It was a chilly night for race fans at Auburndale Speedway Saturday but some good, hot racing kept most of them from thinking just how cold it was in the grandstands.

The Super Late Models were the feature attraction and, although just eleven showed up to do battle, battle they did in a race that had several twists and turns.

Palmetto’s Nick Neri led a very close field in time trials with a lap of
13.629 seconds just ahead of the 13.656 lap of Jon Guy and Jesse Dutilly’s lap of 13.685. Neri drew a six for the inversion placing Becca Monopoli on the pole for the 100-lap chase flanked by local shoe Ron Lofquist.

The start would not be a good one, though. Going into turn one, Dutilly had to check up a bit and was hit by third starter Steven King sending Dutilly’s machine hard into the turn one wall. Dutilly was none the worse for wear himself but his car was badly damaged and he actually walked the full length of the track from turn one to turn four where King was parked under the red flag. Dutilly had some “choice words” for King then walked back to the pit area.

When the race finally got started, Monopoli zipped out front only to see the caution fly on lap three for a Paul White spin off turn four. King got the jump on Monopoli after the restart, took the top spot and began to pull away from the field. Lofquist began to fall back losing third to Guy on lap six and fourth a lap later to George Gorham, Jr. Neri was moving forward after a slow start taking fourth from Gorham on the 18th lap while Guy breezed by Monopoli for second on lap 22. By now King was racing in a different zip code and looked to have the field covered. King’s big lead was erased on lap 45 when the caution came out although there was no incident or debris on the track.

During the driver’s meeting the competitors had been told that if 40 green flag laps were run consecutively that a “competition caution” would be thrown.
This would prove to be King’s eventual undoing after his early dominant performance. Guy blasted to the front on the restart while Neri got by Monopoli for third. The lead trio then began to put on a great nose-to-tail show for the fans with no one willing to give an inch while Matt McCrary charged by Monopoli (who was out of brakes) for fourth on lap 74 just before the two leaders, Guy and King, got together coming off turn two with both being sent to the rear for the restart.

Neri was now the leader and he clearly had the fastest car on the speedway as he pulled away from now second place McCrary. The final yellow flag flew on lap 88 as White went into a spin courtesy of King while Guy also spun to keep from being involved. King dropped out at this point.

Neri easily led the final 12 circuits to score his first career Auburndale Speedway victory while McCrary’s steady driving netted him a nice runner-up finish. Despite running most of the race with no brakes, Monopoli took third spot followed by Guy and White. Lofquist was sixth and Charles Kopach seventh, the last two cars still running as all seven finishers were on the lead lap at the end. King was credited with eighth ahead of Gorham, David King and Dutilly.

Chris Spring began defense of his 2018 Modified Mini Stock title by winning a hard fought 25 lap feature. Spring won the first heat but it was second heat winner Mike Rudder who took the early lead before he and Spring bounced off each other and spun out on lap 16. Spring continued but Rudder was done for the night.

Bryton Prevatt took over the lead and the race would then become a great battle between Prevatt, Mike Kerrivan and Spring who made a late charge to put his “Black Duece” in victory lane. Kerrivan was a close second over Prevatt, Kenny Nurse, Jr. and Clint Holmes. Jimmy McLeod took sixth with Jimmy Wood seventh and the last car still running. Rachelle Rudolph was eighth, victim of two blow right rear tires. Rudder was credited with ninth and Kelly Hahn was tenth after dropping out early. Mike Prevatt and Donnie Ezell did not start.

2018 V-8 Bomber champion James Wright III won the heat race which earned him pole position for the 25 lap feature. That was pretty much all she wrote as Wright led all the way to take the win and start defense of his title. “We are going to try and take another championship although I will probably miss a couple of nights this year,” said Wright in victory lane. “I was in Alabama working all week and my dad worked on this car all week and it was really running great in the cold weather,” he said.

Jody Gill debuted his new “K-9” Camaro with a fine second place finish. Gill, who is a local K-9 police officer, had been credited earlier in the week as he and his dog captured a man suspected in a string of local bank robberies.
Danny Burchfield took home third spot ahead of Phil Ellis and Roy “Bubba”
Healey. Ronnie Abney, Jr, was sixth followed by Brandon Love, Jimmy McLeod, Kyle Case, Jesse Killinger and Travis Todd who was the only driver unable to finish.

The 25 lap Legend Car feature was a real barn-burner that saw several cautions and numerous lead changes before Noah “Little Gator” Cornman took over on lap
22 and raced to a popular victory. “That was an awesome race,” said Cornman in victory lane and his comments were echoed by second place Jarrett Wagman who also led many laps before having to settle for the runner-up spot.
Defending track champion Jim Smith claimed third spot while Brandon Taylor took fourth ahead of Ryan DiVagno and Brandon Hershey. Seth Adams was running third as the white flag came out but his car developed problems and he ended up seventh. Kyle Pitts took over Bob Wilson’s car for the night but he dropped out early and was credited with eighth. Wagman won the heat race.

Maria Martins took the lead on lap ten and went on to win the 20-lap Mini Cup feature race. The young lady driver also won on opening night last year then was shut out the rest of the season, mostly due to a series of mechanical failures. “I don’t want a repeat of last year,” she said after taking the victory. “We want to win more races this year and hopefully the championship too,” she said.

Veteran Russell Bush came home second followed by 2018 Mini Cup champion Douglas Herrin, Jr. who came back from a big heat race wall-banger to get a podium finish. Heat winner Bryton Horner was fourth followed by Clay Samuels and Wilson Martins, Jr.

Driving a “throw-back” Dale Earnhardt black #3 Mini Stock similar to the one his dad drove in the class a few years back, Chris Narramore, Jr. won the Q Mini Stock heat then easily captured the feature race that was combined with the Scrambler class. Freddie Martin kept things close but had to settle for second over David McCaig, Oscar Coulter, Colin Hardin, William Kerns and Guy Kolmel.

The Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association was also in the house and the DAARA Sprint Cars put on their usual great show with Robert Campbell of Tarpon Springs leading most of the way to score the victory in his beautiful midnight blue creation. “My uncle Steve Campbell restored this car from the ground up and boy is it a pleasure to drive,” said Campbell. “My dad (long-time Sprint Car owner Harry Campbell) never let us kids drive his cars since he had some really good drivers in the seat (the likes of Dave Scarborough, Frank Riddle and Jan Opperman), so it’s really cool to get to be behind the wheel of one of these things now,” he continued.

Duane LeCornu made his Sprint Car debut in a “new” restored car and drove to an impressive second over veteran Sprint Car shoe Stan Butler. “Guess we are gonna have to get some new tires to keep up with these guys,” joked Butler after the race. Merle Strickland took fourth with Chris Hahn, Bob Wolpert, Louis Brashear and John Parrish rounding out the finishers.

The DAARA Stock Car feature fell to Cush Revette, Jr. of Tampa who was driving his Bobby Allison tribute car 1955 Chevy #312. Heat winner Steve Slaughter brought his coach-bodied Modified home a close second. Steve Parrish took third in a six-cylinder-powered Modified ahead of Darren Nichols, Richie Iversen, David Glenn, Ken Jeffres and Dan Hayes.

It’s once again that time of year as Auburndale Speedway switches from the regular stock car racing format to the craziness of the “Night of Destruction II” this Saturday night.

As always, the School Bus Figure-8 race will highlight the wide variety of events that will take place. Also highlighting the evening will be a first-ever RV-Camper Demolition Derby along with a Front Wheel Drive Demo Derby, Chain Race, Flag Pole Race, Skid Car Race, Motorcycle stunts and a whole lot more.

Grandstand gates will be opening at 3 pm at which time the band Aggie Road and Joey Foley will perform on the front stretch through 6 pm. Then it’s time for 45 minutes of school bus rides around the track for the fans. There will also be a bounce house/slide for the kids in operation from 3-6 pm. Regular concessions will be available along with other specialty vendors, so plenty of great food and drink will be available.
Adult admission is $20 with kids 5-12 $10. All kids 4 and under are free. Pit passes are $30. Parking will be $5 and a different parking pattern will be used this time, so make sure to watch for the signs and attendants that will help you get parked quickly and safely. Fans are asked to get to the speedway as early as possible to avoid the long lines close to time of the event.

STEVEN O’STEEN INHERITS STREET STOCK WIN AT AUBURNDALE SPEEDWAY

For the first time in recent memory Auburndale Speedway began its racing program Saturday evening with not a cloud in the sky and once the sun set it was a beautiful night for racing.  The pits were jammed with the largest car count of the year and the race teams performed in front of the biggest crowd of the season next to the Night of Destruction.

All in all it would be a late night for everyone.  Hot laps were delayed for nearly a half-hour when one of the Legend Cars soaked the track in fluid and that meant all qualifying would be delayed until just after 7 pm.  Five and a half hours later, the remaining fans (and there were quite a few who stuck out all the way to the end) headed to their cars just before 12:30 am although no one was complaining after the great action they witnessed.

The “Fall Fling” 125 for the Super Late Models, rained out two weeks previous, was added to the Faith and Family night program and 17 race teams were on hand to do battle.  Qualifying saw Steven King as the big surprise as the fourth generation racer tripped the clocks at 13.680 seconds topping the 16.720 lap turned in by Josh Todd who was just three-one-thousandths of a second quicker than Auburndale Super-8 Late Model Series point leader Chris Fontaine.  Matt McCrary and Jett Noland were fourth and fifth quick.

King’s pill draw luck wasn’t very good as he drew a ten to invert over half the field for the start and it would be just part of a very “eventful” evening for him that eventually would turn out OK.  When all was said and done, Kevin Macy, driving a team car to Todd’s, would start on the pole with veteran driver Charles Kopach starting second in his brand-new machine.

Macy zipped out to an early lead as Kopach got trapped on the high side and fell back.  Macy held the point until Steven King was sent spinning in turn four off the bumper of Cody Martell to bring out the caution on lap five.

Both drivers restarted at the tail of the field as Jamie King dropped out with problems early.

Roger Blevins was behind the wheel of veteran owner Rick Newton’s #01 machine and he showed his strength by taking over the top spot from Macy just after the green reappeared.  Blevins was looking good as the faster qualifiers were diligently working their way toward the front of the pack.  Brandon “Bones”

Duschscherer was hugging the inside line and slipped by Blevins for the lead on lap 16 bringing a high-flying Todd with him.  Lap 19 saw the second yellow flag of the race as Macy went for a wild spin off turn four courtesy of Matt McCrary.  Both took a trip to the rear of the restart line-up.

On the restart Ft. Pierce driver Jeff Johnston, make his first career Super Late Model start, spun going into turn one to keep the caution out.

Johnston’s dad, Chet Johnston, was a regular Late Model competitor for many years all over Central Florida.  Johnston had veteran driver Henry Shepherd as his crew chief as they were working the bugs out of both their new car and new driver.

Duchscherer was holding strong up front as the battle for second was a great one only to be slowed again as Macy spun again in turn four on lap 27.

Several cars took evasive action to miss the spinning car and Steven King was forced to pit to have a loose fender pulled from his racer.

On the restart, Blevins snuck back by Todd for second and brought Fontaine along with him.  Lap 36 saw the yellow back out again for a three car melee in turn four involving Noland, Kopach and Brian Dorer.  All continued but Joe Boyd, running fifth at the time, suddenly headed pit side for a check of his machine while Alexa Anderson’s car stalled and she need a push to the pits.

Both Boyd and Anderson were able to return to the fray, though.

Todd used the restart to charge back into second place and he began stalking leader Duchscherer.  Action was slowed again for a Noland spin in turn two.

Fast qualifier Steven King, despite all his problems, had now worked his way up to sixth for the restart.

Again things got crazy behind the leader as Blevins raced back into second bringing McCrary with him relegating Todd to fourth.

Lap 48 saw Johnston spin in turn three and the following restart was negated when Kopach looped his mount in turn two as well.  The restart was not a good one for Blevins as he slipped high and quickly found himself all the way back in sixth.  Todd zoomed by Fontaine for third spot as Duchscherer and McCrary ran one-two.

At the half-way mark it was Duchscherer leading McCrary, Todd, Fontaine, Noland, Blevins, Steven King, Dorer, David King and Alexa Anderson.  Ten laps later Johnston spun again in turn one and backed into the wall ending his night.  Also now out of the race were Boyd, Kopach and Kendall Anderson.

With 50 laps to go only ten cars were left on the track although all ten would eventually make it to the finish.  Todd slipped by McCrary for second on lap

77 as the field settled into some green flag racing.  The next caution would come out on lap 94 for Dorer’s spin on the back stretch.

Todd got by Duchscherer for the lead just after the restart and was just a nose in front when the caution was out again for a spinning David King in turn two.  The restart saw Fontaine go for a spin off the bumper of Steven King with both going to the back of the field for the restart.

At this point Todd began to check out slowed only by Alexa Anderson’s slow spin in turn one on lap 113.  Todd again pulled away on the restart and took the checker several car lengths ahead of Duchscherer with McCrary third.

Blevins ended his strong night with a great fourth place finish while Steven King rebounded from his crazy race to get fifth spot.  Noland took the sixth just in front of Fontaine with Dorer, Alexa Anderson and David King rounding out the top ten as the only cars running at the end.  Taking eleventh through 17th, all DNF’s, were Johnston, Kopach, Kendall Anderson, Boyd, Macy, Martell and Jamie King.

“I can’t say enough about my team and all the hard work they’ve put in to get us here,” said Todd.  “And to be here with my buddies Bones (Duchscherer) and Matt (McCrary) all on the front stretch after this race is really cool,” Todd continued.  McCrary seconded Todd’s thoughts.  “All three of us meet for lunch a few times a week and it’s just really neat to be up here after running 1-2-3” he said.  All three are local home-grown Auburndale Speedway drivers who basically grew up at the track and have worked their way up through several lower classes to earn their Super Late Model rides.

The other big race of the night was a 50-lap contest for the “Outlaw” Street Stocks running under the rules used by the former Sunshine State Challenge Series.  A bit of a disappointing field of eleven cars signed in but they were all quality machines and put on quite a show.

Cody Stickler, driving the Richie Smith #42 hot rod, set quick time at 14.744 seconds, over a tenth of a second faster than second and third place qualifiers Richard Elkins, Jr. and track Street Stock point leader Steven O’Steen.  The top six in time trials were inverted for the start with pole sitter Ross Francisco taking the early lead.  Francisco was looking very strong until his machine suddenly quit during the ninth lap and he slowed to a stop on the back stretch to bring out the yellow flag.

Danny Caylor inherited the lead and was setting a good pace with O’Steen moving into second just before Elkins went into a spin after tangling with Bobby Mobley.  Mobley dropped out after the altercation.  Stickler, who had taken a $200 challenge to start the race from the rear of the grid, slipped into second on the restart and began to put the pressure on Caylor, finally taking the point on lap 20.

From there the race ran all the way to the checker under green with O’Steen taking over second on lap 24.  O’Steen did his best to close on the fleet Stickler even slapping the wall a couple of times during his pursuit.  In the end Stickler was just too strong and he took the apparent win by a large margin over O’Steen.  However both Stickler and apparent third place finisher Kenny Gibson were disqualified in tech for illegal shocks.

That handed the win to O’Steen with Caylor ending up with second and Devin McLeod third.  Rounding out the finishers were Elkins, John Smith, Gilbert Corbin, Todd Brown, Mobley and Francisco.

The Legend Cars were out in force with 17 cars needing a pair of heat races to set the field for their 25-lap feature.  After the heat race wins were taken by Jim Smith and Seth Adams it was Smith taking the feature lead from his pole starting position.

This race would see a number of caution flags, one for a wild front stretch altercation that eliminated both of the Little Gator Motorsports cars driven by Jade Hubert and Noah Cornman.

Smith held sway until lap 18 when Adams got under him for the point and he never looked back from there in scoring his fourth win in a row here after getting a late start on the season.  A late scramble saw 15-year-old Jarrett Wagman come home with the second spot in just his sixth start in a Legend Car and second race at Auburndale.  Point leader Smith held on for third ahead of Devin McLeod who gave Bob Wilson’s car a great run to the front.  Fifth went to Taylor Hosford trailed by Alan Heifnar, Kyle Pitts, Christian Baker, Mitch Verhaagh and Dylan Brewer who was making his first-ever start here.  Rounding out the finishers were Brandon Hershey, Rusty Mallett, Jeremy Condrey, Cale Nolen, Cornman, Hubert and Chris Hamm.

Danny Burchfield led the first 16 laps of the V-8 Bomber feature before giving way to David Purvis who led until lap 22 before heat winner James Wright III took over the point.  But shortly thereafter Wright and Purvis tangled up and had to go to the rear of the restart grid.  That put Burchfield back in the lead and he drove his way to his first win of the season.

Purvis and Wright rebounded to finish second and third ahead of Jody Gill, Brian Harbin, Ronnie Abney, Jimmy McCloud and Travis Todd.

Keith Cantrill led all the way to win the Scrambler feature race, his second win of the year, holding off Chuckie Harrison and Fred Wilson.  David Williams took fourth trailed by Danny Burchfield, Jr., Reggie Ware II, Zach Ware, Brian Conger and heat winner Dennis Dean who dropped out early with engine trouble.

When Chris Narramore, Sr. had late engine woes, his son Chris Narramore, Jr.

caught and passed him for the lead and the victory, his eighth of the season.

The elder Narramore held on for second over Bruce Cozad and Freddy Martin.

David McCaig and Jason Sopczak were unable to start the feature.  Narramore, Sr. won the heat race.

Russell Bush grabbed the lead from Douglas Herrin, Jr, on lap 14 and went on to win his first Mini Cup feature of the year.  A late charge by Maria Martins gave her the second spot over Herrin, heat winner Brey Holmes, Wilson Martins, Easton Bush and Bill Rychel.