Speed51.com – Showtime Speedway in Pinellas Park, Florida brought in the best racers from around the state to put on one heck of a show Saturday night with the $5,000-to-win Florida State Super Late Model Championship 100.

With big names such as Florida short track ace Jesse Dutilly, young gun Michael Atwell and super team Mike Cope Racing in town, it was Aaron Williamson in only his third ever start in a Super Late Model who took the win.

Williamson, who had gotten the call up to substitute for the injured Colin Allman on Thursday night, had been driving for owner Chad Allman for most of the year in the team’s Sportsman car.

300×250 Seekonk Speedway PPV 2017.07.12“Colin called me about seven o’clock on Thursday night to come change the seat and drive it,” Williamson told Speed51.com powered by JEGS in a post-race interview.

“It was incredible. I can’t thank everyone who supports us enough. Jesse, of course, has a dominant car wherever he goes. It’s unbelievable to beat him, let alone pass him on the outside. I cannot believe how the season has come with the Sportsman car and now the Super Late Model here for a race. I’m shaking I’m so excited. It’s great.”

When pressed to find out how he got around Dutilly on the outside for the win with only a handful of laps to go, Williamson simply said, “I had a good coach on the radio”.

The one on the other end of the radio was none other that Colin Allman himself.

“Colin supported me for my decision to step to the outside of him from the first turn and told me to keep digging, keep digging, that we were going to get him, and sure enough we did.”

Jesse Dutilly chalks up his second-place finish to handling issues his team had been struggling with all weekend.

“I needed to be on the top, but I couldn’t get off turn four. I thought I would just be a sitting duck, so I tried the bottom and the car just wouldn’t run the top,” Dutilly explained. “I practiced the bottom for three weeks, committed to the bottom when the grove was in the top so we could pass cars. Low and behold at the end of the race I couldn’t get off the top of the race track.”

Devon McLeod came in third with a car that more resembled a Florida Modified than a Super Late Model in the closing laps.

“The car was great. It was awesome, and then I just got caught up in someone else’s mess,” he said. “It was tough keeping these things down in the bumps. It’s such a small track you don’t think downforce means much, but when you have to hit the gas and the brake so much to get the car to roll through the center, I think if we had a nose on the car it would have been a good three-car race or they would have been chasing us. The car was that good.”

More information, highlights, and interviews from Saturday night’s race at Showtime Speedway can be seen by visiting 51’s Trackside Now.

Next on the schedule at Showtime Speedway is the Racecar Engineering Wheel Man Sportsman Series 50 with support from the Pro Trucks, Mod Minis, Mini Stocks, Strictly Stocks and Street Stock divisions on July 15.

-By Allick Jorgensen, Speed51.com Southeast Correspondent – Twitter: @AJorgensen24

-Photo credit: Speed51.com

Florida State Super Late Model Championship Official Results

Showtime Speedway (FL) – July 8, 2017

Pos # Driver
1 67 Aaron Williamson
2 30 Jesse Dutilly
3 21 Devin McLeod
4 03 George Gorham
5 5 Joe Boyd
6 51 Michael Atwell
7 20 Anthony Sergi
8 17 Nick Neri
9 12D David Green
10 59X Becca Monopoli
11 00 Anthony Cataldi
12 37 Michael Goodard
13 25 Paul White
14 2 Robby Lyons
15 32 Harold Crooms II
16 53 Charles Kopach
17 47 Chris Fontaine
18 128 Dylan Bigley
19 24 Jamie King
20 26 Travis Cope
21 23 Mike Smith
22 88 Justin Larson
23 09 Scott Grossenbacher
24 5K Daniel Keene Jr.
25 01 Robert Whitaker

Lakeland, FL (June 19, 2017) Mother Nature had postponed racing in the Brandon Ford Wheel Man Series for nearly 2 months, so when drivers and teams began rolling into Showtime Speedway this past Saturday, there was a feeling that racing might be challenging for the 50-lap feature event at the tough quarter-mile bullring in Clearwater, FL.

The most recent Series winner, Jesse Henley, continued his momentum by setting fast time and winning the QA1 Fast Qualifier Award, but unfortunately suffered engine issues during the race which relegated him to a 17^th place finish.

Chris Lewellen started back in the 13^th spot, but was able to work his way through serious traffic for a 5^th place finish. Brooke Storer started just behind Lewellen and followed him through the field to finish 4^th.

Series points leader Aaron Williamson showed nerves of steel as he was tested from all sides. Despite being knocked out of the racing groove a couple of times, Williamson showed his focus, determination and professionalism to bring home a well-deserved 3^rd place finish.

Travis Roland provided the Showtime Speedway fans with some of the best driving of the season after he was sent to the rear of the field for a restart violation early in the race. Roland methodically weaved through tight traffic and by lap 30, slotted into the 2^nd spot and held on for his best finish of the year. Roland was awarded the Sweet Steering “Sweet Move of the Race” for his effort.

Devin McLeod knew he had a strong car, just missing the pole by .002 seconds, and after the inversion, rolled off 9^th on the grid. McLeod had his share of issues to deal with as well. After being caught up in an early incident, he dealt with suspension problems throughout the 50-lap event, but despite the difficulties, drove the #5 Underground Utilities Chevrolet to his 2^nd victory of the Brandon Ford Wheel Man season.

Daniel Webster was awarded the Driven Steering “Hard Charger” award.

Winners of the Gagels Auto Parts Tire Giveaway were Rex Struble, Anthony LaPointe, Jesse Henley and Sean Bass.

The next event for the Brandon Ford Wheel Man Series is this Saturday at Citrus County Speedway. Pit gates will open at 2pm and practice will begin at 3:00.  Also on the schedule are Pure Stocks, Outlaw Street Stocks, Mini-Stocks and the always popular Demolition Derby.

For more information about the Brandon Ford Wheel Man Sportsman Series, find us on our Facebook page @WheelManSeries.

The Brandon Ford Wheel Man Sportsman Series Presented by Gagels Auto Parts would like to recognize their marketing partners for the 2017 season which include: Brandon Ford, Gagels Auto Parts, BA Chassis, Sweet Manufacturing, Driven Steering, Five Star Bodies, Finish Line Fabrication, Allstar Performance, ARbodies, Bassett Wheels, Bilstein Shocks, Chad Pierce Motorsports, Checkered Flag Graphics, Crooms Towing & Fleet Services, Finney Racing, Howe Racing Enterprises, Intercomp Racing, JOES Racing Products, Driven Oil, Longacre Racing, Maxima Racing Oils, QA1, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Speed51.com, Tilton Engineering, Tiger Rear Ends, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Engineering, Phillips Racing Wire, Royal Tees, Sunoco Racing Fuel, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat System