December 15, 2012 – Tampa, FL – It was the final night of the 2012 Season as Six Features along with snow and Santa Claus were at The Clay By The Bay.
The first feature event of the night went to the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers for their makeup feature event from last week. Starting on the front row it was the Kissam brothers Wayne and Robert. Wayne led for the first three laps until the red flag came out as Richard Humfeld came to an abrupt stop in turn one. The driver was ok but the car was not. When the race resumed, Kissam led the field until lap five when Bubba Puyear took over the lead and did not look back to pick up the win. John Moore, Wayne Kissam, Don R. Quinn and Troy Dittebrand rounded out the top five. Dittebrand had enough points to cover him into the next feature and him repeating the Championship as he went on to make it back to back Championships for the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers.
Next it was intermission and Fan Participation. It came down to Steve Ashmore and Chris Johnson for the final race and going three laps for the final instead of two. When the two came out of turn four, neither driver gave as both drivers crashed just after the first lap on the front stretch with Johnson in his 65 Chevy pickup on his roof and Ashmore crashing as well. The crowd was on their feet cheering both drivers as they were okay. No winner was declared.
Next it was the Street Stocks as David Barwick, II and Jarod Gay both won their heat races. For the feature it was Buck Woodhouse and Matthew Grissom making up the front row. Grissom led for the first twelve laps until the only caution came out when Sheffield and Buck Woodhouse got together in turn two. When the race resumed, Grissom was holding on to the lead with Dennis Wilson, Jr. right on his back bumper until lap fourteen when Wilson, Jr. drove by Grissom and led the field to the checkered flag. Grissom finished second while Eric Moon finished third and went on to win the 2012 Street Stock Championship. Former Champion Donnie Reed finished fourth while Barwick, II finished fifth.
Next up was the makeup feature for the East Bay Sprints. Points leader Kerry Gilbert and Tim George made up the front row as second in points Stephen Darvalics was not in attendance. George led the first lap until lap two when Billy Boyd, Jr. took over the top spot. Caution came out on lap seven for the number seven of Kyle Pitts as he spun in turn two. When the green waved, Boyd, Jr. continued to lead with Gene Lasker closing in. But when the checkered waved it was Boyd, Jr. crossing the line first but was later dq’d for refusing to tear down in tech handing the win over to Gene Lasker. Tim George, Tony Agin and the new 2012 East Bay Sprints Champion Kerry Gilbert finished fourth with Rebecca George having her best finish of the season ending up fifth.
The V8 Warriors were next with Jason Manning and Brett Phillips winning their heat races. Jeff Weaver was just four points over Manning heading into the feature for the points battle. For the front row it was Weaver and former Dirt Dauber Champion Brett Phillips for the feature event. When the green waved it was all Jeff Weaver picking up the win and the 2012 V8 Warrior Championship. The only caution came on lap two when several cars spun in turn two. Finishing second was Bill Whitney with Derek Gray, Manning and Phillips rounded out the top five.
Next was the 30 Lap $2,000 Topless Late Model Feature. Winning their heats were Steven Mathis, Jr., Travis Varnadore and Kyle Bronson. Making up the front row was Phillip Cobb and Jamie Slatton. When the green flag waved, several cars tangled in turn one making it a complete restart. On the restart, Cobb showed the way for the first eight laps until lap nine when Kyle Bronson took over the top spot. Several more cautions came out, but on lap twenty one, Keith Nosbisch passed Bronson for the lead but was all for none as Bobby Clark spun in turn four bringing out the caution and reverting to the previous scored lap which had Bronson in the lead. On lap twenty four, Nosbisch made his way around Bronson and took over the top spot. On lap twenty six, Clark and Al Larson spun in turn two just as the leaders were about to lap them. When the final green waved it was Nosbisch picking up the fifth win for the 2012 Season. Jack Nosbisch, Jr. finished second with Devin Dixon, Cobb and Bronson rounding out the top five.
The final event of the 2012 Season went to the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers. For the front row it was William Burnside and Wayne Kissam. Kissam once again took the lead for the first three laps until he slowed down and handed the lead over to William Burnside. Burnside led until lap six when Bubba Puyear was looking to make it back to back wins on the night. When the checkered waved it was Puyear winning once again. Burnside finished second with Darrell Taylor, George Handy and the 2012 Motorstats.com Champion Dittebrand after starting almost dead last, picked up the fifth position.
East Bay Staff and Management would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year as we prepare for the 37th Annual Winternationals starting January 31st with the first time appearance of the Fastrack Crate Late Model Series and the 3rd Annual World Street Stock Championships.For further questions or information, log on to www.eastbayracewaypark.com or call 813-677-7223 for more information.