by VSP MediaBARBERVILLE, FL- There has been plenty of racing at Volusia Speedway Park so far in the 2010 season, and racers have reached the official halfway point to the season points championships in each of six divisions. So in celebration of reaching this milestone, VSP is awarding double points as all six divisions will race this Saturday night, plus inviting the fans to a gigantic autograph session on the speedway front stretch just after hot laps.
David Clegg remains on top of the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Late Models with Joe Kump 38 points back. But on Friday night at Ocala Speedway, Clegg was involved in a single car mishap during his heat race qualifier for the Powell Memorial, in which Clegg’s car jumped and straddled the turn one wall, knocking down a track caution signal and doing significant damage to the race car. Joe Kump, who skipped the chance to race at Ocala, will be in position steal Clegg’s spot at the top should “The Sodfather’s” machine not be repaired and ready for Saturday’s action.
Meanwhile the Budweiser Modifieds were rained out at Volusia Speedway Park this past Saturday, so Jamie Carter remains 65 points in front of Jeff Mathews. But with double points on the line this weekend, Mathews likely is aware that a big finish could put him on top of the points standings and take Carter down a notch or two, so look for “The Repo Man” to bring his “A” game to VSP Saturday night.
Another victim of Saturday’s rains was The Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division , where at the top of the points battle the man in charge continues to be Aaron Barsness, while Shaun Daugharty trails by 31. Daugharty has had to deal with some amount of adversity lately, and yet he has managed to overcome it enough to get respectable finishes, and that has kept him within striking distance of Barsness. And with double points on the line this time out, expect Barsness to have an eye on Daugharty’s every move.
“Shady” Grady Christian has reappeared in the lineup for the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks, and his Victory last time out has the fans talking. But Christian’s absence has him out of the points race, while Phillip Brown enjoys the view from the top. Consistency has been the key for Brown so far, but Tim Hughes has produced some equally consistent performances to remain within 21 points of replacing Brown at the top. So Grady Christian might be a wild card in Saturday’s race, but Brown and Hughes will be more focused on each other.
Scott Mooers is so high on top of the Amsoil Synthetic Lubricant Thunder Stock points list that he is developing altitude sickness, but if anyone has any aspirations of catching him this week would be the one in which they could possibly gain some ground. Luke Sadler is the next closest racer to Mooers at 188 points back, and if he can find ways to avoid some of the bad luck that has tripped him up so far, he might have a chance of at least narrowing the gap. Meanwhile the word is that Mooers’ old nemesis, Randy Strehle, may have reemerged from his self imposed exile and be ready to give Mooers a few headaches again. And if that rumor turns out to be true, then things could get quite exciting this Saturday night.
Defending Challenger Champion Tony Laporta was a non issue early in 2010 as the 4 cylinder racers hit the clay at VSP, but at mid season Laporta is back and with a vengance. And while he is currently not a factor in the points race, Laporta certainly is a factor as to who gets the celebrate in Victory Lane each Saturday night. Shawn Kosier grabbed the points lead early on with some impressive victories, and now Casey Feaster has moved within 54 points of replacing him at the top with some wins of his own. But then Laporta returned, Kosier has endured a run of lousy luck, and Feaster has been bitten by some nagging mechanical issues that have set him back from time to time. That makes the 4 Cylinder Challengers yet another division where the double points night could shake things up at the top of the points heap.
The grandstand gates will open this Saturday at 5:30PM with heat races scheduled for 7:30PM. The fan autograph session will take place after hot laps, at approximately 7PM, so fans are urged to come early for a chance to meet and greet their favorite racers on the front stretch. For more information on the mid season double points night, or for directions to the track, please visit www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.net.