By: Jason Loughren, 05/08/2010
It was a perfect Florida evening for racing as around 100 cars signed in ready to battle the fast track at the Clay by the Bay. There were 5 classes in action including the down and dirty Top Gun Sprints and the wet and wild Dirt Daubers.
The Gagel’s Open Wheel Modifieds hit the track first with their 15-lap feature event. Austin Sanders had the car to beat right from the drop of the green flag. Sanders led every lap and captured his 2nd win of the season. The win was Sanders second feature win in a row. Points leader John Bradley started 9th and finished 2nd. Kyle Bronson finished 3rd. Garret Stewart and Roger Crouse rounded out the top-5. Crouse and Stewart won the heats earlier in the evening.
In the Precision Kia Street Stocks Thomas Pratt won his 4th feature win of the year and 3rd in a row after leading a majority of the laps. Pratt started 4th and quickly made his way to the front of the field. Eric Moon started back in the field in the 8th position and finished 2nd. Jarod Gay ran near the front of the field all night long and charted a 3rd place finish. Donnie Reed started 5th and finished 4th. Buck Woodhouse finished 5th. Moon and Buck Woodhouse were victorious in the heats.
The Top Gun Sprints made their return to the Clay by the Bay but before the racing action got under way in the drivers pulled their sprint cars onto the front stretch to sign autographs for the fans. Even Jeanette Burnett who went for a wild ride in the heat event was on the track signing for the fans. Once the autographs were signed and fans got to meet their favorite sprint car drivers the 25-lap feature event got underway. Gene Lasker dominated 24 of 25 laps until it appeared that he suffered a mechanical failure in turn 2 on the final lap. Danny Martin, Jr. running in second place at the time took the lead and led the final two turns to take the win which was his second in a row in the Top Gun Sprints. Shawn Murray started on the pole and finished 2nd. Tim George ran near the front all night. Ryan Partin and Clint Reynolds rounded out the top-5. Sport Allen was disqualified in post race inspection after it appeared that he finished 2nd. Partin and Lasker and were victorious in the heat races.
Motorstats.com 4 cylinder bombers were in action again as there were 38 vehicles entered in the event. In the A-Main feature event Richie Acres scored his first ever win on dirt as he held off the challenge of Troy Dittebrand. It was Acres first race ever at East Bay Raceway Park. Dittebrand finished 2nd. Kever Raulerson ran in the top-5 all night and finished 3rd. Johnnie Alexander finished 4th. The mover and shaker of the night was Robert Kissam who started 24th in the 24 car field and finished 5th.
In the B-Main 14 cars started the event as Don Quinn took the win. Roberto Morfin, Jr., Johnnie Alexander and Greg Reeves took the checkered flag in the heat events.
Randy Tyler won the wet and wild Dirt Dauber feature event.
ASA Sanctioned racing returns to East Bay Raceway Park on Saturday, May 15, 2010 with the Scott Thompson Memorial-$3800.00 to win for the Racecar Engineering Late Models. Also in action will be the Precision Kia Street Stocks, Outlaw 4’s and the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers. For more information go to www.eastbayracewaypark.com or call the track office.