By- Jimmy Rouse, Bubba Raceway Park Media
3-3-12 – RaceCar Engineering Late Models, Scorpion Performance Products UMP Open-Wheel Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, V-8 Thunderstocks, and the Gladiators opened 2012 up in all different ways.
Lap 14. Chuck Gustafson spun out of turn 4 to bring out the first yellow of the season and slow the Modifieds down. Just 7 laps later Ron Burgess spun while battling David Ponton. Kyle Bronson was dominating while Rich Pratt and Shaun Daugharty chased the 40B. Daugharty spun on the restart which put him to the back of the lead lap. He spun again in turn 4 after completing 1 and took Tyler Clem, who had been running strong as the first car 1 lap down, with him ending 2 strong runs. “The Killer” takes the early points lead while Pratt and Dalton Lanich followed. Burgess bounced back for a 4th place finish with Scott Mooers completing the top 10.
On lap 4 of the Hobby Stock feature Bill Gardner spun to avoid the lapped 54 of Alvin Adkison. On lap 7 Rodney Wright made a mistake in turn 1 and Josh Bedenbaugh took advantage. Just 2 laps after the first lead change of 2012 Brian Shea and John Clark made contact and brought the yellow out. The final 11 went green and Bedenbaugh held the field at bay for the win. Wright was 2nd while Devin Walker took home a podium finish. Bill Gardner and Brian Jerrels completed the top 5.
RaceCar Engineering Late Model action started off with a lap 4 spin by Lawton Minchew. On lap 12 the dominant car of leader Mark Whitener found itself in the wall while around Minchew’s soon-to-be-lapped #1. On the restart Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. took the lead from JO Nobles who had just inherited it from “The Magic Man.” Right after the lap was scored Johnny Collins spun in turn 2. The final 12 were green and Lloyd took his 9th win in his last 17 starts (not including World of Outlaws) at Bubba Raceway Park dating back to 2010. Nobles was 2nd with Bo Allen a very happy 3rd. Bryan Bernhardt put his B69 up front and kept it there while Adam Bedenbaugh completed the top 5.
V-8 Thunderstock action was intense from the start. Many drivers were going all over with 6 cautions in the first 4 laps. A red flag occurred to fix the wall after Todd Roberts was sent into it accidentally. No one was seriously injured. After the 6th yellow the race went 12 green flag laps before Mike Tovet stopped in turn 4 with a flat tire. Justin Durbin hit the wall a lap after the restart which extended the caution. A 1 lap dash occurred and a very tired yet happy Chad Scranton held on to take a flag to flag win. Jason Gamble nipped Davey Kinsey at the line for 2nd while Shane Nichols and Jonathan Appleby completed the top 5.
A 1 caution race ended the night for the Gladiators. Harold Lewis got the lead and held it until Dalton Strehle and James Macleod had trouble on the front straight on lap 11. Macleod found himself climbing Strehle’s 242 and both drivers blamed the other for the accident. Tony LaPorta used the restart to pass Lewis for the win. Lewis would hold 2nd with team-mate Steve Johnson 3rd. Brandon Haseleu was 4th and Steve Cox completed the top 5.
Next Saturday night the RaceCar Engineering Late Models, Hobby Stocks, and V-8 Thunderstocks return with the Limited Late Models (Sportsman) and Mini Stocks! For more information visit www.bubbaracewaypark.com or call the Speedway at 352-622-9400!
Bubba Raceway Park Results (3/3/12)
*Owner listed next to driver (if not self-owned) in Late Models and Modifieds*
RaceCar Engineering Late Models
1- 21 Ivedent Lloyd, Jr.
2- 18 JO Nobles
3- 71 Bo Allen
4- B69 Bryan Bernhardt
5- 26 Adam Bedenbaugh (Greg Bedenbaugh)
6- 25 Donnie Chappell
7- 41K John Kellum
8- 5 Johnny Collins (Wynn Racing)
9- 17 Richard Ferry
10- 2 Brandon DeWitt (DeWitt Racing)
11- 14 Bubba Clem
12- 2F Jason Fitzgerald (James Mixon)
13- 35 Christian Augspurger
14- 111 Steven Roberts
15- 58 Mark Whitener (Big Frog Motorsports)
16- 1 Lawton Minchew
17- 46P Darrell Padgett (Billy Wells)
DNS- 0 Rich Pratt
Scorpion Performance Products UMP DirtCar Open-Wheel Modifieds
1- 40B Kyle Bronson (Hammond Motorsports)
2- 78 Rich Pratt (Tom Macaloso)
3- 77 Dalton Lanich (Kent Corbin)
4- 122 Ron Burgess (Lisa Burgess)
5- 10 Scott Mooers
6- 34 Jim Passino (Chuck Gustafson, Jr.)
7- 11 Chuck Gustafson, Jr.
8- 1K Scott Kurtzner
9- 10X David Ponton
10- 00 Shaun Daugharty
11- 14 Tyler Clem (Bubba Clem)
12- 145 Jason Davis (Lloyd Davis)
13- Z06 Larry Mott
14- 29 Garland Spangler
DNS- 40 Jim Smith
DNS- 53 Ronald Soltis
DNS- 7 Kent Corbin
DNS- 21 Charles Hollowell
Hobby Stocks
1- 63 Josh Bedenbaugh
2- 99 Rodney Wright
3- 55JR Devin Walker
4- 21 Bill Gardner
5- 26 Brian Jerrels
6- 21M Sean Monaghan
7- 89 Trey Cameron
8- 19 Brian Shea
9- 80J John Clark
10- 06 William Martin
11- 5 Jeff Barrett
12- 81 Don Woosley
13- 77 Matt Kramer
14- 2 Lawrence Isgette III
15- 8W unlisted driver
16- 8 Rob Harrell
17- 54 Alvin Adkison
18- 77M Mark Maresca
19- 12 Trevor Gamble
V-8 Thunderstocks
1- 27 Chad Scranton
2- 02 Jason Gamble
3- 58 Davey Kinsey
4- 65 Shane Nichols
5- 60 Jonathan Appleby
6- 21 Willard Driggers
7- 09 William Edwards
8- 3W Vaughn Woodall
9- 19 Brian Shea
10- 15 Mike Valdez
11- 121 Gordon Cade
12- 96L Eddie Lake
13- 31 Mike Tyre
14- 12 Justin Durbin
15- 98T Mike Tovet
16- 28 Brian Mullins
17- 0 Curtis Clark
18- 2W Aaron Linn
19- 44M David Miller, Jr.
20- 44 Todd Roberts
21- 6 Tony Campbell
22- 49 DJ Horiski
23- 73 Brandon Tillander
24- 5W Marlon Durbin
25- 28E Brandon Elwood
DNS- 36 Grady Christian
DNS- 44B Greg Boynge
Gladiators
1- 3T Tony LaPorta
2- 48 Harold Lewis
3- 81 Steve Johnson
4- 3H Brandon Haseleu
5- P38 Steve Cox
6- 17D Richard Sullivan
7- 30 Reid Christensen
8- 26 Billy Holmes
9- 31 Jerry Taylor
10- 12 Randy Harless
11- 79 Ray Hunter
12- 10 James Macleod
13- 57 Larry Swift
14- 83 Kody Fisher
15- 11 Dave Ladrie
16- 20 Casey Feaster
17- 68 Jordan McMillan
18- 242 Dalton Strehle
19- 76 Mike McDonald