(Punta Gorda, FL; 7/9/2000) Charlotte County Speedway celebrated their Second Annual Mid-Season BLOWOUT Weekend sponsored by Keels and Wheels Magazine on July 8 and 9. The weekend kicked off with double points racing in all seven regular racing divisions. The drivers first had to battle Mother Nature as early afternoon rains fell sporadically. Then ten pills were drawn from the top points drivers in each division that were at the track. On Sunday, the Mid-Season Champions were presented their trophies and a good time was had by all.

1999 Points Champion, Raymond "Super Frog" Jones, had a 10-point lead over fellow Arcadian, James Dubose, in the Marlow Warner Sportsman division going into the evening's race. Super Frog's hopes were dashed on the 13th lap when he had to make a trip to the pits with a flat tire. Dubose was declared the Mid-Season Champion but the race belonged to Jerry Bryant (Punta Gorda) who dominated the race, having almost a straight-away advantage in his win over Dubose and Kevin Williams who finished second and third, respectively.

Big Wheels Mini-Stocks Points leader, Frank Welch (North Fort Myers), sat in the same position for last year's Mid-Season Championship but bad luck kept him from the champion's trophy. When Doug Wilson (Cape Coral) and Brian Richardson (North Fort Myers) wrecked and got stuck together on the front stretch, Welch sat in second position behind race leader, Keith Risinger (Fort Myers), but directly behind him was third in points, Steve Arnold (Cape Coral), as well as second in points, Johnny Allen (Lehigh Acres).

1999 Rookie of the Year Arnold and Wilson both got around Welch while Risinger held the lead. Welch fell back further in the field due to clutch problems and retired to the pits before the race was over, ending his hopes for the Mid-Season Championship yet again. On lap 20, Wilson and Arnold were involved in a racing altercation, sending Wilson to the rear and Arnold back to his spot where he remained, finishing second behind Risinger and in front of Billy Ray, Jr.(Port Charlotte). Arnold won the battle for Mid-Season Champion in only his second season of racing.

Chris Dean (Fort Myers) and 1999 dual points champion, Chris "Big Fish" Turner (Naples) went into the Oldies 95 Open Wheel Modified race, ten points apart in the division standings. Ronnie Barnett (Port Charlotte) was third in points but dominated the race with Tommy Schnader (Largo) in second, while Dean and Turner battled for third. Barnett took the win but Dean took the Mid-Season Championship with a third place finish, while Schnader held on for second place.

Don Vanacker (Punta Gorda) led the points in the Cowboy Cadillacs basically from the get-go. Cheryl "The Pearl" Weaver (Port Charlotte) sat in second position in the points for the Mid-Season Championship, as she did in the Pure Stock division last year. Weaver took an early lead with Vanacker following behind with smoke trailing from the rear end of his Ford truck. On the 15th lap he was given the black flag and his championship hopes went up in smoke due to a bad transmission. Weaver won both the battle and the war, taking the feature win as well as the Mid-Season Championship. Justin Bryant (Arcadia) and Wally Smith rounded out the top three.

Glenn Morris (Bokeelia) and Chris Libak (Fort Myers) went into the evening dead even in points in the Cat Country Limited Late Models. After pulling pills for position, Morris started in tenth position and Libak started in the pole position. Rusty Hillman (North Fort Myers) jumped out to an early lead with Libak in second while Morris made his way up through the field, sitting in fifth position by lap 10.

A frightening moment took place as Johnny "Action" Jackson's (Ellenton) engine caught fire on the front stretch, bringing out the red flag. Jeff Dufresne (Fort Myers) who had been running third made a trip to the pits to have a bumper removed and this moved Morris up to fourth behind Richie Anderson (North Fort Myers), while Libak maintained second and Hillman the lead.

On lap 33, calamity struck Libak as he was involved in a racing altercation that caused him to make a trip to the pits to have his hood removed, and he returned to the track in the back of the field and Morris moved up to third. Libak was again involved in another altercation on the restart and was moved to the rear yet again and his hopes of a championship were dashed. Hillman took the win, followed by Anderson and Mid-Season Champion Morris.

Twenty-six Road Warriors took the green flag in their 25-lap race with Points Leader, Denny Ray, Jr. (Naples), and Conrad Molter (Naples) swapping the lead back and forth for the entire race. The Thundering Herd ran 16 laps of good racing before the caution flag flew for the first time. Molter stayed in the lead until he got loose late in the race, and Ray was able to get around him to take the lead for the second time. Ray and Molter ran side-by-side, swapping the lead until the caution flag flew on the last lap, and Ray had to make a trip to the pits due to a flat tire. This cost him both the race and the points championship, leaving Mike LeBeau (Port Charlotte) the Mid-Season Champion and Molter the race winner. Chris Oncken (Fort Myers) and LeBeau finished second and third, respectively.

Chuck Sweet (Port Charlotte) had the Mid-Season Championship all sewn up in Q Country Pure Stocks but "Gentleman" Jim Keating (Bonita Springs) started on the pole for the feature race. Sweet would have none of it though as he slipped around Keating on the start to lead the race flag-to-flag, taking the win and championship in regal form. Keating finished second, followed by Billy Vandevender (Cape Coral).

The Outlaw Modified Danny Curl Memorial Twin 25's takes place at CCS on July 15. Also, on the race program will be Open Wheel Modifieds, Pure Stocks, Road Warriors, and Cowboy Cadillacs.

Charlotte County Speedway is located at 8655 Piper Road, I-75 exit 28, and follow the Charlotte County. Airport signs. Gates open at 4 p.m. and racing begins at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 575-2442.

-Robin Meiser-

CHARLOTTE COUNTY SPEEDWAY RACE RESULTS JULY 8, 2000

Marlow-Werner Sportsman
1. Jerry Bryant #9 (Punta Gorda)
2. James Dubose #67 (Arcadia) MID-SEASON CHAMPION
3. Kevin Williams #6 (Port Charlotte)
4. Gus Coorsen #41
5. Buzz Martin #62 (Lehigh Acres)

Big Wheels Mini-Stocks
1. Keith Risinger #94 (Fort Myers)
2. Steve Arnold #19 (Cape Coral) MID SEASON CHAMPION
3. Billy Ray, Jr. #41 (Port Charlotte)
4. Brian Richardson #56 (North Fort Myers)
5. Doug Wilson #22 (Cape Coral)

Oldies 95 Open Wheel Modifieds
1. Ronnie Barnett #72 (Port Charlotte)
2. Tommy Schnader #20 (Largo)
3. Chris Dean #80 (Fort Myers) MID SEASON CHAMPION
4. Chris Turner #95 (Naples)
5. Scott Adema #22 (Fort Myers)

Cowboy Cadillacs
1. Cheryl Weaver #37 (Port Charlotte) MID SEASON CHAMPION
2. Justin Bryant #24 (Arcadia)
3. Wally Smith #16
4. Robert St. John #00 (Arcadia)
5. David Walter #17 (Bonita Springs)

Cat Country Limited Late Models
1. Rusty Hillman #7 (North Fort Myers)
2. Richie Anderson #51 (North Fort Myers)
3. Glenn Morris #107 (Bokeelia) MID SEASON CHAMPION
4. Jeff Dufresne #3 (Fort Myers)
5. John Garrett #59 (Fort Myers)

Road Warriors
1. Conrad Molter #55 (Naples)
2. Chris Oncken #61 (Fort Myers)
3. Mike LeBeau #42 (Port Charlotte) MID SEASON CHAMPION
4. Terry Price #27 (Punta Gorda)
5. Wayne Wilson #88 (Fort Myers)

Q Country Pure Stocks
1. Chuck Sweet #81 (Port Charlotte) MID SEASON CHAMPION
2. Jim Keating #105 (Bonita Springs)
3. Billy Vandevender #84 (Cape Coral)
4. Kay Jackson #91 (Punta Gorda)
5. Kevin Brickley #22 (Estero

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