by VSP Media

BARBERVILLE, FL-  This Saturday night, June 5th, Volusia Speedway Park will play host to “Modified Mayhem” as the Budweiser Modifieds turn 30 laps in pursuit of a $1200 payout to the winner.  And while the mods will highlight the evening, expect equally exciting action from the Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division, the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks, the Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stocks, and the 4 Cylinder Challengers.

Several weeks ago there were rumblings and grumblings in the grandstand that the winners’s check in the Budweiser Modified Division could be rubber stamped with Jeff Mathews’ name.  But while Mathews came out swinging and set the bar high, everyone else stepped up their game and “The Repo Man” had some rather tough outings.  And if that does not convince some fans that Jeff Mathews is human and therefore fallible, then why is Jamie Carter still sitting atop of the season points standings?

The truth of the matter is that there are many very talented Modified racers in Volusia Speedway Park’s Budweiser Modifieds, and any one of them can win on any given week.  On May 22nd it was Kyle Bronson who stepped up and won a tough race.  Larry Burkins has also shown marked improvement, as has Wayne Hammond and Garrett Stewart.  and with the $1200 cash carrot dangling in front of all of them this Saturday night for Budweiser Modified Mayhem, the likelihood of fireworks increases.

And while the Modifieds are going for the big bucks this week, the Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division is back after Stanton Mills collected the big check last Saturday night.  Mills may have won that time around, but Aaron Barsness was door to door with him for most of the race, with Danny Vogel in position to pounce on either one if they made the slightest mistake.  Barsness still maintains the season points lead over Shaun Daugharty by 31, as Daugharty has slipped out of the top three the last couple of times out.  But never count Shaun Daugharty out, as he was coming fast at the end of last weeks race, and gained 5 positions in a tough field to finish in fourth place.

“Shady” Grady Christian reappeared with the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks at Volusia Speedway Park last Saturday night and promptly announced his return with a victory celebration.  Phillip Brown probably would have just assumed that Grady sit out one more week as he finished second, but Brown remains the points leader over Tim Hughes by 21, with Trevor Gamble lurking at 77 points out of the top spot.  Grady’s nephew, Bubba Christian, was also back and netted a third place finish last weekend, while Mike Eubanks rolled onto the track in a brand new race car that began with huge handling issues, but improved dramatically by night’s end.  If Eubanks has found the handle on the new ride he might be poised to surprise a few folks this time out.

The undisputed ruler of the Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stocks WAS Scott Mooers until an upstart Chad Scranton topped him last Saturday night to a standing ovation from the fans.  But win or lose, Mooers has an 188 point lead on Luke Sadler so far this season, and while Mooers was the first runner up Sadler was in the infield with a broken race car, so no damage done.  And besides, Mooers will have to lose a lot more races for anyone to have a good chance of catching him, and that is not very likely.  And yet there are some very good racers who are working on evening the weekly score, even if the season standings might be out of reach.  Tom Hughes and David Whitt are both getting stronger every weekend, and may be close to making Mooers feel a little less secure at the top.

Ever since Tony Laporta put his mechanical issues behind him and returned to the Challenger Division on Saturday nights, everyone else has been reduced to playing second fiddle.  Shawn Kosier did his major damage early in the season with some impressive wins, and he still tops the points rankings.  But Kosier’s heir to Victory Lane, Casey Feaster, has moved into second place in the points race and continues to narrow the margin between himself and Kosier, no matter if Tony Laporta wins or not.  Kosier’s recent races have seen him struggle with a variety of issues, and yet he recovers well and salvages top 10 finishes.  Casey Feaster has also struggled, but grabbed a much needed third place showing last Saturday night, while Harold Lewis was second to Tony Laporta. 

Volusia Speedway Park will throw open the gates at 5:30PM this Saturday with racing beginning at 7:30PM.  For directions to the track, information on prices or the rest of the 2010 schedule, please visit www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.net.