Moff and Harper split the wins in Punta Gorda Open Wheel twin 35s

Got to love the rainy season if your a track owner in Florida and it’s Saturday night. Hot and sunny in the morning, clouds start rolling in by noon, dedicated drivers and staff start showing up at the track, is it going to rain or not. Still no rain but down pours everywhere and your loyal fans start to pull into the parking lot wondering if they will get their weekly racing fix and the owner has to make a call to open up and take a chance. Those drivers that made the decision to race, put on a great show for those fans that rolled the dice and came out and got to see some great side by side bumper to bumper racing action. Never give up on PGS on Saturday night, the owner and staff do what they can to make sure you can see some of the best racing action every Saturday night.

Q Auto Injury and Power FX Open Wheel modifieds had two 35 lap featured events planned for the night. With the field set and Eric Rudd of Naples on the pole it took Steve Arnold five laps to make a move for the lead on Rudd which cause Rudd to spin and sending Arnold to the tale. Rudd had his hands full with Doug Moff now sitting outside him on the restart and Moff jumped into the lead. Arnold was making his way up through the field while Shawn Harper was trying to get by Rudd for the second spot and made contact with Rudd sending him around and Harper to the rear. Those would be the only two cautions of the race so it was hard to chase down Moff who was leading the race and went on to win with Arnold finishing second and Rudd held onto third. In the interview, Moff thanked Steve Arnold for the motor he had borrowed to be able to race, with out it, Moff would have been watching from the grandstands.

Pro 4 saw a caution free race, which means you really have to race hard for a top three finishing spot. They all gave it their all as the 04 of Ryan Collver led the entire race but not with out a hard fought challenge by Cody Allen of Lehigh and Dylan Bigley of Naples. At the stripe it was Collver that would cross first and Allen along side him for second and Bigley third.

T.Q. Midgets came out for twenty five laps that saw the thirty of Mike Belusar leading until a caution came out for him stopped on the track in turn three. After deciding that Belusar would start in the rear the restart of the race was questioned as all drivers and classes know the track has a spot on the track that the flagman watches closely to start every race at and drivers know when to fire. The flagman watched the spot closely, through the green, and the track’s finishing order was the 30 of Mike Belusar first, Chris Gimmler second and Geoff Styner was third.

If you have not seen a Champ kart race, they will be back Sept 17^th, and you do not want to miss it. Nineteen Champ Karts ran for twenty five laps of drafting like you have never seen before, and when it was all over the winner was the 44 of Tara Henderson. Chris Henderson would come in second and Chase Fitzgerald was third.

Road Warriors came out next and on the first caution of the race Chris Scott got sent to the back for spinning the 33 of Chris Loney on lap eight. Did Loney think he got spun by the five of Jeremy Daring, cause on the restart the 33 plowed into the five sending him on a flat and Loney to the rear. Loney stopped at the flag stand to discus the situation with the flagman who ended up sending him to the pits for the night. Kile would hold onto the lead by holding off Shane Leonard who came in second and Jason Miller charged up for a third place finish.

You ask, what is a Cowboy Cadillac, well it is everyone’s favorite and most entertaining class at the speedway and Saturday night was a race you should have been there to see in person. As Andy Vanscyoc, winner of the last three in a row races said, “the glass slipper fell off and the handling went away.” The drivers of the class were out this week to steal the glass slipper or bang it off as there was so much side by side, beating and banging and three wide racing going on in the twenty five lap feature. It was anyone’ss race and the 8 truck of Jeff Debble who was scored as the leader for twenty two laps as returning Jeff Dellea in the 77 took the lead with two to go. Side by side bumper to bumper, two laps to go Dellea slips up the track and Robert Willms takes over the lead with Deeble right behind him sending Dellea to the third spot. That is how the race would finish with Robert Willms back in the winners circle and July 30^th they will be back for racing action you do not want to miss.

Open Wheel Modifieds came out for their second feature of the night and fast qualifier Shawn Harper from Lake Wales in the 00 was sitting on the pole. The drivers had some minor handling repairs to do after the first race and you could tell by the almost caution free race. Harper ran start to finish in the lead with Steve Arnold second while Moff was trying to get around the 76 of James Wilkens Jr. who hauls all the way from Fort Pierce Fl. On the restart of the only caution Moff was able to get by Wilkens and challenge Arnold for the second spot. Three laps to go, Harper still with a nice lead, Moff was able to get by Steve Arnold and bring it home in second and Arnold third.

The last race of the night was the Fab 4 class were Karl Garrard started on the pole and looked to be the winner as he led for sixteen of the twenty lap feature. JRC Jess as she likes to be called, driving her pink number 91 rocket had other plans as she put the moves on Garrard with three laps to go, taking the rocket to the outside and taking over the lead. Paul Richards Jr back with a new car and motor had plans of his own and came up short at the finish line coming in second with a good run from the back of the field and Garrard would settle for third.

Next weeks racing action will be

July 23- Pro Trucks, Rookie Trucks, Mini Stocks, Pro4, Fab4, Legends 30 Lap, Bandolero

Remember the Sportsman have been moved to the 30^th of the month

You can find all the great photos from the night and all updates on the web site at

http://puntagordaspeedway.com or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Punta-Gorda-Speedway

Stats by Greg Roeback