This Saturday the always exciting winged sprint cars of the BP Products Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series return to Citrus County Speedway. A great field of sprint cars are expected and will be joined by the pure stocks, street stocks, and mini stocks. Be sure and be there for a show you will not want to miss.
Be sure and check out the Eastbay Raceway Park winter nationals schedule that kicks into full gear Tuesday night 1/21/2020 with UMP/EBRP open wheel Modifieds and Street Stocks for 5 nights of door to door dirt track action.
Photo Credit to Mike Horne Track photographer gofast photos be sure and check him out for your Eastbay Raceway photo needs www.gofastphotos.zenfolio.com
Auburndale Speedway returned to action Saturday night with great early fall weather and a nice crowd of fans who were ready for a pair of 50-lap contests for the Pro Trucks and the Sportsman cars. The Pro Truck event would be the season finale for the class.
Time trials for the Pro Trucks saw young Carter “Mac n’ Cheese” Brown pull off a big surprise by setting fast time for the first time in his career. His lap of 14.597 seconds topped the laps of Cody McDuffie, Brey Holmes, Becca Monopoli and Danny Anderson.
The top four qualifiers were inverted for the start placing Monopoli on the pole flanked by Holmes. Monopoli jumped out to a quick lead with McDuffie following into second only to see the yellow flag out at the end of lap one for a Bryton Horner spin in turn one. Monopoli and McDuffie took off again on the restart as Danny Anderson slipped by Holmes for third spot.
Monopoli and McDuffie broke cleanly away from the field with Monopoli eventually stretching her lead to almost a full straight over McDuffie until the next caution of the race flew on lap 39 when J. R. Garcia stopped in turn two. Garcia pitted and returned but ran just one more circuit before dropping out.
Holmes slipped by Anderson for third on the restart as Monopoli again pulled away before the final caution came out on lap 46 for a turn two spin by William Kerns. Monopoli easily pulled away to take the win over McDuffie, Holmes, Brown and Anderson. Sixth place went to Jacob Nicoletti trailed by Kristin Clements, Rodney Tower, Colt Cecil, Jody Gill, Kerns, Garcia and Horner.
For Monopoli it was her third win here in the four Pro Truck races run and it earned her the 2019 track championship. The 30-year-old now has 14 track titles to her credit in her nine year racing career.
Just eight cars showed up for the Sportsman contest and the night belonged to George Gorham, Jr. who set quick time and was slated to start fourth in the feature race. The event was red-flagged almost immediately as outside pole sitter Adam Briggs had the throttle stick on his car and he slammed hard into the turn two wall. Briggs was unhurt but the same could not be said about his racer.
With Briggs out, Gorham started from the outside pole and that was all she wrote. The 50 laps ran green to checker and Gorham was easily the class of the field winning by over a full straight. Brett Jenkins was a distant second followed by Charlie Brown. Fourth was taken by Shawn Harper who finished ahead of Ross Francisco, Jamie Kennedy, Tom Zimmerman and Briggs.
Jimmy McLeod led the first two laps of the V-8 Bomber feature before Brandon Love took over looking for his second straight win. James Wright III closed in and the pair battled for several laps before coming together in turn four during the 13th lap. Love pitted with a flat right front tire and did not return to action. Wright had the top spot for the restart and sped away for his sixth win of the season. Ronnie Abney returned from a lap one flat tire to score a second place run while McLeod earned his first podium finish of the year. Bubba Healey claimed fourth ahead of Jason Sopczak, Brian Harbin, Bud Reed, Love and Danny Burchfield. Jamie Castleberry did not start. Wright also won the heat race.
Many of the V-8 Bomber drivers also entered the Pure Stock class but no one had anything for Matt McCrary. McCrary zipped by newcomer Ryan Thompson, Jr. on lap nine the raced his way to his second consecutive victory. Thompson had a fine run for second ahead of James Wright III who put his V-8 Bomber on the podium a second time on the night. Jammie Dunnahoe, Jr. had a good late run as the “Wild Child” took the checker in fourth ahead of Aaron Holmes, Bubba Healey, Jason Sopczak, Brian Harbin and Jimmy McLeod. Holmes won the heat race.
Guy Kolmel caught and passed early leader Eli Thompson on lap ten then ran off to his fifth Scrambler win of the year. Thompson held on for the runner-up spot with heat winner Fred Wilson third ahead of 11-year-old Trenton Henick, Guy Kolmel, Sr. and Bubba Healey.
Wilson Martins, Jr. got by Russell Bush on lap seven then went on to score his 7th Mini Cup victory making him the winningest driver so far this year at Auburndale Speedway. Bush held on for second over Leandro Martins, Maria Martins and Bryton Horner.
Chris Narramore, Jr. won both the Mini Stock heat and feature. For Narramore it was win number four on the year as he led David McCaig, Tav Gary and Freddy Martin to the checkered flag.
Auburndale Speedway was back in action Saturday night and a big crowd enjoyed some beautiful breezy weather along with some very intense racing.
Headlining the bill were the Sunoco/WPCV-97 Country Super Late Models for 100 laps of competition. Thirteen teams were on hand and it was local favorite Jon Guy, driving a brand new car, who set quick time at 13.582 seconds. Auburndale’s own Chris Fontaine was second quick but his time was disallowed as his machine came up light on the scales relegating him to the rear of the grid for the start. That handed second quick time to Joe Boyd over Chase Lovelady, new daddy Matt McCrary and Daniel Webster.
The invert was a three placing Lovelady and Boyd on row one for the start. Boyd set sail at the drop of the green and began to rocket away from everybody. Boyd, Lovelady, Guy, Webster and McCrary ran 1-5 with Boyd building up over a half lap advantage by lap 40 when a “competition caution” was thrown per track rules for races of 100 laps or more. At this point Webster pitted but did not return due to what was described as a “minor part failure.” Harold Crooms, Nick Neri (driving for Bryan Dorer) and Alexa Anderson also pitted and returned.
Lovelady had been doing an outstanding job holding off Guy for second but the restart proved his undoing as Guy slid into second behind Boyd while McCrary backslid all the way to sixth. Fontaine was now on the charge as he took fourth from Roger Blevins on lap 48 then third from Lovelady three laps later.
Lap 65 saw the first “actual” caution of the race as Lovelady went for a slide on the back stretch off the front end of Blevins with both continuing. Boyd continued to lead Guy and Fontaine following the restart but Fontaine was showing his speed as he passed Guy for second on the outside lane just as lap 77 was completed then reeled in Boyd with 15 laps to go. The final caution came out on lap 88 for Alexa Anderson’s spin in turn two.
On this restart both Fontaine and Guy powered by Boyd into the front spots and that’s the way it finished with Fontaine pulling away for his second straight win here with Guy and Boyd chasing from several car lengths back. Lovelady was fourth just ahead of McCrary with Roger Blevins sixth, Alexa Anderson seventh and Nick Neri eighth and the last car running. Charles Kopach was credited with ninth trailed by Brandon Anderson, Crooms, Webster and Kendall Anderson.
Seventeen Legend Cars were in attendance for their 30-lap feature with Jarrett Wagman leading the way through several cautions. That allowed Noah Cornman to close in and grab the point on lap 26. Cornman looked to be on his way to a fourth victory on the year but he got hooked up with some lapped traffic in turn four on the final lap allowing Wagman to sneak back by and score his first career win here.
Cornman held on for second ahead of his younger brother Sam Cornman with Brandon Taylor fourth and Steve Carpenter fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Chris Stansbury, Dorsey Strickland, Ashton Chilton, Mike Verhaagh and Bryton Horner. Completing the finishers were Chase Lloyd, Jason Carpenter, Brandon Hershey, Sherri Miles, Dylan Brewer and Lee Miles. Stephen Hartley did not start.
The Modified Mini Stock feature got off to a rocky start as some three wide action going into turn one saw Bruce Cozad go hard into the wall while most recent winner Mike Rudder was eliminated as well. It was a tough break for nice guy Cozad who is moving into the class driving the car that was steered to last year’s championship by Chris Spring. Cozad should be back and will be a factor in the Mod Minis the rest of the year.
Once the race got going it turned into a two car battle between Mike Kerrivan and Rachelle Rudolph. Clint Holmes was reeling the two in by lap 16 when Rudolph looped her mount coming off turn four. Mike Prevatt was trailing not far behind and smashed into Rudolph’s car nearly head-on. Prevatt was OK but Rudolph exited her car slowly complaining of pain in her back, leg and foot. She was later taken to the hospital for precautionary X-rays but appeared to be only badly bruised up.
The race was called official at that point with Kerrivan scoring his first win of the year over Holmes as they were the only two cars left in competition. Rudolph was awarded third ahead of Prevatt, Richard Brown, Rudder and Cozad.
The V-8 Bomber feature was a wild one that produced some awesome racing and a bit of a controversial finish. Jimmy McLeod led the opening seven laps before Ronnie Abney took the point for one circuit. James Wright III then powered to the front on lap nine and looked to be on his way to yet another win but Brandon Love had other ideas. Love tried an inside move in turn two during lap 24 and both cars half spun as no caution was needed. With Abney and Bubba Healey now in the mix, Wright stormed back out front only to see Love come flying back to pass him on the final lap as all heck broke loose coming to the checker with one of Healey’s tires riding along the catch fence at the end.
As the dust settled Love had his second win of the year with Wright second and the three-wheeling Healey third. Victory lane resembled a boxing ring after a close match with plenty of shouting and a bit of shoving but cooler heads finally prevailed. Fourth place went to Abney followed by Jimmy Castleberry, Jason Sopczak, Dave Canfield, McLeod, Walt Kirk and Jammie Dunnahoe, Sr.
Veteran Mini Cup racer Russell Bush topped the field for the second time this year and halted a six race win streak by Wilson Martins, Jr. Martins would come home third behind older sister Maria Martins in this one with their cousin Leandro Martins fourth ahead of Bill Rychell, Hunter Strickland and Rick Kase.
Tav Gary became a first time winner in the Mini Stocks as he out-ran Chris Narramore, Jr., David McCaig and Freddy Martin to the checker.
Guy Kolmel won his fourth Scrambler feature of the year ahead of Chuckie Harrison and Guy Kolmel, Sr.
BY JOE VANHOOSE – JULY 23, 2019
You can’t tell the story of the Powell Memorial without Mark Whitener.
Whitener, known as “The Magic Man,” rolled into Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida Saturday night looking to win Central Florida’s biggest Pro Dirt Late Model race for the fifth time – and the fourth time in a row.
At the end of the 67-lap feature, a Whitener climbed out of a black No. 5 car in victory lane. But this time, it was brother David Whitener jumping on the roof of his car and waving the checkered flag with gusto. Together, the Whitener Brothers from Middleburg, Florida led every lap of the Powell Memorial, but David led the last 50 circuits in a dominating performance.
“I won a Powell! Yeah!” David Whitener exclaimed in victory lane. “I tell you, this is the best race – this is the best race of the year. This is 100-percent the biggest win of my career!”
David Whitener led the 26-car field to the green flag, but Mark Whitener quickly moved up from his fourth-place starting spot to grab the lead on lap 10. But on a lap-17 restart, David Whitener banged doors with his brother and got the lead back, a lead that he would not relinquish.
For most of the race, it seemed that the Whiteners would finish 1-2, even as David Whitener continued to pull away from the field as he pushed the cushion of the track higher and higher, running closer to the outside wall than anyone on the half-mile clay track.
Considering that Mark Whitener, Jr. – “Lil Magic,” as the 16-year-old is known – had already won the 602 Late Model feature earlier in the evening, the Whitener family looked to have a dream night in hand as the main event progressed. Jason Fitzgerald gave chase to the brothers but could not overtake them. Powell Memorial past champion Ivedent Lloyd started and stayed near the front but suffered a mechanical failure on lap 57.
The late caution brought a new cast of contenders closer to the Whiteners, including Dalton Cook who had passed several cars on the very bottom of the race track to move up from ninth to third.
Cook tangled with Mark Whitener on the restart, the clash sending Whitener’s car spinning down the frontstretch and into the pit side wall. Officials sent Cook to the rear of the field, but not before Whitener spun his car toward Cook as the pack passed by under caution and ultimately retired to the pits – he finished 15th.
“(Dalton) could have calmed down on that restart there,” Mark Whitener said afterward. “I couldn’t believe it.”
On the final restart, David Whitener again broke free from his chasers and cruised to his first Powell Memorial win. Fitzgerald held onto second, with Trynt Lloyd – son of Ivedent Lloyd — finishing third in just his third pro late model start. Trey Pearson and Jamie Carter rounded out the top five, while Cook rallied back through the field to claim sixth.
Afterward, David Whitener was quick to thank his brother, who happens to be his car owner, who joined him after the win in the frontstretch celebration.
“My brother, he gives me a good ride and lets me race for him – our cars are badass,” David said, still excited.
“He was the class of the field tonight,” Mark Whitener said. “I’m glad his name gets to be on this trophy.”
“I’m glad my name gets to be on top of his,” David Whitener interjected. “This is such a good feeling. This is the best feeling in the world!”
Fans, Friends, Family Come Together
Even in the face of a rainy forecast and a brief interruption of a pesky Florida summer shower, race fans filled the grandstands at Volusia Speedway Park as race cars filled the pits. In all, 97 cars raced in the four divisions.
The $10,000 payday brought out many racers. But everyone came to support the family that has been connected with Central Florida motorsports for generations.
“It still gives you chills,” said James Powell III, who won his family’s race in 2003. “We all come out here and reminisce a little, cry a little and celebrate and go on about it.”
The race honors Powell’s his twin daughters, mother and father, aunt and uncle, who died in a plane crash in 1994. The Powell family owned Ocala Speedway in Central Florida for several years and were regularly the drivers to beat at Volusia.
On Saturday, Powell’s RV was parked outside turn 4, his shirt stained from pulling pork for a BBQ dinner with a long receiving line of family and friends.
“I grew up 10 miles from here – my dad raced here, my first race was here,” Powell said. “It’s just awesome how (track promoter) Tom Whipple and his team have gone above and beyond to elevate this event.
“I think it’s a testament to our family that we’re all still here having this race after 24 years, and it’s getting bigger.”
Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL
Powell Memorial – July 20, 2019
1. David Whitener
2. Jason Fitzgerald
3. Trynt Lloyd
4. Trey Pearson
5. Jamie Carter
6. Dalton Cook
7. Richard Ferry
8. Bo Allen
9. Chad Tuten
10. Ryan Halliday
11. Travis Vardadore
12. Ryan Vansickle
13. Howard Stalls
14. John Baker
15. Mark Whitener
16. Ivedent Lloyd
17. Steven Mathis
18. Stanton Mills
19. Joe Kump
20. Brandon Catto
21. Donnie Chappell
22. Nevin Gainey
23. Wayne O’Neal
24. Tyler Crowder
25. Shan Smith
26. Dennis Williams
*Thanks to JOE VANHOOSE at www.raceweekillustrated.com for the report.
Rain tried its best to dampen the spirits of everybody Saturday at Auburndale Speedway but track owner Rex Guy would stick a dagger in Mother Nature and the show went on despite a late start in front of a very good crowd… and it would be a long night.
Persistent rain, heavy at times, fell at the track off and on between 2 and 5 pm as everything was put on hold. Just after 5, the skies began to clear and it was time to dry the track and get to the business of racing.
The big event of the night would be a 50-lap point race for the Florida Pro Truck Challenge Series and the pits were crowded as 32 Truck teams showed up to do battle. Qualifying was held almost two hours late from its scheduled time with 31 of the Trucks getting laps in as Jacob Nicoletti’s team was thrashing on his machine after hitting the turn four wall in hot laps.
Quick time would again go to Derek Pugh who seems to have a handle on how to get around Auburndale Speedway all by himself. Pugh’s lap of 14.364 topped the laps turned by Cody McDuffie, Jason Lester, Becca Monopoli and Brent Huber. The top 16 in time trials were locked in to the big show with everybody else relegated to a pair of 15-lap B-Main qualifiers including Huber who had to run one of the B’s after being set down in post-qualifying tech.
The top four in each race would move on to the 50 lapper that would start a field of 24.
Huber worked his way through the field to claim the first B-Main trailed by Adam Briggs, Shea Montgomery and Dodge Carlbert as those four moved on to the feature. The night ended early for Bryton Horner, Carter Brown, Dave Fewox and Nick White.
Leroy Moore, celebrating his birthday, led all the way to claim B-Main number two with Billy Carlbert second and Jeff White third. Dylan Martin spun on lap three but drove like crazy to grab the final transfer spot. Martin was making his first start in his Pro Truck since a near-fatal motorcycle accident several months ago. Failing to transfer were Nicoletti (who did a great job considering his big wall hit in practice), Johnny Marra, Mark Kemick and Josh Haranda.
The top six qualifiers were inverted for the start of the 50-lap contest placing young Brennon Pletcher on the pole flanked by veteran Truck racer Steve Darvalics who quickly powered his way to the lead at the drop of the green. Caution was out quickly on lap five as Colt Cecil bit out a chunk of the back stretch wall. Cecil pitted and was able to return to action.
Darvalics continued to set the pace but McDuffie was on the move taking second from Monopoli on lap eight then blasting his way to the lead two laps later.
Pugh moved by Pletcher into fourth as McDuffie was already in lapped traffic by the 16th circuit. At that point McDuffie was in a class of his own as he had opened up a full straight lead by the half way mark. The top ten at lap 25 consisted of McDuffie, Darvalics, Monopoli, Pugh, Lester, Mike Kohut, Pletcher, Rich Clouser, Danny Anderson and Richard Griffis.
Everything would change big time on lap 26, though, as the trucks running 3rd thru ninth would all end up with damage after an altercation off turn two with several lapped trucks. Pugh and Lester pitted as did Kohut who did not return. Other machines with damage included Clouser, Pletcher, Shea Montgomery and Jeff White. Both Pugh and Lester made it back out for the restart which saw another multi-truck melee on the front stretch that ended the night for Kristen Clements. Also receiving damage were the trucks of Danny Anderson, Adam Briggs and Brent Huber although all would eventually continue. Rich Clouser pitted his machine during the caution and did not return. At this point 19 trucks were still in the running.
McDuffie continued to lead easily as Monopoli forged here was by Darvalics into second on lap 29 only to see that pass negated when Martin spun around in turn two. Jason Lester pitted to try and fix damage and returned minus his hood and fenders but the right front of the truck had gone askew and he went to the pits a final time and was later DQ’d to the rear of the field for an undetermined issue.
McDuffie continued to overwhelm the field as the drivers managed to get all the way to lap 36 before Jeff White spun in turn two. Three laps later the red flag was out as Huber climbed over the left side of Anderson’s truck in turn four, nearly getting on his side. Anderson was out of the event while Huber returned briefly only to drop out soon after. Quite a bit of fluid and debris littered the turn four area and it took close to 15 minutes to clean up, adding to the long night.
Once the green flag came back out, the final 11 laps ran off without a hitch other than a late front stretch spin by Billy Carlbert that starter Julian Mullis was not about to throw another caution flag for. McDuffie took the checker well ahead of Darvalics who had to hold off a hard-charging Monopoli over the final laps. Pletcher held on for fourth while Brey Holmes had the best race of his career, staying out of trouble all the way to score a fifth place finish for a team that has been plagued with mostly mechanical issues during the past year.
Pugh held on to finish sixth with Leroy Moore, Griffis, Briggs and Shea Montgomery rounding out the top ten. Completing the finishers were Dodge Carlbert, Martin, Cecil, Billy Carlbert, Jimmy Frazier III (who had a top ten run end late when he hit the wall), Anderson, Huber, Colt Hensley, Jeff White, Kohut, Clouser, Clements, Big Donnie Burkhalter and Lester. Burkhalter had a tough weekend, blowing an engine in Friday practice then losing his brakes early in the race.
Immediately after the Truck race finished, Dodge Carlbert climbed in his Pure Stock car… then he went out and won the 20-lap feature after starting scratch on the field.
Wild Child Jammie Dunnahoe, Jr, won the Pure Stock heat and had the pole for the feature but broke a transmission coming off turn two on the opening lap, scattering the field. Chuck Mathias held the top spot for ten laps but could not hold off Carlbert who scored his second victory in a row. Aaron Holmes was back behind the wheel on this night and he made a late pass to claim second over Mathias, James Wright III, Kate Clouser (making her very first start here), Matt McCrary and Dunnahoe.
Jason Bartram got a huge monkey off his back as his new car performed flawlessly for once and he led start to finish to claim the 25-lap Sportsman feature. Jamie Kennedy charged up to run on Bartram’s bumper over the final laps but had to settle for second over Charlie Brown, Tom Zimmerman, Alexa Anderson and Steven O’Steen. O’Steen was driving a car that he’ll be taking to Bristol, TN in a few weeks and was doing a “shake down” run.
In other action, James Wright III led all the way to claim yet another V-8 Bomber victory trailed by Travis Todd, Bud Bronson, Ronnie Abney, Brian Harbin, Brandon Love, Jimmy McLeod and Jason Sopczak. Wright also won the heat.
Wilson Martins, Sr. topped the Mini Cup action over heat winner Maria Martins, Leandro Martins, Bill Rychel and Russell Bush.
Chris Narramore, Jr. topped both the heat and feature in the Mini Stocks outgunning Chuck Frazier, David McCaig, Freddy Martin and Tav Gary.
Guy Kolmel won his first career feature in the Scramblers leading Donnie Mosman and Trenton Henick to the checker. Kolmel also was the heat race winner.
13 year old Brenden Smith takes home his first ever win in the 602 Late Model division. AJ Maddox bests a field of 20 Top Gun Sprints and turns a fast lap of 15.1 seconds on the big half mile! One Shot Mike Tovet brings home the Thunder Stock win in his first race back in the 2019 season and Mark Whitener visits a place he is very familiar with, Victory Lane in the Pro Late Model division. The stands were packed, the car counts were great with three heats each in the top three classes and the racing was nothing short of awesome. Thanks to all the racers and fans that turned out Saturday Night at Volusia Speedway Park.
| THUNDERSTOCKS | |||
| Finish | Nbr | Driver | Start |
| 1 | 1Shot | Mike Tovet | 4 |
| 2 | 98 | Kent Corbin | 2 |
| 3 | 118 | Ron Adams | 17 |
| 4 | 77 | Mark Chicca | 5 |
| 5 | 13 | Shaun Daugharty | 8 |
| 6 | 2XC | Freddy Corey | 19 |
| 7 | 31 | Donnie Birdwell | 3 |
| 8 | 52 | Hank Baker | 16 |
| 9 | 88 | James Parrish | 10 |
| 10 | X | Erick Armino | 9 |
| 11 | 4 | Rj Glaser | 18 |
| 12 | 8 | Mike Harrison | 14 |
| 13 | 42 | Dale Kump | 13 |
| 14 | 73 | David Szczepanik | 12 |
| 15 | 18 | Raymond Showers | 7 |
| 16 | 21 | Henry Lanier | 11 |
| 17 | 18T | Will Taylor | 15 |
| 18 | 119 | Joe Belkey | 6 |
| 19 | 72 | Karlin Ray | 1 |
| PRO LATE MODELS | |||
| Finish | Nbr | Driver | Start |
| 1 | 5W | Mark Whitener Sr | 3 |
| 2 | 25 | Donnie Chappell | 6 |
| 3 | 66 | Kyle Chappell | 1 |
| 4 | 3K | Kyle Van Sickle | 5 |
| 5 | 15 | Joe Kump | 10 |
| 6 | 5D | David Whitener | 7 |
| 7 | 4 | Michael Whipple | 2 |
| 8 | 59 | Brandon Catto | 9 |
| 9 | 9W | Jimmy Waldrop | 12 |
| 10 | 9 | Mikey Kopka | 4 |
| 11 | 24 | Dennis Williams | 16 |
| 12 | 51 | Larry Anderson | 15 |
| 13 | 41 | Jack Williams | 13 |
| 14 | 77 | Treveor McKinley | 8 |
| 15 | 9X | Josh Peacock | 14 |
| 16 | 10 | Mark Steube | 17 |
| 17 | X | Erick Armino | 18 |
| 18 | 7 | Dusty Sparkman | 11 |
| 19 | Justin Merry | ||
| TOP GUN SPRINTS | |||
| Finish | Nbr | Driver | |
| 1 | 3a | Aj Maddox | 2 |
| 2 | 5 | Hayden Campbell | 4 |
| 3 | 19 | Keith Butler | 8 |
| 4 | 41 | Luke Hill | 6 |
| 5 | 6S | Robbie Smith | 11 |
| 6 | 30 | Dj Peeples | 10 |
| 7 | 12B | Bryan Eckley | 12 |
| 8 | 52 | Shane Kreidler | 14 |
| 9 | 1 | Tim George | 9 |
| 10 | G6 | Brandon Grubaugh | 5 |
| 11 | 11B | Billy Bridges | 19 |
| 12 | 32 | Andrew Griffin | 13 |
| 13 | 20C | Frank Carlsson | 16 |
| 14 | 44A | Mike Steinruck | 17 |
| 15 | 1T | Dave Thomas | 15 |
| 16 | 82 | Garrett Green | 1 |
| 17 | 0 | Harley Zimmerman | 3 |
| 18 | 20N | Cole Nichols | 20 |
| 19 | 91 | Kyle Connery | 7 |
| 20 | 51X | Joshua Watkins | 18 |
| 602 LATE MODELS | |||
| Finish | Nbr | Driver | |
| 1 | 17s | Brenden Smith | 2 |
| 2 | 27 | Bruce Harvey | 4 |
| 3 | 9 | Kody Jett | 3 |
| 4 | 3 | Eddy Gainey | 5 |
| 5 | B2 | Robert Gast | 6 |
| 6 | 28 | Ben Hutto | 1 |
| 7 | 61 | Lisa O Connor | 7 |
Again it was “just one of those nights” Saturday evening at Auburndale Speedway that saw plenty of great racing, some wild action and some “hurt feelings” along the way as the show wrapped up just 20 minutes shy of finishing on Easter Sunday.
All in all it was a great night for the kids and they were out in force for a big Easter egg hunt that was sponsored by PB of Central Florida (a demolition contractor in Winter Haven) and Kitto Sheds & Equipment of Dundee. Several of the eggs contained special gold tickets and those kids got new bikes, scooters and games courtesy of the sponsors. After the egg hunt, the drawings were held for a large number of Easter baskets donated by race teams, track staff and fans. Needless to say, the kids all left the track very happy.
The headliner for the night was the Easter Bunny Special for the Super Late Models. Scheduled for 100 laps, the race was trimmed to 50 laps due to the lateness of the hour, among other things.
Just ten cars signed in but it was a stout field as Michael Atwell made the trip up from Naples and set quick time at 13.661 seconds with Chris Fontaine second fastest at 13.792 followed by Matt McCrary, George Gorham, Jr. and Jon Guy. The top six in time trials were inverted for the start of the feature placing Ft. Pierce driver David Green on the pole and Guy on the outside pole.
Green jumped out front but the overall complexion of the race would change on lap three. Gorham hit the back of Guy’s car going into turn two as Guy checked up briefly. Gorham then spun collecting most of the field. When all was said and done both Gorham and Kendall Anderson were done for the night while Guy and Charles Kopach pitted to make repairs but returned to action.
Other cars also had minor cosmetic damage but were able to stay on the speedway. At this point, with just 8 cars left and the time closing in on 11 pm, track officials decided to cut the race to 50 laps.
Green continued to set the pace after the restart just ahead of Fontaine who lost second spot to McCrary on the tenth lap only to return the favor two laps later bringing Atwell with him into third spot. Fontaine, who was driving very aggressively, forced his way by Green in turn one and grabbed the lead on lap 19. Two laps later Atwell got by Green for second just as Guy fell out of the event as the earlier damage had hurt the performance of his racer.
McCrary also called it a night during the 29th lap.
Atwell began to really put the pressure on Fontaine who was doing all he could to hold on to the top spot. With five laps to go, Atwell slammed his way by Fontaine coming off turn four and took the lead… a move that did not set well with Fontaine. Fontaine stayed right with Atwell then turned him around in turn three during the final lap.
Although Fontaine crossed the stripe first, he got the black flag instead of the checker. Green, running third when the white flag flew, was thus awarded the victory, his first ever at Auburndale Speedway. Atwell got his car going and finished the race but was also placed at the rear of the finishing order for aggressive driving. That allowed Roger Blevins to take home the runner up spot followed by Brian Dorer. Charles Kopach was a lap down but took fourth as credited as being the last car running after the DQ’s.
“We don’t get to race as often as we would like to,” said Green in victory lane. “I just want to thank the Drawdy brothers for giving me the opportunity to drive their car and it’s great to get them a win tonight.”
Although he fell out just past half way, McCrary was credited with fifth spot followed by Guy, Gorham, Anderson, Atwell and Fontaine.
The Legend Car brought 17 machines to the track and the twin heat races were won by Seth Adams and Sam Cornman. Several drivers were making their Legend Car debut including former TBARA Sprint Car champion Bo Hartley who was “testing” a car that will eventually be driven by his son Stephen. Adams started on the outside pole for the feature and led every lap to score the win in a race that saw a few cautions but only for minor incidents. It would be the last race here for Adams as he’ll be going into the ranks of the U. S. Army in just a few days.
Noah Cornman, winner of the last two Legend Car races here, was the driver putting on a show in this one as he methodically drove his way to the front and “Little Gator” was right behind Adams at the finish with Adams’ teammate Kyle Pitts holding on for third over Jarrett Wagman and Dennis Misuraca.
Completing the top ten were Jojo Viverito, Mike Verhaagh, Brad Perez, Derek Stansbury and Hartley. Rounding out the finishers were Jason Carpenter, Dylan Brewer, Bob Wilson, Logan Misuraca and Sam Cornman.
Mike Rudder and Jeff Firestine topped the heat races for the Modified Mini Stocks but Rudder had problems during the pace laps for the feature and fell out before the green flag flew. Kenny Uhl, Jr. grabbed the lead at the start and never looked back taking his first win here in some time. Ken Nurse, Jr. held off Firestine for second with Chris Spring fourth and Clint Holmes fifth. Mike Kerrivan, Richard Browm, Rachelle Rudolph, Mike Prevatt, Dalton Williamson and Rudder completed the finishing field.
The best race of the night was the V-8 Bomber feature. Just six cars were in the field but they put on quite a show. Heat winner James Wright III was getting plenty of pressure as he led the way after starting on the pole for the feature. Ronnie Abney, Jr. had his new car handling well and he went to the outside of Wright with three laps to go as Wright was battling an engine that was beginning to “lock up.” Despite bouncing off the wall at one point, Abney was able to make the outside pass stick and he took a very popular win, the first of his young career at Auburndale Speedway.
Brandon Love came through to claim second trailed by George Gorham, Jr. and Wright, who faded to fourth on the final lap. Brian Harbin was fifth and Bud Bronson sixth.
A wild and wacky Mini Stock feature saw for drivers – Fred Martin, John Cummins, Jr., Matt Cummins and Steven O’Steen – all disqualified for rough driving and unsportsmanlike conduct. Things got so out of hand that the race got the checker three laps early just to calm things down. That did not matter to Chuck Frazier as he led every lap to claim his first win of the year after also winning the earlier heat race. Chris Narramore, Jr. outlasted the rest of the field to claim second over David McCaig, Devin Brown and Guy Kolmel.
Heat winner Maria Martins dominated the Mini Cup feature taking the lead from Russell Bush on lap three then streaking away for a very easy win. Bush took second ahead of Clay Samuels, Bill Rychel, Leandro Martins (Maria’s cousin who was making his first start here), Wilson Martins and Douglas Herrin, Jr.
There was a scary moment during the Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association (DAARA) Sprint Car feature when heat winner Robert Campbell slammed hard into the turn one wall. His immaculate Sprinter was badly damaged but Campbell emerged unhurt.
Duane LeCornu went on to win the race taking the measure of Chris Hahn, Josh Rynd, Dave Cash and Campbell. Merle Strickland did not start.
Cush Revette, Jr. drove his “Crown 7” 1957 Chevy convertible to the win in the DAARA V-8 Stock Car feature ahead of heat winner Dr. Carl Doughty. Steve Slaughter was third ahead of Darren Nichols and Tommy Gamble.
The DAARA 6-Cylinder Stock Car feature was claimed by Richie Gomes who also won the heat race. Dave Davis trailed in second ahead of Steve Parrish, Rocky Buckles and David Glenn.
SYLVANIA, GA – Feb. 9, 2019 – Georgia native Shane Clanton broke a year-and-a-half winless streak by dominating the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series 50-lap Feature Saturday night at Screven Motor Speedway.
Clanton, the 2015 Series champion from Zebulon, GA, had gone 51 races without a win before earning his fourth victory at Screven and 43rd all-time in World of Outlaws competition, holding off Kyle Hardy and Chase Junghans to the checkered flag.
According to “The Georgia Bulldog” himself, going winless last season never actually bothered him as much as most fans thought it would have. In fact, he used the dry spell as fuel to get better. Now that the monkey is off of his back, Clanton will look to build on this momentum as the current points leader heading into Volusia, where he has been so dangerous in past years with five wins since 2015.
“It feels real good,” Clanton said. “To go almost a year and a half… like I said at the banquet [last year], it just makes you mad. And the guy who wins, it just makes him more determined to come back and win again, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve worked awful hard over the winter to build a new racecar here.”
In what was almost a perfect night, Clanton qualified second overall out of 39 cars, won his heat race and redrew the pole for the Morton Buildings Feature. Taking the lead on lap 1, he faced several long strings of lapped traffic, as the race’s first caution didn’t fly until lap. But Clanton was able to handle the pressure from those behind him, much like all great veterans of the sport do.
“I guess it’s lucky to get number one but I think our car was good enough to pass a couple of cars,” Clanton said with the biggest smile on his face. “I was just biding my time, trying not to get into too much lapped traffic, just didn’t want to get myself in a bind. We rode a long way, and to come up with the win, it’s pretty special.”
And how special it was for Clanton and the Capital Chassis stable this weekend, with Chris Madden putting his Capital on the podium in Friday night’s race and a top-10 on Saturday. Clanton said Madden’s help has been and will continue to be instrumental in Capital’s success on the tour this season.
“I’ve had some help when Chris came along after Charlotte [last year] and we went and tested my car, then we built this car,” Clanton said. “We’ve changed some things on it and evidently we’re going in the right direction, so that’s the good thing.”
Another special finish came right behind Clanton – the Viper Motorsports entrant of Rookie contender Kyle Hardy. The Virginian had a solid night on Friday, coming from 17th to finish 11th after winning his Late Chance Showdown. But Saturday night was a much different story, as he set fast time in Group B, won his heat and redrew third.
Hardy made the pass for second around Jason Covert on lap 12 and chased Clanton down the rest of the way but was never able to make the pass. However, he held his own through lapped traffic, staying right with Clanton the entire way and closing a two-second gap before the lap 45 caution. Overall, a great showing by the new Barry Wright Race Cars house driver.
“It turned out to be great,” Hardy said. “We’ve got a greatly prepared car by Lance and Barry Wright, and that means the world. We ran decent last night, wasn’t the greatest, but second place tonight was, by far, great for us.”
After the 11th-place on Friday night and the runner-up finish on Saturday, Hardy now leads in Rookie points by 20 markers over Ricky Weiss, who fell back to 15th in Saturday’s Feature. This gives him a big boost of confidence, heading into Volusia for the DIRTcar Nationals.
“Absolutely, it’s a huge boost of confidence,” Hardy said with a grin. “We didn’t have two bad nights, we had a decent and a great night. We’re just super happy about it and ready to get going.”
Hardy’s previous experience at Screven played right into his favor on Saturday night, as his three prior starts seemed to give him the edge over his fellow Rookie competitors.
“It definitely helped, I’ve raced here three times before and it was the fifth time over the weekend, so it turned out to be great,” Hardy said.
In what should have been another Rookie in the top five, Cade Dillard seemed to have a great fourth-place run going before tangling with Jason Covert in turn three with just two laps remaining. Dillard was obviously disappointed by the incident and the resulting 19th-place finish, but it gave him plenty to build off of heading into Volusia next week and was a great rebound, just one night after having to fight for a 14th-place run after taking a provisional.
“I had a good car in the feature,” Dillard said. “I was just riding, trying to stay out of trouble. Had a chance there at the end, got under [Covert], I’d say nearly nose-to-nose with him. I’m not sure if he didn’t see us there or saw us and just turned left… Unfortunately, it killed our good run for us.”
Up Next…
The 48th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park is the site of the next four Series races, Feb. 13-16. Two DIRTcar Late Model shows will preceed the Outlaws invasion on Monday and Tuesday. Get you tickets now and don’t miss this exciting event by clicking here, or order your Late Model Fast Pass on DIRTVision and watch every lap LIVE!
Abbreviated results (click here for full results)
Morton Buildings Feature (50 Laps) 1. 25-Shane Clanton [1][$10,000]; 2. 36v-Kyle Hardy [3][$5,000]; 3. 18-Chase Junghans [4][$3,000]; 4. 1-Brandon Sheppard [6][$2,500]; 5. 72-Mike Norris [8][$2,000]; 6. 3s-Brian Shirley [10][$1,700]; 7. 29-Darrell Lanigan [9][$1,400]; 8. 2x-John Henderson [11][$1,300]; 9. 44-Chris Madden [13][$1,200]; 10. 1D-Brent Dixon [12][$1,100]; 11. 28-Dennis Erb [16][$1,050]; 12. 2-Brandon Overton [17][$1,000]; 13. 99jr-Frank Heckenast [20][$950]; 14. 1x-Chub Frank [15][$900]; 15. 7-Ricky Weiss [14][$850]; 16. 9-Billy Moyer [22][$800]; 17. B1-Brent Larson [23][$770]; 18. 72c-Jason Covert [2][$750]; 19. 97-Cade Dillard [5][$730]; 20. 6-Blake Spencer [24][$700]; 21. 27+1-Tyler Carpenter [19][$700]; 22. 6m-Mike Marlar [18][$700]; 23. 22x-G.R. Smith [25][$110]; 24. 58-Ivedent Lloyd [7][$700]; 25. 99B-Boom Briggs [21][$700] – Hard Charger Award: 99jr-Frank Heckenast[+7] – Lap Leaders – Shane Clanton – 50 Laps
Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 72c-Jason Covert, 14.558; 2. 25-Shane Clanton, 14.572; 3. 44-Chris Madden, 14.607; 4. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 14.688; 5. 29-Darrell Lanigan, 14.721; 6. 2x-John Henderson, 14.729; 7. 2-Brandon Overton, 14.829; 8. B1-Brent Larson, 14.867; 9. 58-Ivedent Lloyd, 14.876; 10. 42-Cla Knight, 14.935; 11. 22x-G.R. Smith, 14.945; 12. 1x-Chub Frank, 14.961; 13. 6-Blake Spencer, 14.991; 14. 8-Matt Sponaugle, 15.123; 15. 27+1-Tyler Carpenter, 15.18; 16. O-Ryan Scott, 15.233; 17. 99B-Boom Briggs, 15.271; 18. 27-Joe Denby, 15.354; 19. J8-Jadon Frame, 15.441; 20. 0K-Freddie Carpenter, 15.739
Qualifying Flight-B: 1. 36v-Kyle Hardy, 14.622; 2. 18-Chase Junghans, 14.625; 3. 72-Mike Norris, 14.652; 4. 97-Cade Dillard, 14.652; 5. 3s-Brian Shirley, 14.679; 6. 1D-Brent Dixon, 14.692; 7. 7-Ricky Weiss, 14.72; 8. 28-Dennis Erb, 14.745; 9. 99jr-Frank Heckenast, 14.849; 10. 6m-Mike Marlar, 15.004; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening, 15.045; 12. 77-Brian Connor, 15.045; 13. 9-Billy Moyer, 15.058; 14. 53-Ray Cook, 15.071; 15. 24D-Michael Brown, 15.08; 16. 83-Scott James, 15.15; 17. 11B-Stacy Boles, 15.223; 18. C9-Steve Casebolt, 15.412; 19. 25h-Chuck Hummer, 17.722
—World Racing Group Press Release
Two Last Chance Showdowns & Feature will start the show on Monday, February 11
DELEON SPRINGS, FL — Feb. 9, 2019 — The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds were to race in the first of two Big Gator Championship Qualifier Nights on Saturday, February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park. It was to be Night #5 of the 48th annual DIRTcar Nationals for the Ironmen of the DCN. Half of the 104 teams that had competed in the DIRTcar Nationals through the first four nights got through their Heat Races with threatening skies all around the half-mile high-banked dirt oval in DeLeon Springs, FL.
As post-race ceremonies were happening on the front stretch at the conclusion of the World of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Feature, Mother Nature made her second appearance of the night. Unfortunately, enough moisture had fallen and continued to drench the facility, forcing DIRTcar Racing & DIRTcar Nationals Officials to postpone the two Last Chance Showdowns and Feature for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds to Monday, February 11.
Prior to, and in between rain delays, Lucas Lee scored his first Fast Qualifier award of the week with an 18.358 = 98.050mph and he won his Heat Race. Ryan Fowler, Brandon Green and David Stremme picked up the other Heat Race triumphs. In the Redraw of the Heat Race winners, Stremme and Lee drew the front row with Fowler and Green drawing the third and fourth spots.
The second half of the field, those who did not participate on Saturday night, will take over for the second (now first) Big Gator Championship Qualifier Night on Sunday, February 10. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will race in their final night at Volusia also on Sunday to complete Sprint Car Week at the DCN and crown the first 2019 DCN Big Gator Championship.
Then on Monday, February 11, the show will start with the conclusion of Saturday’s program for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds with two Last Chance Showdowns and a 20-Lap Feature. Once those are over, DCN Late Model Week begins at Volusia with the first of two nights of action for the DIRTcar Super Late Models. It’s also the 15th annual Big Gator Championship Night and the crowning of the 2019 DCN Big Gator Champion for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.
The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series take over on the Late Model side starting on Wednesday, February 13 while the Super DIRTcar Big Block Modified Series take over for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds starting on Tuesday, February 12.
For more information about the remaining seven nights of the 48th annual DIRTcar Nationals and to order tickets, please call: 1 (844) DIRT-TIX or log onto the event website at: dirtcarnationals.com
You can also follow the DIRTcar UMP Modified portions all week long, as well as the DIRTcar Super Late Model portion of the DCN starting on Monday throughout race week by visiting the DIRTcar Racing Social Media outlets. Just search for “DIRTcar Racing” on both Facebook and Twitter as well as the DIRTcar Nationals Twitter page at: @DIRTcarNats for the very latest updates from Volusia Speedway Park and the 48th annual DIRTcar Nationals.
Big Gator Championship Qualifier 1 Feature Starting Line-Up
Row 1: 35 David Stremme – 40b Lucas Lee
Row 2: 6f Ryan Fowler – 51 Brandon Green
Row 3: 7 Justin Allgaier – 2h Nick Hoffman
Row 4: 98 Shon Flannery – 90 Jason Beaulieu
Row 5: 22k Dale Kelley – 17t Tyler Evans
Row 6: 41 Brad Goff – 5cs Curt Spalding
Row 7: 1 Brenden Rassel – 14s Steve Stevenson9
Row 8: 4uw Bobby Regot – 95 Michael Altobelli Jr.
Row 9: 15 Joey Miller – 05 David Wietholder
Row 10: 36 Kenny Wallace – 00d David Reutimann
Row 11: LCS 1 Winner – LCS 2 Winner
Row 12: LCS 1 Runner-Up – LCS 2 Runner-U