| Charlotte County Speedway Entertains Race Fans | by Rebecca Richards
-KARNAC.com
Charlotte County Speedway in Punta Gorda, FL saw a lot of happy fans, heated racing action and special events that added a lot of fun to the night's program.
The first thing to address is how well organized everything at Charlotte County Speedway was for the night's event, and friendly the fans, racers and officials were. And it is worth mentioning how patriotic this fine group is.
Connie Davidson sang the National Anthem and truth be told, I didn't know who was singing it until later. What I did know immediately is that her voice is like that of a song bird, filled with pride when she sings it. I have never heard anyone sing the National Anthem so beautifully at any Short Track. I witnessed everyone removing their hats and if they didn't, someone reminded them promptly.
The heat races indicated what the fans were in for during the features, yet they had no idea how thrilling it would be during the flag pole races and the figure eight Road Warrior race.
They weren't let down. The four cylinder adult class and 4 cylinder kids division are relatively new to CCS, yet the excitement is not.
Fans were cheering wildly as Codey Benoit raced hard, door to door in his #39, making contact in turn 4 and going on to claim the checkers in the feature after taking the heat win. Codey was a little breathless in victory lane and his main concern was about the other racer he had contact with and then he was quick to thank his parents and sponsors.
Another 4 cylinder racer in the adult class, Roger Forbes, racing the 15 Sponge Bob car, is also a crowd favorite.
It is understandable as this quiet, modest racer gives it his all on the track. Forbes came in third this time, and is running for points at Charlotte County.
When the Road Warriors took the stage, at the drop of the green it was incredible action, there was a battle for position throughout the field. I would not want to be the announcer for sure, as the lead would change several times and the positions would transfer throughout the race.
Crowd favorite, Anne Marie Ricardi had fans on edge as this fairly new racer from Naples fought hard to get to the front. She was very impressive, racing clean and no deliberate banging on other racers.
Talking with the petite brunette, she said, "I am still shaking. When you see the wall coming at you is a little unnerving." Anne Marie was referring to a close encounter on the track when her car got lose but quick thinking on her part, saved it and didn't take anyone out. When I asked Anne Marie why she started racing, she laughed and said, "I went to Lakeland and loved it. I needed to!" Ricardi has been racing since May 2003.
The Thunder Trucks are unique, and fast. The show they put on was furious. John Garret in his #22 and Cheryl Weaver in her #37 battled the entire race door to door, bumper to bumper, fans screaming above the roar of the engines. At the checkered flag it would be Garret taking the victory with Weaver right on his bumper. The crowd was going nuts!
Cheers of approval roared! The Thunder Trucks are a class that is very popular with race fans at Charlotte County Speedway.
Present for the night's events were the TQ Midgets. The buzz of their motors misleads many a fan into believing these cars aren't going as fast as they are. There was a scary moment for fans and you could hear them in a collective "ohhhhhhh" when one racer flipped his midget over. Uninjured and after careful inspection by the rescue safety team, he gave the officials the signal to flip him right side up so he could continue to race. Naturally the fans applauded for him being uninjured and the safety team for making sure.
Ted Durfee, son of Tom Durfee, recently retired Pace Car driver, said,"The track felt great" as he was making adjustments to his set ups before the feature.
Even if Ted didn't take the win, there is always next time! He shows a lot of skill on the track and his style shows respect and patience.
When the green flag dropped on the Super Stock feature, it was wild from the start. These racers were serious about getting to the front fast. The ones who tried to bang their way up were swiftly sent to the rear of the field.
Was it eagerness? I believe so.
These racers were ready to race and had no time to be held up. At least that is what I prefer to think. I would hope that these expensive race cars were far too valuable to be used as weapons.
They certainly gave the fans plenty of action to watch and with the features before them, it was fighting to move up for position, lead changes, three wide into the corners, and a photo finish! Oh yes, the crowd was definitely happy with the racing at Charlotte!
Fans had the opportunity to get behind the wheel and race in the first ever flagpole event. Talking with one fan soon to get behind the wheel and race, she was nervous, to say the least, yet her physically challenged "crew chief" was all grins!
Another treat for fans that all enjoyed greatly was the Road Warrior Figure 8 race! It was chilling, it was fast, it was fun! Looking into the faces of the fans, I knew those smiles and even some hiding their eyes when it looked like a crash was imminent told the story. They loved it!
From the older fans to the very young, smiles. hoots and whistles could be heard approving the racers moves in the Figure 8.
It tickled me hearing the "UT OH'S" and OH NO'S" and "LOOK OUTS", I know how they feel.
Charlotte County Speedway is a 3/8 mile asphalt oval in Punta Gorda, Florida, situated between Sarasota and Fort Myers.
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