by BJ Cavin- VSP Media
BARBERVILLE, FL- The 2010 racing season is now part of the history at Volusia Speedway Park as 60 drivers in 6 divisions had their names called on Saturday night in recognition of their exploits on the clay. In addition to crowning champions and awarding trophies, Volusia Speedway Park General Manager Tonya Moschell took time to personally thank many members of her hard working staff who have contributed to the success of the south’s fastest half mile, plus show appreciation to a long list of sponsors and friends of the speedway which made regular Saturday night racing possible in 2010. Dinner was furnished by Dom’s Bar-B-Que, and entertainment came courtesy of several top racers who were “volunteered” for some fun and laughs, mostly at their own expense.
But not all awards went to the top ten finishers in each racing division, as some racers stepped up and made themselves known in other ways during 2010 at Volusia Speedway Park. A “Most Improved Driver Award” went to one racer from each division. Denica Hetznecker was most improved in the 4 Cylinder Challengers, as she started slow but rode a steep learning curve to the front of the pack by the end of the racing season. The Daytona Sportswear Street Stock most improved racer was Tim Hughes, who became so confident of his skills on Volusia’s fast half mile that he branched out and took on other tracks late in the season. Matt Mcgillivray took the award in the Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division, Robert Donaly did the same with the Amsoil Thunder Stocks. Kent Corbin was was most improved from the Budweiser Modifieds, and Donnie Chappell made huge gains over the course of his season to be most improved with the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Late Models.
Only one “Hard Charger Award” was given, and it went to Chad Scranton of the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks. Scranton was a late arrival at VSP in 2010, but he wasted little time in challenging the dominance of Scott Mooers, who at the time was taking total ownership of the division. Scranton upset the balance by defeating Mooers and others, and working his way up the rankings to finish third in the final Thunder Stock points standings.
Hard luck is at the less desirable end of the racing spectrum, but sometimes hard luck is all that separates a racer from victory during a season. The “Hard Luck Award” for 2010 was given to Garret Stewart who fought a laundry list of issues over the course of his season with the Budweiser Modifieds, yet never gave up and earned some very respectable finishes later on as a result. And when things did go Stewart’s way, it became quite evident that he was poised to make people notice as he charged to the front, leading many to believe that 2011 may be Stewart’s year to shine..
Mick Kulak heard his name called repeatedly from the podium on Saturday night as racer after racer thanked him for his help over the course of the season, and it was that willingness to help his fellow competitors that earned Kulak the “Sportsmanship Award” for 2010 at Volusia Speedway Park. As was stated when the award was given, while many racers are quick to lean a hand or a part when needed, Mick Kulak continuously does it more than anyone else, demonstrating that sportsmanship is still an important part of racing.
The most important reason for the season ending banquet is to award trophies and accolades to the top racers during the course of the season, and all top ten finishers had their names announced and received awards from each of Volusia Speedway Park’s 6 racing divisions. Casey Feaster topped the 4 Cylinder Challenger Division for the year, while Tony Laporta climbed to second place after a slow start, and R.J. Glaser used consistency to make his way to the third spot.
Scott Mooers dominated the Amsoil Thunder Stocks early in the year and held on to claim the championship trophy. Luke Sadler overcame early season woes and climbed to the second spot, while Mooers’ chief nemesis on the track, Chad Scranton, finished in the third spot.
The Daytona Sportswear Street Stock Championship went to Philip Brown, who quietly and confidently kept himself in position to take the crown. Tim Hughes rode a wave of improvement to follow Brown in second place for the season, while Mike Tovet placed a strong third in the final totals.
Jamie Carter managed to fight off a determined Jeff Mathews to be crowned as Champion of the Budweiser Modifieds, while Mathews settled for the second spot. Meanwhile, long time racer Kent Corbin used his long history with Volusia Speedway Park as his ally in his battle to win the third place trophy.
Aaron Barsness aligned himself with some top names in racing to help him earn the Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division Championship for 2010, while Matt Mcgillivray improved himself with hard work and great focus to follow him in second place. And Steve Shead rounded out the top three points finishers for the Sportsman Division, with consistency being his ticket to celebrate with the top three.
And after 15 years of trying, Joe Kump earned his first Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Late Model Championship with consistent performances and a lot of determination. Donnie Chappell’s continuous improvements over the course of his season brought him to the second spot, while David Clegg overcame a mid season mishap to take the third spot.
So with divisional racing officially said and done for 2010, all eyes are now focused on 2011 and the future of Volusia Speedway Park. Action will begin February 8th through the 19th, with the 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals, which will bring the top racers in the world to Barberville to compete at the south’s fastest half mile. Tickets are available for February’s action, and interested fans are urged to get theirs now by visiting www.DIRTcarNationals.com for ordering information and details.
Volusia Speedway Park Top Ten Points Finishers by Division:
Daytona Dodge Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Late Model
1- Joe Kump, 1002
2- Donnie Chappell. 980
3- David Clegg, 731
4- Bobby Richardson, 683
5- Lawton Minchew, 647
6- Jason Davis, 572
7- Darrell Padgett, 553
8- Ivedent Lloyd, 505
9- Bug Rose, 456
10- Hamp Conlay, 409
Budweiser Modified
1- Jamie Carter, 1039
2- Jeff Mathews, 920
3- Kent Corbin, 891
4- Larry Burkins, 796
5- James Smith, 646
6- Jimmy Carter, 564
7- Wayne Hammond, 475
8- Kyle Bronson, 458
9- Garret Stewart, 457
10- Larry Mott, 395
Taylor Racing Products Sportsman
1- Aaron Barsness, 1098
2- Matt Mcgillivray, 954
3- Steve Shead, 938
4- Shaun Daugharty, 816
5- Stanton Mills, 790
6- Heinz Haas, 703
7- Dan Lane Sr. 660
8- Marc Kinley, 632
9- Blaise Hetznecker, 622
10- Paul Shead, 601
Daytona Sportswear Street Stock
1- Philip Brown, 1045
2- Tim Hughes, 969
3- Mike Tovet, 783
4- Mark Maresca, 711
5- Mick Kulak, 599
6- Trevor Gamble, 533
7- James Smith, 451
8- Bubba Christian, 450
9- Cory Hupp, 424
10- Billy Medders, 415
Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stock
1- Scott Mooers, 971
2- Luke Sadler, 885
3- Chad Scranton, 866
4- Robert Donaly, 776
5- Wally Douglas, 757
6- Robert Shrunk, 681
7- John Thorpe, 651
8- Kelly Snyder, 640
9- Tom Hughes, 614
10- Delbert Moyer, 592
4 Cylinder Challenger
1- Casey Feaster, 942
2- Tony Laporta, 885
3- RJ Glaser, 761
4- Sonny Espy, 737
5- Jordan Myers, 687
6- Denica Hetznecker, 647
7- Shawn Kosier, 632
8- Steven Cox, 603
9- Dave Ladrie, 577
10- Davey Wolf, 526