March 1, 2014, – Tampa, FL – It was the Season Opener for East Bay Raceway Park with five divisions on hand to compete. Late Models, Limited Late Models, Q Auto & Injury Attorneys Street Stocks, V8 Warriors and the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers were all on hand to see who will find themselves in Victory Lane.
The first feature of the night belonged to the Q Auto & Injury Attorneys Street Stocks. Winning their heats were David Barwick, II and Tim Gay which would also make up the front row for the 15 Lap Feature Event. When the green flag waved it was Tim Gay leading the way until the first caution came out as Roberto Morfin, Sr. found himself spinning and winding up almost on the go-kart track. Morfin, Sr. was able to pull away and continue on. Several more cautions would come out but no one was able to catch Tim Gay as he went on to win the feature. Finishing in the top five were Billy Barstow, Buck Woodhouse, David Barwick, II and William Burnside. (more…)
Luke Thomas wins on final night of the Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park for the 38th Annual Winternationals.
Photo Credit: Mike Horne
TAMPA, FL – It was the final night of the 38th Annual Winternationals featuring the 360 Sprints and the Florida Mini Sprint Association. Over 30 cars were on hand for the Mini Sprints and over 50 cars for the 360 Sprints.
Wayne Johnson with close friend of Ronald Laney Michelle Larson together in Victory Lane celebrating his win over Rico Abreau.
Photo Credit: Mike Horne
TAMPA, FL – Wayne Johnson had his Charlie Fisher powered- XXX chassis dialed in to perfection and his driving skills were never sharper than Saturday night when he started on pole and left his competition, mainly young Rico Abreu, searching for 40 laps for a way around the Knoxville, Iowa resident.
Young Sunshine State Racer Tames Star-Studded Field At Volusia Speedway Park For First-Ever Super Late Model Victory
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 22, 2014 – Kyle Bronson of Tampa, Fla., became the latest upset winner of a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event, capturing Saturday night’s 50-lap A-Main at Volusia Speedway Park for his first-ever victory behind the wheel of a Super Late Model.
A 23-year-old open-wheel Modified standout in the Sunshine State, Bronson joined Thursday-night victor Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga., as unexpected first-time WoO LMS winners during the 43rd DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment. His $10,500 triumph in the finale of the mid-winter motorsports meet also was the second of the week for a home state driver following the win by Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, Fla., in the DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned event on Feb. 17.
“This is unbelievable,” said Bronson, whose win came in the just the eighth Super Late Model start of his fledgling racing career. “I’ve never doubted myself, but I dang sure didn’t think I was gonna come here and win the race. If you would’ve asked me (about winning a WoO LMS event) a couple days ago, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. We had our goals set (for the DIRTcar Nationals) to try and make all of (the features).
“I don’t know what to say. I’m so excited I don’t even know how to show it right now.” (more…)
Stewart Friesen takes home the “big gator” after finishing second Saturday
BARBERVILLE, FLA. – February 22, 2014 – Big-Block Modified racer Matt Sheppard, of Waterloo, N.Y., took almost no time to grow accustomed to his new car. Sheppard started driving the Heinke-Baldwin Racing No. 9H earlier this week, and already he has claimed victory in Saturday’s finale for the DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment.
“To come down here and win the biggest race, come right out of the box, it means a lot to this team,” Sheppard said of Saturday’s 50-lap Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series race at Volusia Speedway Park. “I can’t thank all the guys over here with HBR enough. They’ve been working their tails off all week on both cars and I think it showed tonight. We got the cars better every night. We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.”
Sheppard started the race from fourth and his HBR teammate Jimmy Phelps, of Baldwinsville, N.Y., started on the pole. Phelps led at the green flag, but Frenchtown, N.J. driver Billy Pauch was quick to make his move from second. Pauch cruised around the outside lane, passing Phelps before the leaders reached the backstretch. (more…)
Open Wheel Mods Feature
Car-# Drivers Name Home Town Finish
43 Gator Hise Inverness 1
982 L. J. Grimm Seffner 2
99 Cody Stickler Pinellas Park 3
98 Robbie Cooper Bronson 4
19 Keith Brendel Leesburg, GA 5
90 Cody Johnson Ocala 6
Mini Stocks Feature
Car-# Drivers Name Home Town Finish
73 Jason Terry Bellview 1
11 Jerry Daniels Weirsdale 2
33 Bill Ryan Bushnell 3
24 Tim Scalise Lutz 4
199 Chris Hennessy Beverly Hills 5
22 Mark Patterson Webster 6 (more…)
Veteran Wayne Johnson wins night #2 and looks to be the first driver to win Ronald Laney Memorials. Johnson won the event back in 2010.
Photo Credit: Mike Horne
TAMPA, FL – On Friday night when Wayne Johnson thought there was no way he would be racing, let alone winning, the odds turned in favor of the Knoxville, Iowa driver and he started on the front row of the final preliminary 25-lap feature leading up to the East Bay Raceway’s 16th Annual King of 360’s and ended up in victory lane with a check for $1,500.
All day long 53 racers worked on their cars in a leisurely fashion as fans wondered in and out of the pits and facilities at East Bay just waiting for the predicted heavy rains that never came. The storms that skirted the Tampa race track had already washed out races that were scheduled at other tracks. But, the anticipated rain never happened and the track crew readied the surface for racing and tickets were sold and the race went on as scheduled.
The preliminary events were held and the feature for the qualified 20 cars were set showing Danny Wood from Norman, Oklahoma and Johnson bringing the field to the initial green ahead of Lou Kennedy from Winnipeg, British Columbia and Bryan Sebetto out of Fremont, Ohio in row two.
Georgia Driver Overtakes Bloomquist For Lead In Thrilling DIRTcar Nationals by Summit Headliner
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 20, 2014 – Casey Roberts wasn’t running at the finish of the three dirt Late Model features that kicked off the 43rd annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment.
But when the checkered flag flew on the fourth race – Thursday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main – the unheralded 36-year-old driver from Toccoa, Ga., was first across the finish line.
Roberts pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the DIRTcar Nationals by Summit, passing dirt-track legend Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., coming to the white flag to become the mid-winter motorsports meet’s third first-time dirt Late Model winner in four events.
Refusing to concede after losing the lead to Bloomquist on lap 31, Roberts patiently stuck to the bottom of the half-mile oval and slipped ahead of Wednesday night’s DIRTcar Late Model feature victor to gain command as lap 49 was scored. The Peach State racer then staved off a last-ditch bid by Bloomquist to score his first-ever WoO LMS triumph by a mere. 0.185 of a second.
Roberts’s dramatic drive to a win worth $10,550 ignited the large Volusia crowd, which gave the consummate underdog a rousing welcome when he emerged from his Cushman Motorsports Capital Race Car in Victory Lane.
“I’m pretty much a no-name or whatever,” Roberts modestly said while standing on the homestretch stage following the race. “I guess everybody thinks it’s good to see guys like me win. “I’ll tell ‘ya, I’m just blessed to be here. It feels like it’s not even really happening.” (more…)
15 yr old Price Parker-Miller held off a stellar field to win in only his fifth start in a 360 Sprint capturing night number one of the King of the 360 Sprints weekend at East Bay Raceway Parks 38th Annual Winternationals.
Photo Credit: Mike Horne
TAMPA, FL – Kokomo, Indiana’s young Parker Price-Miller, just 15 years old, made an impressive debut in front of a field of experienced veteran drivers and a few other “rookies” opening night of a three-day show to determine the 16th Annual King of 360’s at East Bay Raceway Park.