John Grimm of Seffner blazed to the winners circle in the Callaghan Tire Open-Wheel Modifieds feature event at Desoto Speedway Saturday night. Grimm, who started fourth in the 50-lap race, quickly moved into second behind leader Rob Partelo of Pinellas Park and began a running battle that lasted 47 laps.

"Rob is a real good race car driver," said Grimm, who recorded his fourth win of the year at DeSoto. "I've raced a lot with him over the years and he knows exactly how much race track to use. The pass I made I went down and hit the brakes too hard and went sideways, then underneath to pass him. It worked out perfect. The car is running real good. The Nelson brothers built the motor for us so that'll tell you something."

Teddy Nelson set fast time for the event, started eighth, worked his way to fourth place and got in a tangle that sent him back to the rear of the field. In the last half of the race, Nelson kicked in the afterburners and finished fourth, earning the hard-charger award for the event. Bill Davis of Wauchula also took a solid lick during the event and garnered the Headache award of the evening.

Partelo, who placed second in the race, also won the mid-race award. "I did what I could," Partelo said. "John was just faster. My car was loose the whole race. Every time I hit the straightaway the car would break loose. It was probably because I didn't buy any tires for the race. I was doing all I could to hold John off but he did a heckuva job to get by. It was a great race." Steve Hauser, Jr. of Parrish took third place in the high-powered event.

Bill Close of Bradenton collected his first win of the season in the Selective HR Solution Sportsman feature event. "It sure is nice to be back," Close said. "Third time out out but we finally put it up there. I think we've nailed the setup. The car handled for the whole 25 laps and I think that's the key in the Sportsman class. We're going to do a little changing on the car every week to make sure everything is according to the way the track wants it. And just keep running."

Steve Gainey of Bradenton placed second in the race and Clyde Cole of Sarasota took third place.

Mark Gill of Sarasota led to the Pepsi winner's circle in the Contemporary Cabinetry & Closet Concepts Pure Stock feature event.

"It was tough getting around Peggy (Hurst), she races clean and hard," Gill said. "We ran a bunch of laps side by side and didn't even bump. That was good hard racing the way it should be."

Hurst, from Sarasota, took second place and Howard Higgins of Arcadia took third place.

Kenny Hankins of Lakeland logged his third straight win in the Manatee Lumber Modified Minis feature event. "I just can't believe it," Hankins said. "I got the best father in the world. He sets the car up and tells me I can do better. I've been running this car for five years, and it just started kicking in this year." Matt Watts of Dade City placed second and Fred Paravicini of Bradenton took third place.

Tony Elrod, Jr. of Kathleen took the checkered flag in the Q Auto & Injury Attorneys Stock Mini's feature event. "Since Thursday, we built three motors for the car," Elrod said. "We tore up one last Saturday, another on Thursday and one yesterday. We built this one last night. I think we've got this one working right." Jesse Dutilly of Bradenton placed second, and Jim Taylor of Sarasota took third place.

Casey Hall of Tampa won the Express Personnel Service Street Stock feature event. Dan Hall of Sarasota placed second, and Scott Faulkner of Sarasota took third place.

Young Jason Reisman, 15, of Leesburg recorded his first ever feature win in the Legends event. The Tavares high school student reacted like an old pro to his first win. "Seems like the more laps we ran the better the car got," he said. "We just moved the pace along and did our best to hold them off." Tim Bagnall finished second in the action-packed event and Joey Kay took third place.

In the Dwarf Cars, rookie Andre Gagnon of Hollywood, formerly of Quebec, Canada, took the win over Delray Beach brothers, Mark and George Landis. "My car was tight until it got warmed up," Gagnon said. "But I tried to keep it safe going into the curves. It was tough on the last lap going to the checkered flag. But it was a good run."

Palmetto resident Larry McDonald took the lumps and bumps in the Demolition Derby and walked away the winner of the last event of the evening.

-Ken Willis-

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED
1. #72 JOHN GRIMM, SEFFNER
2. #9 ROB PARTELO, PINELLAS PARK
3. #52 STEVE HAUSER JR, PARRISH
4. #17 TEDDY NELSON, PINELLAS PARK
5. #1X JOHN ANDERSON,
6. #32 RONNIE SKIPPER, LAKELAND
7. #22 PAUL RESCHER,
8. #15 BILL DAVIS, WAUCHULA
9. #21 JIMMY ALVIS, SEFFNER


SPORTSMAN
1. #75 BILL CLOSE, BRADENTON
2. #1 STEVE GAINEY, BRADENTON
3. #17 CLYDE COLE, SARASOTA
4. #97 BRIAN TEETERS, PALMETTO
5. #98 LONNY MILLER, BRADENTON
6. #03 BARRY CARLSON, LARGO
7. #11 JOE SHAVER, ARCADIA
8. #15 BO TILLMAN, LAKE PLACID
9. #22 FRED WAGNER, BRADENTON
10. #18 GEORGE SHAVER, ARCADIA

STREET STOCK
1. #12 CASEY HALL, TAMPA
2. #12 DAN HALL, SARASOTA
3. #33 SCOTT FAULKNER, SARASOTA
4. #31 RICKY BEASLEY, VENICE
5. #8 SUE PURINGTON, NOKOMIS
6. #19 JOEY BARNES, BRADENTON
7. #05 BRUCE SHERWOOD, BRADENTON
8. #22 DOUG CARROLL, SARASOTA
9. #42 DENNIS WILSON JR, BRADENTON
10. #77 SCOTT WOODLAND, BRADENTON

PURE STOCK
1. #22 MARK GILL,
2. #3 PEGGY HURST, SARASOTA
3. #7 HOWARD HIGGINS, ARCADIA
4. #69 TROY BUCKLES, BRADENTON
5. #20 GREG BANACH, BRADENTON
6. #56 GARY FLYNN, PALMETTO
7. #77 ED KRATZERT, BRADENTON
8. #72 JACK ASHLEY,
9. #27 HAROLD ASHLEY,
10. #57 TROY DAVIS, BRADENTON

MODIFIED MINI
1. #8 KENNY HANKINS, LAKELAND
2. #3 MATT WATTS, DADE CITY
3. #86 FRED PARAVICINI, BRADENTON
4. #98 MIKE MITRISIN, BROOKSVILLE
5. #71 RON WOODCOCK, RIVERVIEW
6. #7 STEVE MARTIN, PINELLAS PARK
7. #67 BO DAVIS, LAKELAND
8. #16 RONNIE HEARD JR, SEFFNER
9. #25 SAM ROGERS JR., CLEARWATER
10. #77 LEE DAVIS, LAKELAND

MINI-STOCK
1. #70 TONY ELROD JR, KATHLEEN
2. #30 JESSE DUTILLY, BRADENTON
3. #79 JIM TAYLOR, SARASOTA
4. #12 CORBIN GIBBS, PLANT CITY
5. #24T SCOTT FINCH, BRADENTON
6. #80 KEVIN KNOX, WESLEY CHAPEL
7. #61 DENNIS ORUM, SARASOTA
8. #8 STEVE GLOVER, BRADENTON
9. #99 CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, SARASOTA
10. #4 TOMMY HUFFSTUTLER, BRADENTON

DWARF CARS
1. #6 Andre Gagnon, Hollywood
2. #22 Mark Landis,
3. #5 George Landis,

LEGENDS
1. #25 Jason Reisman,
2. #47 Tim Bagnall
3. #55 Joey Kay

DEMOLITION DERBY
#5 Larry McDonald, Palmetto





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