| Curreli tops Goodyear Challenge at SpeedWorld, Clouser is Champ | by Dave Westerman
 The 2006 season for the FASCAR Goodyear Challenge Late Model Series wrapped up Friday night at Orlando Speedworld with twenty-two racers showing up ready to compete on a cool, breezy night.
A.J. Currelli of Daytona Beach got the evening off to a blistering start as he zipped around the track at 13.810 seconds, good for quick time but just a tick of the watch faster than rookie sensation Justin Larson as the Safety Harbour driver stopped the clocks at 13.826. Travis Cope was right behind at 13.886 with point leader Rich Clouser and rookie contender Dustin Deschamps timing in fourth and fifth quick.
There was no inversion and the field started straight-up from qualifications. Things would never change up front after that as fans got most of their excitement from charges being made by several drivers starting behind the top three.
Currelli set sail at the drop of the green with Larson and Cope nose to tail for second. The first two caution flags were for John Coffman, who exited the track after bringing out the yellow when his car stalled on lap ten.
On the restart, point leader Clouser was shuffled back from fourth to sixth but he was still in front of his two closest rivals, Dustin Deschamps and Joe Winchell. Things continued under green until lap 25 when Bryan Silas and Dean Ferri tangled in turn one with Alli Owens spinning to avoid them. Silas went to the pits for repairs and eventually made it back out, but his car was never right after that. Ferri and Owens continued.
Following the restart, the only actual battle that would take place among the top three brought the fans to their feet as Cope moved up and passed Larson only to see Larson move right back around him into second. While this was going on, Currelli simply got lost out front.
Things remained pretty much the same through two more cautions, on lap 39 for a tangle between Chris Huntoon and Dave Grossweiler, then for a three-way spin on lap 46 involving Greg Kaouk, Chuck Abell and J.R. McMickle.
The field took the half way signal under caution with Currelli leading Larson, Cope, Chuck Burkhalter, Doug Moff, Clouser, Deschamps, Winchell, Jamie Skinner and Jeremy Goddard.
The front trio remained the same over the next 25 circuits with Moff moving to fourth (after starting seventh) before the yellow was unfurled at lap 75 to check the track for fluid. Following the restart, Joe Winchell, the winner of the Goodyear Challenge race held here in the Spring, dropped out on lap 80. Eight laps later, McMickle pounded the front stretch wall to bring out another caution.
Just after the race was restarted, caution flew once again as Goddard and Owens tangled in turn four. The caution was extended when John Ripley looped his car in turn two after the restart.
Currelli's car loosened up quite a bit over the final few laps but he was able to hold off Larson and Cope at the checker. Moff, making the long haul up from Fort Myers, took fourth with Burkhalter fifth. Clouser did what he had to do, driving a steady race to sixth spot to earn the Palm Bay driver his second consecutive Goodyear Challenge championship for car owner Bobby Sears and sponsor Daytona Dodge-Chrysler.
Deschamps was seventh and claimed the runner-up spot in the championship chase along with rookie of the year honors. Skinner, Charles Kopach and Grossweiler completed the top ten. The remainder of the finishing field consisted of Doug Samion, Ripley, Owens, Goddard, McMickle, Winchell, Huntoon, Kaouk, Abell, Ferri, Silas and Coffman.
It took three tries and finally a single-file start to get the Modified feature under way. This one would be a heartbreaker for likeable Orange City driver Jon Compagnone, Sr. as he rocketed into the lead and built up a huge advantage.
With six laps left, Butch Herdegen and Randy Froelich tangled in turn one to bring out the yellow and bring the field back to Compagnone. Compagnone again pulled away on the restart, but with two laps to go his car suddenly slowed and he pulled to the infield handing the lead and win to Shain Held. Point leader Alan Bruns came home second ahead of Mark Emberson and Harold Crooms. Rounding out the top ten were Gary Fountain, Sr., Herdegen, Froelich, Compagnone, Norm Woodring and Richard Dickinson.
For the second straight week, there was a first time winner in the Super Stock class and as usual, the race was very entertaining.
Vince Keeler, coming off a big wreck last time out, led the first two laps before being passed by Jason Pick. Pick led only one circuit before high-flying James Frisbie took over the top spot.
Frisbie set the pace until lap 17 when Johnny Brown spun and was collected by Robert Ward in turn one. Brown was able to continue but Ward was out of the race. On the restart, Frisbie's car suddenly slowed after taking the green flag causing a huge traffic jam on the front stretch with several cars bouncing off each other. Frisbie managed to get his car off the track but the caution came out as the hood flew off Pick's car and landed on the track in turn two.
Pick assumed the lead for the final two lap dash to the checker and made no mistakes as he held off point leader Jason Foster for his first career win and a very happy victory lane celebration. Foster, just happy to finish a race after some recent bad luck, crossed the stripe in second ahead of Brown, Bob Starr (who was making his first start of the year) and Dennis Snyder. The remainder of the top ten were Todd McCreary, Roger Benton, Jeff Parrish, Gary Cameron and Frisbie. Keeler was black-flagged while running third due to a smoking car and was credited with 11th with 12th - 15th (all DNF's) going to Matt Jarrett, Scott Keena, Lee Wagner and Ward.
Pedie Allison sped past early leader Dick Laszlo and went on to win another Mini Stock feature. The race was slowed only once by a Kelly Jarrett spin on lap ten as Allison claimed the victory over Laszlo, who still added to his points lead with one week to go in the season. Michael Seay took the show spot ahead of Randy Blakeslee, Matthew Perkins, Kelly Jarrett, John Cook and Bill Calder.
Make it three straight Sportsman division feature wins for Timmy Todd, Jr. as he led all the way to claim the win over Andy Nicholls, Brett Woodley, Henry Shepherd, Glen Castro, Justin Reynolds and Rodney Eary.
The Action Gator Strictly Stocks were out in force once again as 33 cars took the green flag in the race with cash sponsors again coming on board including Steve's Barber Shop of Melbourne, Support 100 Property Management, Lloyd & Boss, Florida Confetti LLC of Satellite Beach, IGC Roofing of Orlando and Scott Edwards Racing.
Borrowing Zachary Curtis' potent Honda Prelude that Curtis had already won a Junior Stock feature in earlier, William Hindman drove through what resembled a rolling demo derby to post the win over a hard charging Gomez Alvarez, Chad Cameron (who hit the wall hard while taking the checker), David Leeper II and Rob Reynolds.
Completing the top ten were Bob Snyder, David Czerwinski, Jr., Robert Remus, Adam Soukup and "Wild Man" Shane Justin.
As mentioned earlier, Zachary Curtis drove his Honda to the Junior Stock 8-11 year old feature victory taking the measure of Luke Gaier, Wes Railing, Jr. and Jessica Railing. Older Brother Justin Curtis also raced the car in the 12-15 year old feature after his own car broke in practice. The elder of the Curtis brothers was kept out of victory lane as Jake Cameron won for the second week in a row as Justin came home second over Logan Bordeau and Austin Carr before handing the machine over to Hindman for the Strictly Stock feature.
For the first time this year, the Saturday night program was minus the RE/MAX Legends Cars who were running a Florida PBG Tour race at Bronson Motor Speedway.
Headlining the Saturday night card were the Florida Open Wheel Lites with three heats needed to set the grid for their feature. Topping the preliminaries were Sonny O'Sullivan, John Bailey and Max Howe.
Bailey would lead the opening three laps but Howe was on a mission and he took over the top spot and never looked back as "Mad Max" took his first win of the year. Caution flew only twice as Robert Johnson spun after something broke on his car on lap three then O'Sullivan tangled with Rick Lundeen on lap seven putting the first heat winner on the sidelines for the rest of the night.
Bailey came home second but the drive of the night was put in by Bill Gise. Gise crashed with Dennis Diehl in his heat race and started scratch in the 17 car field but raced up to third at the finish ahead of fourth and fifth Lundeen and Phil Krauthoff. Brian Paradis, Roger Richmond, Alain Paradis, J.J. Wolfe and Jeff Wolfe rounded out the top ten.
Young Derrick Wood led all the way to take his first "big car" win in the 20 lap headliner for the Florida Cracker Classics. Wood, the son of many-time Speedworld track champ Ricky Wood, took the lead at the drop of the green and led from green to checker in Simeon Spagnuolo's "Ghost Sedan."
Florida State Senator Bill Posey had his best run of the year taking second ahead of Norm Agostinho, Jeff Wright and Ron Gustafson. Rookie Andrew Gustafson looked much better in taking sixth ahead of Brad Nuberg, Tommy Kirk and Doug Johnson while John Smith won the heat race but dropped out of the feature, finishing tenth. Two caution flags couldn't slow Doug Smith as he drove to a wire to wire win in the Florida Mini Cup Association Pro Division feature easily taking the victory over Brett Jameson, Brandon Beach, Jason Schroeder and Francois Pelletier. The second five consisted of Jennifer Crossman, Randy Burris, Tom Mellin, Don Mays and Jerry Parker. Pro heat wins were taken by Smith and Jameson.
I the FMCRA Junior All Stars feature, heat winner Daniel Miller led the opening two laps of the feature only to spin out in turn four on his own. Shortly after the restart, Miller got tagged by Thomas Warnick and ended up backing his car into the turn one wall.
Undaunted, Miller came back to finish second behind winner Ray Black, Jr. Devin McLeod, Zack Hoyt, Maxx Bennett and Warnick trailed Black and Miller to the checker.
Rob Reynolds won both the heat and feature races for the Hurricane class topping Roscoe R. Rowland, Mark Wallace, Tom Stewart and Pierre LaFrance in the main event. Rounding out the top ten were Gary Thomas, Dave Thompson, Randy Cox, Blaize Fischer and Brenda Taylor.
After winning his heat, Critter Saile led all the way to take the Bandelero Bandits feature win taking the measure of Mark Hooven, Donovan Ponder, Shawn Hooven, Nicholas Baluch, Zachary Harris, Coty Bibeau and Stephen Nasse.
Kristina Baluch won the Bandelero Young Guns feature over Gerald Campbell while Travis Carr topped the Junior Stocks.
Next week it's the final pair of nights for the regular racing season featuring the $2,000 to win PBG Sportsman Special on Friday night and the final point race of the season for the RE/MAX Legends Cars on Saturday night.
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