(Inverness, FL; 10/07/2000) Richard Pratt qualified third fastest in time trials but was the big winner in the pill draw winning the pole. Pratt took the point on the green flag and spent the entire 35 laps looking in his rear view mirror at fast qualifier Mike Bresnahan and Herb Neumann, Jr. in the race that saw only one caution flag. Rick Carlton got caught up in a first lap crash with Leo McCullough, which ended his night early and the possibility of picking up the “three in a row bonus.” Dale Sanders nailed down a solid fourth place finish followed by Dan Johnson.

The Hage gang from St. Petersburg put away another Figure-8 feature with father Bob Hage coming up on the winning side this week, after son Robbie took the win last week. Mark Wilkins was driving for Robbie Aaron and nailed down a solid second place finish followed by Ken Crews, Robbie Hage and Charlie Meyer. Figure-8’s will take the week off next week.

Limited Sportsman rookie Jim Smith picked up the point early in their 20-lap feature with 13 cars taking the green flag. Smith held off John Gann, Rex Struble and Mike Veltman in the run for the flag, logging his 4th win of the season. Gann and Smith took the heat wins.

John Gibbs took on a 26-car Street Stock field and set the pace from flag-to-flag for his first win of the season. Point leader Wes Wilson picked up his first top five finish in several weeks putting some more cushion in his lead for the crown. Danny Cretty, Ernie Reed and Victor Stanley locked in the other top five spots. Don Teague, Mike Holms and Ernie Reed took the heat wins.

Mark Sowell will be going for the Mini-Stock “three in a row bonus” next week after taking his second win in a row and sixth of the season Saturday night. John Coleman hooked up with Sowell after a couple of caution flags but didn’t have enough to reel him in. Coleman had point leader George Neumann right on his rear bumper all the way to the line followed by Mike Moore and Frank Coleman. Heat wins went to Moore and Neumann.

For the second week in a row, illegal springs took the Hobby Stock win away from the apparent winner. Mickey Burns took the checkered flag just ahead of point leader Chris Hooker who inherited the win on the DQ. An impartial crew from two other pit crews went over Hooker’s car with a fine tooth comb and found it to be perfectly legal and that makes 6 wins for the young hot shoe. Kreg Belcastro, Beau Stevenson, Roy Perkins and Richie Smith were in the top five in the six-car nose-to-tail finish. Perkins and Hooker picked up the heat wins.

Rick Badessa took the win in the Street Legal Junker 15-lap main. Nick Fiorentino, Kelvin Maddog, John Donahue and Dave Davis were the only cars to make it to the checkers in the lead lap over the 12-car field. Davis picked up a $50 bonus from Carter’s Auto Salvage for being the last car to finish 15 laps.

Next Saturday night will see the annual “Dare to Win” double feature program. The second round of features will give those drivers who haven’t won in their division in the past two years the opportunity to race against each other and to pick up their first win. Added to the race card will be the Legend Cars “Fall Shoot Out” and a wild and crazy Demolition Derby for a $600 win purse.

-Larry MacMillan-

Citrus County Speedway Results for October 7, 2000

Late Model Feature ­ 35 Laps ­ 15 Cars
1. # 0 Richard Pratt San Antonio
2. #31 Mike Bresnahan Lecanto
3. #98 Herb Neumann Jr. Inverness
4. # 1 Dale Sanders Lecanto
5. #96 Danny Johnson Crystal River
Fast Qualifier ­ #31 Mike Bresnahan ­ 13.797 Secs.

Limited Sportsman Feature ­ 20 Laps ­ 13 Cars
1. #32 Jim Smith Inverness
2. # 9 John Gann Brooksville
3. #69 Rex Struble Homosassa
4. #55 Mike Veltman Crystal River
5. #93 Alan Struble Brooksville
1st Heat Winner - # 9 John Gann ­ Brooksville
2nd Heat Winner - #32 Jim Smith ­ Inverness

Street Stock Feature ­ 20 Laps ­ 26 Cars
1. #14 John Gibbs Inverness
2. #20 Wes Wilson Floral City
3. #01 Danny Cretty Dunnellon
4. #55 Ernie Reed Crystal River
5. #26 Victor Stanley Brooksville
1st Heat Winner - #2x Don Teague ­ Homosassa
2nd Heat Winner - # 1 Mike Holms ­ Inverness
3rd Heat Winner - #55 Ernie Reed ­ Crystal River

Mini Stock Feature ­ 20 Laps ­ 15 Cars
1. # 5 Mark Sowell Hernando
2. #21 John Coleman Brooksville
3. # 1 George Neumann Inverness
4. #25 Mike Moore Brooksville
5. #20 Frank Coleman Brooksville
1st Heat Winner - #25 Mike Moore ­ Brooksville
2nd Heat Winner - #1 George Neumann ­ Inverness

Hobby Stock Feature ­ 20 Laps ­ 19 Cars
1. #24 Chris Hooker Floral City
2. # 3 Kreg Belcastro Inverness
3. #80 Beau Stevenson Bushnell
4. #07 Roy Perkins Inverness
5. #42 Richie Smith Hernando
1st Heat Winner - #07 Roy Perkins ­ Inverness
2nd Heat Winner - #24 Chris Hooker ­ Floral City

Figure-8 Feature ­ 20 Laps ­ 15 Cars
1. #78 Bob Hage St. Petersburg
2. # 6 Mark Wilkins Floral City
3. #81 Ken Crews Brooksville
4. #74 Robbie Hage St. Petersburg
5. #94 Charlie Meyer St. Petersburg

Street Legal Junker Feature ­ 15 Laps ­ 12 Cars
1. #88 Rick Bedessa
2. #31 Nick Fiorentino
3. #99 Kelvin Maddog

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