Orlando SpeedWorld has been undergoing a restructuring and will re-open on August 3 with theTBARA Sprint Car program rained out in June as the featured attraction. Bob Watson, formerly of Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire, has taken over the reins as General Manager and will be bringing a number of changes to the SpeedWorld facility in order to present a “family friendly” show for the fans.

A firm schedule has not been set as of yet, but plans are to move all racing activity to Saturday nights. Watson says that in a conference call this week with himself, track owner Ozzy Moya and New Smyrna Speedway owner Robert Hart, Hart gave his blessing to moving the SpeedWorld show to Saturday night. Schedules will be set so that no conflicts will exist between the scheduling for the two tracks. SpeedWorld will hold two open practice sessions on Wednesday evenings, July 24th and 31st before returning to racing action on August 3. On the schedule along with the Sprint Cars will be the Legend Cars, Super Stocks, Strictly Stocks and Bandoleros. Further details will be made available shortly.

The rain finally held off for once at Orlando SpeedWorld and fans were treated
to some good NASCAR Whelan All-American Series racing on a warm, muggy night.
The Modified class was top bill of the evening going for 50 laps in their
feature.  Earl Beckner of Orlando was quickest in time trials turning a lap at
14.62 seconds just ahead of Lakeland’s Josh Todd who turned in a lap at
14.78.
Pole sitter Roger Benton grabbed the early lead and was looking strong until
Shain Held went for a spin on lap two off the bumper of Todd’s machine.  Todd
was sent to the rear of the field for the restart while Held got his spot
back.  Benton continued to lead the way but began to get pressure from
Beckner.  On lap ten, Beckner dove low into turn three to try and make a pass
and just barely touched the left rear tire of Benton’s car sending Beckner
into a wild slide.  Beckner restarted the event from the tail of the field.
On the restart, Benton’s car began to slide backwards, victim of a cut tire
from the incident with Beckner.  Todd moved his car to the front and began to
check out.  Lap 22 saw Beckner, his teammate Jason Vail and Matt Wheeler lock
horns in turn four.  There was no significant damage and all three continued.
Just as the field got the halfway signal on lap 25, Wheeler tangled with Matt
Jarrett on the front stretch and hit the wall.  The crash eliminated both
drivers from the race while Vail also took his car to the sidelines. (more…)

Orlando SpeedWorld hopes to finally catch a break from Mother Nature this Friday night so that NASCAR Whelan All-American Series action can continue.  With several inches of rain dumped on the facility the past couple of weeks, drying out has been a slow process but some extra sunshine and a better forecast for this Friday evening have been more than welcome.
This week the Modified class has their turn at a 50-lap shootout that should produce some great competition with top drivers like Earl Beckner, Shain Held, Matt Wheeler and more expected in the field.  Also on the card will be the Pro Late Models, Sportsman cars, Super Stocks, Strictly Stocks and Bandoleros.
Pit gates open at 4 pm with grandstands open at 6 pm.  Adult admission is $12 with all kids 12 and under admitted free.

Everyone is hoping that the tropical system affecting Florida this week will continue to move swiftly off to the northeast so that Orlando SpeedWorld can get back to NASCAR Whelan All-American Series action Friday night. Disappointing is the only way you could describe things last Saturday as the pits were full with racers and fans were filing in for what looked to be a fantastic program. Seventeen TBARA Sprint Cars were already in attendance with a few others waiting in the wings checking the weather before what started as a brief shower turned into a full-blown sea breeze collision that dumped at least two inches of rain, forcing cancellation of the program. The event will be made up on Saturday, July 27. This week, the Super Late Models return to competition and will be joined by the E-Modifieds, Pro Trucks, Super Stocks and Strictly Stocks. Pit gates open at 4 pm with grandstands open at 6 pm. Racing begins at 8 pm. Adult admission is $12 with kids aged 12 and under free of charge.

Orlando SpeedWorld holds racing on Saturday night this week for the first time
in 2013 and race fans will get to witness a number of different types of cars
in action.
For the first time in about four years, the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association
(TBARA) Winged Outlaw Sprint Cars will be turning laps around the high-banked
3/8 mile SpeedWorld track and open-wheel race fans will also get to see the
Florida Midget Auto Racing Association (FMARA) Three Quarter Midgets as well,
a class that has not turned a wheel here in over ten years. Also on the card
are the Legend Cars, Mini Cup racers, Bandoleros and big extra-distance, extra
cash races for both the Super Stocks and Strictly Stocks. To provide icing on
the racing cake, the night will end with a demolition derby.
The TBARA Sprints are expecting a good field of between 22 and 26 cars but all
of the drivers feel they have just one guy to try and beat… Dave Steele of
Tampa and his “Silver Bullet” No, 33 car. Steele won the season-opening TBARA
show at Full Throttle Speedway near Bradenton and has been dominating Sprint
Car activity at Showtime Speedway in Pinellas Park. (more…)

The Pro Trucks took center stage Friday night at Orlando SpeedWorld going for 50 laps in NASCAR Whelan All-American Series action joined by the Super Stocks, E-Modifieds and Strictly Stocks.

The ladies dominated Pro Truck qualifying with Becca Monopoli setting quick time over Whitney Poole. The pill draw saw the two reverse starting positions for the big feature race as Poole started from the pole with Monopoli on the outside of the front row. Monopoli snared the early lead while Gerald Campbell moved up to challenge Poole and made a pass for second on lap four. The race stayed green until John Hodge, subbing for Zach Curtis, spun off turn two on lap 21. On the restart, Campbell turned up the wick and led the 22nd lap only to see Monopoli back out front on the following lap. (more…)