Ocala, FL- For the first-time in the 2013 season we’ll have a 2-day show at Bubba Raceway Park for the Mike Peters Open. The United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series will be in action over the race week-end in a 70-lap shootout for $5000. Our Scorpion Racing Products UMP DirtCar Modifieds will battle for $3000 while the Hobby Stocks, 1-800-ASK GARY Thunder Stocks, and the Florida Mini Sprints will attack the track as well. Late Models and Modifieds will qualify and heat race Friday night; all 5 divisions will race their features on Saturday.
Rich “The Brat” Pratt has his Groeb Farms #0 on the top of the standings board for the first time in recent memory but he doesn’t care because he hasn’t put his car in Coors Light Winner’s Circle yet. Pratt has gone back to his old paint scheme and is ready to go back to his winning ways as well. Bryan Bernhardt has won a Crate Late Model race in 2013 but has yet to take home the trophy in a Bubba Army Late Model show. Bernhardt will try to get his Bubba Army Performance Engines #B69 into Victory Lane, just as the Wells Farms sponsored driver Darrell Padgett did last time out.
“The DeRailer” is off to a much better start than last year and plans to keep the #46P up front. Tyler Clem is off to a brilliant start in his Ferrea #14 and sits just 38 points back, as does John Koller. Clem and Koller will try to chase the top 3 down and play spoiler in the biggest race of the early season.
The Scorpion Racing Products UMP DirtCar Modifieds see age as the advantage in the standings. Buzzie Reutimann, weeks away from his 72nd birthday, won the opening race and has his UNOH Racing #00 up on the Aerotech Aluminum driver Charlie O’Neill by 39 points. Jeff Mathews has won the other 2 races this season and, if you combine his Crate Late Model results, has 3 consecutive wins in his Gator Core Recycling #33 on the 3/8 mile. Ronnie Soltis had some mechanical problems on his Team GRT #61 but still sits 4th in the points table. “The Jack Of All Race Cars” Bryan Bernhardt is in the top-5 in 3 divisions. Bernhardt has the Mathews Motorsports 2nd car in 5th place and hopes to go to Coors Light Winner’s Circle soon; how about with $3000 on the line?
While age is the advantage for the Modifieds it’s a Youth Movement in the Hobby Stocks. Devin Walker, a feature winner this season in his JD Criswell #55JR, is the points leader at his 2 home tracks- the one closest to home and the one he grew up at- but only by 2 at Bubba Raceway Park. Another driver who’s grown up at Bubba Raceway Park is Hunter Gustafson. Gustafson has 2 feature wins and is 5-for-5 in his heats this season which puts him just 2 points out of the lead in his Gustafson Racing #15. In 3rd is yet another teenager in Matt Kramer. Kramer hopes to stay towards the top in his #77 but Brian Shea is chasing him down. Shea has the BP Electric #19 behind Kramer and right in front of feature winner William Edwards and the Cantley Enterprises team. It’s wide open and age means nothing.
The 1-800-ASK GARY Thunder Stocks are a statistician’s nightmare. The top 8 drivers are within 1 night of the points lead and 5 have never won a feature, including the top 2 in the standings. Tony Campbell has the Zellwood Truck Stops #6 on top but by just 2 points over JNM Ironworks driver William Gillam. Both drivers have been close to Coors Light Winner’s Circle but have yet to crack in. Brandon Elwood is 3rd in his Hunley Express #28 and has a feature win this season. James Erickson is up to 4th but has yet to win this season in the Jer-Air #16. Erickson feels no pressure because he knows how to get to Victory Lane; he just needs to do it again. Rounding out the top 5 is TNT Auto Works driver Brandon Tillander. Once the rookie that every one tried to avoid, Tillander is now a major threat and many believe he’s in prime position for a championship run. It’s anyone’s game in this wild division.
Finally, the Florida Mini Sprints will attack Bubba Raceway Park with 2 drivers- Nick Snyder and Chase Cabre- both taking win #1 at the course and Cabre taking his first FMSA win. Dirk Miller leads Snyder by 5 points after 4 events but Miller has been hit-or-miss at the 3/8 mile in his career. Chasing those 2 is 2-time champion Eddie Moss, Jr. Moss plays 4 roles (President, Driver, Father/Car Owner, and Crew Chief) and does all 4 extrememly well as his daughters are both in the top 10 as well. David Hall and Jody McKenzie are off to brilliant starts and that has them 4th and 5th, respectively, in the standings.
Grandstands open at 6 on Friday with the pits opening at 5 and qualifying slated for 8:00. On Saturday, pits open at 4 with stands at 5 and racing at 7. Don’t miss the Mike Peters Open this week-end at Bubba Raceway Park!