Local Racer Cinches Florida Short Track Report Driver of the Year Honors
By Tera Gunter
St. Augustine short track standout, Jason Lowe, greeted 2006 in style as he notched another win in local dirt track racing to his already impressive belt. In a fan-based poll, Lowe bested nineteen other drivers representing various speedways throughout the State of Florida for the Florida Short Track Report Driver of the Year, an award presented by the Tampa Bay area based radio show, The Florida Short Track Report.
The list of drivers nominated was a who s who among drivers, and I m very honored by the support of my fans and friends , Lowe stated. Every driver nominated had a great 2005 race season. It is very difficult to compare all of the different classes of cars and level of competition faced to have anything resembling a true answer of just who had the best season. I would also like to mention some of the modified drivers I was honored to race against in 2005: Buzzie Reutimann, Jamie Burrows, Kenny Blair, Robby Barris, Larry Moore, Joey Myers, Robbie Hager, and Bobby Balkcom. These gentlemen all represent a class of racers that I feel lucky to have raced with.
The support of his very loyal fans notwithstanding, Lowe s impressive record at Putnam County Speedway Park speaks for itself. The 2005 race season saw Lowe win 16 of 20 heat races and 11 of 22 feature races started in the open-wheeled modified division. Early in the season, Lowe suffered a wreck that pretty much totaled his car. Having already purchased a 2005 Jimmy Owen s built modified chassis that he planned to race later in the season, for two weeks following his wreck, Lowe feverishly worked on the new car. Lowe debuted his new ride Memorial Day weekend with an emotional feature win that brought fans in the grandstands to their feet. A close season points battle between Lowe and second place division winner, Kenny Blair, both fan favorites at Putnam County Speedway Park, ensured exciting bumper to bumper weekly racing for the fans. At the season ending awards banquet at Putnam County Speedway Park, along with the award for the 2005 Modified Division Champion, Lowe was surprised with the track s Driver of the Year award.
The future is wide open for this young Florida speedway top gun. One thing is certain: Lowe is sure to garner support no matter where he chooses to race.
