The situation in the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat Late Model Division is simple. Donnie Chappell has established himself as heads above the rest of the bunch, and no one has the first clue as to how to catch him, much less beat him. Even if the other racers wanted to play dirty and put him into the wall, they can’t even get close enough to try unless they spot him blowing past as he puts them a lap down. As one racer mentioned a couple of weeks ago, somebody has to step up and match Chappell’s magic or this season is already over and done, but so far even racers visiting from other tracks have been unable to reel the 25 car in. So will “The Chappell Show” continue, or will someone step up and figure out how to preempt the scheduled programming?
If the season points totals were based on the car instead of the driver, the “Incredible 11” would have already shifted the focus of the Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman Division to the battle for second place. But the 11 machine has a “tag team” duo at the controls in the form of Scott Lagasse and last year’s champion, Aaron Barsness, so the points earned are split between the two of them, much to the benefit of the rest of that division. But no matter which of the two are in the car, the 11 is fast and heading toward the front, and other racers are having a hard time keeping it behind them. Meanwhile Corey Holley left the building early last Saturday with mechanical issues, but Steve Shead stepped up his game and managed to hold Scott Lagasse at bay for some time before settling for second place behind him. So Shead may be the best bet to slow down the “Incredible Duo” and this Saturday might be the night that he does it.
There seems to be a revolving door policy in effect for the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks as many racers are here one week and gone the next, but Philip Brown stays at home on the big half mile every weekend and also stays in front of the pack, establishing himself as the guy to beat. Brown won again last Saturday night and will be back to try and make it three in a row this weekend, but depending on who shows up to race and how much success challengers like Mick Kulack and Chris Lane may have, Brown may have his work cut out for him this time around.
Tom Hughes also wants to make it three wins in a row as he takes on Volusia’s Thunder Stocks this Saturday night, but Alan Peacock might want to bust up Hughes’ party plans after finishing behind the 29 car two weeks in a row. The surprise last weekend was DJ Nobles, who came from deep in the pack and made his way to second place, and Brian Schrunk who found himself in fourth place when the checkers waved. Their success is evidence that other drivers are stepping up their game and catching up to the big shots, and that means that the competition level is only getting higher.
After dropping a Sparkle and Shine Car Wash Challenger race two weeks ago, Casey Feaster changed his tactics and found a new way to win this past Saturday night, firming up his position at the top of the season points race. At the same time Ray Hunter found out that he can’t beat the 20 car every week, and Feaster’s main rival, RJ Glaser, almost fell out of the top five finishers late in the race. But Feaster can’t get too comfortable at the top of the points heap because Glaser is close enough to reach up and jerk him down a notch, and that could happen this Saturday night if circumstances allow. So the rivalry will continue regardless of what Hunter does, and chances are that Glaser and Feaster will be a lot closer together at the end of the race this time around.
Volusia Speedway Park will open the grandstand gate at 5:30PM this Saturday, with racing action scheduled for 7PM. As usual, fans can expect a lot of excitement, plus great prizes provided by VSP’s awesome sponsors, including Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson, Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat, Sparkle and Shine Car Wash, and Big Kahuna’s Bar and Grill in Daytona Beach. For a look at the updated racing schedule or for more information about The World’s Fastest Half Mile, visit us online at www.TheVolusiaSpeedway.com.