![\"OrlandoSpeedworldLogo\"](\"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/OrlandoSpeedworldLogo-395x66.jpg\")
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Orlando SpeedWorld holds racing on Saturday night this week for the first time
\nin 2013 and race fans will get to witness a number of different types of cars
\nin action.
\nFor the first time in about four years, the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association
\n(TBARA) Winged Outlaw Sprint Cars will be turning laps around the high-banked
\n3\/8 mile SpeedWorld track and open-wheel race fans will also get to see the
\nFlorida Midget Auto Racing Association (FMARA) Three Quarter Midgets as well,
\na class that has not turned a wheel here in over ten years. Also on the card
\nare the Legend Cars, Mini Cup racers, Bandoleros and big extra-distance, extra
\ncash races for both the Super Stocks and Strictly Stocks. To provide icing on
\nthe racing cake, the night will end with a demolition derby.
\nThe TBARA Sprints are expecting a good field of between 22 and 26 cars but all
\nof the drivers feel they have just one guy to try and beat… Dave Steele of
\nTampa and his “Silver Bullet” No, 33 car. Steele won the season-opening TBARA
\nshow at Full Throttle Speedway near Bradenton and has been dominating Sprint
\nCar activity at Showtime Speedway in Pinellas Park. Steele, who cut his
\nracing teeth right here at SpeedWorld racing TQ Midgets in the early-1990s,
\nhas a fabulous resume that includes a pair of starts in the NASCAR Nationwide
\nSeries plus back to back United States Auto Club (USAC) Silver Crown Series
\nchampionships in 2004 and 2005. He also has several victories in USAC Midget
\nand Sprint Car competition and, to top it all off, was the TBARA champion in
\nboth 2005 and 2009.
\nThe TBARA series is not lacking for both grizzled veterans and youngsters
\ncompeting against each other on a race to race basis. At one end of the
\nspectrum is 68-year-old Sonny Hartley who will pilot the No. 68 DJ Racing
\nSpecial on Saturday night. Back in the saddle again this year, his 40th
\nbehind the wheel of a Sprint Car, Hartley has been a TBARA member since its
\nfirst year in 1973 which was also Hartley’s rookie year in a Sprint, a Bob
\nLuscomb-built car he bought from Rob Fuller. He scored his first victory in
\n1974 at Golden Gate Speedway, some 26 years before the two youngest racers in
\nthe TBARA were born. Both Garrett Green and Ty DeCaire are just 14 years old
\nand have shown great promise in their first year behind the wheel of a Sprint
\nCar. Green is coming off an outstanding performance last Sunday night at
\nAnderson, IN Speedway in the “Little 500” where he qualified 14th and finished
\ntenth earning himself “Rookie of the Year” honors.
\nOne “local” driver chomping at the bit to race his Sprinter for the first time
\non what he considers his home track is Rex “Boneman” Hollinger. Hollinger has
\nraced at SpeedWorld for several years, mostly in four-cylinder Mini Stocks,
\nbut took up Sprint Car racing full-time last year and surprised even himself
\nby earning the 2012 TBARA “rookie of the Year” title.
\nOther drivers expected to do battle with the TBARA Saturday are two-time and
\ndefending TBARA champion Johnny Gilbertson, 2002 and 2010 champ Shane Butler,
\n1999 champion Dude Teate, Larry Brazil, Jr., Joey “The Ace” Aguilar, Jimmy
\nAlvis, Sr., Ben Fritz, Tommy Nichols, Jon Gilbert, Jr. and many more.
\nChris Gimmler is the most recent winner with the FMARA TQ Midgets taking a
\nvictory at Full Throttle Speedway. Gimmler’s dad, Mark Gimmler is no stranger
\nto Orlando SpeedWorld having raced here in both a TQ Midget and a Sprint Car.
\nMark Gimmler still races a Sprinter on occasion but it’s not known if he’ll
\nbring his car Saturday, although SpeedWorld is one of his favorite tracks.
\nOther FMARA drivers expected to be in attendance are Rob Kohler, Mike Belusar,
\nJimmy Wilkins, Steve Maier, Jamie Barnum, Stu Chamberlain and Jay Stutz. Both
\nBelusar and Wilkins have previous experience at SpeedWorld, Belusar in Dwarf
\nCars and Wilkins in the Open Wheel Modified class.
\nThe Super Stock class has seen Donny Funk grab three wins in a row and he’ll
\nbe the favorite again on Saturday but look for plenty of challengers trying to
\nget the big winner’s check including David Gould, Zach Curtis, Art Hendren,
\nCharles King, Ernie & Gino Tummenillo, Bobby & Jeff Cuddy, Dennis Snyder,
\nDustin Turnage and a bunch more.
\nThe Strictly Stocks usually don’t run for much cash but this week a $500 purse
\nis on the line. Top challengers for the dough will be Shane Sutorus, Neil
\nKirby, Wes Railing, Jr., Jim “Crusher” Erb, Megan Matheny, Eddie Moran and a
\nhost of others looking to pad their wallet.
\nAlong with the racing action, all of the drivers running in the track’s
\nregular weekly classes, Super Stock and Strictly Stock, will be eligible for
\nthe “Mystery Money,” a twist on the “Fan Fun Race” that has been held twice so
\nfar this year for the Strictly Stock class. All Super Stock and Strictly
\nStock drivers will be eligible as their names will be placed in a hat and a
\nkid from the crowd will draw out one name at the end of the night and that
\ndriver will get the cash. This will also be used as a fundraiser for FMARA
\ndriver Geoff Styner who was badly injured in a crash at Full Throttle Speedway
\nabout a month ago. Styner will be OK but has a long road to recovery ahead of
\nhim. “Mystery Money” raised from Saturday night’s crowd will be split with
\nhalf going to the winning driver and half going to the recovery fund set up
\nfor Styner. Quite a few door prizes will be up for grabs to fans that donate
\nmoney into the fund.
\nPit gates open at 3 pm Saturday afternoon. Pit passes are $30. Grandstand
\ngates open at 6 pm. Adult admission for this week only is $20 with special
\ndiscounts available to active military and first responders. As always, kids
\nunder 12 years of age are admitted free. Open practice for all classes will
\nbe from 5-7 pm with racing starting promptly at 8 pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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