BARBERVILLE, FL- Volusia Speedway Park racers and fans will get a double helping of action on the World’s Fastest Half Mile this weekend with two days of excitement scheduled. There will be a full slate of divisional racing on Saturday night beginning at 7PM, including the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Late Models, the Quality Brands Budweiser Modifieds, the Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman Division, the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks, and the Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stocks. Then on Sunday afternoon at 3PM there will be a 100 lap Enduro Race sponsored by The Blackwater Inn located on the banks of the beautiful St. John’s River in Astor, plus divisional action from the All Quality Products Mini Stocks and the Sparkle N Shine Car Wash Challengers. Rules for Sunday’s Blackwater Inn Enduro Event can be found at www.TheVolusiaSpeedway.com.
Donnie Chappell has tightened his grip on the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Late Models, but he is by no means safely out of reach of his competition. Chappell came on strong toward the end of the 2010 racing season and that trend continued into 2011. Matt Hartley has also been confidently competitive and remains in striking distance of Chappelle, and Hartley seems determined to make sure that no one else steals any of his thunder while he chases Chappelle up the points ladder. But don’t tell that to Bobby Richardson, who has been using consistency to stay right at Hartley’s heals, and would love to become the man chasing the leader.
Larry Burkins would just assume that everyone forget about this past Saturday night as the track conditions hurt his efforts at chasing down Jeff Mathews and allowed Jared Allison to draw within easy reach of knocking the big guy down a notch in the points race. Burkins will have plenty of time and motivation for making up for a not so memorable night, but Allison is not going to make it any easier for Burkins to reel in Mathews either. And while Matthews got another win on Saturday, the legendary Buzzie Reutimann was all over “The Repo Man” on the final lap and all but managed to steal the show.
The tag team duo of Scott Lagasse and Aaron Barsness had worked all season finding just the right set up for the 11 machine and were poised to shake up the points race in the Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman Division, but Mother Nature threw them a curve ball on Saturday night with a wet racetrack that sent them back to the drawing board on their set up, and that allowed Blaise Hetznecker to enjoy his first post race party in the Destination Daytona Victory Lane. So that revelation makes Hetznecker the points leader with Corey Holley trailing by 21, and keeps all of the frontrunners close as they battle for the championship. So now it is up the Hetznecker to follow up on his big win and keep Holley at bay.
The Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks produced one of the most memorable finishes from last weekend’s races as Mick Kulak edged Bubba Christian at the line after trading paint all the way through turns 3 and 4. That finish also vaulted Kulak in front of Christian in the season points race as both drivers continue to chase Phil Brown. It also made the three way battle at the top into a much tighter affair where no one can afford a slip up without falling backward in the points race, and that means that this Saturday’s race could shake up the division’s hierarchy once again. Depending on who races and how well they do, a lot could change drastically between now and this time next week.
Alan Peacock didn’t just win the Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stock feature on Saturday night, he made a mockery of the entire field while most everyone else struggled with a wet race track and never really got going. That allowed Peacock to edge a little closer to Tom Hughes at the top of the points heap, but Hughes knows that wet conditions won’t be a factor holding him back every week, at least not yet anyway. And Hughes still has quite a lead on everyone else, so he won’t be losing sleep over Saturday’s race. This Saturday’s weather forecast will undoubtedly produce a totally different scenario with the clay this weekend, so Peacock may not be quite so impressive this time around.
Sunday afternoon’s events will begin at 3PM and will be headlined by the 100 lap Blackwater Inn Enduro Race. The race is scheduled to pay $1000 to the winner, and is open to anyone with a qualifying car according to the rules posted at www.TheVolusiaSpeedway.com, All entrants will pay a $50 entry fee, and all cars are subject to the approval of the Volusia Speedway technical staff. Cars not conforming to the rules, or cars and/or racers not outfitted with the required safety gear, will not be allowed.
The All Quality Products Mini Stocks will get their second shot of 2011 at the World’s Fastest Half Mile this Sunday, and just as was the case earlier in the year, solid field of racers and machines is expected. Shirlene Hammond won the debut event back on April 2nd, outrunning Roberto Morfin and Billy Howard to the checkered flags. Nick Kerr grabbed the fourth spot in the race followed by Travis Staats for fifth place. this Sunday’s race will find some racers already in the area, having raced the previous night at the opposite end of the forest, so the Mini Stock racers will be making a weekend of it just as the race fans will.
Sunday afternoon will also be when the Sparkle N Shine Car Wash Challengers again hit the clay for their feature race, and all eyes will be on Casey Feaster to see if he can pull off yet another win. Feaster edged past Brandon Haseleu last Saturday night in the final corner, which means that Feaster is making a habit of these dramatic final turn passes as the checkers wave. But while Feaster is winning, RJ Glaser is still only 6 points from knocking Black Lightnin’ off of the top rung of the points ladder, and Feaster can feel the heat.
Saturday’s racing begins at 7PM, with the grandstand gate open at 5:30PM for spectators and the pit gate open at 4PM for competitors. Sunday’s action will begin at 3PM with the pit gate open at 12:30. For more information as to ticket prices and times, please visit www.TheVolusiaSpeedway.com or call the track during regular business hours at 386-985-4402.