by Dave Westerman

The race track will look a bit different when Auburndale Speedway opens for action on Saturday May 15th.

This Saturday night, May 8th, will be the final night of racing on the current configuration of the track as things will be much different the following week. Starting on Sunday, May 9th, crews will begin laying four feet of concrete on the inside of the turns to create a new “inside groove” that will allow for two-wide racing that drivers and fans have been asking for.

The concrete will be tapered in the same way the current banking is laid out. “What we’ll get is a tight inside groove and a middle groove that will be just as quick,” says track owner Rex Guy. “Everyone has been asking for a workable outside line around the race track and we feel this is the best way to go about it,” he says.

This method is expected to not only be much more cost-effective than completely repaving the track, but should actually provide better racing for all classes. “If we repave the surface, we’re still in the same boat,” says Guy. “The inside groove would be even faster and it would still make it difficult to use the outer lane. Our new plan is really the best way to increase competition and make an even better show for the fans,” he says.

The Open Wheel Modifieds will put the new configuration to the test for the first time on May 15th and the following week the Late Models return for a big 100 lap event.

“We are all looking forward to seeing two-wide racing in the Late Models and Modifieds and can only imagine what the racing will be like in classes like the Legends, Mini Stocks, Street Stocks and Scramblers,” says Guy.

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by BJ Cavin- Ocala Speedway Media

OCALA, FL-  Fans at Florida’s oldest race track have come to know that some of the wildest nights of racing action come when Ocala Speedway dangles a $1000 cash carrot in front of the racers and turns them loose.  Normally that cash carrot is reserved for one division at a time, but this Friday, May 7th, three divisions will be racing for a $1000 payout to the winner as the “Night of Thousands” makes its debut.

The new Sportsman Division at Ocala Speedway has only had a single outing this season, and that one attracted a varied mix of cars and racers from across the area.  But with $1000 at stake for the winner, Sportsman racers will be coming out in droves to take a shot at Ocala’s tricky layout and make a stab at the cash.  Ocala’s Augie “Big Frog” Burttram won the original race held on April 16th, while Hollister’s Kevin Mills followed in the second spot.  Also look for a good showing from Tim Dowling behind the wheel of the Xtreme Racing number 8 machine, which never got out of the blocks the last time out.

Ocala’s Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stocks last raced on April 16th as well, with Kevin Durden claiming the checkers in a race that saw a lot of paint being traded among the leaders, plus a fair amount of attrition as well.  Jody Wells won the last $1000 to win Hobby Stock event at Ocala Speedway and will certainly be looking to better his fourth place finish in the last outing, while Dean Jarvis will bring his hard hitting style back for another shot at a big payout. 

NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY UPDATES for 5/3/10

·         MOTHER’S DAY POWDER PUFF RACE RULES

This Saturday Night’s Powder Puff Race at New Smyrna Speedway will be run with Super Stock division cars. Based on the advanced Safety Features of the Super Stocks over the Strictly Stocks.

Drivers for the Powder Puff Race must be at least 16 years of age with ALL NECESSARY MINOR RELEASE PAPERWORK completed by BOTH Parents.

·         MAY 15th – OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED 50 – DENNIS BOYD MEMORIAL

The Open Wheel Modified 50 (not E-Modifieds) that was originally scheduled for May 15th at New Smyrna Speedway will be the Dennis Boyd Memorial 50. The race will pay $2,000.00 to win thanks to Eagle Steel.

Awards Sponsors and additional Position Sponsors are welcomed. If you would like more information on how you can support this race, please contact Kim Brown at 386-547-2879.

·         SCHEDULE CHANGE – NSS FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND

After further consideration, the Father’s Day Weekend Bright House Challenge Series 50 at New Smyrna Speedway has been moved to Saturday June 19th as opposed to the Sunday afternoon originally scheduled.

June 19th will also be Home Depot Night at the races. All Dad’s will receive Free General Admission in honor of Father’s Day. Joining the Super Late Models on the schedule will be the Pro-Trucks, Sportsman, Mini-Stocks, Super Stocks and the Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange (S.A.D.E.) Strictly Stocks.

(4/29/10 – New Smyrna Speedway) The Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange, sponsors of the 2010 Strictly Stocks division, will have cars available for purchase at New Smyrna Speedway each week for competition in the Strictly Stock division.

Cars will be available both Race Ready and Non-Race Ready for the following prices:

Race Ready – $750.00
Non-Race Ready – $500.00
Non-Race Ready cars can be prepared for competition with very few modifications and some minor safety enhancements. All glass, except windshield, must be removed and the doors welded shut. For complete Strictly Stock Rules, log onto: www.NewSmyrnaSpeedway.org and click on the Rules link.

On May 1, 2010, Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange will strip and prepare a car for competition in that nights Strictly Stock Feature right on Pit Road in front of the Grandstands. The car will be available for sale following the races for $750.00.

by VSP MediaBARBERVILLE, FL- For anyone seeking proof that you are never too old to start, simply look to the Challenger Division at Volusia Speedway Park and locate the white and blue number 11 race car driven by “Super” Dave Ladrie. The retired Daytona Beach fireman caught the itch to go racing, and instead of wishing that he had done it when he was younger, he did went out and did it. And not only did he do it, but he did it well, and is still doing it every Saturday night.

Dave Ladrie is certainly not the sort of Florida retiree that one might find tooling down the highway in the left hand lane at 10 miles per hour under the speed limit, with the right turn signal flashing. He is an accomplished pilot who loves to fly, and he has been a certified scuba diver for over 40 years. On top of that, the Maine native returns home in the fall each year to go hunting and fishing, and maintains a hunting camp there which he frequents after the racing season ends in Florida. That is the exact reverse of how the Florida snowbirds do it, but Ladrie does not care. In fact, he revels in his own uniqueness. And while one might not expect a man like Dave Ladrie to have a “bucket list,” he does, and racing was on it.

So at 63 years young Dave Ladrie wanted to race, and as luck would have it his neighbor was Volusia Speedway Park’s Thunder Stock racer, Scott Mooers. Mooers loaned a spare race car to Dave, and Dave hit the track, plus a few other things as well. And as Ladrie puts it, it became cheaper to purchase his own race car than it was to repair Scott’s car, so Dave Ladrie got some wheels and did his own thing, and has since honed his skills and developed the ability to race without wrecking. And beyond keeping the car in one piece, Super Dave managed to finish inside the top 10 in the points race for 2009, which is an accomplishment in a division as diverse as the Challengers are at VSP.

And Ladrie’s racing accomplishments have attracted some attention. After a season that saw marked improvement and a fierce desire to get into the top five, Dave Ladrie was honored as Challenger Division Rookie of the Year for 2009 at Volusia Speedway Park. But again, Ladrie wants more, and has his mind set on a new race car and a top three finish sometime in 2011. Should he achieve that goal, no doubt he will be gunning for a win, or two, or even more.

Up until this past weekend, Dave Ladrie’s racing career has been restricted to Volusia Speedway Park’s wide and fast half mile, but Super Dave made the trek westward over to Ocala Speedway on Friday night and took on what is known as the toughest 3/8ths mile in the southeast. Driving a car that was neither geared nor set up for Ocala’s tricky layout, he scratched out a 13th place finish, and in the process developed a liking for Ocala’s unique quirks. Not bad for a guy who had never raced on a track so different from the familiar confines of VSP.

Dave Ladrie will turn 65 years old on Mother’s Day, and while he may not act his age, he certainly has the wisdom to go with his years. Ask him what he wants from racing and Ladrie will give a simple, yet wise answer. Super Dave just wants to have fun, and he avoids the serious attitudes that many other racers take toward the sport. He wants to enjoy life and his hobbies, and taking things too seriously makes the fun go away.

This Saturday night Dave Ladrie will again rev it up with the rest of the 4 Cylinder Challengers at Volusia Speedway Park. Fans will find the 11 car out there mixing it up with the others, and the driver will be wearing a smile instead of the usual look of focused intensity. That is because if nothing else, Dave Ladrie will be having fun.

by Dave Westerman

Auburndale Speedway is the place to be this Saturday starting with a big car show and the end of the 2010 “World’s Largest Poker Run” followed by a full night of racing and fun which includes the Open Wheel Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, V-8 Bombers, Scramblers and the Kids Club. As a special added attraction, the Outlaw Modifieds will make their first appearance of the year with a 25 lap feature race scheduled.

Auburndale Speedway is partnering with the Red Knights Motorcycle Club to present the FFSF 2010 World’s Largest Poker Run which benefits the Fallen Firefighter Survivors Foundation.
The event begins at Honda of Winter Haven, 3699 Highway 17 in Winter Haven, with bike registration starting at 8AM. The first bike will head out at 10AM and it will be a “pick your poker run” format. The Red Knights are hoping to break their own Guinness World Record set at this event last year. The run itself will end at Auburndale Speedway.

Here at the track, there will be a Classic Car Show from 1-5PM, so fans are invited to come out early and browse among a large group of classic, antique, special interest and muscle cars. If you would like to take part in either the poker run or car show, contact Matt Nichols at (863) 412-1098 or visit www.redknightsfl10.com for more information.

Everyone is urged to come out and support this event as it benefits the Fallen Firefighter Survivors Foundation.

Once the poker run and car show wrap up, it will be time for more great racing at Auburndale Speedway and, as an extra added attraction, “Wheelie Magic” will be on hand. This one of a kind wheel-standing fire truck is sure to excite both the kids and the adults.

This week will be the second of back-to-back racing weeks for the Open Wheel Modifieds. Last week saw Kyle Bookmiller lead a close pack to the checker for his second win of the year despite a car which, acording to Bookimiller, was “not up to par.” Kevin Macy’s fourth place finish kept him on top of the season-long point race as he now heads second place Wayne Morris by a scant four markers headed into this weeks action. James Wright III came home second last week and moved to within seven points of the leader while Bookmiller is fourth in the tally, 16 back of Macy.

In the Sportsman class, veteran driver Dave Dunkin has won every feature he’s finished this year making him three for four headed into Saturday evening. Dunkin holds a fairly comfortable margin of 30 points over rookie contender Austin Carr. Carr has a 12 point edge over Mark Medieros, the only other driver to visit victory lane so far this year.

Following his second win of the year last week, Jeff Waterman has opened up a 38 point advantage over Matt McCrary in the Street Stock point chase. Dave Colpritt is third in Street Stock points and the only one at present even within shouting distance of the two front-runners.

Fred Harrison, Jr. continues to have the hot hand in the Mini Stock class. Yet another victory last week has propelled Harrison to a 14 point lead over a very close group behind him. Chris Spring remains second in the current running just four markers in front of Chris Narramore, Sr. while Donnie Guy is a close fourth.

Josh Borem didn’t finish the V-8 Bomber feature last week but, with all the disqualifications in tech, still wound up finishing third and maintains a point lead of 52 over last weeks winning driver Buddy Phillips, Jr.

Kim Gullett saw her Scrambler point lead trimmed a bit last week as Brian Tyre is now just 12 points behind. Chad Cutting has moved to third in points but is 50 markers behind Tyre.

The Outlaw Modifieds are a late addition to this weeks program as their race scheduled at another track is being moved here this week. Ric Mills currently leads the point chase for these exotic four-cylinder-powered cars over Tom Meyer, Doug Hopper, Craig Sherar and John Gula.

Again, the car show is from 1-5PM at the track, so make plans to come out and support the Fallen Firefighter Survivors Foundation. Pit gates will open at 2PM, grandstand gates at 5PM and racing begins at 7PM.

NOTES: Make sure to bring the kids this week. Not only will “Wheelie Magic” be here, but “Lindsey’s Little Racers” are going to be giving away another pair of bicycles along with other prizes. All kids aged ten and under will get an extra ticket as they enter the grandstand area which is good for the prize drawings.

Apparently some things just get better with age. James Wilkins turned in a strong third place run in the Open Wheel Modified race last week in a 26 year old race car. The car is just a baby compared to James himself who is 68 years young.

Once again fans will be invited to come out to a special practice session that will be held on Friday, May 21st before the next Late Model race which will be held the following night. Pit admission will be $10 and includes free beer, hot dogs and hamburgers after practice concludes along with a live band.

AUBURNDALE SPEEDWAY POINTS (Thru 4/24/10):

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIEDS:
1-#19 Kevin Macy 411
2-#98 Wayne Morris 407
3-#56 James Wright III 404
4-#03 Kyle Bookmiller 395
5-#87 Keith Lilley 388
6-#75 Bobby Blake 360
7-#3 Harold Cannon 303
8-#102 Von Pope 286
9-#101 David Grogan 277
10-#00 Shawn Harper 270

SPORTSMAN:
1-#71 Dave Dunkin 176
2-#8 Austin Carr 146
3-#13 Mark Medeiros 134
4-#51 Kyle Alford 122
5-#60 Richard Fiore 84
6-#1 Bart Weatherford 82
7-#8 Brandon Duchscherer 66
#47 Bobby Mobley 66
9-#92 Ted Head 56
10-#19 Chris Lewellen 34

STREET STOCKS:
1-#42 Jeff Waterman 340
2-#5 Matt McCrary 302
3-#4 Dave Colpritt 276
4-#56 James Wright III 186
5-#17 Kyle Hall 182
6-#29 Bobby Mobley 162
7-#3 Kevin O’Quinn 150
8-#65 Ken Lawrence 130
#48 Eddie Hartin 130
10-#16 Andy Harvard 122

MINI STOCKS:
1-#21 Fred Harrison, Jr. 436
2-#42 Chris Spring 422
3-#3 Chris Narramore, Sr. 418
4-#33 Donnie Guy 394
5-#46 Randy King 246
6-#88 Kevin Steadman 232
7-#40 Jason Swilley 162
8-#4 Marilyn McCrary 128
9-#55 Steve Routt, Jr. 126
10-#90 Danny Pearson 114

V-8 BOMBERS:
1-#111 Josh Borem 400
2-#05 Buddy Phillips, Jr. 348
3-#56 James Wright, Sr. 272
4-#0 Paul Bookmiller 266
5-#42 Brandon Duchscherer 178
6-#96 Larry Chumney, Sr. 128
7-#14 Donnie King 124
8-#29 Brian Harbin 118
9-#60 Greg Valdez 92
10-#96 Larry Chumney II 90

SCRAMBLERS:
1-#28 Kimberly Gullett 278
2-#66 Brian Tyre 266
3-#00 Chad Cutting 216
4-#51 Matt Johns 210
5-#62 Richard Brown 178
6-#71 Dave Canfield 160
7-#4 Scott Russ 146
8-#52 Gary Brown 138
9-#42 Mike Bauer 100
10-#9 Ashton Hunt 96

LEGEND CARS:
1-#38 Gerald White, Jr. 314
2-#9 Justin Brown 290
3-#59 Jake Perkins 288
4-#71 Mason Ketterman 268
5-#07 Dave Gleason 232
6-#31 Lynn Wiles 186
7-#4R Zach Napoleon 160
8-#7 Dakota Baggette 136
9-#83 Danielle Stratton 122
10-#51 Roger Englund 114

MODIFIED MINI STOCKS:
1-#89 Scott Sharpe 220
2-#15 Jason Rendell 176
3-#55 Mike Sweet 174
4-#38 Burt Morse 170
5-#45 Dennis Jones 154
6-#26 Jimmy Pugh 136
7-#07 Bruce Anderson 94
8-#09 Jessica Robbins 82
9-#33 Chris Allen 46
10-#44 Mike Lawhorn 40

LATE MODELS:
1-#07 Jeff Scofield 201
2-#407 Jason Vail 167
3-#21 Kevin Ingram 165
4-#50 Perry Lovelady 156
5-#49 Ron Lofquist 153
6-#54 Ryan Lisak 132
7-#82 Danny Maddox 122
8-#39 Tyler Laing 120
9-#36 Tim Russell 103
10-#27 Cody Lane 100

MINI CUPS:
1-#14 Sam Scott 88
2-#07 Harold Crooms 84
3-#74 John Beach 76
4-#1 Rick Ragan 68
5-#08 Tyler Scofield 56
#47 Brandon Beach 56
7-#27x Dale Pulst 54
#37 Rick Cline, Sr. 54
9-#48 Carlos Pinto 52
10-#24 Mike Holt 42

BANDOLEROS
BANDITS:
1-#38 Cameron White 342
2-#5 Derek Sobel 98
3-#11 Coty Bibeau 44
4-#30 Noah Cornman 42

OUTLAWS:
1-#13 Ryan Shattuck 146
2-#96 Teddy Lively 142
3-#48 Andy Metz 138
4-#1 Mark Bibeau

by BJ Cavin-Ocala Speedway Media
OCALA, FL- As is the tradition on the first weekend in May, racing has come to a halt at the historic Ocala Speedway in order to make room for the Monster Jam Summer Tour, featuring the most popular monster truck on the planet, Grave Digger. Four shows will run over the course of the weekend and fans will travel from across Florida to see these internationally famous trucks perform.

Fans know these wildly popular trucks from the Monster Jam TV series on Speed, and from the large stadium shows that they perform across the country. But what many fans may not know is that the Ocala Speedway shows offer a much more intimate look at these huge machines and their drivers, as the fans will be literally feet from the action. Also, the trucks have the run of the entire infield of the Ocala Speedway complex, offering them more space to do their freestyle competitions. This translates into longer slap wheelies, higher and longer jumps, plus faster races as well. The trucks can open it up and go full throttle at Ocala, where that is all but impossible on the restricted space of a stadium floor.

Shows are scheduled for Friday night, Saturday afternoon and evening, and there will be a Sunday afternoon farewell show as well. Gates open at 6:30PM for the evening shows with action beginning at 7:30PM. Afternoon show gates open at 1 PM with the show beginning at 2 PM. Admission is $15 per person at the gate. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as seating is on a first come basis in the grandstands, plus the bleachers in turns one and four. Fans are also reminded that due to strict insurance restrictions, no food or drinks can be brought into the speedway, but tailgating is allowed in the parking area as long as it does not obstruct access to parking for others.

Regular racing will return to Ocala Speedway on May 7th for the Night of Thousands, with $1000 to win feature races for the Sportsman, Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stocks, and the Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stocks. Ocala’s competitive Gladiator division will also be racing.

For more information about the Monster Jam Summer Tour, directions to the speedway, or pricing information, please visit www.OcalaSpeedway.com, or call the track at 352-622-9400.

by VSP MediaBARBERVILLE, FL- Volusia Speedway Park’s racers got a siesta last Saturday night, with the Budweiser Modifieds being the exception. But this Saturday it is back to racing as five divisions will celebrate “Uno De Mayo” on the south’s fastest half mile. While the adults enjoy the high speed action, the kids will have a chance to enjoy some pinata fun at intermission, and everyone can get $2 off of their admission ticket by wearing a sombrero to the track.

The Budweiser Modifieds were the only regular division that raced this past weekend at VSP, and once again Jamie Carter seized control and notched another win. Meanwhile Carter’s closest competition in the 2010 points race, Jeff Mathews, ended up pulling off of the track and did not finish, which allowed Carter to open up a 70 point pad between himself and “The Repo Man.” Larry Burkins continues to look strong and earned a second place finish the last time out, but trails Carter by 93 points in the third spot this season.

David Clegg continues to hold the 2010 points lead as the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Late Models return to action this weekend, as two weeks ago Clegg finished in the third spot behind Dillon Wood and Brandon Dewitt. That leaves Clegg 65 points in front of Joe Kump for the year so far, but allowed Wood to close the gap a little as he holds the fourth spot at 93 points in back of Clegg. Kump knows that he needs to close the gap between himself and Clegg and that his seventh place finish on April 17th will not get the job done. So look for Joe Kump to turn the wick up a bit this Saturday night and for David Clegg to work to extend his lead.

Shaun Daugharty and Aaron Barsness finished first and second in the last outing for the Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division at VSP, which puts the two of them in a dead heat at the top of the season points standings. Matt McGillivray earned a fourth place finish on April 17th, which leaves him 57 points in back of the first place tie. But McGillivray might want to keep an eye behind him, as Steve Shead is just a single point shy of tying him, and two points short of replacing him behind the leaders. Paul Shead and Drew Smith are also in that hunt, at 63 and 66 points out of first place.

Two weeks ago the finish of the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks was in question until well into the wee hours of the morning, as race winner Trevor Gamble’s car faced a tear down by tech officials. If Gamble was nervous going into the tech shed he certainly did not show it, and his confidence was justified as the car was found to be legal. Gamble may be tearing up the competition as of late, but Phillip Brown maintains a 12 point advantage over him in the season points race, while Tim Hughes is a point in back of Gamble. With the race for the championship this close, a mistake by any of the top racers could spell trouble, so this weekend’s race will be a white knuckle affair.

Early in the racing season it looked like Shawn Kosier might totally take charge of Volusia’s Challenger Division, but then Casey Feaster jumped behind the wheel of a Ford Focus and began making noise, and as of this past weekend Feaster is three for three between VSP and Ocala Speedway, with one win at Ocala erased by a DQ. Feaster will be going for two in a row at Volusia this Saturday, but he remains 58 points shy of first place and 11 points shy of RJ Glaser in the second spot. And while Feaster was winning last time out, Shawn Kosier was struggling after a heat race incident left him with a crippled race car. With a little help from his friends after the heat race disaster, Kosier came from dead last in the feature to claim a fourth place finish despite a badly bent wheel, so he remains on top of the season points standings and is still Casey Feaster’s target as he climbs the points ladder.

Fans can enter the grandstand gates at 5:30 PM this Saturday night, and “south of the border” dress is welcomed. And remember, fans wearing sombreros will be admitted at a $2 discount! For more information, or to see the complete schedule of events at VSP, please visit www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.net, or phone the track at 386-985-4402.