Orlando Speedworld took a trip back in time Friday night as the Classic Auto Racing Series took to the track for the first time in 2000, with 1999 Series Champion Rodney Eary taking advantage of a late caution flag to pick-up his third win of the year.

Second heat winner Danny Shearer had the pole position and quickly asserted himself in the lead in front of a wild scramble for positions behind him. Eary started ninth and methodically began picking off his competitors one by one, finally passing George Hall, Jr. for second on Lap 11. He then closed on Shearer and a crowd-pleasing side-by-side battle took place with Eary leading laps 14 & 15 by just a bumper.

That would prove to be a plus for Eary because just as Shearer re-took the top spot during lap 16, Frank Wood spun on the back stretch and was tagged by David Nunes. Caution flew at that point for the first and only time of the race. Since Eary was actually the leader at lap 15--the last completed lap--he was placed on the point for the restart.

Eary wasted little time in showing who had the superior car as he quickly drove away from the field in his Eary Trim Carpentry '32 Ford Coupe taking the checker several car lengths ahead of Shearer's Economy Auto Repair '34 Chevy Coupe. George Hall, Jr. drove his Joe's Towing and Recovery machine to third, his best career finish in the Classic Series. Ed Yates claimed fourth with first heat winner Jim Rahman taking fifth. Eddie Thornton, Robert Kasper, George Hall III, Bud Spencer and Frank Conrad rounded out the top ten. E. B. Carr took the Big Daddy's Towing Rookie of the Race award with a 13th place finish.

Rusty Ebersole won his first race of the year in the Super Late Model division leading most of the way in his Garrett Fastner Ford Taurus. Early leader Rich Clouser held on for second ahead of Sid Stites, Justin Drawdy and Bob Delmastro.

The Late Model 15-lapper ran green to checker with Mike Murphy dominating in his Central Florida Septic Chevy Monte Carlo. Chris Fontaine stayed close for a second place finish as the duo finished well ahead of third place Dan Crowe. Ricky Wood and Jimbo Bjorkland rounded out the top five.

Jason Boyd drove to his fourth win of the season in the Modifieds after a great battle with second place finisher Bruce Thompson. Thompson's teammate Frank Polly claimed third in front of Jim Flynn and Darren Gould.

For the first time in recent memory, there no Ford powered cars in the top five in the Mini-Stock feature. It was also the first time this season that Kelly Jarrett was not in victory lane. Jarrett's six-race win streak was stopped by veteran Eugene Davidson who led every lap in his Car Doctor Dodge Daytona. Davidson led a Toyota parade headed by Burt Morse who took second. Rennie Wilbanks was third with Jarrett coming back from an altercation with Tim Clark to get fourth. Michael Seeright, making his first start at Speedworld, nabbed fifth spot.

Duane Freed made a late race pass on Homer Gordon to pick-up his second consecutive Super Stock win. Gordon held on for second over Bill Loomis, Carl Peters and Mike Peppler.

The Sportsman cars actually had the night off, but so many showed up, management let them run a race with no points or purse money on the line. Tommy Johnson took the win ahead of Rich Clouser, Jeff Miller, Kevin McMullan and Cory Duncan.

Stan Price won the Strickly Stock feature.

by Dave Westerman

SUPER LATE MODELS
FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 47 RUSTY EBERSOLE
2 64 RICH CLOUSER
3 17 SID STITES
4 12 JUSTIN DRAWDY
5 51 BOB DELMASTRO
6 24 RITCHIE ANDERSON
7 6 DAVID HART

LATE MODEL
FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 26 MIKE MURPHY
2 47 CHRIS FONTAINE
3 26X DAN CROWE
4 97 RICKY WOOD
5 68 JIMBO BJORKLAND
6 54 RUSS THOMSON
7 15 DALLAS WARD
8 1 KENNY CRITES
9 13 ROBERT HIGHT
10 17 GEOFF WILLIAMS

MODIFIEDS
FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 2X JASON BOYD
2 84 BRUCE THOMPSON
3 34 FRANK POLLY
4 57 JIM FLYNN
5 67 DARREN GOULD
6 51 RANDY LEWIS
7 18B ARNOLD BOVAT
8 1 BRADLEY BASCOM
9 55 SHAIN HELD
10 4J ALAN BRUNS

SPORTSMAN

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