillon chase a big Rent-N-Roll Gladiators championship. LaPorta has visited Coors Light Winner’s Circle more than the others but Johnson and Haseleu made real use of LaPorta’s absence at the end of the Summer Stretch. Haseleu has 3 wins, Johnson has 2, McMillon is winless, and LaPorta has 6 in 2012. McMillon knows he must win if he plans to stay in the fight but Johnson and Haseleu must do the same as LaPorta holds advantage at last count. Steve Cox, the defending series champion, has a win in 2012 as does first-timer Randy Harless. Billy Holmes and Reid Christensen have each stolen 2 wins as well but at this point it helps some in their chase for a championship. Never leave until the checkers fall in a wild Rent-N-Roll Gladiators division.
Bubba opens the Pit Stop at 1, pits at 4, and grandstands at 5. Racing is slated for 7. For more information you can go to www.bubbaracewaypark.com or call the Speedway at 352-622-9400!