by Scott Lockwood
For the last several years Bradenton’s Jesse Dutilly has been trying to beat Anthony Campi in a head-to-head battle for a race victory at Desoto Speedway.
Using a brand new car in Saturday’s Brighthouse Challenge Series 100-lap Super Late Model event, Dutilly finally got the leg up on his chief rival. The defending series and track champion drove from deep in the field and got the best of Campi on a late restart to take his first victory of the season.
Campi wasted no time getting to the lead from his third spot, passing Dylan Bigley for the lead just four laps into the event. Five laps later Bigley and his father, Billy Bigley Jr., got together coming out of turn two and spun into the infield to bring out the yellow.
On the restart Dylan Bigley got the jump on Campi to retake the top spot. Campi got back around Bigley for the top spot for the lead on lap 21 and pulled out to a nearly a three second lead in five laps.
Dutilly, who set fast time in qualifying but was forced to start 10th after a pill draw, got by Bigley for second on lap 26 and started chipping away at Campi’s lead. Within 10 laps Dutilly got to the bumper of Campi’s car and stayed there until the leaders caught lapped traffic near the halfway point of the race.
Dutilly took advantage of Campi getting trapped by the slower car of Brad Bowman and dove to the inside to try and take the lead. Campi and Bowman made slight contact, forcing the left front fender to fly off Campi’s car and bring out the caution on lap 52.
Campi got the advantage on the restart and withstood several challenges from Dutilly for the top spot over the next several laps. The pair was starting to check out from the rest of the field when the caution flew again for a spin involving Michael Atwell and Steve Dorer on the 63rd lap.
Dutilly used the high line on the lap 67 restart to his advantage to grab the lead from Campi. He quickly set sail from Campi and Bigley, building a lead of nearly a straightaway over the next 20 laps and appeared to be in cruise control on his way to the win until Tommy Kelly’s spin in turn four brought out the caution with 12 laps to go.
The final restart proved to be pain-free for Dutilly as he quickly cleared Campi and the rest of the field and cruised to victory.
“This is huge for us,” Dutilly said in victory lane. “We’ve been trying to beat him for three years. We beat him when he missed races or crashed out. We’ve been working for a long time to close the gap. I couldn’t be happier.”
Campi said Dutilly’s Carbone Motorsports team had “really been doing their homework.” His team was running a car that had been heavily damaged in a crash by 14 year-old driver Tyler Dipper in February’s Icebreaker 100.
Nick Neri, who won a 75-lap Turner Tree and Landscape Super Late Model feature last month at Desoto Speedway, kept his track points lead with a third place finish. Dylan Bigley held off Dorer in a late battle to finish fourth.
In the 25-lap Mini Stock feature, Eric Daniels led a five-car freight train around the 3/8-mile oval with Johnny Marra, Ronnie Robinson, Roger Wright and Jessica Ostrovskis in tow. Marra was challenging Daniels for the lead when the caution flew for Ren Wright Jr.’s hard crash in turn two on lap 13. Wright was uninjured.
Marra took the lead on the restart and held the top spot over Daniels and Ostrovskis when another caution came out for a spin with eight laps left. On lap 19, Daniels, Robinson and Ostrovskis were in a three-wide battle for second. Robinson and Daniels both spun in the incident and were sent to the rear of the field.
Ostrovskis made several attempts to get the lead over the closing laps, but Marra fought off the advances to take his first feature victory of the season. Roger Wright finished third.
In other action Saturday night, Bobby Mobley survived the carnage to win the 17-lap bomber feature; Steve Darvalics battled side-by-side with Mobley for the top spot for several laps before taking the lead for good with 10 laps to go in the 30-lap Sportsman feature; Duane Best won the 25-lap LKQ Pick Your Part Pure Stock feature; and Chuckie Hearns won the Pro Figure 8 feature.
Next week Desoto will host the Sunoco Racing Fuels Pro Late Models and the Q Auto and Injury Attorneys Pro Trucks.
SCHOOL BUS FIGURE 8’S RETURN also
Pure Stocks, Modified Mini Stocks and Street Stocks will also be in action
4-11- 2015
DESOTO SPEEDWAY RACE RESULTS
Super Late Models
1. 30 Jesse Dutilly Bradenton…
2. 81 Anthony Campi Sarasota
3. 17 Nick Neri Palmetto
4. 128 Dylan Bigley Naples
5. 94 Steve Doer Lakeland
6. 28 Billy Bigley Jr. Naples
7. 13 Scot Walters Naples
8. 00 Anthony Cataldi Umatilla
9. 5 Joe Boyd Riverview
10 59 Dustin Dunn Jupiter
11. 51 Micael Atwell Naples
12. 2 Brad Bowman Clearwater
13. 79 Dakota Stephens Brandon
14. 42 Troy Mcnabb Naples
15. 81 Michael Williams Lakeland
16. 75 Tommy Kelly Myakka City
17. 12 Steve Weaver Fort Lauderdale
18. 20 Anthony Sergi Geneva
19. 12 David Green Fort Pierce
20. 67 Chad Allman Plant city
Sportsman
1. 79x Steve Darvalics Venice
2. 13 Aaron Williamson Lakeland
3. 29 Bobby Mobley Eagle Lake
4. 35 Greg Krom Sarasota
5. 88 Graig Cuzzone Lakeland
6. 12 David Williamson Lakeland
7. 07 Scot Garrity Port Richey
8. 8 Dan Scott Naples
9. 4 Rick Reed Punta Gorda
10. 9 Brooke Storer Zephyerhills
Pure Stock
1. 3 Duane Best Parrish
2. 29x Donny Funk Orlando
3. 67 Kyle Best Myakka City
4. 24 Jeff Pacheco Port Charlotte
5. 29 Jason Rendell Lakeland
6. 44 Rick Hess Englewood
7. 19x Brad Wegert Port Charlotte
8. 80x Chad Cummings Palmetto
9. 72 Roger DufrenseBradenton
10. 19 Jeff Gaulbault DNS
11 98 Logan Leonard Cape Coral D.Q.
Bombers
1. 29 Bobby Mobley Eagle Lake
2. 24 Jeff Pacelo Port Charlotte
3. 22x Randy Spicer New Port Richey
4. 39 Jason Carr Venice
5. 19x Danny Wegert Port Charlotte
6. 93 Jeff Firestine Venice
7. 32 Dean Butrum Venice
8. 92 Fred Blake Venice
9. 23 Kenny Gibson Venice
10.19 Sherry Krom Sarasota
Mini Stock
1. 99 Johnny Marra Cape Coral
2. 91 Jessica Oster0viskis St. Pete
3. 48 Roger Wright Pinellas Park
4. 28 Eric Daniels Bradenton
5. 67 Jimmie Best Myakka
6. 05 Ronnie Robinson Bradenton
7 5yAaron Yanke Bradenton
8 37 Jerry Grove Venice
9. 22 Cameron Cruise Sarasota
10. 008 Ren Wright Jr.
Pro Figure 8
1. 83 Chuckie Herns
2. 29f Donny Funk
3. 93 Jeff Firestine
4. 23 Kenny Gibson
5. 7 Bobby Gorden
6. 29x Bobby Mobley
