| Dorer Does it Again; Holds off Anderson For TNT Win | Jack Smith
-KARNAC.com
Hmmm...the smell of racing fuel, tire rubber and popcorn on a late spring Thursday evening in South Florida. That combination spells a great night in paradise for some, a troublesome affair for others, and downright disaster for a few.
Lakeland's Steve Dorer and Wildwood's Dick Anderson battle it out.
Seventeen race cars was the count on April Fools Day's TNT affair at Charlotte County Speedway, and so it was on this second of a six race mini series run last night at the tight little 3/8 mile short track in Punta Gorda.
The show began with the affable Mike Franklin, Jr. on the pole, or at least that was the plan. Franklin was off the pace and off the track before one circuit was made, came back out to start 17th moving Wayne Morris to the point and after a brief side by side struggle for the second spot Joe Winchell beat out Steve Dorer's Race Car Engineering machine and single file racing took over.
Fifteen laps and two cautions later Winchell mover under Morris going into turn one and halfway to turn two, the number 27 somehow ended up in the infield in a cloud of dust and dirt, bring out caution number three, and red flag number one.
It had been determined in the driver's meeting that the 100 lap race would be run without counting caution laps. The red flag was used under extended cleanup situations to prevent the drivers from making lots of caution laps, burning fuel etc.
During this red flag, Dick Anderson used the track rules to full advantage, using infield debris to adjust air pressure, while Wayne Morris and Joe Winchell debated the reasons for Winchell going into the dirt and subsequently to the rear. The nearby fans added their two cents to the debate as well.
Meanwhile Mike Franklin who had used the first 15 laps to get back a few positions had to leave the track again after the caution light was back on and eventually joined Winchell in the backmarker slots. Apparently neither driver was in generous spirit and after a back straight racing altercation on lap 20 between the two leaving Franklin's 97 fairly damaged, Franklin tried to lift the rear end of the 27 up in the air with his front end. This bought the 97 a black flag an early trip to refreshment cooler. Winchell only made it three more laps and his night was done.
It was about this time that Steve Dorer lost his power steering in the number 10 race car, as he tried to keep up with Wayne Morris and keep Dick Anderson off his bumper during the 20 lap green flag run that followed. That run ended on lap 40 with a cloud of foul smelling smoke pouring from Frank Welch's black and green machine and brought out the second red flag.
Many drivers sitting on the back straight took advantage of the infield debris to adjust their tire pressure using the Dick Anderson method, and to exchange pleasantries with their fellow competitors.
Things started to get a little shaken up as the 56 of Wayne Morris was smoking slightly as the he led the field around on the restart, and as the powerful Super late models roared into turn one on lap 42 Dick Anderson slid back near the rear of the field. As Dorer was passing Morris for the lead Wayne Anderson, hanging back in the fourth spot spun, saving Morris for the second time in the race.
On the restart Morris never seemed to fire, the field roared past him led by Dorer, and the big driver limped his blue 56 to the stable, perhaps to join Winchell for cocktails.
With Wayne Anderson back on the track and running hard on the high side to the front and Dick Anderson breathing down young Brad Barkis' the intensity clearly had heightened and it was time for the big dogs to hunt.
Dick Anderson had commented during the driver's meeting about the slickness of the outside groove at Charlotte, but Wayne was making it work. By lap 54 he had passed Billy Bigley, Jr to capture the sixth position and on Eddie King's rear looking for more. Lap 59 saw Dick Anderson move Brad Barkis out of his way coming off turn two as only the wily veteran could.
On lap 74 Wayne Anderson's troubles continued; just as he was passing Patrick Williams to break into the top five, a flat tire sent him back to the pits, this time long enough to result in a dispute over whether or not he was back in time to be counted on the lead lap. Last we heard from the officials, he was.
A brief caution, or at least what should have been a brief one, caused by a spinning Sean Lemaster left the fans with a 20 lap Thursday night shoot-out. The story line was forming: Could newly arrived Super Late Model racer Steve Dorer hold off the man with over a 1000 short track wins. Good money had to go with Dick Anderson, after all he is the "King of the Short Tracks".
Lap after lap the younger driver held his line, staying low enough to hold back the attempts by the master.
A couple of times it seemed as the sliver of space needed to pass was there, but each time it closed up as the cars sped down the straights, and in the last few laps the pressure withdrew and Dorer had done it again on Thursday night at Charlotte County.
 Steve Dorer Post Race Interview.
One note worth mentioning, Brad Barkis had run a superb race being shoved aside by both the Andersons, and holding on to his race car. But in the final 5 laps he slipped back and Eddie King, another fine performer on this night finished third behind Steve Dorer and Dick Anderson.
The next installment of Thursday Night Thunder is set for June 17.
1. 10d Steve Dorer
2. 86 Dick Anderson
3. 16 Eddie King
4. 28 Billy Bigley, Jr.
5. 10b Brad Barkis
6. 40 Jeremy Goddard
7. 19 Wayne Anderson
8. 08 Robert Yoho
9. 77 Patrick Williams
10. 8 Sean LeMaster
11. 01 Jeff Wogoman
12. 51 Richie Anderson
13. 56 Wayne Anderson
14. 96 Frank Welch
15. 27 Joe Winchell
16. 70 James Glover
DNS 2 Brian Richardson
Disqualified - 97 Mike Franklin, Jr. (unsportsmanlike conduct)
Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board!
<news@karnac.org>or send a letter to the editor!
|
