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| WELCH TOPS MINI STOCK CHALLENGE AT ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD | Frank Welch of N. Ft. Myers took advantage of Robbie Yoakam's bad luck, then put his name in the record book as the first winner in the newly-formed Florida Mini Stock Challenge Series Friday night at Orlando Speedworld.
Twenty-one four-cylinder machines from around the state signed in with Lakeland's Lee Davis setting quick time at 15.818 sec. Davis didn't do well in the inversion draw as he pulled the 10 pill while rookie Josh Robinson drew the pole after qualifying sixth quick.
When the green dropped for the start of the 50-lapper, Robinson jumped past outside polesitter Donnie Lockard into the lead but sixth starting Robbie Yoakam was on the charge and took the point on lap six. Caution flew for the first time on lap eight for a tangle involving Lockard and Mark Gonzalez. Following the restart, Welch was on the move as he pressed Robinson for second as Yoakam steadily pulled away.
Tater Stalnaker's machine slowed to bring out the caution again on lap 16 as Welch was poised to make a run at Yoakam after finally getting around Robinson. Yoakam was up to the task, but caution flew again on lap 22 for Rex Christensen's spin. From that point it was green flag racing with Yoakam having no problem holding off Welch and Davis who had methodically worked his way up to third.
Lockard's engine exploded in turn three with four laps to go bringing out the final caution flag. At this point, Yoakam apparently ran over something on the track and cut down a tire. He dropped back quickly on the restart, leaving a surprised Welch to fend off the extreme pressure of Davis to the checker.
Welch was able to keep his Ford F-150 bodied car out front to claim the win with Davis a very close second. Dade City's Matt Watts drove a steady race to get third while the rookie Robinson looked very good coming home fourth. Geoff Williams borrowed his mom Rae's Mustang and drove an excellent race to get fifth. Rick Sirmans drove the Fascats Cattery Pintaurus to sixth while Yoakam was able to hold onto seventh despite having air in only three tires. Mark Smith made the long tow from Raeford, NC to claim eighth with Tim Clark and Jason Rendell rounding out the top ten.
With the "Survivor" TV show wrapping up this week, B.J. McLeod and Jason Boyd took up where the TV show left off, surviving some wild action in their respective Super Late Model and Modified divisions. McLeod took advantage of an early-race tangle between leaders Eddie King and Michael Williams to take the point and drive away to his second Super Late Model win of the year, padding his point lead as well. McLeod survived a total of five caution flag periods during the 25 lap race that saw many of the cars in the field missing hoods, fenders, doors, or a combination thereof by the time the checker fell. Eddie King came back from his early altercation to get second place money despite finishing with a lot less sheet metal than he started with. Scott Reeves also had some damage from an earlier bumping incident but still drove to a third place finish followed by Rusty Ebersole and Russ Thomson. George Murphy was sixth trailed by Robert Hight, Greg Brook, David Hart, and Kenny Crites.
The walls took a pounding in the Modified feature. Just as caution came out for a three car tangle in lap two on the opening lap, leader Mark Emberson clobbered the frontstretch wall to end his evening. On the restart, Shain Held and Frank Polly tried to make a fourth groove out of turn two with Polly's car hitting the wall a ton destroying the entire right side of the machine. Fortunately Polly was not injured. Jason Boyd found himself in the lead as the race finally got under way and it was no contest as he led all the way for his third win of the season. Shain Held came home second in front of Darren Gould, Tom Root, and Terrible Ted Head.
After two Mini-Stock track championships, Kelly Jarrett moved on to the Sportsman class at mid-season last year. After a host of troubles, Jarrett finally put it all together to win his first feature in his new class in dominating fashion. Doug Samion did all he could but he couldn't catch the fleet Jarrett's Spectrum Painting/Auto Parts of Taft Monte Carlo. Bill Loomis checkered third followed by Richard Hight, newcomer Dave Benyer, and Scott Tyler.
Another first time winner was young Tim Russell. The son of former Speedworld Super Late Model champion David Russell took his first career win in a stock car winning the Super Stock 15-lapper holding off race-long pressure from second and third place finishers Bill Loomis and Big Bob Wines. Tim's mom and dad as well as car owners Butch and Barbara Pierce joined him for the victory lane celebration. Fourth and fifth spots went to Homer Gordon and Rob Watford.
Don Smith took the measure of the Strictly Stock field besting Russ Rinaldi, James McConnell, Vernon Ward and Ronnie Quarno, Jr. Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association exhibition win went to Jim Hoersting in his Chevy II midget roadster and Jake Jacobs in his 1957 Chevy Late model.
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