Coming off a strong top-five showing in last weeks Sunbelt Series event, Travis Kittleson padded his regular-season point lead with a wire-to-wire Super Late Model victory Friday night at Orlando Speedworld.

Driving his Chevy Monte Carlo with sponsorship from Bob Steele Chevrolet in Cocoa, Kittleson won the heat and then led all 25 laps of the feature to chalk up win number four for the year.

Only one caution flag was displayed during the course of the race when Bob Hicks hit the frontstretch wall on lap 16. Kittleson again set sail at the restart and finished several car lengths in front of Billy Pratt's B & K Used Auto Parts/Eddelman Air Chevy. Rusty Ebersole drove the Garrett Fastner Ford Taurus to third ahead of David Hart and Rich Clouser.

The Late Model feature was halted on lap two when Wendell Guy and Russ Thomson crashed into the wall out of turn four. Guy's car rode up the wall onto the driver's side and skidded all the way into turn one before rolling onto its top. Guy emerged from his car unhurt as did Thomson, but track officials had to move some of the crowd to seats higher up in the grandstands due to some badly damaged catch fencing.

Ironically, just moments before the accident, a fan who was leaning against the fence using a cell phone was warned by the track announcer to move back into the stands. He was standing at the spot where Guy's car ripped two support posts right out of the concrete.

Once the race resumed it belonged to Ft. Myers driver Brian Hollifield who led every lap to score not only his first Late Model win at Speedworld but take the win in his very first Late Model race after racing (and winning) in the Sportsman division.

Mike Murphy won the heat but had to settle for second in the feature. Earl Beckner, Shane Guy and Eddie Rice rounded out the top five.

Ricky Wood ended Jason Boyd's dominance in the Modifieds leading most of the way in the Mike Samples racing special. Wood claimed his first win of 2000 with point leader Boyd finishing a close second. Tim Gay #06 was third, followed by Gary English and Frank Polly.

Recently engaged Kelly Jarrett was back in top form in the Mini-Stocks in his Jarrett Stump Grinding/Spectrum Painting/Auto Parts of Taft/Seeright Automotive Toyota Corolla. Jarrett won his eighth feature in 12 starts outrunning fellow Toyota driver Burt Morse. Tim Clark was third in front of Eugene Davidson and Rose Dickerson.

Doug Samion was back in early-season form as he ran off from the field in his Rainaldi's Heat & Air/Do-All Exteriors Chevy Monte Carlo for his fifth visit to victory lane in the Sportsman class. Jeff Wright finished second for the third week in a row leading Sam Bowman, Richard Hight and Jeff Miller to the checker.

Carl Peters made it back to back wins and four for the season in the Super Stock main event. Peters led all 15 laps in his Central Florida Machine & Speed/West Orange Auto Sales/Towers Battery/L. W. Funk Racing Equipment Chevy.

Duane Freed, David Gould, Bob Wines and Homer Gordon rounded out the top five.

Scooter Carpenter scooted past the field to win the Strickly Stock feature holding off Stan Price and Tracey Jackson for the win.

Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association exhibition runs was won by Lou Bachand in a 1966 Edmunds VW-powered Midget and Jacksonville's Jake Jacobs in a 1957 Chevy 350 C.I. Late Model.

SUPER LATE MODELS

FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 88 TRAVIS KITTLESON
2 43 BILLY PRATT
3 47 RUSTY EBERSOLE
4 6 DAVID HART
5 64 RICH CLOUSER
6 51 RICKY WOOD
7 91 BOB HICKS


LATE MODEL

FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 31R BRIAN HOLLIFIELD
2 26 MIKE MURPHY
3 3 EARL BECKNER
4 32 SHANE GUY
5 87 EDDIE RICE
6 57 CHAD PIERCE
7 54 RUSS THOMSON
8 31W WENDALL GUY


MODIFIEDS

FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 81 RICKY WOOD
2 2X JASON BOYD
3 06 TIM GAY
4 66 GARY ENGLISH
5 34 FRANK POLLY
6 2 PHILLIP KESSLER
7 4J ALAN BRUNS
8 55 SHAIN HELD
9 30 JOHN FOERG
10 51 RANDY LEWIS
11 20 CHRIS GILLESPIE


SPORTSMAN

FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 04 DOUG DAMION
2 50 JEFF WRIGHT
3 49 SAM BOWMAN
4 23 RICHARD HIGHT
5 ONO JEFF MILLER
6 77 CORY DUNCAN
7 98 RAY RIVERS


MINI STOCKS

FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 97 KELLY JARRETT
2 38X BURT MORSE
3 25 TIM CLARK
4 5 EUGENE DAVIDSON
5 51 ROSE DICKERSON
6 19 GARY KEHM
7 77 MATTHEW GRIFFIN
8 23 DON KIETHLEY
9 1 BLAKE SMITH


SUPER STOCK

FINISHING POSITION CAR NUMBER DRIVER
1 1 CARL PETERS
2 11 DUANE FREED
3 16 DAVID GOULD
4 7X BOB WINES
5 22 HOMER GORDON
6 L3 LEONARD STORY
7 62 GARY SMITH
8 06 ROB AYERS
9 7 CARA WELLS
10 32 JOHN SMITH


Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board!
or send a letter to the editor!