By SCOTT LOCKWOOD
Desoto Speedway
In a little over two years of driving sprint cars 16 year-old Garrett Green has already achieved the honor of being the youngest driver to ever win rookie of the year honors at the Little 500 – the biggest asphalt sprint car race held in the country held each year in May in Anderson, Indiana. After Saturday night, Green has something else he can add to his budding racing resume: sprint car winner. He drove like a seasoned veteran in beating some of the state’s best sprint car drivers in winning the evening’s 40-lap main event.
Green started fourth and got by Matt Alfonso for second on lap 12. The caution flew a lap later for Keith Butler’s spin coming out of turn four.On a restart after a debris caution on lap 17, leader Shane Butler and and Green made contact, sending Butler into a spin in front of the rest of the field. Officials sent Butler back to sixth as the last car on the lead lap for brining out the caution.
Butler needed just two laps to go from sixth to second, passing both Sport Allen and Alfonso in the same pass to go from fourth to second. As the field came to the stripe to complete the race’s halfway point Butler suddenly slowed coming out of turn four, ending his night.Green and Allen pulled away until the caution flew for the final time for debris with 11 laps to go. Green got the jump on Allen on the final restart and went on to win his first ever sprint car win.
“This is unbelivable,” Green said. “The tires were going away for sure and I didn’t have much left. I’m not sure how much this mean yet and it hasn’t sunk in yet. We finally got it and we’ve worked so hard for this.”Allen finished second, with Alfonso rounding out the top three.
The J.D. Byrider Open Wheel Modifieds were also on hand for a 50-lap feature. D.J. Hoelzle took the lead from polesitter Josh Todd eight laps into the race. Less than a lap later Cameron Ray and L.B. Skaggs got together on the front stretch, sending Skaggs hard into the tires inside of turn one. Skaggs was uninjured in the crash.Halfway through the race Hoelzle and Palmetto’s Nick Hernandez were racing for the lead when they got together coming out of turn two, collecting several cars in the incident. Hoelzle and Hernandez were both sent to the rear of the field.
Dalton Nelson inherited the lead with 17 laps to go, but Todd needed just two laps to take back the top spot. Several cautions over the closing stages of the race allowed Hoelzle to get back to second place. On the final restart Hoelzle cleared Todd and led the final two laps to take the win. Todd finished second, with Cody Stickler, Nelson and Ray rounding out the top five.
In other action Saturday night, Jimmie Best won the 40-lap LKQ Pick Your Part Pure Stock Shootout; Jordan Miller won the Rookie 4 feature; Ronnie Robinson won the Mini Stock feature; and Brandon Morris won the Take Aim Gun Range Sportsmen feature.
Robbie Campbell, Sarasota’s Rick Sanders, Bradenton’s Dale Reigle and Jimmy Miltner won the Daytona Antique Automobile Racing Association features.
A special Thank you to our Jr Fan Club featured drivers from saturday night. D J Hoezle, Bobby Blake and Cody Stickler all from the open wheel modified class. They signed autographs and let the kids sit in their race cars. A fun night for all. Thank you!
October 11 will be Drifting under the lights event
Regular racing action returns to Desoto Speedway on Oct. 18. The Safety-Kleen TBARA winged sprint car series headlines the card with their annual Frank Riddle Memorial race.
along with PRO TRUCKS FOR 50 LAPS & MODIFIED MINI FOR 50 LAPS, Sportsman, Bombers, Dwarf Cars, Legends, Mini Stock & Rookie 4
10-04-2014
DESOTO SPEEDWAY RACE RESULTS
Sprints
1. 3 Garrett Green Valrico
2. 88 Sport Allen Pinellas Park
3. 9 Matt Alfonso Tampa
4. 22 Johnny Gilbertson Dover
5. 81 Herb Newman Inverness
6. 84 Ernie Teed Sarasota…
7. 19 Keith Butler Bushnell
8. 15 Troy Thompson Brooksville
9. 69 Rick Voisey Wesley Chaple
10. 63 Terry Taylor Brandon
11. 99 Mike Leese
12. 18 Shane Butler Bushnell
13. 8 Kurt Taylor Brandon
Open Wheel Modified
1. 8 D.J. Hoelzle Palm Harbor
2. 0 Josh Todd Polk City
3. 99 Cody Stickler Pinellas Park
4. 94 Dalton Nelson Pinellas Park
5. 9 Camron Ray Homosass
6. 59 Talon Craft St. Pete
7. 37 Nick Hernandez Palmetto
8. 00 Travis Todd Polk City
9. 27 Richie Smith Hernando
10. 75. Bobby Blake Lake County
11. 71 L. B. Skaggs N.FT. Myers
Sportsman
1. 56 Brandon Morris Mulberry
2. 157 Jason Rendell Lakeland
3. 51 Roger Blivens Eagle Lake
4. 35 Greg Krom Sarasota
5. 66 Andy Nicholls Orlando
6. 19 Chris Lewellen Lakeland
Pure Stock
1. 67 Jimmie Best Sarasota
2. 98 Cody Allen Lehigh
4. 11 Casey Hall Westley Chaple
4. 98x Phil Morrison Punta Gorda
5. 8 Shane Leonard Cape Coral
6. 97 Chris Scott Nokomis
7. 18 Troy Thiem Sarasota
8. 26 Bryan Hillyer North Port
9. 24 Brad Tindell Sarasota
10. 63 Kyle Best Myakka City
11. 36x James Wildner Bradenton
12. 3 Duane Best Myakka City
13. 80x Chad Cummings Bradenton D.Q.
Mini Stock
1. 05 Ronnie Robinson Bradenton
2. 77 Laura Mammima North Port
3. 11 Savannah Skaggs Cape Coral
4. 99 Johnny Marra Port Charlotte
5. 0 Jesse Levasseur Naples
6. 3 Sherry Best Myakka
Rookie 4
1. 15 Jordan Miller Bradenton
2. 42 Dustin Wilson Bradenton
3. 7 Kristen Milthaler North Port
4. 68 Jesse Hidenthal
5. 67 Jimmie Best Sarasota
Daara(6 Cylinder)
1. 96 Robbie Campbell
2. 13 Charlie Padgett San Mateo
3. 14 Lenny Gooding Palmetto
4. 38 Steve Parrish Okeechobee
5. 04 Scott Forbes Cape Coral
6. 2x Tobi Smith Titisville
7. 2 Tom McDonald Largo
8. 4 Charlie MixsonClearwater
Daara (Speedsters)
1. 8 Rich Sanders Sarasota
2. 23 Bob Jordan Bainbridge Ga.
3. 56 Bill Rynd Lakeland
4. 3 Ed Johnson Ormond Beach
5. 8b Phil Pete Bradenton
6. 29 Bill Stelcher Bradenton
7. 76 Don Farnum Longwood
Daara(v-8 Stock)
1. 81 Dale Reigle Bradenton
2. 78 Cody Lane Zephrhills
3. 11k J.T. Dunn Scottsmoor
4. 04 Scott Fobes Cape Coral
5. 45 Charlie Paschal Ft. Pierce
Daara(Sprints)
1 .44 Jimmy Miltner
2. 52 Charlie Dean North Port
3. 77 Jack Sapp Port Charlotte
4. 2 Roger Herbach Palmetto
5. 15 Josh Rxnc Lakeland
6. 21 Marie Strickland
7. 8
8. 1b
