| East Bay Raceway Opener Full Of Hot Action and Surprises For Fans | by Rebecca Richards
-KARNAC.com
Bobby Dixon won the Modified feature in the Saturday night fogfest
Tampa, FL - One hundred and eight cars filled the pits at East Bay Raceway Park and even more filled the parking lot.
Rumbling engines in the background, added to the fans eager anticipation for racing action, packed in the grandstands mood and nothing was to deter them from their objective, not the heavy fog (causing the air to be warm and wet where you end up soggy and you can't see well)...I mean absolutely nothing.
The Limited Late Model, Limited Sprint and the Open Wheel Modified heat races were just a taste of what the night would hold for the fans, lots of passing, lead changes and surprise finishes. We were excited! Oh yeah! This is what we live for! Then it went pitch black! Oh boy...this was not a good thing at all.
Yet I just knew somehow the guys would pull it off and get the show up and running. I didn't know how and Al Varnadore or Fred Lay didn't know either but they were on the job because the fans weren't budging. The bright side, the sudden power outage spurred an impromptu firework display from the infield! Thank you! That was fun!
I was starving and had to get some food and I have to mention that East Bay food is a 10! It's the real thing.
Some of the notable observations of the evening:
Many disabled race fans attended. A nice variety of race cultures. Age group range mix. Many smiling faces, employees, fans, racers. That great family atmosphere.
Clever thinking on the East Bay team's part worked out the bug and there were lights again! Due to the heavy fog rolling in, it was getting obvious that safety and curfew were quickly becoming a factor in the nights' program. A decision had to be made fast. They went straight into the features which really made for an exciting program in all classes for the evening.
The limited late model feature was all action from the drop of the green flag. Door to door, three wide diving into the turns had fans on their feet and screaming. A hard crash on the front stretch saw three cars mangled and rescue teams busy for several minutes. Many cautions later Bill Howard in the #48 would land in victory lane after battling hard with Timmy Bronson most of the race until Bronson broke. Second would go to Tom Evonofky, and third to William Hampton, fourth to Ronnie Heard and fifth to Jr. Prather, Jr.
Limited Sprint racers would give fans fast and furious passing and a surprise finish. Clyde Poole and Tim Holston would exchange the lead early in the race while being challenged by Tim George, but Poole and Holston would pull away from George leaving him to fight for third with Larry Brazil, Jr. The feature would be claimed by Clyde Poole, followed by Tim Holston, with Tim George taking third and fourth going to Larry Brazil, Jr.
Next up would see the Open Wheel Modified feature with more action than anyone present thought could be possible. Every position was fought for and for a while it looked like Buzzie Reutimann would take the win in the 00, but a bad break ended his run, giving Bobby Dixon the chance he had fought his way to the front for. At the drop of the checkered flag it would be Bobby Dixon in the 205 in Victory Lane followed by David Boerner in the 3x, and Brian Hollifield claiming the third position.
Wayne Hayes in the number #83 led every lap of the Street Stock feature holding the pack back until the end of the race. Hayes showed his style this evening...clean, smooth and fast. Talented yet patient, this young gun is a third year racer in the #83 Street Stock. Steven Johnson was giving it his all until he broke with Mac Kersey, Joseph Jones and Jack Rowland hot on their tails. On the backstretch the action heated up as sparks flew when Jack Rowland in the number 89 gave the number 4 of Joseph Jones a little help on a spin out putting Rowland up a position. The battle raged and on the start of the white lap Rowland took the lead with Hays chasing him down taking second, followed by Tony Jackson, Steven Johnson and Tim Spencer.
The late model feature started with the #2 of Devon Dixon snagging the lead and keeping it, holding off Keith Nosbich and Donnie Tanner who weren't making it as easy as it might have looked. The feature win ended up going to Devin Dixon, with Keith Nosbich claiming second, David Schmauss grabbing third and Donnie Tanner in fourth.
The mini stock feature only had one caution and started off with the 5k of Ryan Mitchell on the pole and Scotty Williams on the outside. Leon Coulter and Jim Courson would take row two. Out of the evenings' features, the Mini Stocks had the only one with one caution. Plenty of action and passing just a little more control on the track. At the drop of the checkers, it would be a very happy Scotty Williams sitting in Victory Lane enjoying a well earned win. Jimmy Waldrop would follow in second, Ryan Mitchell third, Chad Rose fourth.
East Bay Raceway Park has earned its good reputation, it is a joint effort between the great fans, racers and the owners that make East Bay Raceway "stand out".
The owners of the fine dirt track facility are "hands on" and present during the shows. They never spare a penny when it comes to safety and never deter from their steadfast mandates on the rules. Todd Hutto, Al Varnadore, Fred Lay and Dean Varnadore do their best to be fair to all the racers who run at East Bay, and show no partiality to any one particular racer. And sometimes, that is the toughest part of their job and no, they do not claim to be perfect. They are willing to speak with a racer who has an issue on a call, and they do listen. If they are wrong, they do their best to make it right.
One of the most impressive things about East Bay Raceway Park and the owners is their ethics in regard to safety and concern for the fans and racers. Al Varnadore and Todd Hutto spare no expense when it comes to the fine details of safety. Not only do they meet the standards, they surpass them. Some examples of what I call "Successful Safety Precautions" (SSP) , going that extra step to keep the people at your facility safe are many and they aren't done yet: 1. Super reinforced double catch fence and safety wall. 2. Well lit grounds. 3. Constant inspection of grandstands. 4. Track vehicle inspection prior to every race event. 5. State certified ambulance and rescue professionals at every race. 6. State certified fire rescue team and equipment. 7. A new 8" black iron based flag stand and stainless steel rails with fenced enclosure. 8. Track prep daily. 9. Grandstand inspection daily. 10. The new PA system 11. The new handicapped area. 12. Security authorized by the state to make an arrest, in other words sheriffs. This list could go on and on.
You get the idea...I went up before winternationals and Todd and Al were replacing boards on the grandstands that looked perfectly good to me...working on the track and grounds. At the time it looked like someone had come in and vandalized the place but I didn't say a word.
The same goes with the facility, they practice "hands on" work on the track and the grounds. They are learning from a man of experience, Charles Givans, the man who has graded East Bay Raceway for eighteen years. Mr. Givans at 72 years of age has been through many track owners and has seen a lot through the years, yet after he retired, his love for racing just wouldn't allow him to stay away from the race park he has worked and devoted his time to.
"Someday I won't be here, and they (Al Varnadore and Todd Hutto) need to learn how to do this without me. They've been very good to me and have made a lot of improvements here," said Charles, "They gave me this after Winternationals." He proudly took off his official East Bay Raceway Park hat and showed it to me. ( I would love to have snatched it from him...it's really a cool hat!)
The bottom line here is, as far as say Rebecca's EastBay eview: East Bay Raceway Park is a 9.95 (had to dock points on no real restrooms in the pits-just hate port-a-pots!)
Having been to many tracks I have to admit upon thinking about it, I have never been hit by a very big chunk of clay from East Bay, that's a GOOD thing!
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