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.