James Powell III, driving a car wrecked badly at Orlando on Friday night, bested a strong field of Florida Pro late models to take home the winner's spoils on Saturday night. Starting 5th in the 28 car field, Powell (#37) passed leader Rick Carlton (#34) and second running Jonny Kay (#48) with a dramatic move to the outside on the tricky Columbia Motorsports Park layout and never looked back as he led the remainder of the 125 lap event.

NASCAR Slim Jim and Craftsman Truck Series veteran Wayne Anderson (#84) challenged Powell in the race's middle stages before a solo spin relegated him to the rear of the field on lap 85. Jonny Kay took up the chase as Anderson worked his way back to the front. Kay never was able to mount a serious challenge but held off Anderson to take the second place checkers. Anderson's dash from the back netted him third place ahead of Shane Sawyer (#38) and Shane Russ (#08).

Powell and his crew had to overcome a lot of adversity to even make the race and were very pleased with the results. Mark Cowheard's familiar #37 "A Natural Difference Skin Care Products" Monte Carlo was seriously damaged on Friday night in a Florida Sunbelt Series race at Orlando Speedworld. Jimmy Cope missed a shift on a restart. Travis Kittleson got into the back of Cope just as Powell was coming up to full speed. While Kittleson was able to continue, Powell's car was badly damaged and retired for the night.

Cowheard's Gilbert-Allen Racing team got a couple of hours sleep and then worked all day to put the car back together for the Florida Pro run Saturday night. "We weren't sure just what kind of race car we would have Saturday night but felt like we would be competitive" said Cowheard. "We had a strong car Friday night and just got the short end of the stick when Jimmy (Cope) missed a shift. We had a lot of front-end damage but the suspension was OK. The car was fast right out of the trailer and was really good tonight. The entire crew (including the driver) worked hard to get us here and it paid off. We're real pleased with the win."

Powell was also happy with the win, his second of the year. "We're off to a good start this year. We have a couple of wins and three seconds and are really looking forward to the next race on the schedule." I hope this gives us the momentum to win the "Powell." That one would mean a lot to me. The "Powell" is the "Powell Memorial 125" race at Ocala Speedway on Wednesday, June 7th. The race is run in memory of Powell family members (including James parents and his twin daughters) who lost their lives in a private plane crash in 1995. This year's Powell Memorial race will benefit the Ronald McDonald House. James has finished second in three of the four events but really wants his name on the winner's trophy alongside previous winners Jeff Purvis, Freddie Query, David Reutimann and Wayne Anderson.

Florida Pro Series Finishing Order: 1. James Powell III 2. Jonny Kay 3. Wayne Anderson 4. Shane Sawyer 5. Shane Russ 6. Rob Elting 7. Rob Partelo 8. Rich Pratt 9. Scott Grossenbacker 10. Rick Carlton 11. Tom McCann 12. Todd Kuntze 13. Randy Fox 14. Al Beckelheimer, Jr. 15. Mac Johnson 16. Travis Kittleson 17. Kent Bissel 18. John Sendo 19. Ed Sartori 20. Jeff Emery 21. Chad Dokken 22. Doc Batson 23. Chris Tedder 24. Sam Clark, Jr. 25. Eric Williams 26. Jimmy Cope 27. Mike Henderson (DNS) 28. Dick Anderson (DNS) 29. Dan Partelo (DNS)



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